Behind the Bluff
Uncover best practices to participate in life on your terms. Every week, hosts Jeff Ford and Kendra Till guide listeners with short conversations on trending wellness topics and share interviews with passionate wellness professionals, our private club leaders, and additional subject matter experts offering valuable tips. Each episode conclusion includes Healthy Momentum, five minutes of inspiration to help you reflect and live differently. Subscribe now and discover the keys to living your greatest active lifestyle.
Behind the Bluff
Why Horses Make Us Better Humans | Julien Beaugnon
Julian Beaugnon, Equestrian Director at Longfield Stables, shares insights from his 20-year global career with horses and explains the unique physical, mental, and emotional wellness benefits of horseback riding.
• Growing up on a horse farm in France and becoming a trainer at just 14 years old
• Transitioning from stunt riding in movies and theme parks to performing with Disney and Cavalia
• How horseback riding develops subtle strength, coordination and body alignment rather than maximum force
• Why horses are incredibly perceptive to human emotions and can detect anxiety or distraction immediately
• The magnetic field horses create that may help reduce human stress and blood pressure
• How working with horses teaches valuable life skills like focus, confidence, and emotional control
• Common misconceptions about horse communication and why most human behaviors toward horses are unnatural
• Longfield Stables' diverse offerings from trail rides across 12 miles to specialized training in various disciplines
• Julian's background as a world champion horseball player (essentially "rugby on horseback")
• Upcoming events and growth plans for Longfield Stables in 2026
Visit Longfield Stables at Palmetto Bluff to experience trail rides, lessons, or equestrian events - beginners welcome!
Are you ready to live an active lifestyle? Welcome to Behind the Bluff, where we believe every moment of your life is an opportunity to pursue wellness on your terms. I'm your host, Jeff Ford, and today we're joined with Julian Bonheur, the equestrian director at Longfield Stables, Palmetto Bluff. With over 20 years of global experience from elite stables to major productions like Cavalia and Disney, Julian blends performance, precision and a deep respect for horse psychology. In today's episode, we're going to discuss how horseback riding supports both physical and mental wellness, why horses help us reconnect with presence, and how beginners can confidently get started at Longfield Stables. So, whether you're a seasoned rider or just curious, this conversation will give you a new perspective on what's possible in the saddle and beyond. Julian, welcome to the show.
Speaker 2:Hey, jeff, how you doing? Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:I'm glad you're here and before we dive into today's conversation, we're kind of sitting post one month from one of the most incredible events that I've been hearing from members about. The stars and stripes Fourth of July celebration was hosted at Longfield stables and from everything I heard the atmosphere, the attention to detail. It was a standout event. Uh, that brought the community together over one of the busiest weekends that we have here at Palmetto Bluff.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you very much. I think most of our credits go to the event team, of course, and the culinary team. We just provided the place, but we are very, very happy to see so many new faces and so many people enjoying our facility. That was really great. We really enjoyed that and want to see more of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Well, thanks so much for having members out staff Gosh, I heard the band was amazing. I'm looking forward to future events out there at Longfield. So you have a fascinating journey that's taken you from elite equestrian arenas across the globe to right here at Longfield. Let's start with this when did you first know horses would be a central part of your life?
Speaker 2:Well, to be honest, I've just grown with horses, been born and raised on a horse farm. My dad is a horse rider, my brother is a horse rider, so for me it would just always been part of my life. Then I was still studying. I studied in business management and while I was studying I was still working with horses on the weekends. I competed at a pretty high level in different disciplines. I think around 14, I started to get my first gig as a trainer 14 years old, 14 years old yeah Wow, is that young for trainers?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's pretty young, 14 years old. 14 years old yeah, wow, is that young for trainers? Yeah, it's pretty young, 14 years old. Yeah, I'm just sure then you know you've been working on it and you have enough experience and you can start to train horses and not just like riding them. So I remember I was actually one of my neighbor horse um never had the time to ride the horse really, so just paying me on the side to do that. So that was pretty fun. Around 16, 17,. That's where I started to work more professionally, like a bit higher level. I started stunt riding.
Speaker 1:Stunt riding.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what's that like? So basically it's like what you see in movies, so when the guys are fighting off their horses or when they're fighting against each other on horses and all those kind of stuff. So I started in a theme park near Paris. Then I worked on a few commercials and movie sets.
Speaker 1:No way. So you were like the stunt guy if there was a horse involved.
