RELAXED AND FORWARD: Since 2010, an archive of weekly horse training essays. My dogs say it's their turn now. Happy to oblige, it's all affirmative. Including words from a gray mare on the fine art of aging cantankerously.
What is an Ethical Ride?
We are great horse owners. We love our horses. Some of us compete and some stroll around the pasture,...
The Advantage of Less Time
It's the second big freeze here on the farm and it isn't even Halloween. Much too early for such polar...
Calming Signals and the Myth of Desensitizing
This chestnut mare is all that. Alert. Intelligent. Willing. And in possession of the quickest response time of any...
Calming Signals: What is a “Hard No?”
I worry that humans are losing the ability to carry on a polite conversation. I'm talking about civility of...
Calming Signals: A Vow of Silence
By now you should snort out loud when someone says their horse is ignoring them. Really, is there a more...
Calming Signals and Implicit Bias.
The Barnies are really hitting their stride. I started an online subscription group earlier this year called The Barn. Soon...
When Nice People Carry Whips.
"I just carry the whip. I don't use it." "I do liberty with my horse, it's just an extension of...
The Thing About Donkeys
I wrote about mares and the response was so huge that I felt guilty and wrote about geldings. Since then,...
Does Your Horse Need a Tune-Up?
This is how it goes: Sometimes it's just fine to go lollygagging around. The time isn't right; you're hungry...
What to Do When You See Cruelty
It was a sadly normal week in the larger horse world. Horses got hurt and humans waged war with each...
Subscribe to Blog via Email
Enter your name and email to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.