The importance of letting your horse roll-Messy and Happy

To roll or not to roll that may be the question in your mind when you have a beautiful horse that you would like to keep clean. 

Rolling is very important to your horse emotionally as well as physically. Your horse needs it just like we do when we lye on the living room floor and stretch out our backs. 

One of the most important times is directly after riding before you hose your horse off. This often will make your horse not want to roll after the bath too. Sometimes the horse wants both! 

This is beneficial to the horse's body because he can align his spine and straighten out any kinks that may have been created in his back under the saddle.

I personally find that some horses are happy while being ridden if they have been allowed to roll and run around before grooming and saddling. 

Horses are often happier psychologically and physically even when they look messy to us! Messy and Happy!

Rescue a horse as your first horse! Over 100,000 horses a year go to kill pens in the US and are then transported to Mexican and Canadian slaughter houses...

Rescue a horse as your first horse! Over 100,000 horses a year go to kill pens in the US and are then transported to Mexican and Canadian slaughter houses...

for human consumption in MANY other countries. Horse meat has been found in ground beef in Taco Bell for instance.

Slaughtering horses or selling horses for slaughter has been illegal in Texas since 1949 but several of the nations Kill Pens are in Texas...this is their last stop until they go to Mexico.

There are many advocates working on the legal aspects of this issue.

If you are looking to get a horse this is a great way to SAVE A LIFE and get a horse for under $1000

Most of my students are adult beginners. Women that have always wanted to have a horse but somehow never got to. Most women have stories of someone talking them out of it. Saying it's unrealistic. You have to be rich in order to have a horse. This isn't true.

This misconception is what makes 1000's of horses go to these cruel places to be killed. They are not old ill horses going through these places. 92% are healthy and under the age of 5. These are where breeders send the horses that won't make them $'s .

In my experience there are many great riding horses that would be perfect first horses. There were at least 5 gaited (very smooth movement) horses there in the last month. These horses ranged from 8 years old to 15. The perfect age to enjoy trail riding. There are horses off the track that are 12+ years old that could make a teens life super happy as a jumper.

My horse Remington-who was being sent to slaughter as a baby after he was part of the Premarin Menopause Drug Project

Just to give you an idea about expenses on a horse. Every area is a bit different but in General it is only super expensive if your horse is in full training and you have a groom. You don't have to do it this way. So in Southern California Board ( basic feed, water, and location) is anywhere from $300-900 a month. Farrier (hoof specialist) is around $50-$300 a month (most horses are at the lower end of this spectrum] Some horses need hoof care every 4 weeks/some can be every 6 weeks/and a few can go longer.

Additional feed can be $30-$100 a month (alot of horses are easy keepers and don't need this).

Lessons can be $60-$150 (can take a couple a month or once a week) There are online educational options and many great books written about riding and horse care.

The unexpected veterinary care is what most people are concerned with. There are insurance options for colic surgery that I've heard are around $45/month

I tell people to think about $1000 a month for all your basic horse upkeep bills.


Most times people don't additionally need to go to therapy so you save on that;) The horse is the therapist...Equine Therapy. Why go and pay $300-$25,000 for Equine therapy when you can save a horse and get the therapy straight from the Rescue Horse's mouth:)

If you are interested in private or group lessons in Malibu you can fill out my form below and receive a call or email in return.

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Our horses are rescue horses and taking lessons and rides supports their lives.

Make your dream of owning or leasing (responsibility is shared and you can stop whenever you want:) a horse come true!

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It is important to stay flexible and in the moment when training a horse. There are different methods for different horses. No one way is correct.

Often I hear opinionated horse people saying. I always do such and such. For instances using a stud chain on a horse when going into a trailer. In my opinion this usually is going against the goal of releasing pressure on the front end of the horse and increasing pressure behind the horse. This may work on a less physically sensitive horse (some warm bloods, drafts, quarter horses, etc.) and then not work at all on a very physically sensitive horse (Thoroughbred, Arabian, etc.)

Also with scheduling- While yes keeping a regulated schedule for feeding and chores helps horses feel more comfortable; sometimes if there has been a change like a new horse has entered barn  or weather is different, light is different because of daylight savings, etc. then it is best to adapt to the situation and make the best decision for the horses collectively. Like feeding extra bran mash. Moving horses to where they feel most comfortable in proximity to each other.

