Welcome to Gerbitz Quarter Horses website & Barb Gerbitz’s news page.

In the interest of motivating, educating and inspiring my students, friends and interested visitors in 2010.

I would like to welcome you to the July/August  journal entry, on “What goes on in the horsemanship training barn.”  These journal entries will allow you to ride along with me and the horses that come thru the horsemanship training barn.  Articles are often inspired by the things I experience with the horses & people from month to month.

Horses are delightfully honest, which makes our job easier as long as we are willing to put forth the effort an individual horse requires to teach them what it is we want them to learn.  The groundwork is a tool that can help to clarify to the horse what it is we are after.  Applied correctly groundwork can facilitate and expediate communication between the horse and handler.  Applied incorrectly can cause the horse to learn things about the handler that would have been better left unknown.  Specifically, who is actually the leader.  Correct or incorrect placement of the feet, shaping of the body and reading of the horse are the three things that can make things much easier or more difficult for a horse and handler.

Is the horse light in hand, correct in every foot placement, shaped correctly thru the head, neck & body and have a calm and willing attitude? Or is the horse leaning on the halter, pushing thru the feel, forwards, sideways or backward, bringing the feet off the ground in deffensive and assertive postures, moving their feet into overdrive, moving the feet sluggishly or not moving at all?  And/or perhaps using their, cranky facial expressions, teeth, head, neck, shoulders, hips or feet to move the handler around? 

Each of these things are considered when assessing whether or not the groundwork has really made a difference to the horse physically and more importantly, mentally.  If the horse is not responding appropriately with the feet, the body and the mind are probably not responding appropriately either.  Which can make the riding of less quality for two reasons.  First the horse is willing but not clear about how to place the feet and shape their body for example; simply shaping the head and neck for lateral bending while moving forward, as in, a cirle or serpentine.  And second unwillingness to place the feet and shape due to the existence of the braces in the feet, in the pursuit of trying to maintain control of their feet due to dominance or fear. Either scenario may leave the horse to believe they still have the responsibility of being the leader.  This may not seem like such a big deal until you ask your horse to do some simple tasks and the horse appears to completely reject the idea.  Some examples of simple tasks might be to make upward or downward transitions, back-up, move the shoulders or hindquarters laterally; slowly or quickly, open and close a gate, ride a small circle or disengage the hindquarters to a stop, to regain control of say a scared or broncy horse. 

 It is important to the horse that we are able to communicate to all of their body parts.  The head, neck, back and ribs should be as supple as possible and easy to shape laterally and longitudinally while standing still moving forwards, backwards, left, right up or down.  The front and hind feet and each individual foot on the front or hind should be available to move independently of each other, with the riders leg aids, going forwards, backwards, left or right, up or down. 

 It may seem like a big task until you break the body down into individual parts and work on one area at a time from the ground.  A position that you can see what your horse is doing and offer the horse the chance to do the exercise without the weight of the rider or the feel of a bit. ”A Matter of Mutual Respect” offers a check list of things to work on in the pursuit of gaining control of the horses feet to get the physical and mental change.  There is no place for drilling the horse on any task. A brief check of the basics including driving, rolling the hind end over, moving the front end thru, backing and trotting and any task or obstacle on the list should give a person who can asses proper foot placement and read a horse, all the information they need to proceed on to more extensive exercises as needed.

Here’s the thing.  A person can achieve any one of the exercises on a mediocre scale and still not have the horses mentally on board (respect).  Being able to get the feet and body to maneuver and shape accurately.  Having the ability to  read and feel of the individual horse and determine where they are at mentally is important.  If the horse is in overdrive, has no drive,  is tight, bothered, aggressive or timid, shows the slightest of hesitations or is heavy in hand at anytime during any exercise, maneuver or obstacle you can almost safely assume that the horse is not mentally on board with the person they are working with due to lack of knowledge or lack of respect for their lead horse skills, which would give you the clues you need to proceed further to get the horse better about moving the feet and shaping thru the body correctly.  If the horse has never been put in a position to push their limits further than they are currently accustomed, the person may be missing out on or avoiding the opportunity’s required to get into that horse mind. 

