Tori Blankenship;
I sat on my first real horse when I was 10 years old.
As a child living in New York, horses were my passion. We had a large quartz-like boulder out in my family back yard that was my "Horse" back then. I'd spend hours talking to and riding my boulder horse in the most beautiful places that my imagination could take me to.
When I was told we were moving to Florida, I guess I was a little headstrong about not wanting to move, leave my friends, and of course my boulder horse. So, my Mother sweetened the deal by telling me once we moved to Florida she would find a real horse for me. My bags were packed!
Luckily, the sub-division we moved into in Florida was a bicycle ride away to a YMCA Summer camp facility that had a horse program. Outside the Summer months, they offered a lease program to experience the responsibility and pleasure of owning a horse. I nagged (relentlessly) my Mother until finally she gave in. I replaced my beloved boulder horse for a flea bitten gray named "Lil Mare".
Lil Mare led to Tommy, then Bambi, Rocky, Captain, Jasmine, Jetta, RT, Johnny, Trophy, Lexi, Indy, Rusty, McCloud, Nikki, DivaRhythym, Spencer, Belle, MardiGras, Shorty, Rooster, Rowdy, Miss-T, Shadow, Chip and then there was Sampson.
They were Grade Horses, Gaited Crosses, Arabians, Quarter Horses, Appendix QH, Appaloosas, Racking Horses, Spotted Saddle Horses, and then came the Foxtrotters.
At 13 years old, I started under saddle and trained my first youngster to regional championships within English Pleasure division and the Hunter Circuit as well. We could not afford a training barn, so my Mother acquired armloads of books to learn how to handle this 2 Yr old properly. The books were great guidelines. In the end it was all hit and miss, trial and error - time, patience, feeling & respect that was developed for the communication that enabled this beautiful young horse to blossom.
Listen-Feel-Respond
I craved new horses to learn from and mold them into the best that they could be. I would go to local shows and earn money to help my parents with this new horse habit by pulling, banding, braiding manes and tails -and watching, listening and absorbing all that went on around me. Then came my first time to attend this show with my horse instead of my grooming kit. We showed up in a rented black U-Haul trailer that my parents pulled with their van. A day that will always be treasured in my memory.
When I became an adult my dream of having land and a barn for my horses in my backyard became a reality. A stall in my barn was eventually referred to the "Guest Stall". Horses that graced that stall went on to win National & Futurity honors within the Appaloosa Horse Club Assoc., Championships within the 4-H organization, State Open and Hunter Show organizations and Spotted Saddle Horse competitions. I would eventually find a good match in a person for this horse, then look for my next project to move into my Guest Stall.
Then I met my husband, Bud. I had found for my Mother her first horse from him, a Foxtrotter. Bud provided me with one of his horses for my Guest Stall. My love of the Foxtrotter horse began, and with Bud's never ending guidance and support my Guest Stall horses went on to countless FT championships, Racking Horse Competitions and Kentucky Mountain Horse State Championship wins. My guest stall seemed like it had a revolving door on it now, occupied by wonderful, talented Foxtrotters that Bud had provided me with.
Bud and I were married and I moved into "His Barn" in 2002.
In 2006, events in our lives led me to the decision to start training professionally. I wanted to share and clearly explain things to riders and owners that were hidden from me, as a student with horses in training. No more smoke and mirror training. No more uneducated owners that perform movements like a mechanical rider. No more not understanding feeling and not having or learning the ability to adjust for yourself.
Every one of these horses that I have had the privilege to have in my life has taught me a little bit of something I did not know before. It is essential to listen to your horses every second that you are with them. They do have a lot to say and will teach you so much, but - you need to listen.
Listen-Feel-Respond.
I respect all of my horses as individuals with very different personalities, wants, needs and most importantly their blood borne talent and ability. I let the individual horse guide me to the best road to take for their learning ability and then go on to grow the talent within. Realistically for each and every horse.
I will never push a horse, or rider for that matter past their natural ability. I will look and ask for the absolute most a horse and rider can achieve, comfortably and confidently, and will never push them over their edge.
You will be surprised what you and your horse can accomplish when asked for a little bit more........One trusted and understood step at a time.