Bottom line, Assess in the moment and Adapt.

JUST BE

Working with a baby horse-using food as a reward and an emotional pacifier-slaughter bound rescue

Today I worked with a baby, well he's apparently pushing 2... he is an unhandled baby from the Kaufman Kill Pen in Texas. He was not "halter broke"...dumb term...trained to walk with a halter on his cutie face. Must be bizarre to have someone walk you around by your face if you think about it.

This is my student who rescued him learning to work with him. He's allowing touching.

I wish I had pictures or video of today. We will have to set up a camera. It was pretty awesome though. Took about 20 minutes to get him fairly desensitized to the halter and then I took him to the round pen. Where I then used my student with a feed bucket in the middle behind me as the bait and his job was to put his halter on and then he could get a bit of grain. We did it three times with run around loose equine sanity breaks in between. The third time he quickly shoved his nose through the halter with no fear. It was sweet he was like-OK, I got it-I'm doing it right-now give me the goods:)

There are so many rules where people say never do this or that. For instance using feed in training. There are times for it like this one-where a horse Loves food and has had alot of trauma. It is very helpful in moderation to create the desired result without misunderstanding and added trauma.

There are no cut and dry Rules. i.e. No shoes, only "natural hoof trimming", no alfalfa, no hand feeding, etc. There are times and places for all of these things. Every situation is different.

Horses are no different than ourselves in many ways...If you wonder what your horse feels...think of you in that situation..

So often, I hear new horse owners being bombarded with information immediately upon entering into the world of "Horse Ownership". They become overwhelmed pretty quickly. Barn owners, trainers, equine professionals of all sorts, and opinionated fellow horse loving people all have the Be All End All answers to everything you are experiencing with your horse...given generically in every situation. Answers repeated endlessly from text books written 10 years ago that lists and ailment and a treatment outdated and often ineffective. Very few people stop and assess the situation at hand and make an educated judgement based on their exploration and understanding of the situation at hand.

...And here is just a beautiful video of Jesse's Girl learning to jump. She is a Polo Pony Rescue.

My personal method is to always listen to all opinions and think them over... gauging the likelihood of  the suggested advice helping to improve my horse or my horse's situation. There is something so bizarre about the equine culture. In some ways it can be so stagnant and steeped in "Traditional"  practices it is barbaric in some cases, the pain of a bit against gum tissue in inexperienced hands, spurs that dig in and say nothing to a inadequately negotiated with horse. Does your horse want to be with you in what you are doing with him. I like to call this "High Class Horse Abuse". Jess (The above horse) is from this world. Polo is a fancy, high class, "Sport of Kings. Many of these horses, and many horses in all equine sport disciplines experience an abuse that is painful to them but somewhat ignorable to the humans involved. 

I recall going to the Equine Affair in Pomona California in 2007 or so...I needed to charge my phone so I snuck into the back of a lecture hall of 500 or so people... the speaker was a late in life cowboy of limited scope...he said "Horses do not have emotions"...I literally spit by accident into laughter. Anyone that loves their horse knows that they for sure have emotions...and dramatic ones at that.

"What is good for the horse, is rarely convenient for the human"- Inge Halliday

In conclusion, you will ultimately have to be the one to decide what is best for your equine friend. Basically all you have to do to figure out how your horse feels; is to think of yourself in the same situation. It's that simple. You want freedom. You want Love. You want understanding. You want food. You want water. You want somewhere nice to sleep. You want fun. You want friends. You want peace....and sometimes yer in a shitty mood...if there a difference between horses and humans?

Horse's spines....Why are the backs low? ...why are the whithers high...Think about it...how do braces on teeth work? You put pressure on bone=bones changes.

The horse industry is very reluctant to agknowledge this reality. Most stay stuck in beliefs such as....you must trim feet the way they grow or sugar does not cause cavities...what time period are these professionals living in? Um, horse teeth are made of of the same substances as human teeth and we have come a long way since barbers pulled teeth and hung bloody rags out on a hitching post to dry forming the symbolic red and white barbers pole.

The focus of this is: yes, we definitely affect the shape of a horse's back and spine. Ride from your own thigh muscles...ride like you are riding bareback,.. always!...and you will be riding correctly.

For Group or Private Lessons with Inge C. Halliday please fill out a Lesson Request Form