If any of the tasks on the Matter of Mutual Respect list are difficult or not something that a person and their horse can do yet, there lies an excellent opportunity!  To observe the feet and body and to figure out which foot or feet and body parts need to learn to yield appropriately. And address those areas better so that they can really get with that horse physically and mentally.  A person might even find that the same horse starts to work better in other areas because of the work they did on a problem area.

And then we must ride! Braces will present themselves from the horses back which is normal, but now we may have some skills in place from doing effective groundwork that we can use to communicate to the horse from their backs.  Every horse is different, some are tougher than others to get things smoothed out.  But by now, we might have an idea of what to expect and how much we’ll have to do when we are riding… 

If the horse is soft, light, handy, relaxed and willing to go to work with a good expression and no apprehension you can almost safely assume the horse is mentally on board, at least for that moment.  Afterall even the most gentle and refined horse will ask, “Are your sure?”, once in a while.  For the student of the horse, maintaining the physical and mental connection for increasingly longer periods of time is the challange and the fun of horsemanship.

A Matter of Mutual Respect: Does My Horse Meet Basic Ground Skill Requirements?

Create a solid foundation for better communication in the saddle.   

 Before Mounting Up My Horse Can… 

Welcome to Gerbitz Quarter Horses website & Barb Gerbitz’s news page.

In the interest of motivating, educating and inspiring my students, friends and interested visitors in 2010.

I would like to welcome you to the May/June journal entry, on “What goes on in the horsemanship training barn.”  These journal entries will allow you to ride along with me and the horses that come thru the horsemanship training barn.  Articles are often inspired by the things I experience with the horses & people from month to month.

Once a certain level of quality is achieved in the horse, it is easy to say, “That’s good enough.” and not think about progressing further.

Graduating the horse on to the next step is important to the progress of the both the horse and handler.  It’s important for a handler to continue to learn what comes next in the process in order to refine their skills and broaden their knowledge base, so that training does not become stale or backslide.  We can always add refinement to the things that we work on with our horses until we achieve the ultimate goal which would be to become so connected through feel to the horse that the aids are imperceptible and the horse and rider or ground handler become united, working harmoniously together.

For myself, as far as being a life long student of the horse or aspiring to become a horseman, it is a part of the process which cannot be overlooked.

I have watched few great horseman achieve this state of being with horses and work on myself towards that way of working with horses everyday.  However, there was a time that I hadn’t a clue that these things existed and were possible until informed by those better horseman that these things were possible and then allowed the priveledge of riding a horse or two that could offer the experience of feel, synchronicity and unity which I had witnessed.

People who dare to go on and search for this refinement of feel, synchronicity and unity with their horses take time to  learn about how horses think, move, balance, learn and so on.  The learning of it all, is a life long endeavor which even the best horseman contend, never really finds and end.  But if you are up to the challenges, the rewards along the way, are alone, worth the effort.  There is no skipping ahead in this education and don’t be fooled by the appearance of feel, synchronicity and unity.  Horsemanship is working with a horse on their terms.  Meaning, communicating with them, as a horse, to another horse and all that it entails. And being willing to meet them were they are at, at any moment.  It is a conversation that you are having thru body language and feel.  It is presenting the horse with situations that allow the horse to make choices about where, when and how to be.  It will reveal all of your better qualities and all of your personal faults.   Horsemanship therefore becomes about personal development with the horse being the catalyst which allows us to see clearly who we are, if we dare to go there…

The Mentor

He said,
“The long and winding road,
never has an end…
The horse becomes your teacher,
to read and comprehend…
You reach a stop and starting point,
somewhere in between…
Where; the horse and man combine,
the horseman can be seen…”

~Barb Gerbitz

Thanks for riding along, see you next month…

Welcome to Gerbitz Quarter Horses website & Barb Gerbitz’s news page.

In the interest of motivating, educating and inspiring my students, friends and interested visitors in 2010.

I would like to welcome you to the April journal entry, on “What goes on in the horsemanship training barn.”  These journal entries will allow you to ride along with me and the horses that come thru the horsemanship training barn.

I would like to touch on the subject of how our horses might process their handling and how that might affect them down the road.

