Anna Blake First, lets get our terminology straight. A barn rat is a child who might answer an ad with the headline Horse-Crazy Girls Wanted. (Yes, almost always a girl.) The Infinity Farm barn rat is 9 years old. Elana got here the usual way, begging and badgering parents who don’t ride. Through extended connections, she showed … Read more
“No one can teach riding so well as a horse.” C.S. Lewis While it is true that horses like a good leader- a good leader listens. The best quality of work comes from a partnership between a horse and rider that is more like a body language conversation between individuals. I think the best riders … Read more
Lloyd Blake was a farmer and even now it isn’t an easy life to romanticize. I worked outside with him from early on. Farms are no respecter of sex or age- work had to be done by those available to do it. Dad taught me to drive tractor during haying season- before I was tall … Read more
Lots of us riders are perfectionists. It isn’t a bad thing to want to get things right. We want the best for our horses- the best care they can have for their health and well being into old age. We want to be the best riders we can so that their work is easier … Read more
I want to say this upfront- I do not tweet. I have to draw the line somewhere. I admit I do read a friend’s tweets. Sometimes I can’t make out the tweeted idea at all- it looks more like symbols and punctuation than intelligible information. Last week I saw this tweet and it has stayed … Read more
The horse show last weekend was the challenge we expected, meaning surprises didn’t surprise us. One rider with a young horse had two unplanned dismounts the week before the show. One rider trying to balance show nerves got scolded by the judge who (we eventually figured out) confused her with another rider. Nothing that happened … Read more
“Add to that- horse, donkey, and llama–okay, even the goats.” –Me This was a week of sharp-edged experiences. The world lost a great horse this week, a mare in our extended family. Toushay was from an era of excellence and integrity: she was athletic, smart, funny, and any human’s total equal. She was not my … Read more
The helmet debate continues for riders, especially of my generation. It flares up when well-known competitors or local friends get injured. After the incident passes the debate continues at a quiet level. I will be honest: I am late to the helmet wearing side of this debate. Before, I would wear them for some events … Read more
“I only trail ride.” Every time I hear someone say this, I am impressed. To be prepared for every eventuality that can come up while out on trail, a rider has to have a level of horsemanship that is to be envied. Of course that level of ability is rare. Most of us are looking … Read more
Willard Crockett was the first man I fell in love with. I think I was 5, and he was certainly in his 40’s, but it didn’t feel like a pre-thaw February to September sort of romance to me. (I am aware that it didn’t feel like a romance to him at all.) He wore jeans … Read more