Holloway's Pretty Good Horse Barn

07/01/2026

PSA from Grace: Sometimes blizzards arrive early. Label your sheets and blankets so we can grab 'em quick!

21/12/2025

How do YOU challenge yourself and your horse to get "just a bit more" than you thought you could?

“Oz never did give nothin' to the Tin Man That he didn't, didn't already have.”

Those words are familiar now, 51 years after the band America first sung them in 1974, but the issue that they raise is just as troublesome today as then.

That many of us have skills, traits, abilities that we don’t have enough self confidence to actually believe. When The Wizard OF Oz “gave” a heart to The Tin Man, Courage to the Cowardly Lion, and a brain to the Scarecrow, those characters needed those trinkets and certificates to accept things they already possessed.

We see these insecurities every day in the way humans deal with horses, how they handle and ride or drive them. And I am not talking about bravado, posturing, false courage or competence, but there are so many insecure riders who are that way not because they don’t have all sorts of strengths and abilities, but because, like the Tin Man, the Lion, and the Scarecrow, they don’t have self confidence.

So how can THAT be changed?

Here’s just one idea, and please pitch in with other strategies---

It’s unlikely that any time soon some wizard is going to hand us a diploma in something we may wish we had, but maybe try this---Take the insecurity and push it a little bit. Scare yourself A LITTLE BIT. Don’t terrify yourself, but make whatever it is SLIGHTLY uncomfortable.

If riding outside of an enclosed space makes you nervous, don’t go gallop in some open field, but walk around in places near the barn with some riding friend on a steady horse to keep yours confident. Get used to it little by little.

Or say that cantering faster than a slow lope makes you nervous. Don’t just plunge in and try to go fox hunting—so to speak---but in a ring where you are more OK with it, try getting up in a half seat, and go a LITTLE faster for some strides. Then slow down, and when it seems appropriate, do it some more.

Build by bits and pieces, and see where it takes you. The chances are good that you can become your own Oz, and that version of yourself can give you what you already have but don’t yet believe in.

Thoughts?

18/12/2025

Oh, to ride like Ingrid (and wouldn't it be fabulous to ride WITH her?!)

Ingrid Klimke talks about developing the young horse with Franziskus...
“The hindlegs must be energetic under the centre of gravity, that means the hindquarters get much more muscle, the back gets so much stronger, and the horse really shows himself."
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2023/02/ingrid-klimke-talks-about-hind-leg-development/

17/12/2025

Our brains are incredible!

Your brain struggles to differentiate between vividly imagined achievements and real ones, using the same neural pathways, which allows self-belief (even false) to feel real and drive action, while also getting "desensitized" to self-sabotage like "just one time" lies, making it harder to stick to goals.

Essentially, your brain builds reality from your strongest thoughts, whether positive (visualization) or negative (limiting beliefs/excuses), making it an "unreliable narrator" that needs conscious redirection through small, consistent actions to build genuine capability.

AKA: Repeatedly imagining success activates the same neural circuits as actually doing it, laying down pathways that make you feel capable, even without proof.

Your brain uses mental shortcuts (like "The Sky Is Falling Con") to misinterpret problems, making tasks seem bigger or impossible.

The "One Time" Lie: Your brain loves the familiar and safe; "just one time" breaks a commitment, teaching your brain it can get away with it, making future discipline harder.

The "Perfect Plan" Lie: It convinces you that you need a perfect plan before acting, keeping you stuck in inaction because clarity often comes through action, not before it.

Instead: Act "As If": Consciously adopt empowering beliefs, noticing small bits of evidence that support them to train your brain to look for opportunities.

Small Steps: Take tiny, manageable actions (e.g., one small step toward a goal) to build real evidence and momentum, bypassing the need for a perfect plan.

Reparenting Your Brain: Acknowledge the brain's protective patterns (like fear) without shame, then gently teach it you can handle the truth and new approaches.

You can train your brain to see the good or see the bad. You can train your brain that you will not lie to it and it will make paths to your success. You can change your life. One step at a time.

12/12/2025

Good food for thought

𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬, 𝐬𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. . .

If I had a dollar for every time someone pulled out this tired argument, I could finally build that new barn I have been dreaming about.

So I am here to set the record straight. Comparing domestic horses to wild horses is not the slam-dunk some people think it is. Rather, it falls apart once you get past the surface because it was never solid logic to begin with.