Quality in, Quality out…

Each encounter we have with our horses counts.  A person might not think so until the horses is asked to do a simple job for them and finds that the horse is “unwilling” in the humans mind or more accurately unable to oblige in the horses mind.   The most seemingly inconsequential interactions with the horse lays the foundation for how our horse views us in relation to them as a herd member and can create physical braces, mental braces or tight spots.  Which slowly over time creates a seemingly unwilling attitude which was perhaps innocently created by us, when we allowed our horses or, in their minds gave permission for any number of the smallest of undesirable behaviors.  All of which may have easily been prevented with a bit of time and education spent on ourselves or the horse. 

For example, when the horse was a weanling did a person spend lots of time rubbing that horse and allowing it to rub back on them.  Is that grown horse, now prone to stepping into that person and invading their space to get some more of that rubbing.  When that same youngster locked up all four feet and refused to walk, did the human pull that young horse forward because the youngster was light enough to pull around or use backing as a means of reprimand and to get the feet broke loose.  Is that grown horse, now prone to locking up when the mood strikes or pulling back or escaping backwards while being lead or tied.  Did that same young horse show signs of pushiness and aggression at feed time.  Is that grown horse now aggressive, destructive or cranky looking as a habit when it is not getting fed first or fast enough.  Upon an honest attempt to teach baby how to lead, load, tie, clip, bathe,trim, de-worm, groom etc. was the mission aborted because baby acted up and “didn’t  seem mature enough to handle it at this time”.  Is that grown horse now acting up just the same, with the added benefit of size and added strength to to make their discontent crystal clear.  Perhaps two or more years have gone by and it is time to start riding junior.  This transition might be quite a surprise to both horse and human as we now would like our horse to help and accomodate us as we attempt to ride and honor our requests from their backs.  Has that grown horse become accostomed to following your lead or theirs? Do they resemble a fit throwing spoiled child or a demanding bully?  We can take full credit if things have turned out this way.  It can be one of the best lessons a person can learn about handling horses, if a person can see it for what it is and proceed  as necessary. 

These are only a few examples of how early on and innocently some small behaviors can develop slowly over time into big behavioral issues, which can cause bad feelings and injury on both sides.  Groundwork done as it is in intended can cause a horse to make positive mental changes.  Groundwork done incorrectly can become just a series of improperly executed maneuvers which make no real meaningful changes in the horses mind. It is much more difficult for these horses to get along in the real world after they have been accustomed to running things their way for any period of time.

New horses arrive each year in the training barn and several general categories of horses come to visit.  There’s never touched, handled little, handled often.  In the last two categories the horses range from a low to a high quality standard of education.  The foundation whether good or not has been laid in and while we can add in better options for the horse those bad habits are part of the original foundation and can still show up when the horse feels it is in a bind because at some point in their life it worked for them.  This is why it is so important to educate ourselves and try to lay in a solid foundation filled with good habits that will inevitably apply to many different areas of our horses ground and riding skills. 

Whether we are raising a young horse or working an older one, starting from scratch, re-starting or maintaining, it is of great benefit to both the horse and human to know where you want to go and how to get there. You might ask yourself this question,  “What sort of experience do I have to offer my horse(s)?” consider all the different areas a horse needs to be educated.  Your horses are a good indicator of where your education may be falling short. For example, if you developed ten horses or two and found that not one of them lead well then you might consider getting some more information on just how to get a horse to lead up better.  When a horse is not easy and enjoyable to be around something is missing in that humans education and the horses foundation that needs to be addressed.  Finding out what that is, can make the experience better for both horse and human. We all started out knowing the same about horses. We have all made our mistakes in the process of learning what works and what doesn’t.  I try to do better as I know better so once I know better, I have no excuse for not getting it better for the horse(s).  I still read articles and books, watch videos and receive mentoring from excellent horsemen and attend clinics to get better for the horses I work with and make it easier on myself.