Speaker 2:Yep, I developed a few French comedians, so that was a lot of fun. And then, when I finally got my master's degree, the very next day I signed my first contract as a performer full time. And then I started to work at Disney and I was hired there for a few months and still doing freelance in between.
Speaker 1:So yeah, Wow, so you went the route of putting on events and being on stage for the first part of your career. Could you tell us more about, uh, those types of productions?
Speaker 2:So the one in a theme park we were performing, so it was a seasonal kind of uh activity. Um, we were staying there about six months, living in a park, uh, which was kind of funny, you were living in an amusement park, yeah. That was really cool and because of course it's Europe and we all dream about cowboys and Indians, so it was a Western park, okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So we were doing that, working every day. It was a really, really hard job, physically, mentally, it was also my beginning, but a lot of fun. And then after that, I moved to Disney, did a few months there as well, on and off, and then I was called by Cavalia, which is a pretty major company. It's actually one of the branches of Cirque du Soleil, so Cirque du Soleil is famous for not having any animals in their productions. So one of their original producers decided to do totally the opposite and open a show where everything would be centered around an animal and that was the host, and so that was the theme of the Cirque du Soleil-type show.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, so it's a contemporary circus, and so that was the theme of the Cirque du.
Speaker 2:Delay type show. Yes, yeah, so it's a contemporary circus. It's not like the traditional round stage with clowns and it was not that at all. So it was a very elegant show, more like a theater show, with acrobats and live musics and dancers and aerialists, all of that. So, yeah, it was really cool.
Speaker 1:That's wild. The first part of your career was as a performer and now you've switched gears into being a leader of a barn and more on that trainer side. What do you love about the leadership of a barn and what that entails?
Speaker 2:Well, that's the thing is no matter the setting when you care for a barn and what that entails. Well, but that's the other thing is no matter the setting. When you care for a barn, you care for animals first. So you might be traveling around the world or you may be just sitting down at one place, it's just the same ideas, like you want to find what's the best for the horses and um, so setting and scenery can change, but the core value of the job is pretty much the same.
Speaker 1:It's always been there for you. Yeah, I am Okay. Well, for someone who's never ridden before, I think I've ridden a horse, Julian, like once in my life. I had to be like eight years old. So I'm kind of asking for myself here and for our listeners how would you describe the experience of being on a horse for the first time?
Speaker 2:It's quite unique. I don't think you can really experience the same thing any other way than just riding a horse, meaning that you are dealing with a thousand pound animal and you can feel them breathing beneath you, you can feel them move, you can feel them tense or relaxing. It's a very, very interesting exchange than you have physically. It's great. I think you need a lot of strength, a lot of coordination, but in a subtle way, so it's not going to be like strength training, where you're going to have to push as much as possible, like here's your, your more. You work more by um, kind of aligning your body all the time and you need to respect the flow of the horse. If you start to tense up, then your horse is going to tense up as well, and then nothing was going to come out of it. So it's almost like stability with the horse as the horse moves forward.
Speaker 2:Completely. It's like being able to maintain your body in a space. You have to hold yourself up without tensing up, a bit like a dancer or like a singer in a posture. You need to let the energy flow and yet you still need to be strong and hold yourself physically properly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so the experience is very physical.
Speaker 2:physical, but a different type of physical yeah, I think I don't know where I'm from. In france we didn't surf at all. Uh, it's like enough, like the midwest of france, um, but um, I will probably imagine and surfers may feel the same way it's like being able to just go with the wave while still being able to maintain a very athletic posture that's a good analogy.
Speaker 1:It's almost like with the waves you're not in charge, and same with the horse You're not necessarily in charge, you're guiding the horse more than anything. Is that a fair way of looking at it?
Speaker 2:Yes, well, and that's where I think horses are so interesting, because if you start to oppose yourself to them all the time, then you just start to have conflict all the time and it's not enjoyable. So it's, like you know, being able to go in the direction of your horse and while still trying to guide him gently, uh, mentally, I think it's a great exercise too. Um, he helps with having sharp reflex. Uh, you need to constantly check your surrounding, because your horse is constantly checking his surrounding. So if you see a car coming, if you hear something weird, you need to be able to be very aware of your environment. Same thing if you ride with other riders. It's a bit like driving on a busy highway you need to be checking your mirror, you need to be checking where you're going, anticipating where other people are moving to. So, on the on the mental, um benefits yeah, a lot of focus. Um, and on the emotional point, like you need to be able to control your anger all the time.
