Empowered Equines

10/22/2026

Thank you all so much for your help, we're going to the store tomorrow to pick up the supplies :D

We have a very important project we need to get done before winter this year. The 3 indoor/outdoor stalls get snowed and frozen in every year. We have to shovel and chisel ice out from the doorways twice a day, because when we let the horses out they trample back and forth and it refreezes in lumps that block the doors. Its exhausting, painful, heavy work for my broken back and the volunteers who help us. On top of regular chores and winter shoveling, its just too much, and often leads to flooding everytime there is a melt.

We want to build an overhang over these 3 doors. Just a short piece of roof to keep the snow and ice back far enough the doors can open and close. This would bring such quality of life for us workers and help the horses have more cover and less ice injury risk. Zephyr frequently hurts himself crashing around on the ice with no self preservation.

We have reached out to lumber companies and haven't heard back, but we have an amazing team of incredible volunteers coming this Saturday to build. So i am going to need to buy all the parts. We have estimated this to cost around $800-1000. With Grayson's bills we just don't have that much in the funds. Can you help us?

You can paypal or venmo us at [email protected], donate here, or if you have any of these supplies you would be willing to donate:
38 – 2x6s 8ft long
• 6 – 4x4 posts, 8ft tall
• 9 – sheets of plywood, 4x8s
• Iceshield to cover a 36 ft x 8 ft roof (about 288 sq ft)
• 3.5" GRK structural screws
We will gladly pick up materials or write donation reciepts for your taxes! We are a 501c3 non-profit

10/21/2026

A good positive reinforcement trainer should be able to train any behavior without the intentional use of aversives. There are times in life aversives will pop up. There are plenty of aversive aspects of domestic life for horses we can't prevent. But when we are training a specific behavior, especially any behavior we are training for fun or our enjoyment, not in a rush for their health or safety, we should never need to rely on aversive stimuli to make it happen.

So when you see someone posting an advertisement for positive reinforcement training - or teaching a class on positive reinforcement, but their photos in their ad show aversively trained behaviors (showing the aversive stimuli used to stimulate the behavior!) They are likely not an ideal R+ source to learn from. Especially if they don't even recognize, understand, or admit to using the aversive stimuli. It's one thing to say "yes, I felt the need to use aversives here, for these important reasons", but a serious concern if they don't even accept what they're doing.

We all know there are times we have to push boundaries or be more coercive or less sensitive than we want to be (for health and safety - not for fun). But we should know and understand the choices we're making, the escalation of force and decrease of choice, when, where and how to thoughtfully use the aversives, and when we should not take that step, just to get a fun behavior we think is pretty.

10/20/2026

Sisko is doing great learning about blankets! He looks amazing in Rainbow 😉 full training videos available on The Mustang Collective

10/20/2026

Many people think R+ horses "just do it for the food", well today Abby decided she'd take her ride time to just let Unicorn graze and enjoy grass. Unicorn said "no thanks, let's play!" Then they rode allll around the agility ring. Unicorn is becoming more and more engaged with all the different obstacles. she used to only have a favorite one or two and be reluctant to try new, even really easy ones. She is listening to cues so well and just cruising all the obstacles!

10/19/2026

We have a very important project we need to get done before winter this year. The 3 indoor/outdoor stalls get snowed and frozen in every year. We have to shovel and chisel ice out from the doorways twice a day, because when we let the horses out they trample back and forth and it refreezes in lumps that block the doors. Its exhausting, painful, heavy work for my broken back and the volunteers who help us. On top of regular chores and winter shoveling, its just too much, and often leads to flooding everytime there is a melt.

We want to build an overhang over these 3 doors. Just a short piece of roof to keep the snow and ice back far enough the doors can open and close. This would bring such quality of life for us workers and help the horses have more cover and less ice injury risk. Zephyr frequently hurts himself crashing around on the ice with no self preservation.

We have reached out to lumber companies and haven't heard back, but we have an amazing team of incredible volunteers coming this Saturday to build. So i am going to need to buy all the parts. We have estimated this to cost around $800-1000. With Grayson's bills we just don't have that much in the funds. Can you help us?

You can paypal or venmo us at [email protected], donate here, or if you have any of these supplies you would be willing to donate:
38 – 2x6s 8ft long
• 6 – 4x4 posts, 8ft tall
• 9 – sheets of plywood, 4x8s
• Iceshield to cover a 36 ft x 8 ft roof (about 288 sq ft)
• 3.5" GRK structural screws
We will gladly pick up materials or write donation reciepts for your taxes! We are a 501c3 non-profit

10/18/2026

When “Good” Is Never Good Enough: How Constant Correction Shapes Anxious Minds, in People and Horses

I grew up without a dad, but I had SO many moms! My Mom-mom, my Aunt-mom, my Grand-mom, and my Horse-mom. My Horse-mom was the one I wanted to be like. I admired her strength, her confidence, and her ferocious momma-bear love for her animals and the girls who found sanctuary at her farm.