We can only work within our own abilities and sometimes need to look at ourselves, to help us find what it is we are looking for with our horses.  They want many of the same things we want and when we are ready to meet them as a horse where they’re at, they will be ready and waiting.  If you are struggling right now to find what it is your horse needs, remind yourself that horses are natural followers, bound by herd instinct and if you can become the type of leader that your very unique, individual horse needs they will follow your lead.  Each horse has to go down a different path to get there and for some it can be quite a struggle before they get to the other side of it, especially for those that have already had a less than ideal start, the task can feel daunting and may require you to seek assistance from others whom have been down that road.  Some times you have to dig a little deeper and experience feelings you may not be familiar of comfortable with in dealing with a tough or troubled horse but in the end you may find it was worth the trip when you can work with a horse who does not have to struggle within, everyday over everything.

I wish you all the best in the pursuit of putting more quality in, so you can get more quality out.

The horses in the training barn are working in and outdoors on the same fundamentals mentioned in last months article and additional ground obstacles have been introduced such as bridges, ditches, banks, logs and livestock.  If you only remember one thing about teaching your horse remember this,  a finished horse is nothing more than foundation refined.  So get the foundation laid in real solid and keep working on it slow and steady until you and the horse can offer speed and style.

Thanks for riding along, see you next month!

Welcome to Gerbitz Quarter Horses website & Barb Gerbitz’s news page.

In the interest of motivating and inspiring my students, friends and interested visitors in 2010.

I would like to welcome you to the March journal entry, on “What goes on in the horsemanship training barn.”  These journal entries will allow you to ride along with me and the horses that come thru the horsemanship training barn.

This month I will touch on the subject of how much we might do to elicit a response from our horses feet? 

Enough, but not too much…

Each horse is a unique individual. Learning, accepting change, expressing confusion, frustration, anger and joy differently.

Which makes reading a horses expression from moment to moment important.  Misinterpreting a horses actions can cause confusion to both human and horse.

For example, when he kicked out, was he being a bully or feeling bullied.

Knowing the type of horse we are dealing with helps us decide what sort of approach to take. You might spend a little more time rubbing a horse between exercises, whom trends towards being more timid and less active.  And spend more time doing things to keep a horses feet busy if that horse trends towards being more assertive and active by nature, that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t rub them too, it just means you might do that less in a session due to the amount of time you might spend keeping that horses feet busy in order to deter him from taking over.  You might also keep a timid active horse quite busy to avoid making them feel trapped and spend that much less time rubbing them too.  It boils down to good judgement.

With practice and experience it can become quite simple to tell what sort of horse you are dealing with at the moment and adjust your approach as needed. I would try to stay away from putting a horse into a single catagory for life. As horses change there way of going from moment to moment, so should we.  If we don’t, we could turn a bold assertive horse into a timid fearful horse over time, by doing too much. Or turn a timid fearful horse into a bully by doing too little.

So, how do we know how much is enough.  In terms of teaching horses where, when and how to place their feet.  It is enough, when you get the message down to the feet.  Again, knowing what sort of a horse you are working with can help you make better judgements on the technique you might use and how much pressure to offer.  Enough, can come in the form of direct pressure, indirect pressure (non-physical), putting the horse in a physical position (such as on a lateral bend) and waiting for them to offer to move or allowing them to find their way off their own pressure.  That may take one ounce or many pounds of direct pressure, very little or very vigorous indirect pressure (non-physical) from a hand, rope or flag, one moment or many minutes of putting a horse in a physical position (such as a lateral bend) or as much time as it takes to allow them to find their way off their own pressure.  And take much less of any of these forms of pressure the next time you asked, if you’re timing of the release was right.  A horse will naturally seek a way to become comfortable, same as most of us. So when we apply pressure it should be enough but not too much, to elicit a response from the horses feet.

Some horses like a tea party and some like to play in the dirt, same as people.  Some horses are like some people, real athletic with a need for a positive physical challenge.  Others are more calm and don’t care for too much activity. Some enjoy a mental challenge and physical activity and others like to get to the point without expending too much energy, the list of combinations goes on and on.  I might consider these things in selecting a horse for myself or a client so both parties can feel satisfied in their work.  I often see horses come to our farm for training based on the horse exibiting some undesireable behavior(s).  Sometimes those horses have foundation gaps and are simply confused.  Sometimes that horse might be a better fit for another person.   A timid horse might work better with a more confident non-agressive person, while a confident but mild mannered horse might help fill in for a more timid rider.  However the good news is, people can learn to adjust to fit a variety of different horses natures if they are willing to work on themselves a little.  I’ve seen this time and again as people learn to adjust to fit the horse they have.  That is what horsemanship is about, working on ones self.