Speaker 1:So when you're on a horse, controlling your emotions is critical all the time, yeah and in so many ways.
Speaker 2:First of all, you cannot lie to a horse. You may try to look confident and relaxed. It will see right through you.
Speaker 2:They're going to know what you're actually feeling, even if you have a mask over you From the moment you enter the barn, from the moment you get off your car on the parking lot, they can already sense you, they can feel you. They can already sense you, they can feel you, they can smell you. And as you come closer, and especially when you ride or even just being standing next to them, you cannot lie, you cannot act Like they just see you.
Speaker 1:Horses are quite intuitive animals, to say the least.
Speaker 2:They have to be because they are prey. So, unlike a predator, who might going to be a bit more superficial some ways, horses need for their safety, for their survival, to being able to check you, to check if you are a threat or if you are actually someone that they can incorporate into their social environment, because horses are very social. And same thing that's also based on instinct and on prey. When a horse is in a field in the wild, it's going to see a flock of birds taking off and start flying, so that could be a signal then there is a danger coming up. So they are very aware of everything around them, every animal, every good, friendly animals to them, but also the one that could be a potential danger.
Speaker 1:Horses are perceptive. They've got that heightened awareness.
Speaker 2:Oh, yes, yeah.
Speaker 1:And it's interesting, as someone who's very removed from riding, that when we've done yoga at the stables or we've done a primal fit class, like around the stables, there is a friendliness about horses as well.
Speaker 2:you can see they are social creatures I think they're probably one of the most forgiven animal in the world forgiving animal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, explain, explain further so let's say, every day you come home and you beat your dog, your dog's going to stare at you and sometimes just going to stop coming to see you. Right, it's going to run away. Yet a horse you can arrive and riding brutally, abusing maybe spurs or sticks or, like you know, having like maybe a very harsh beat, for instance, and you're going to do that over and over and over again, and your horse is going to still look at you every single day and most likely just give everything he has to you every single day.
Speaker 1:They forgive and forget quite quickly.
Speaker 2:They can kill you in one bite, in one kick, like the strengths that they have. So they're extremely patient, extremely kind and extremely forgiving.
Speaker 1:I know that wasn't necessarily geared towards the beginner. Hearing more about horses and how they operate from an emotional and behavioral perspective I think is powerful for that beginner rider. Are there any key things that beginners should keep in mind when they're getting on a horse for the first time?
Speaker 2:Well, that's a bit my mission in life is. I feel then there is a lot of anthropomorphism and stereotypes when it comes to horses. When you train horses, love is not everything. Love is just not enough. You may love your horse very much so you may buy the most expensive gear, the best saddle. You buy massages and cure practice and acupunctures and you buy all those great things, and some of them have values.
Speaker 2:I can understand that, and I'm sure most of people who do that do it out of love. But do you really do what's best for the horse? What is the horse really need? Do you think horses need a blanket with their names tagging golden letters on it? Not sure what horses value the most and what they need the most is safety, okay, and safety. You have to understand their way of communicating and their way of living. Horses in the wild live in herds. In herds they are stronger. What we do I'm guilty of it, of course, but what we do is we take them, we separate them from the herd, we isolate them in a start private turnout and then we take away all their social Connection, like their time with other horses.
Speaker 2:The way that they are Now. Is it necessary for some horses? Yes, I think so. I think some horses, like for instance mine, is a retired racehorse and he does have kind of behavioral issues with other horses. I've been trying to introduce him back to herds but he either get beat up or beat up another one, and that problem comes from the way that it was raised and the way that it was bred. So it is, at the beginning, a human thing. It is a human issue. So would it be safe to put back every horse in the world all in herds? No, I'm sure some lost that connection. They lost that way and now they can just live, maybe in stars, maybe, you know. Know, we see horses. Especially right now. It's super hot, there is bugs everywhere. Some horses don't tolerate it well, but it's because the human have been able to select horses and to give them the opportunity to be like that if they were wide it's been an evolution they would have not make it Wow.
Speaker 1:Right yeah.
Speaker 2:So we make them a bit weaker by changing, by selecting breedings, and we create a breed of horses that would not survive in the elements anymore.
Speaker 1:Interesting and when we're breeding horses and we're preparing them for trail rides and to be connecting with humans, is that an intentional process by the trainer, meaning in order to have a horse ready to engage and to engage safely with humans?
Speaker 2:giving them safety is the key component, absolutely giving them safety is the key component, absolutely so.
