Training and Tune ups

My training techniques are different, and allow me to share my reasonings. I have been around horses since I was a child; two, to be exact. My parents owned land and therefore my horses lived in my backyard (can you say every little girl's dream?!). I began taking riding lessons at 4 years old. I rode Hunter Jumpers and took lessons 3 times a week until I was 7 years old, when I started competing. I showed USJHJA until the age of 12 when I switched over to western disiplines. I began in speed events, barrels and poles specifically, and competed in both Jr High and Highschool Rodeo, competing in all four events. (Barrels, poles, break away roping & goat tying) During highschool rodeo years, I also competed in EXCA, Extreme Cowboy Association which is a high speed obstacle course designed to test your horsemanship along side a timer. On my 14th year of life, I was introduced to the beginning stages of training. I worked side by side with my trainer at the time who taught me how to start horses, train them in specific disiplines such as barrels and jumping, and tune up problem horses and horses that had long periods of time without training who needed "polishing". During these times I also learned how to drive horse drawn carriages and was beginning my journey on equine soft tissue manipulation, musculoskeletal realignment therapies, saddle fitting, and the ins and outs of bits/bridles. From 14-18, I honed my skills and filled by brain as full as I could get it with information, knowledge, and experience. At 18. I began competing in eventing and started my first certification in myo-fascial release technique. By the age of 21, I had started and finished 8 horses, tuned up over 30 horses, and specialty started 10 of those in disciplines such as barrels, obstacles, jumping, cutting, trail, and endurance. I had also completed four certifications through Angels Animals LLC in soft tissue specialties. I have continued training, coaching owners, and tuning since then. Here is what I've learned: The industry says we must make horses fear us. The industry says our horses should be fed twice a day and need grain to be healthy. The industry says horses should be broken into submission and their spirits tamed. The industry says horses that show pain should be made to do it anyways. The industry says you should start riding at 2 years old. The industry is WRONG. When you back up and look at horse training from a distance, the amount of issues that are STANDARD in training are devistating. Horses are large prey animals, and lots of them do some really stupid things, and there is 100% a need for respect from your horse- no one wants to get hurt due to disrespectful horses- BUT! They do NOT have to be broken, forced, beaten, or anything else that is blindly looked past every single day. They just don't. From a distance, it would be easy to see how a two year old horse, who's bones are not even remotely close to fusing yet, would struggle to carry a rider. You could easily see how a saddle that's too wide or too narrow could cause follicle death, pain, discomfort, scaring, fascial tearing, and more. It makes perfect sense that creating false respect through fear would eventually fail further down the line. Longevity of the body and mind are dismissed every single day, for results that more often than not, don't last and are incredibly cruel to produce. There's so much more to this, but I'll end this here- under this tiny beam of light on as to why I train the way I do. If you want to know more, just ask. I could talk about this forever.  My training is about what's best for your horse, what works for them specifically, and what is right.