The type of horse I have at any given moment will determine how much is enough.  We can change our approach to fit the horse much easier than they can to suit our needs.  We can’t expect to change a horses character but you can change the way you work with them to bring out the best of that individual, so we can both can get closer to what we want.

This month the horses I started riding last month are working on lateral flexions, longitudinal flexion, upward and downward transitions, leg aids and some additional ground obstacles (bridge, tube, tarp).  The two that I speak of can be high energy and do well when they are kept busy and introduced to new things regularly.  One is more bold and confident and the other can be more timid on initial introduction to new things.  I keep that in mind as I progress them and try to do enough, but not too much.  As I try to preserve their confidence and interest in learning.

Thanks for riding along, see you next month!

“First things first, middle & last.” Trust…

Welcome to Gerbitz Quarter Horses website & Barb Gerbitz news page.

In the interest of motivating and inspiring my students, friends and interested visitors in 2010.

Welcome to February’s journal entry, on “What goes on in the horsemanship training barn.”

These journal entries will allow you to ride along with me and the horses that come thru the horsemanship training barn.

This month I will touch on the subject of trust. As, it is the very first thing a horse will consider as he is presented with any new situation.

Since safety is so important to horses, trust is the very first thing behaviorally and socially that I look at when a new horse comes to the barn. In the most basic terms, trust to a horse means, you, or a particular situation will not be the thing that causes him death. That may sound extreme and simplistic but, horses that trust first and ask questions later in the wild don’t enjoy a long life. Most horses that come to our farm, have already found their person to be trustworthy, to some extent.

If you took the time to watch horses socialize, you might find that moments after trust has been established a pecking order is then established. This is where relationships seem to deteriorate and problems begin, between horses and their handlers.

Horses have a strong desire to be a part of a herd and will take on the role as the leader if that particular horses, lead horse qualifications have not been met. This is not a one time deal either. Those qualifications must be met at each interaction and sometimes many times within a session. Some pecking order disputes occur in a big way and other times in the most subtle of ways. That is why, initial interactions between two unfamiliar horses can be so exciting to watch. While removing a horse from a pasture for an hour or two and turning them back out with the same herd is usually not as eventful. We can usually get off to a better session with a horse, if we recognize where they are at mentally, when we go to get them. Instead of waiting until we are in a designated training area, to observe what the horse is conveying. We must be aware as handlers that as soon as we enter our horses environment we are working that horse, whether that is our intention or not. This is especially over looked at feed times, when pinned ears, teeth bareing, gate charging and other agressive behaviors are observed but not addressed.

I try to remember to, “Take care of the horses needs, so the horse can take care of ours.”

Horses that come to our farm may be frustrated by that grey area. Which is, “I’m not quite the leader and I’m not quite the follower”. If we can clarify this area for them, the learning can proceed more smoothly. Establishing the pecking order with a horse can range in difficulty from 0-10. Some horses have such a desire to follow, it makes it almost effortless to establish your self as the leader, while others are not as willing to give up their roll as leader and are so extreme that it can become a dangerous undertaking. Extreme horses include but are not limited to stallions, whose nature drives them to seek the lead position at all times. Stallions are mostly driven by testosterone, which can make geldings easier to be around. However, all horses have their own temperments and characteristics which can make them equally challenging in their own right.

Establishing a pecking order between a horse and human is similar to two horses establishing a pecking order. Except for the fact that we are only mimicking horses actions thru the use of our body language, positioning & use of the halter, lead rope, flag or lariat rope. The striking, biting and kicking that naturally occurs between two horses can be mostly avoided. Which works out far better for us due to our size and strength compared to theirs.

Pecking order is established through the use of basic groundwork. I have listed ground skills on the “A Matter of Mutual Respect.” page, along with a number of other skills which serve to broaden a horses experiences and will help them to become more gentle and easy to be around. I would stay away from using the list to test my horse to see what he can’t do. I would use it, to see how I could learn prepare my horse to do those things.