Speaker 2:For me, there is a base of the training of the fitness, kind of like a routine fitness that every horse should have. So that's going to be strength, it's going to be mobility, it's going to be stretch. When you have all the three so you know your horse is feeling good in his body then you're going to start to focus a bit more your training on what your purpose is. You're not going to train a trail horse who is going to be mostly used by beginners or first-timers. Some way you're going to train a horse who is going to compete in the Olympics, because there is one and you're going to ask to be extremely responsive to every of your cues and the other one should be a bit more dull and be more like well, be a bit more independent, do your thing, carry that person safely and bring it back to home so that makes sense I don't feel we have horses for others on program, for instance, that we could not use on trail, just because they are more responsive.
Speaker 2:they have been more tuned to our commands and our trail horses are really, really perfect. They're actually super enjoyable for people to ride on the trail because you can just let go of the reins and just enjoy the scenery.
Speaker 1:They're that up to speed with just going in the direction that they're called to go.
Speaker 2:But we still ride them every single week. So all of our horses, we still train them. As I said, we do stretches, mobility and strengthening, depending on the season, Like right now it was a pretty busy summer but in our time off or when the thing slows down a bit, all the horses will go back on a very steady training program where we can just maintain them and make sure they're happy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's great to understand a bit more behind the scenes of how horses are raised and then geared towards the different types of activities that they're doing, whether they're racing or they're giving trail rides. So when I was preparing for our time together, I always feel like there is a spiritual connection to horse owners and their horses, and so I wanted to ask you about horseback riding as a unique way to stay active. But can you expand on how horseback riding is not only physically impactful, but also mentally and emotionally?
Speaker 2:Well, we talk a bit about it like having your reflex, being aware of your surrounding, being able to control your emotion, being physically active and being able to hold yourself, but they have even like a, much deeper benefits. There's actually an article who was out. It's not 100% backup scientifically, but I still like it.
Speaker 1:There's some evidence.
Speaker 2:So that article was saying that horses' herds have a big magnetic field.
Speaker 1:Magnetic field okay.
Speaker 2:And then it is so big that it can actually have an impact on your own heartbeat.
Speaker 1:No way. So the rider can feel that magnetic field.
Speaker 2:And that apparently helps people to reduce stress, reduce blood pressure and have extremely great and deep benefits. To be not just riding a horse but being only around them is already giving us.
Speaker 1:Makes that magnetic. Like you get that impact from the magnetic field. It's similar to programs using equine therapy. That's probably where the evidence comes from. Yeah, Very cool.
Speaker 2:So I work actually in Virginia, in Maryland, with a few therapeutic programs. We had veterans, so war veterans, we had people with trauma, we had kids who were in the system like really different people. It's just amazing to me to see how people are completely shut down to other human beings. You put them with the horses, another person.
Speaker 1:Changes the game Completely.
Speaker 2:And horses are. Some say that they are the mirror of your soul.
Speaker 1:Okay, the mirror of your soul. I like that.
Speaker 2:And spending time around them. You're definitely going to see something about yourself that either you like or you don't like, but they're going to teach you something about you.
Speaker 1:Well, yeah, it's great to understand that at a different level and to get some of those euphemisms like the mirror of your soul. What do you believe makes a great writer? Is it skill, mindset or something deeper?
Speaker 2:I'm going to be a bit controversial there, okay. So to me, what makes a great writer? It's not about trophies, it's not about medals, it's not about title. What I appreciate to see in someone is their desire and willingness to learn the horse way. So we have a lot of stereotypes when it comes to horse training. First of all, the name that you use to. When you first put a horse in a saddle, you say you break a horse.
Speaker 1:You break a horse. Yeah, okay.
Speaker 2:I don't think we start on good basis right there.
Speaker 1:Now, when that phrase is used break a horse is it from a command perspective? What does that exactly mean?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's going to be like a youngster, a young horse never been ridden before, so that the entire process of putting the bridle for the first time and putting saddle for the first time and starting to mount them for the first time and all that process. That's what we use. The word breaking a hose okay, I'm much rather starting but you know, starting's about.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm falling we can play.
Speaker 2:We can play a bit with the words here. But I think all of that is actually quite important and it does reflect kind of general way that we interact with them. You know you already start not with starting or not with communicating, not with engaging, but by breaking. Okay, then you move forward and then start all the stereotypes. So we are all seen in movies the rider arriving and petting a big slap on the neck on the horse. And you're a good boy. Horses hate that.