She was wonderful. She was also extremely critical. There were literally signs in the barn: “Do it my way!” Running my own barn now, I so get it! I’ve had to learn which things are worth doing “my” way, and which I can let go as long as the need is met.

But her corrections weren’t saved for serious things. You could be corrected for telling a story wrong, agreeing with her the wrong way, or leaving a gate closed when you were just supposed to KNOW it should be open. Her need for perfection came from her own anxiety, her fear that someone would get hurt. I understood that. I agreed with it. And it made me just as hard on myself as she was on me.

She never had to yell.

Her approval meant more to me than anything, so her disapproval hurt more than any punishment could. So I became a VERY good learner. Her favorite. I saw problems before they happened, fixed things ahead of her, taught new people to do it “right,” double-checked everything, and hid my mistakes. I rarely make the same mistake twice, because I became obsessive about never upsetting anyone.

Then one day, I broke. She was on the phone, upset, gesturing for me to move the wheelbarrow. I moved it and even dumped it to be extra helpful. I didn’t know she’d taken the stall guard down. The horse walked right out. A loose horse was her biggest trigger, and she was furious. I sat in the back of a stall crying, pretending to be cleaning. When she saw, she apologized and said it was her fear talking. I got it. I was scared too.

What constant correction teaches the brain:

Our brains are built to notice threats. When correction is frequent and unpredictable, the brain learns danger can come from anywhere, so it stays on guard. Worry starts to feel like responsibility.

Today I’m extremely sensitive to anything that sounds like criticism. I find it hiding in compliments. I struggle to trust genuine care, because part of me believes I’ll never be good enough. I became good at appeasing people and reading a room, but not at meeting my own needs or accepting myself as I am.

Horses learn this too

A horse who’s corrected constantly, even gently, learns the world is unpredictable. A correction only says what NOT to do, never what TO do. Some horses become anxious over-achievers who rush, brace, and anticipate, often labeled “hot” or “spooky.” Others go quiet and stop offering anything, labeled “lazy” or “dull.” Often that isn’t calm; it’s a horse who learned trying doesn’t keep them safe. Both can look obedient. Neither is confident.

What I do differently now:

That’s why I train the way I do. I set horses up to succeed, keep criteria clear, make sure they know when they got it right, and let the small stuff go. A horse who knows what earns a “yes” doesn’t have to live in fear of a “no.”

I’m still learning to give myself that same grace, and to let a compliment just be a compliment.

If you’ve been the “good learner” who tiptoes so nobody gets upset, I see you. And if your horse is trying way too hard, or has stopped trying altogether, maybe they don’t need more correction. Maybe they need more “yes.” 💛🐴

10/17/2026

Someone said i got super lucky that Sisko is such an easy mustang to train. He's just a cheater mustang 😉 So let me show you 30 seconds BEFORE he did his first ever hind hoof trim with a real farrier. The goal is not to stop, block, or prevent his emotions. But to change how he feels and help him more quickly re-regulate when he does get upset. He still has a good amount of fear in him, if approached wrong or surprised or the day is pretty windy. He is still a mustang. He used to spook every time the fence rattled or if a person walked straight towards him. We spent sessions just walking away from him and approaching him from different directions. He has been progressing quickly, because intentionally progress our training slowly and steadily, step by step. Training slowly builds stronger, more reliable skills and reduces setbacks. We also do our best to give him tools to regulate himself and return to focused calm. Spooks still happen, but they are smaller and smaller, he has become more resilient and self confident. Though he's still a snuggle baby!

10/16/2026

Sisko was a rockstar for his first hind hoof trim by a real farrier!! Wild boy is getting real comfy with domestication

10/15/2026

i'm introducing Sisko to blankets and i was trying to rearrange it in my arms so it hung low and dangly, but with the straps tucked in. He saw this as the ideal opportunity to teach ME how to hug his head ❤️ anytime bud! anytime! ❤️ love this little squish nugget

10/12/2026

If the best "reward" you can give your horse is relief from you and your aids, maybe your relationship isn't as ideal as you think it is. When relief is your only "reward", the horse is actively working to make you go away. Every behavior they do, every effort they make, is to make you stop bothering them. Their ultimate success is when the tack is removed and you leave.

Is this the relationship you want with the horse? Where your win is their loss and vice versa? Where you leaving is the best part of their day?

So many people worry that food may interfere with their relationship, but what food does is it puts you and your horse on the same side. You are now working for the same goal. The best part of your horse's day is when you show up with a treat pouch and a puzzle to solve. Whether that's a trick, a riding skill, cooperative care, or counter conditioning, your horse is excited for and working to solve the challenge.

We know now that R+ can achieve all the same results (or better) than traditional ever did. We've all proven it, all of us out here in different corners of the horse world, showing how R+ can be effective in every bubble. But its a learning curve for the humans, to learn to use it well. Just like R- there are so many ways to use it and adjust for each horse you work with, learning all the subtle changes and adjustments can be hard for some. But that nicker when they see you coming with their tack can make all the time spent learning worth it.