The basic ground skills I have covered with the horses currently in training during their first few sessions are these: Lead beside or behind me with slack in the rope, back-up using direct and indirect feel, yielding the hind quarters, moving the forequarters, driving on the lead rope, rolling the hindquarters over to stop and face, touching them all over with my flag, hands ropes and saddle blanket. They have also been introduced to ground poles and have learned to lead over and drive over them on the end of a halter rope. During the first few sessions they have been saddled, flagged moved loose in the pen to work on transitions and become accustomed to tack and my body language and positioning.

I will continue to review and refine these skills each session as they prepare to be ridden and also after they are riding. I start or re-start some 25 or more colts a year and not only prefer, but enjoy, taking my time developing them to see how uneventful I can make the first ride. Some are ready to ride the first day and others a week or more. Either way, it’s a team effort betwen that horse and myself.

Finally, trust must be maintained, built on and kept in balance with the leadership position. I would not intentionally take advantage of the horses trust in me as a leader. A horses trust in your judgement can be chipped away or completely lost in this way. If I pay attention and read the horse moment to moment as a unique individual, my experience will let me know what they can probably handle. I try to stay away from overexposing them to the point of making them feel like they were about to die, while maintaining a balance there, by teaching them to handle some pressure. But sometimes a horse gets worked into a panic on their own and all I can do is be there to offer some support when they are done.

Thanks for riding along, see you next month!

Welcome to Gerbitz Quarter Horses website & Barb Gerbitz’s news page.

In the in interest of movitvating and inspiring my students, horse friends and interested visitors, in the year 2010.

I plan to do something a little different with the news page this year. Which may be of interest to other aspiring horseman interested in learning, “What goes on in the horsemanship training barn.”, which is also the title of my monthly journal.

I often have very interesting training experiences with horses throughout the year and thought I would share some of those experiences with you, so feel free to ride along as I take a variety of horses through the horsemanship training barn. I will also share some of the experiences of our own sale horses, as they go down the road becoming reliable all around horses.

And as it has been my pattern, for the past 13 years, I am starting colts again this year. The horses are fairly similiar, and share many of the same issues that horses commonly do as they find their way to my farm for a restart, rehab, groundwork, intermediate training or a simple colt start.

What has changed over the years is myself. The way I present myself to the horse and any issue that might present itself. I am ever in the pursuit of more knowledge about the horse and how they learn and percieve information. Which has taken me down many a winding road looking for any small fragment of information that would get me ever closer to relating to the horse.

What sort of a horse I am dealing with, dictates the approach I use and how much or little of seemingly endless ways to communicate to a horse about any number of topics goes thru my mind every time I meet a new one.

It all seems to boil down to a few simple things. If the horse can understand what I am trying to convey, he can feel safe and trust me, if he can feel safe and trust me, he can relax. Many of my interactions are filled with finding the tight spot or the brace in a horse and then offering some clarity so he can feel safe and trust me enough to relax so we can go on.

My objective is to be smooth enough in my presentation and to bring up their fear response as little as possible, work in a timely manner and get the job’s done for the day. There is a difference between coddling a horse and teaching them how to deal with stressful situations in appropriate doses. I’m talking about exposing a horse to what that individual horse would percieve as stressful with out overdoing it.

It would be unrealistic to expect a horse to never get bothered, that’s part of dealing with a sensitive animal. I do try to prepare a horse to handle a crisis by creating a controllable crisis for them to work through. And sometimes they teach me how to get them through crisis by creating a crisis of their own. And I suppose that’s just part of the bigger picture, where their is calm eventually there will be uncalm, there’s a natural balance to everything. That’s what makes it so interesting.