Speaker 1:They don't like that.
Speaker 2:They hate it.
Speaker 1:That's good for me to know if I ever get on a horse.
Speaker 2:We see people giving treats oh that horse, I'm going to give him a carrot. Horses don't do that. You will never see a horse giving a carrot to another horse. That doesn't exist. It's a very human behavior. Noises Hi, my good boy, I love you. They hate it. Man, you will. If you see a horse making noise, if you see a horse touching another horse, it's always extreme. All right, it's to fight, it's to mate, it's by anxiety, anger, like. It's always a very extreme feeling.
Speaker 1:Horses who are calm, relaxed most of the time, how they should be is quiet and pretty stoic. That tracks for me. What's the best way to communicate with a horse?
Speaker 2:So being aware of what you see and how you move.
Speaker 1:Yeah, back to where we started.
Speaker 2:They're extremely subtle animals, all right, but they're extremely contrasted as well. So their way of communicating, let's say 99% of the time, is going to be a very subtle body movement. Then you won't perceive. But a horse to another one will. Same thing about noises. It's more about like energy, all right, like intention. When a horse goes somewhere, it goes from point A to point B. There is a horse on its way. Most likely that horse is going to move because the one move was having a direction, was going somewhere, so it was determinated to go from point A to point B. The horse in the middle most likely is going to move. Us humans, we don't know how to do that right. We fidget, we use a lot of words, we touch each other for the first time, you know. You shake hands I'm European. You even do the kiss, kiss. So just imagine In horse language that doesn't exist. If you take 30 horses and you put them in a small space, none of them is going to step on each other.
Speaker 1:There's way less cues. It sounds like Like non-verbals, maybe more than anything, but there's not a lot of like actual action in the communication process.
Speaker 2:Let's say, if at one point there is start to be an issue between two horses, they're going to do it. They're going to fix it extremely quick and extremely brutal. Bite a kick, but they don't all grudge, they don't keep resentments. There is a problem they. They hit once twice. There is no problem anymore. Then it's over A second later they can be chewing on the same piece of hay.
Speaker 1:Forgiveness is their virtue.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and honesty, being extremely straightforward, is I like that, I don't like that, never again, and that's it, it's done.
Speaker 1:It's almost like a direction, Like a very not direction. I mean, they're very direct animals where humans like us, we sometimes don't communicate in that way. We're not very clear with person-to-person interactions.
Speaker 2:I think we will have so much to learn about the way that horses are actually working as a group in our society. It's very, very interesting how they can be Very honest, very upfront, very straightforward and very forgiving all at the same time.
Speaker 1:You talk a lot about the importance of connection and presence when working with horses. How do those values show up in everyday life? Focus.
Speaker 2:When you ride, not every horse is, but some horses, like some people. You know, every horse is the same and every person is not the same either. So some horses actually, when you ride them, if you do not focus on them, if you're not actually seeing you feeling that you're riding and you just let your mind wandering around.
Speaker 2:they're going to take you for a ride, they're going to do their thing, yeah yeah, so that's sometimes translated in very high anxiety, like the horse is going to start to fidget underneath you and just because it feels like there is someone that is caring.
Speaker 2:But it's not connected um some other if you have um intrusive thoughts okay so let's say you're right and suddenly you think of like, oh, you know, I had that bill from the plumber that didn't pay and I was not expecting that. And just make me angry. Your horse is going to tell you the same things to me, like hey, dude, we are dancing right now.
Speaker 1:All right, like, stay here, stay the horse is going to know that your brain is on something else exactly man, yeah, man. Well, presence while you're riding makes a ton of sense then, given that interaction between the horse and and just kind of the the values of that in our everyday life, of being present with humans absolutely in our relationships confidence confidence is a big one too.
Speaker 2:When you lead a horse um, either from the ground or riding them, what is going to make the horse going in a direction then naturally would not want to go. Let's say, crossing a busy street or going over a bridge, like normally. The horse would probably not choose that way. So how can you ask the horse to do that? You can try to beat them up, but usually they make you pay for it. So what you need is to being able to show them you're firm, you're determined, you want to go there, but you don't want to bully. So you need to find that confidence without bullying.
