Maggie Lees Equestrian

13/06/2026

And the horse world shocks me again!.!.🫩🤔😒
No words I'm afraid
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12/06/2026

12/06/2026

Great though for the weekend

Context is everything!

My son, who can scale the ladder to his bunkbed in seconds to get away from me, or flies with ease out of trees when having fun, is screaming to me for help getting out of the swing, his feet just inches above the ground.

Is he manipulating me? Is he being dramatic?

Brains are all about context! What’s easy when we’re having a great time or in control is TOTALLY different than when mom leaves and you get scared.

It’s the same reason a horse can see something novel and investigate with curiosity, when free to roam, unrestricted and with a herd. And how that same horse, once ridden, can spook at its own shadow.

Once we remove the security and lose free will, and start adding the element of pressure from a rider, a horse who may be brave natured can suddenly be afraid of everything they normally are not afraid of.

Are they “making excuses to spook at stuff,” “faking it,” or are we quite poor at observation and reading context?

11/06/2026

This is why im still using a hackamore. I becoming a better rider, learning new things & better feel. I love it

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You've probably heard me talk about the traditional hackamore before.
We have an entire Hackamore course on our membership site.
Some people think it's just a tradition thing.
A throwback to the old Vaquero days.
For me, it isn't.
The more horses I ride, the more convinced I am that almost every horse would benefit from spending some time in a good hackamore.
Not because it's old.
Because of what it teaches.

It Changes Where The Horse Looks For Answers
One of the biggest things I like about the hackamore is that it encourages a horse to search for the release instead of brace against pressure.
A lot of horses learn to get busy in their mouth.
Busy hands.
Busy reins.
Busy signals.
Pretty soon the conversation starts happening almost entirely through the face.
The hackamore tends to spread that conversation out through the whole horse.
Instead of pulling on a mouth, you're influencing the horse's balance.
His feet.
His posture.
His direction.
The answer becomes less about moving away from pressure and more about organizing his body correctly.
That might sound like a small distinction.
It's not.

It Protects What Matters
A horse's mouth is one of the most sensitive places on his body.
I think that's worth protecting.
The old California horsemen understood that.
The traditional progression wasn't designed to get a horse into a bridle as quickly as possible.
It was designed to develop a horse slowly enough that by the time he got there, he barely needed the bit at all.
The horse learned to carry himself.
He learned to respond to lighter and lighter suggestions.
The bit became the finishing touch, not the foundation.
I think there's a lot of wisdom in that.

It Makes The Rider Better
Here's the selfish reason I like riding in one.
It makes me ride better.
When I'm in a snaffle, it's easy to get a little handsy.
A little correction here.
A little tug there.
We've all done it.
The hackamore doesn't let you hide from that.
If the horse isn't responding, you can't just pull harder and hope things improve.
You have to look at your timing.
Your release.
Your seat.
Your life.
Your feet.
You start paying attention to details you might otherwise overlook.
In that way, the hackamore is a pretty honest teacher.
Sometimes brutally honest.

The Tool Isn't The Magic
I've seen people buy an expensive bosal and expect it to transform their horse.
It doesn't work that way.
The magic isn't in the rawhide.
The magic is in how the tool encourages you to communicate.
A great hackamore in rough hands is still rough hands.
A simple rope halter in good hands can teach a horse a lot.
That said, there is a reason good bosals have been valued for generations.
The balance matters.
The feel matters.
The way information travels through the setup matters.
You can feel the difference.
More importantly, so can the horse.

The Bottom Line
I don't recommend the traditional hackamore because it's traditional.
I recommend it because it tends to encourage the kind of riding I want to do.
Lighter.
Quieter.
More particular.
It asks the rider to improve instead of relying on equipment.
And it gives the horse a chance to learn without constantly carrying the conversation in his mouth.
That's a trade I'm willing to make every time.

11/06/2026

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06/06/2026

Scooby came up today in between showers for a brush. Hes looking better than he has since hes been retired (just over a year) . He had lost quite a lot of weight last winter due to being uncomfortable, has found most of his top line & is feeling really good in himself. He was trotting across the paddock like a ridden horse this morning. We are looking at trying some interesting glue on shoes with the thought that he may be able to do some riding again, if hes happy. No competing or heavy schooling but maybe hacking on the farm. We'll wait & see how it goes. He'd love to be able to go and hang out in the river & meditate again.🥰😍.
No pressure for him to do anything but he loves the farm so might like to enjoy it again.