J Reichel Riding

01/25/2026

With the frigid temps this week, and so many horses being blanketed, I wanted to share the blanketing “hack” I’ve been testing out on my herd this year!

I’ve attached these adhesive thermometers to the inside of all of my horses’ blankets. I place them higher up on the blanket, usually along the barrel or back. I do this to measure the temperature between horse and the blanket.

My wooly, well acclimated horses typically enjoy being in the upper 50’s and lower 60’s, while my thinner-coated OTTB and Standardbred enjoy being in the 70’s.

While this doesn’t measure their actual temperature, it’s allowing me to monitor whether I’m over or under blanketing, while also giving me some peace of mind that they aren’t shivering under their layers.

It’s also super affordable to do! I buy them in bulk on Amazon, stick them to some Gorilla tape, and then to the inside of whatever blanket they have on. I’ve only had one or two fall off out of 20+ blankets since I started this in October.

I hope this helps some people feel a bit better about their babies in these temps!

11/17/2025

The program finally has merch for sale! I am so thrilled to finally have such an amazing logo.

Show support by wearing the J Reichel Riding logo at home or at the barn!. J Reichel Riding is a horseback riding lesson program in Northville, MI. Since 2017, we have...

10/25/2025

Another great year with our Halloween Fun show! The costume class gets harder and harder to judge every year! It made me so happy to see everyone having fun, working together with their equine partner, and cheering each other on. I can’t wait until our next one!

08/21/2025

Our Halloween Fun Show is on its way! Students and boarders are welcome to join in as competetors, but all are welcome to cheer everyone on!

05/17/2025

Meet Emily and Lina. When these two came to me in the fall, Lina was a handful. She was hard to catch, didn’t stand well for her feet (or really stand in general), was nervous in the arena, and very buddy sour. Life away from the herd was extremely scary for this mule, and Emily felt like she needed some help.

When developing a training plan with my equine-owning students, I always give them a choice: do they want to stick with the traditional methods they’re familiar with, while incorporating positive reinforcement when we can; or use my preferred method of restarting with positive reinforcement. It’s a question that seems so daunting. The word ‘restarting’ is scary, with a lot of implications. For many, pressure and release has worked just fine, and most horse people are most familiar with it. Why bother with the change?

I was ecstatic when Emily said she’d give R+ training a shot. It was a slow process at first. Emily has poured her heart and soul into this mule, taking the time to listen to her and form a genuine relationship. She gives Lina a choice, respecting her when she says ‘no’, and greeting every ‘yes’ with patience and enthusiasm. It doesn’t matter if it’s been a day or a week, Lina is happy to greet her at the gate now, ready to learn. It’s such a beautiful transformation.

Here we are, so many months later. In their last lesson, Emily and Lina had their first solo ride. No tension. No bolting. No stress. Emily didn’t even have to touch her reins. Even though Lina probably has some not-so-pleasant associations with being ridden, as many equines do, she was calm and quiet, waiting for Emily’s signal.

I’m sure there were times when Emily thought they’d never get to this moment. Having our equine partner say no repeatedly can feel like a punch to the gut sometimes. Despite that, she endured. We reflected on the training we’ve done, filled in any holes or gaps where Lina needed some clarity, and they had a beautiful ride that left me teary eyed and snapping photos like a proud mom.

Their journey is far from done, but getting to the point where an equine friend greets being ridden with calm enthusiasm deserves to be celebrated.

Thank you for sticking with me and this once-unfamiliar training method, Emily! I’m so, so proud of you both. I can’t wait to see your relationship blossom even more.

11/14/2024

Anyone who knows Mika knows her as the “moody chestnut mare.” I’ve taken so many steps to work to improve my younger horses’ attitudes towards training, but I’ve always dismissed Mika as being too old and too stuck in her ways to benefit from R+ training. I couldn’t be more wrong.I’ve started introducing clicker training to her in small bursts, and she’s already shown so much improvement. This is nowhere near a picture perfect training session, and looking back I can always see where I could do better. But despite that, I think it’s important to share how somewhat decent training and communication can affect a horse so drastically. Mika deserves the world, and it’s about time I give it to her.