Speaker 2:It's really a world of nuances and being able to stop at the right place, same thing being able to raise your energy to show them hey, you know, I did not appreciate what you do Like a horse tried to bite you, for instance. But you need to be able at the second, when the horse stops his wrong behavior, to cool down. But like at the really really same second. Timing needs a lot in training Coordination, physical timing when you put your hands on your legs, but also your mental readiness and being able to raise your energy and be like no, I'm not happy. Oh yes, I'm very happy. Thank you for doing it. That makes sense.
Speaker 1:Focus, confidence, two values that do show up in everyday life. Now, julian, with the rest of our time, I want to dive into Longfield Stables a bit more so that we can share everything you and the team have going on over there. So for someone new to palmetto bluff or new to horses, what's the best way to experience longfield stables for the first time?
Speaker 2:I think the best way would be if it's really your first time, I plan to bluff on a horseback, uh, just go to the trail ride. The place is just beautiful. You're going to see, like all the local trees, different sceneries. We go through little path between trees. We go to like larger, big pathways. We go longer cross-country field over bridges. You can see pounds. You can see animals. I mean it's really really cool and all of that while being on an animal yourself. Then you can feel breathing and moving. It's just crazy.
Speaker 1:It's like nothing else around here. How long does a trail ride take?
Speaker 2:Trail ride, so the entire experience is about an hour and a half. We call that an experience because you start with a helmet fitting, then you watch a safety video, then our instructors and guides are going to give you a few tips, depending on what you need. They're going to introduce you to your horse, they're going to explain you how you can, you know, steer, stop, turn, do like kind of all the basic than you need really, and then after that the trail on itself lasts about 50 minutes nice.
Speaker 1:So with the you get the instructions up front, you get trained and then fitted to the horse, and then you're off for about 50 minutes yeah yeah, and, and you're basically hang around longfield there. What's the like, the route?
Speaker 2:so right now we leave behind, uh, our trail bond. Then we start with a bit of a trail, just like a very shaded area is very nice, and then we reach the cross country, we walk along the cross country and then we go back on another trail, same thing shaded, and then you just go like pretty much it's a almost 12, between 12 and 13 miles.
Speaker 1:Oh, wow it's. It's that distance in that amount of time. Wow, it's pretty long. Yeah, very cool. Now what types of lessons, programs and other events are available at longfield for members and guests?
Speaker 2:well that the thing is. Um, you know, a lot of bands usually have like one specificity. That's not really what we do here at longfield, because we have so many people want to learn different things, so we have instructors in Western pleasure, hunter, dressage, liberty. We can do cross country, we can do flat work, we can do horsemanship, and then we can even if you want to do trick riding, roman riding and all those kind of fun stuff.
Speaker 1:Do you lead the trick riding? Is that your expertise, if someone's at that level?
Speaker 2:If there's anyone interested, yeah, for sure, I'd be happy to do that. We have a saddle right now. Veronica, also one of our staff. She has been doing professional vaulting oh wow, so that's really cool as well. Yeah, we cover a lot of disciplines.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Now vaulting. Describe that better for me. What's that involved?
Speaker 2:imagine a draft horse or draft horse like those bigger ones who runs in a circle and then the person just go bareback on them. So there's like no saddles, there is, like you know, pretty much nothing. You just have like two handles and you hold to those two handles and you do handstands on her back on a horse where the horse is moving Dang so it's basically gymnastics on a horse. It's exactly gymnastics on a horse. It's like pulling a horse on a real horse.
Speaker 1:Julian. So I understand you've been hosting a lot of shows over at Longfield Stables and most recently was the Twilight Show, where there were a lot of participants. There was the Twilight show, where there were a lot of participants there. As a naive individual, when it comes to horse shows, tell us what is a horse show, and more about the Twilight one specifically.
Speaker 2:So our show is basically equestrian competitions. You can have competition in different disciplines, you can have hand to jumper, you can have dressage, and this one the Twilight show that we had last Saturday was a jumper hand-to-jumper show. So basically, we set up a course in Covert Arena and Longfeet is one of the only places in the area who actually has a Covert Arena and it's a very big one. So we're very lucky and the turnover was pretty incredible because we doubled the number of entries than we had comparatively to last year. So, yeah, we passed from 55 to 110 entries in one day.
Speaker 1:That's a big deal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a big deal. We're very happy. We had people coming from every other bounds in the area, so it was really fun to see that.
Speaker 1:Now they sign up for the show and just take turns going around the course.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's right. So we have different categories and the categories are going to be according to the height of the jumps. So if you're just starting to do jumping with your horse, the bar is going to be very close from the ground and as you're raising categories, then the bars are also raising just starting to do jumping with your horse.
