Weekly Round Up #1: Natural Horsemanship with Young Horses Gaia & Flickers Journey

Welcome to the first official Weekly Round Up from Golden Glade Ranch! This week, Gigi shares the emotional rollercoaster of training her young fillies, Flicker and Gaia. With support from horsemanship coach Leah, she’s learning how to read each horse’s unique temperament and develop her own training style. The focus is all about natural horsemanship with young horses—gentle cues, building trust, and understanding their individual minds.

Natural Horsemanship with Young Horses Gaia & Flickers Journey

Horse of the Week: Flicker

Flicker is a 1.5-year-old Australian Stock Horse x Quarter Horse filly with a big personality. Described by Gigi as “stubborn” and “determined,” she’s currently on a short training pause while Gigi resets their dynamic under Leah’s guidance. Her bold nature makes her a challenge, but also shows promise for future cow work. She’s got Peppy bloodlines, a silver dapple gene from her sire, and Gigi plans to breed her to a more eager-to-please stallion to balance her spirit.

Natural Horsemanship with Young Horses: Learnings from Leah

This week’s biggest breakthrough came through Leah’s calm and structured method of working with horses. Gigi is learning to apply the natural horsemanship with young horses framework—emphasizing softness, respect, and incremental pressure. Leah’s motto, “squeeze, cluck, tap,” has helped Gigi understand how to communicate clearly without ever resorting to force. She’s learning when to ask, when to wait, and when to release.

Gigi’s Breeding Notebook

Already thinking years ahead, Gigi plans to breed Flicker at age 5 and has shortlisted top-performing stallions that match her desired traits: athleticism, temperament, and colour genetics. She’s especially interested in the Leaner bloodline to balance Flicker’s Peppy spirit. Colour-wise, she’s exploring roan and silver dapple crosses but performance always comes first in her breeding program.

Ranch Life Snapshot

Every morning, the fillies gallop wildly across the paddock—Flicker often leading the charge with Gaia right behind her. Even Roscoe, the 11-year-old gelding, joins in. These spontaneous paddock sprints are a reminder that even amidst training goals and breeding plans, horses just want to play.

What’s Coming Next Week

Leah returns to reassess the fillies, and Gigi is hoping to bring Flicker back into active training. Roscoe will be stepping up too, and more groundwork will continue using the gentle principles of natural horsemanship with young horses.

Tell us what your upto with your horse training , we'd love to hear from you about your tips, tricks and insights in the comments below.

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