11/06/2024

A fantastic outlook to have.

10/24/2024

Get off the horse.

When they’re struggling, when you’re having a bad ride. When their antics are scaring you.

Don’t be afraid to get off.

You aren’t “letting them win” because the horse is not your adversary.

It is not you versus your horse.

It’s you and your horse versus the problem.

And many times, getting off and going back to groundwork can be incredibly beneficial for helping your horse through their struggles.

If they’re scared, having you there beside them on the ground instead of on top of them can bring them confidence.

If you’re scared whilst riding them, getting off the ground lowers your anxiety and likely, also your horses.

The “ride through it” mentality is primarily for human ego and negates the benefit of groundwork.

You don’t need to ride through it.

Sometimes doing so is stupid and dangerous.

Sometimes doing so is traumatic for the horse.

So, don’t be afraid to get off.

Don’t be afraid to take a break.

Don’t be afraid to work through the issues on the ground.

You don’t need to be “tough” and ride through it.

Softness and patience have value and merit.

Oftentimes, the last thing a stressed flight animal needs is toughness and force.

Giving them patience and remaining by their side as a supportive companion is more beneficial than you might imagine.

The mentality of always riding through antics and always getting back on after a fall is a harmful one.

There’s a quote “you’re either going to the hospital or getting back on, hospital or on” that I’ve seen many proudly share.

You can be injured without needing a hospital visit.

Your horse can be fried and not in a place to learn following a fall.

Honouring your horse and yourself by having the humility to know when to stop is a strength, not a weakness.

So, don’t be afraid to get off your horse.

“Riding through it” is not the flex people think it is.

10/18/2024

"You don't have to...you get to"

I'm tired today...truly, physically, tired.

I've been battling some sort of virus and my life just feels nonstop lately. I felt myself grumbling, mentally listing off all of the things I have to do and I remembered something my teacher said to me once. Grumbling away about having to trim horses that day and he said, "You don't have to...you get to".

Sometimes, in the midst of my own issues, I forget what a gift it is to be able to live the life that I live. I've been afforded the opportunity and the physical and mental capability to do what I do. I dont have to, I get to...and the work is just what comes with it. Work that I dreamed of as a kid. Work that someone, somewhere is dreaming of being able to do.

Life can be hard but it's still a gift.

Every day I wake up and I have so much that I get to do...I am blessed and sometimes I have to remind myself of that ❤️

- Terra

10/05/2024

Katie and I had a bad ride today.

I didn’t want it to be that way. The constant going from the past couple week finally caught up to me, but I wanted to ride anyway. It resulted in me getting more frustrated with Katie than I should have been.

It wasn’t her fault. I had a feeling something wasn’t right with her saddle. But I heard the voices of past trainers echoing in my head.

“Don’t let her get away with it.”
“She can suck it up.”
“She needs to mind her manners.”

Those voices heightened my emotions even more. So I did something I never dared do when I was younger.

I got off.

We were both hot and sweaty, so we took off our tack and went for a walk to the outdoor arena to play with some obstacles.

Seeing how hard Katie tried for me made me tear up. She didn’t care that I just escalated a situation under saddle. She held no grudged. She put her all into what I was asking her, and even though it scared her, she was brave.

Thank you, Katie. I’m going to try my best to be more like you.

09/30/2024

Something tells me this goofy goober will never cease to impress me.

Indy went on his first camping trip this weekend. I’ve only taken him off property once since I adopted him over a year ago, so I was a bit nervous about how he’d handle it.

Like the phenomenal OTSTB he is, he handled it like a pro.

Whether we were riding in the arena, hand walking around camp, or climbing a steephill on the trail, he knew exactly what his job was. By the end of the weekend, he’d settled in wonderfully as our lead trail horse, only putting up the smallest of fusses when we’d get close to camp. It was almost as if he wanted to keep exploring!

Indy is truly a wonder-horse. I truly cannot wait to see where he takes me. I’m so so lucky to have such amazing horses in my life.