I sat on my first real horse when I was 10 years old.
As a child living in New York, horses were my passion. We had a large quartz-like boulder out in my family back yard that was my "Horse" back then. I'd spend hours talking to and riding my boulder horse in the most beautiful places that my imagination could take me to.
When I was told we were moving to Florida, I guess I was a little headstrong about not wanting to move, leave my friends, and of course my boulder horse. So, my Mother sweetened the deal by telling me once we moved to Florida she would find a real horse for me. My bags were packed!
Luckily, the sub-division we moved into in Florida was a bicycle ride away to a YMCA Summer camp facility that had a horse program. Outside the Summer months, they offered a lease program to experience the responsibility and pleasure of owning a horse. I nagged (relentlessly) my Mother until finally she gave in. I replaced my beloved boulder horse for a flea bitten gray named "Lil Mare".
Lil Mare led to Tommy, then Bambi, Rocky, Captain, Jasmine, Jetta, RT, Johnny, Trophy, Lexi, Indy, Rusty, McCloud, Nikki, DivaRhythym, Spencer, Belle, MardiGras, Shorty, Rooster, Rowdy, Miss-T, Shadow, Chip and then there was Sampson.
They were Grade Horses, Gaited Crosses, Arabians, Quarter Horses, Appendix QH, Appaloosas, Racking Horses, Spotted Saddle Horses, and then came the Foxtrotters.
At 13 years old, I started under saddle and trained my first youngster to regional championships within English Pleasure division and the Hunter Circuit as well. We could not afford a training barn, so my Mother acquired armloads of books to learn how to handle this 2 Yr old properly. The books were great guidelines. In the end it was all hit and miss, trial and error - time, patience, feeling & respect that was developed for the communication that enabled this beautiful young horse to blossom.
Listen-Feel-Respond
I craved new horses to learn from and mold them into the best that they could be. I would go to local shows and earn money to help my parents with this new horse habit by pulling, banding, braiding manes and tails -and watching, listening and absorbing all that went on around me. Then came my first time to attend this show with my horse instead of my grooming kit. We showed up in a rented black U-Haul trailer that my parents pulled with their van. A day that will always be treasured in my memory.
When I became an adult my dream of having land and a barn for my horses in my backyard became a reality. A stall in my barn was eventually referred to the "Guest Stall". Horses that graced that stall went on to win National & Futurity honors within the Appaloosa Horse Club Assoc., Championships within the 4-H organization, State Open and Hunter Show organizations and Spotted Saddle Horse competitions. I would eventually find a good match in a person for this horse, then look for my next project to move into my Guest Stall.
Then I met my husband, Bud. I had found for my Mother her first horse from him, a Foxtrotter. Bud provided me with one of his horses for my Guest Stall. My love of the Foxtrotter horse began, and with Bud's never ending guidance and support my Guest Stall horses went on to countless FT championships, Racking Horse Competitions and Kentucky Mountain Horse State Championship wins. My guest stall seemed like it had a revolving door on it now, occupied by wonderful, talented Foxtrotters that Bud had provided me with.
Bud and I were married and I moved into "His Barn" in 2002.
In 2006, events in our lives led me to the decision to start training professionally. I wanted to share and clearly explain things to riders and owners that were hidden from me, as a student with horses in training. No more smoke and mirror training. No more uneducated owners that perform movements like a mechanical rider. No more not understanding feeling and not having or learning the ability to adjust for yourself.
Every one of these horses that I have had the privilege to have in my life has taught me a little bit of something I did not know before. It is essential to listen to your horses every second that you are with them. They do have a lot to say and will teach you so much, but - you need to listen.
Listen-Feel-Respond.
I respect all of my horses as individuals with very different personalities, wants, needs and most importantly their blood borne talent and ability. I let the individual horse guide me to the best road to take for their learning ability and then go on to grow the talent within. Realistically for each and every horse.
I will never push a horse, or rider for that matter past their natural ability. I will look and ask for the absolute most a horse and rider can achieve, comfortably and confidently, and will never push them over their edge.
You will be surprised what you and your horse can accomplish when asked for a little bit more........One trusted and understood step at a time.