Kerivan Farms

07/26/2026

They are like people, lose bone density if you sit around.

For a long time, the standard response to injury in horses was simple: stop everything. Stall rest, limited movement, and a gradual return to work once the issue resolved. It was a cautious approach, built on the idea that removing stress would allow the body to heal. But modern equine medicine has begun to question that assumption. There is growing recognition that stall rest needs to be used thoughtfully, and that inactivity can have unintended consequences even when the goal is to protect the horse.

Dr. Julie Vargas, founder of Limestone Equine Performance Medicine, sees this clearly in her work with sport horses. While stall rest still has a place in certain cases, it is no longer treated as a one-size-fits-all solution. “Any time you lock a horse up, you immediately start losing bone density,” she explains. That loss can be significant, particularly in performance horses that are accustomed to regular work. When those horses return to training, they are often doing so from a diminished baseline, which creates risk. The original issue may have improved, but the system supporting it is no longer as strong as it was before.

The idea behind stall rest is logical. If movement contributes to injury, removing movement should allow healing to occur. But the horse’s body doesn’t operate in isolation. Bone responds directly to load, and without it, density begins to decrease. Over time, even relatively short periods of inactivity can have noticeable effects, making it harder for the horse to return to work safely and effectively.

Instead of removing movement entirely, the focus has shifted to controlling it. Rehabilitation today is less about stopping activity and more about focusing on controlled, appropriate movement at the right time. Walking programs, controlled exercise, and gradual increases in workload allow the horse to maintain and rebuild strength while continuing to recover. This approach is more nuanced and requires careful management, because not all movement is beneficial. The type, intensity, and timing all matter. Too much, too soon can aggravate the injury, while too little may leave the horse less prepared to return to work.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2026/07/25/movement-is-medicine-why-stall-rest-isnt-the-default/

07/17/2026

Oh so true

06/28/2026

The seat is a powerful riding tool.

06/11/2026

Mark your calendars! Let’s get an early jump on 2027 dates.

Here is the tentative CEP Horse Show Schedule for 2027!!! ✨ A second week of our Scottsdale Spring Shows makes a return 🌸 As well as a new Scottsdale Winter Welcome in December ❄️ We’re always striving to make opportunities for every level of horse and rider! Stay tuned for more information in the coming months ➡️ cepshows.com

06/07/2026

A very happy muddy horse with his friend in tow 😂

05/24/2026

Very true! It is why our sport is so challenging. Horses have minds of their own and are different every day of the week. Figure them out with the help of a good trainer.

Let’s Talk About…

Have Expectations in the Horse World Become Unrealistic?

Everyone wants the perfect horse. Safe, forgiving, uncomplicated, brave. Doesn’t spook, doesn’t buck, doesn’t react, doesn’t look at anything! I could go on and on.

But at what point did we stop expecting horses to behave like animals and start expecting them to behave like robots?

Somewhere along the way, the standard for what people consider “safe” has become almost impossible. A horse flicks an ear at something, he’s labeled as distracted. Has one playful buck, he’s dangerous. Spooks at a flower box? Well that’s unacceptable!

The reality is, horses are prey animals. They are living, breathing creatures with feelings. They have insecurities and they get nervous just like we do. Some days they are fresh and others lazy. Yet more and more, it feels like people expect horses to absorb every ounce of nerves, inconsistency, poor timing, lack of confidence and lack of bravery without ever putting a foot wrong themselves. And if the horse does react? Suddenly the horse is the problem.

The truth is, truly “safe” horses are incredibly rare. The horses that quietly tolerate mistakes and pack people around courses whilst forgiving bad distances and still show up every day trying their hearts out are worth their weight in gold. But even those horses are still horses. Horses are not machines. We shouldn’t be expecting them to be emotionless schoolmasters programmed to never look at anything or have an opinion.

And maybe the bigger conversation is this: Have riders lost some of their own responsibility to become braver, better, more understanding horsemen? Because to me, good riding has never been about finding a horse that never reacts. It’s about learning how to ride through the moments when they do. Not every horse is suitable for every rider and not every rider is suitable for every horse. And there’s nothing wrong with admitting that.

Because sometimes the best amateur horse isn’t the quietest one in the barn, it’s the one that teaches the rider to improve instead of expecting the horse to be an emotionless robot and do all the work.

07/11/2025

So lucky to have Jen Baltrus supporting Arizona shows! These are fabulous, mark your calendars!

It's time to start getting excited about Tucson Fall Classic Horse Shows. Contact me if you're interested in sponsorship opportunities. We've got fun classes and parties planned and want you all to be a part of it!

07/05/2025

Love this

A few of my top tips for parents of riders. ☺️

2025 Mental skills workshops for riders, teams, barns, organizations, parents and trainers all booking now. Please be in touch, I would love to help you create success and build teamwork! 💫✨

www.TonyaJohnston.com

07/03/2025

So very true!

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

📝 Kimberley Reynolds

📸 Max & Maxwell: Equestrian Photography