If I were to write a book about my horsemanship experience I would title it,

”What my greatest teachers taught me.”

and the chapters might be titled something like this:

The wildness that always exists

Sensitivity

Speed

Straightness

Survival

Commitment

How weakness strengthens

Overcoming great odds

Humility

When to ask for help

Character

Observation

Thinking

Reflection

Living in the moment

Hanging in there

Hanging on

Letting go

Saying good bye

Patience

Feel

Trust

Mutual Respect

Timing

Release

Compassion

Perseverance

Balance

Ego

Pride

Loyalty

Emotional control

Inspiration

Rising to the occasion

Acceptance

Enlightenment

Joy

Looking deeper

Digging deeper

Companionship

Taking time

Boundaries

Awareness

Focus

Breathing

Stillness

Intention

Creativity

Empathy

Assertiveness

Calm

Courage

Follow through

Make no assumptions

Nothing is personal

Staying impartial

Clarity

Consistency

Confidence

There are some lessons only a horse could teach with such clarity.

-Barb Gerbitz

Have a great horsemanship season in 2010! See you next month for the first entry of “What goes on in the horsemanship training barn.”

Gerbitz Quarter Horses
Offers training, clinicians, sale horses, activities, lessons and boarding.

I am looking forward this year, to many opportunities to practice horsemanship at home and away with my riding and groundwork students, internship students and teachers, both human and horse.

I welcome you to visit our website at www.GerbitzQuarterhorses.com and check the blog for a monthly update. And remember to check the season schedule at http://gerbitzquarterhorses.com/schedule.html to see what is happening and come out to the barn for a visit during a training session, lesson or scheduled activity.

I am offering several new instruction options for horsemanship students listed below.

What’s New!

Instruction available at your own barn.

Includes 7 hours of instruction for a maximum of 6 riders,

$300 per day with a $100 deposit to book your date

A trip charge will be applied for travel over 60 miles radius.

Group or private instruction available all year, weekend or weekdays.

(call for availability)

Pick your own topics and invite your own group for a horsemanship lesson.

(call for pricing and availability)

Contact Barb Gerbitz:

815-542-6035 rgerbitz@frontiernet.net

Thank you visiting, I hope to see you and your horse real soon.

Barb Gerbitz

815-542-6035
www.GerbitzQuarterHorses.com

rgerbitz@frontiernet.net

26488 300 E. St. Tampico, Illinois 61283

Scott Stokes Clinic is coming up Sept. 26-28 spaces available.

Flyer available online www.gerbitzquarterhorses.com clinics/news section.

Hello Again~

Thanks again for visiting our site. I thought I would briefly touch on a subject that is an on going theme in my life.

Progressing my horsemanship, to stay on top of my game. As a teacher and trainer it is critical for me to keep progressing my horsemanship, for several reasons. To stay safe and satisfied in my work, to offer the best education possible to the horses I work on the farm and offer the best education as I am capable to my students and their horses.

I am motivated to learn more with each new challenge a horse or student presents to me. Occasionally I come to a point in the road that seems too difficult to travel. That is when I call on my teachers, human and horse for guidance. You may be wondering who the horse teacher is, well those horses that I have had the hardest time with in the past, have given me education no human teacher could ever afford me. I call on my human teachers to inspire, motivate and guide me through these rough spots. Sometimes the other side looks so far away that I have to remind myself to never quit looking for the answers.

If you can relate to that piece of road I’m talking about this poem is for you…

Never Quit

When things go wrong

And sometimes they will

And the road your walking

Seems all uphill

God is working at making your stronger

For the next winding road is apt to be longer

When money is scarce

And the bills are much higher

God is teaching you, work even harder

When life is baring down a bit

Rest if you must but never quit

It’s like climbing a mountain

The top seems so far

You never can tell

How close you are

When your trying like hell

To make it alright

And frustration sets in

Don’t get on the fight

Slow it way down and try it again

Next thing you know

Your moving ahead

Success is a problem turned inside out

The other side of your own self doubt

Serve your own purpose

Your on the right track

Let your light shine

And never look back

So, lift yourself up

When you feel hardest hit

It’s when things go wrong

That you must never quit.

Barb Gerbitz

Good luck to you on staying on top of your game.

Fall/Winter training special: $300 per month on ground work weanling to maturity.

Lessons included.

An excellent opportunity to lay a good foundation for those youngsters.

An equally good opportunity to address those issues an older horse may be presenting on the ground or under saddle.

Take care of your horse and your horse will take care of you,

Barb Gerbitz

www.gerbitzquarterhorses.com

rgerbitz@frontiernet.net