10/25/2026
🐴 Building a solid foundation with Ellie ❤️
We aren’t getting on Ellie just yet. Right now, we’re giving our new OTTB time to settle into her home and gain some much-needed weight while we get to know each other.
Our training starts with the everyday things: walking quietly beside us, respecting personal space, responding to cues on the ground, and standing comfortably at the mounting block. Even mounting-block practice doesn’t have to end with someone getting on. Sometimes, standing quietly and feeling comfortable is the whole lesson.
Ellie has been showing us such a good brain! She’s generally quiet and well behaved during groundwork and lunging, but let’s face it…she’s a young OTTB, and occasionally a little spice comes out. 🌶️🐴
When that happens, we regroup and give her a familiar, manageable job. A quiet transition or controlled change of direction can help bring her attention back to us. We want her thinking, listening, and learning.
Timing matters. Horses learn from what happens immediately after a response, including when we release pressure or offer a break. When it’s safe and appropriate, we ask for a small, calm, correct effort and reward it promptly. We’re also paying attention to whether she’s worried, uncomfortable, confused, or tired and adjusting accordingly.
These choices are grounded in established principles of equine learning: clear and consistent cues, small achievable steps, and timely reinforcement of the responses we want. The International Society for Equitation Science includes these principles in its training guidance, alongside keeping horses calm and recognizing discomfort. The goal is to help Ellie understand what we’re asking and feel confident answering.
Purposeful forward movement is part of the lesson. So is stopping quietly when asked. Both help us build clear communication and dependable responses.
Although we understand Ellie is well behaved under saddle, we’re still taking her through each step before slowly introducing her first rides with us, when she’s ready.
These little lessons matter. We want to give her a foundation she can rely on and help her become a confident, dependable citizen for whatever her future holds. One thoughtful step at a time. ❤️🐴
📚 Learn more about the training principles behind this approach:
https://www.equitationscience.com/ises-training-principles