Speaker 1:the bar is going to be very close from the ground and as you're raising categories, then the bars are also raising, oh cool.
Speaker 2:And constantly raising until they miss the jump. No, no, no.
Speaker 1:So we you know we it's a standard.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we stop it at some point. So the first category is going to be maybe just actually the bar on the ground and just being able to steer your horse over that bar on the ground oh that's cool, so you get even a lot of amateurs coming out to partake.
Speaker 2:And then usually you can go up to in the Olympics. I would say probably around like 1.20, 1.40, something like that that is going to be, but at some point it's not the height of the jump who is like the biggest the most difficult things to do it's going to be the complexity of steering your horse in between those jumps. Oh, okay, so the combinations, the turns, the distances, all of that is going to be, because it's not that interesting to make a horse trying to jump over One one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I got you.
Speaker 2:It's not really the point. At some point you're going to be reasonable, but how can we still make it more intense? So that is going to create different jumps, different series of jumps and playing with the course, playing with the variance of the course.
Speaker 1:Now is it judged. Are there judges there, or how do they get their score?
Speaker 2:So a jumper is going to be on either. The horse have been knocked down a bar, so the bars are not fixed. If the horse touches it, then it falls and it's going to be timed as well. Okay.
Speaker 1:So time, and then do you complete the jump? Okay, okay, and how many jumps are there typically in one round?
Speaker 2:so this one we had about 10 jumps. Um, very high level riders are going to do maybe 16 or 18, but same thing, it's not really the number of jumps that you're going to put. That's going to be the biggest factor.
Speaker 1:Yeah, man. Well, it shows a whole other aspect of your programming over there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely Good stuff. It's going to be much more next year, so we're really happy about that. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I bet, given the beauty of Longfield and just the sheer size of it, it's a great opportunity to show off this property.
Speaker 2:And more and more people coming to horses. We see a lot of bands around. They come more often to our shows. Our own student base has grown a lot since I'm here since 2023. So you know, more students and we acquire more horses. We currently have six of them in the lesson program. We used to only have four. So we have more horses, more students and we're going to make more shows as well.
Speaker 1:Now, one item I uncovered in just learning a little bit more about your background is you were a horseball player.
Speaker 2:Yeah, is that what you call it Horseball, horseball player.
Speaker 1:Tell us about horseball and how your team won the world championship.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it's actually very fun. So it's a sports gym, all right. It's two teams of four players, you usually have two subs and the goal is to pick up a ball. It's like imagine a soccer ball with leather handles.
Speaker 1:That's the size of it, okay, like like a soccer ball size with a handle yeah, it's totally actually a soccer ball.
Speaker 2:Then you put into kind of a leather net like big handles, and those handles are here. So when you pitch yourself from your horse to the ground then then you can pick it up full speed. Then you have to do three passes and throwing it into kind of a hoop with four meters up in the air.
Speaker 1:Four meters up in the air.
Speaker 2:So if picking up the ball at full speed and doing the passes and throwing into a net is not enough, then don't forget. If you have four other guys in front of you, their only mission is to try to get the ball from you.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that involves, or that can imply, to like push you off the field with the horses, smashing their horses and their body into your body. It's like rugby on a horse. Then they're allowed to do that. They're really allowed to do that, so it's physical with the horse and with the rider. Yep.
Speaker 1:Like can a rider come up and like push another?
Speaker 2:rider with their arm. You can do anything you want, it's like UFC on a horse.
Speaker 1:Yes, exactly, while trying to score.
Speaker 2:So they actually changed the rules. I think about like 10 years ago. But before you could hold down to the ball, both players could hold down to the ball until one of them either let go or the horse of the other player fell off dang now they put like a time limit and after, I think, three or four seconds of like trying to put each other they'll like blow the whistle while the ball go to the defense always okay, but it wasn't like that when I first started. So, yeah, it's pretty cool.
Speaker 1:I'm glad we stumbled on horseball, because that came out of left field for me. And what was it like winning the championship? Like, are there playoffs? Were you playing different countries?
Speaker 2:Well, at that time it was not very popular. I don't think it is as popular anyway still now than other disciplines like dressage or jumping. It was mostly played in Europe. So the championship was actually. The French championship was actually much more valuable it's a title than I have winning the world championship but because there was pretty much no level, because it only started in France, we developed that there and then it grows a bit, but it was not very fair against the other teams. Now there's very good teams everywhere, like Spain, italy, canada. I think there's even a federation here in the US. Australia also has it, brazil, argentina. So many other countries now have very good players Course ball players.
