Greystone Stables
42506 Hwy 28 T0A 1H0 Cold Lake, AB, Canada

Just wrapped up a very successful week of horse training. Smoke is now pulling a stone boat as well as being ridden, Toby has learned to spin his front end in a complete circle and is starting to Gait, and Sarah has been ground driven and riding her is a safe and enjoyable experience. Got some awesome horses here!

Smoke got his first ground driving lesson today and did so well. I am so impressed with this guy’s willingness and calm demeanour.

Toby, Sarah and Smoke all got ridden today and were great

It’s a riding/horse training kind of day.

Smoke working on versatility

Welcoming Sarah to Greystone Stables. 8 year old Black Rocky Mountain Horse mare, this girl is smart and spunky.

Welcoming Bubbles to Greystone Stables! 4 year old Rocky Mountain Horse gelding, this guy is a little love bug.

Bo is a 5 year old unregistered Tennessee Walking Horse. 15.3 h and green broke. Reliable at a walk/trot/lope, this guy has been trail ridden for the summer, and has never pulled any funny business. No buck, bolt, or rear, This is a sensible guy who is consistently a good ride whether you ride a lot or let him sit for weeks. Super smooth mover, he would make a great trail/pleasure riding horse. Message for more info.

I think that lots of riders buy into training formulas, as if some specific system is some sort of guarantee that "if I do this, there will be that result." It ...may be the idea of a 30 day training program. Or a 60 day training session. Or within a year this horse will be at a certain level. You will notice that almost nobody says that they can have your colt started in 74 days, do they? Because that doesn't tie in with the all too human search for the security of something clear and definite. I think it is wise to be skeptical of any time based program, tied up with a red bow. That isn't reality. Reality is sloppy and messy, with steps forward followed by steps backwards, sickness, injuries, false starts, all sorts of problems that require groping for solutions. The people who sell these systems are good marketers. Maybe they are also good trainers. Maybe they aren't, not for me to say. The more realistic way to think of this is that it takes as long as it takes, and sometimes, no matter how long you give it, you still don't get very far. Because reality isn't necessarily tied up in a nice package. Reality is not always a Disney movie, where they all live happily ever after. Stay with horses for decades, and you will have some wonderful successes and some crushing failures, because that is how it works---Or so I think you will discover---