Yes, ‘wild’ horses, moose, elk, antelope, and whatever other critters people like to use in this argument don’t wear blankets. But here’s the part that is conveniently left out: they survive by paying a price. There is no safety net. Nature is not kind. And when a wild horse isn’t thriving, nature removes it. And it can be a painful and drawn out process.

Thankfully, domestic horses don’t live this way. But the trade off is that they are required to live within the constraints of human expectations.

They live in limited space, depend entirely on what we provide, and do not have the ability to roam miles to find shelter, better forage, or protection from the elements. Some drop weight dramatically in winter. Some have metabolic disorders, clipped coats, low body conditions, or age-related problems. We groom them, ride them, and many have been bred for refinement and traits that excel in the show pen, not rugged survival.

And here’s the biggest difference: our responsibility to domestic horses is not to simply allow them to survive but rather we have a responsibility to help them thrive.

I am a huge advocate for letting a horse be a horse. But it is not always that simple. Humans domesticated them so it has become our duty to manage them.

Blanketing is not about pampering. It’s not about fashion. It’s not about treating horses like fragile glass figurines. It’s about understanding the individual needs of the animal in front of you. Some horses will be perfectly fine naked all winter. Others will burn calories they don’t have, shiver for hours, lose weight, or struggle quietly.

Will they survive without a blanket?
Most likely.

But will they thrive?
That depends on the horse. And as their caretakers, it’s our job to know the difference.

So stop using that lazy “wild horses don’t need blankets” line.

We’re in the 21st century. We have knowledge, tools, and compassion. Use them. Do what’s best for your horse, not what a wild animal has no choice but to endure solely based on principle.

And I want to be clear. I think MANY horses do just fine without blankets, just not ALL horses. And that is the distinction I am trying to make here.

Cheers,
Dr. DeBoer

I am also super grateful for Untamed Souls Photography (link to their page in the comments!) for letting me use their picture in this post. While I pride myself in creating my own visuals, I didn’t have anything I loved for this post and her picture captured my vision perfectly!

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Cmm3YCV3q/?mibextid=wwXIfr

09/12/2025

Another delightful Saturday pole/jump day in the books 🥰

06/12/2025

Happy Christmas! 🤪

02/12/2025

Hey guys, Heidi's got stuff on sale!

One more day to get ready for Christmas with Black Friday specials ♥️⭐️🎄♥️

02/12/2025

An affordable "alternative equine experience" sans vet bills, feed bills, mucking...?

28/11/2025

Horses don’t wake up with a diary full of performance goals. They’re not standing at the gate thinking, “I hope she schools me in a perfect 20-metre circle today.”

Their world is simpler and more honest. Safety. Predictability. Comfort. Herd. Food. Space. Rhythm. That’s the entire ecosystem of their wellbeing.

When we choose not to ride, we are not depriving them of something vital.
We are actually honouring their natural priorities.

Most days, what your horse wants is for you to show up with steady energy and a soft nervous system. They read the tension in your jaw, the rush in your footsteps, the way you hold your breath when you’re stressed. They know. And they respond.

A horse would rather stand with you quietly than carry you while you’re wound tight.

A horse would rather have a peaceful grooming session than be pushed through 45 minutes of schooling with winter wind rattling the arena boards.

A horse would rather feel you regulate beside them than feel you compensate on their back.

We often forget that riding is a human invention, not a horse requirement. What horses seek is harmony. A safe companion. Someone predictable enough that their bodies can settle next to ours.

When you decide not to ride because you’re tired, or the ground is frozen, or your brain is doing that loud static thing, you’re not failing. You’re speaking the horse’s language.

A regulated human is more valuable to them than a mounted one.

They don’t judge you for walking them to the field instead of tacking up. They don’t measure your worth by hours ridden. They care that you’re safe company. That you don’t bring storms into their space. That when you do ask something of them, it comes from clarity rather than pressure.

Some horses genuinely thrive when riding takes a step back for a little while. Their bodies get a breather. Their minds get space. Their relationship with you gets to be about connection rather than task.

If you’re showing up kindly, you’re doing enough.
If your horse is eating well, moving freely, living in a routine that makes sense to them, you’re doing enough.

And in the quiet seasons, the bond often grows deeper. Because horses remember who sits with them in the stillness.

25/11/2025

Annie has big feelings about snow falling off the arena roof 🧨❄️