Speaker 1:It's not an Olympic sport, is it?
Speaker 2:No, but it is. So we have two Olympics for the equestrian world. There's the regular Olympics and we have what we call the World Equestrian Games. So they're usually every four years. So you know, two years is the Olympic, two years after that is the World Equestrian Game, and then the horseball is actually represented. So it's an FEI, international Equestrian Federation's recognized sports.
Speaker 1:Very cool. Yeah, I would be thrilled to watch a horseball game. I'm sure there's clips on somewhere out there on the internet.
Speaker 2:If you put a horseball on YouTube, actually you will have a pretty dramatic video that. I like and I think it gives you a good idea of what it is.
Speaker 1:Wow, man, you got a ton more street cred. Now that I know you're a horse ball player, I'll just I think that's how I'll see you in my my eyes every time we are at a meeting together, julian. This has been so awesome. Thank you for sharing everything under the sun regarding horse psychology and the connection that horses have with wellness physically, emotionally, mentally and, of course, everything that you have going on at Longfield Stables. We're at that time in the episode. What does wellness mean to you?
Speaker 2:Being able to still do what I love the most for as long as possible mentally, physically and emotionally, no matter what the disciplines you do, no matter if it's working with horses or surfing or pushing weights. What it brings us, it's not just physical. I believe Wellness gives you so much more, helps you to stay calm and to stay focused and, you know, reduce the stress and all the things that we need, I think, to grow healthy.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, Julian, thank you so much for taking the time today. Thanks for all you do for our members and for the trail rides. I know they're growing and getting more people on the horses. It's been an absolute pleasure.
Speaker 2:Same here. Thank you so much, jeff, for having me and yes, we look forward to 2026. We have a few projects and we want to increase the number of events, not just equestrian events but also social events, maybe some demonstrations so people can understand a bit more what we do. Social event, maybe some demonstrations so people can understand a bit more what we do. So, yeah, we're really looking forward to 2026 and see how Longfield is going to grow and become a very welcoming and beautiful place that it is.
Speaker 1:It's going to be a great year at Palmetto Bluff.
Speaker 2:Thank you, man, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:You're welcome Listeners. Feel free to hang out with me for a few more minutes and get some healthy momentum for the rest of your week. Research demonstrates that people who are obsessed with their work put in longer hours, yet fail to perform any better than their peers. Are you thinking of that colleague who you know puts in a ton of hours? However, due to those hours and due to that obsession, they're tired and don't execute exactly at the level you think they would, based off how much they're working.
Speaker 1:Think about this in the context of a new activity. You pick up pickleball and all you do is play pickleball. You do it in the morning, you do it at lunchtime, you do it in the evening. It's pickleball, pickleball, pickleball. Well, the message this week is you have to be careful with this Two terms. Out there we have burnout, which is emotional exhaustion, and then second we have what's called bore out, emotional deadening, deadening yeah, that's what I said which is under-stimulation Because you've worked so much or you've done an activity so much, you're no longer stimulated through that activity.
Speaker 1:And when I was speaking to Julian today, the relationship was correlated with this healthy momentum. You can't control a horse to go a certain way, no matter how many hours you sit in the saddle of that horse. So why do we try to do it ourselves? Why do we try to build skills and practice, even when we don't want to? Well, human nature is to try to get better at things to achieve, but too often we fall victim to physical and emotional exhaustion because of this expectation, this sense of achievement that we want to receive from the activities we do or the work that we spend our days doing, or the work that we spend our days doing, and so the message is that we shouldn't drill so hard. It takes the joy out of an activity or work.
Speaker 1:The new term that I learned this week from a book called Hidden Potential, author Adam Grant, is to seek harmonious passion. This is where taking joy in a process rather than feeling pressure to achieve an outcome, instead of saying I should be practicing, I'm supposed to work, it should be more like I feel like practicing, I feel like playing pickleball with my friends, more like I feel like practicing, I feel like playing pickleball with my friends, or I want to work. I'm looking forward to this podcast today. So for this week, let's take that term harmonious passion and let's think about the things in our lives that we can take more joy in specific to the process. Think about the difference that will make in your life. That brings us to the end of this week's conversation. I want to thank you for listening to Behind the Bluff and, until next week, remember to actively participate in life on your terms. Thank you.
