What Is Foundation?

Let us answer that first with what Foundation is not! It is not a discipline, even though it takes discipline to commit to it! It is not something that really ever ends no matter where in Foundation and performance you are at! Foundation is not a label it is a process!

So what is Foundation?

Foundation is all about creating a three way feel; at first responsible to the rider and later a mutual agreement:

1) Feeling of a Horse
2) Feeling For a horse
3) Feeling together as horse and rider/handler

Feel is about understanding a horse’s psychology - offering support and communication that is dependable and that can be understood by the horse, and just plainly getting out of the horse’s way when they get things right!

Horses are prey animals, and in whatever sport or discipline you choose, whether western or English, Dressage or Reining, horses have to learn through ‘a’ process how to make certain moves, that requires consistency on both parts- ‘Consistency creates reliability, reliability creates confidence, confidence creates trust and trust creates rapport!’


Foundation is:

Foundation is about helping horses understand your communication with consistency, making a set of known’s for the horse, so that the horse can ease into an ‘understandable’ communication, something they experience repeatedly and can seek to find to feel secure and sure, instead of guess, assume and fear.

Foundation is about helping a horse accept what they already know, their instincts, but adding a rider to it, one who understands the nature of that horse, and offers support to the psyche of the horse.

Foundation is about creating responses instead of reactions, developing thought processes through a soft mind and body in horse and rider! Flexion is nothing more than a soft mind and body in willingness to respond.

Foundation is about helping a horse stay strong, and utilize their body well through any discipline, whether Reining, jumping, versatility or packing………. a horses body is the core of what delivers the moves, and that body needs to be suspended, elevated and engaged, to help the horse be strong for life!



Foundation requires commitment. A commitment by the rider to developing the key elements of:

Catch
Standstill
Motion
Direction

In equal parts, and in balance, these elements help a horse create foundation for themselves, a place for any, whether doing roll backs, canter pirouettes, 4ft jumps, backing through a corral gate, half passing, leading a horse on a trail, turning back cattle…….. We all need the attention of our horse, a still and present mind, a soft body, a fluid motion and to be able to direct our horses head shoulders and feet, feet that become ‘our’ feet, our only connection to the ground when we ride!

Foundation creates a structure to build upon and build through. It constantly reminds us of the parts in our horsemanship we have let go, you know those days when you can’t catch your horse, or they don’t stand still for the Farrier, or get pushy to get back to the barn on the trail….Foundation reminds us of what is not solid yet, what we can’t build on! It demonstrates, as uncomfortable as that may be, the holes we have with our horsemanship, For what Foundation highlights that we may have to reconsider, it also displays unity, rapport and connection. Foundation creates a steady reliable understanding between horse and rider, something they can rely on as pattern creatures and yet respect as animals with a play drive who need change and easily adjust! Foundation develops ‘rapport’, a two way communication of equal measure – a respect and two way communication, one where both parties’ feel safe to give to each other!

Whether a show jumper setting up strides, a colt on the trail for the first time, a horse working the cow cutter or a horse in an arena learning different speeds at a trot………. Foundation is about learning and progressing, not within our human constraints of a single discipline of ‘Foundation’, or levels of acceptance, but in how to develop horses and riders together through any discipline, from recreational to High end performance.

At the Foundation Station in Texas, www.brucelogan.us, Bruce and Stormy Logan teach horse students and develop horses of all types and ages. The key to every part of their developmental process for horses’ is about creating responses, trust, and helping the horse be proficient and efficient in their foot fall and body use. Bruce develops Cutting and Reining Cow horses and Stormy, while cutting, is returning to her roots, and interest in Spanish riding to incorporate new ideas to their, colt starting, Foundation, Cow working and Performance clinics!