Photo Challenge: Chaos
There's a kind of grace in the slippery unbalance of chaos when I remember it's only the rear entrance of...
Bite Your Tongue.
It's an election year and I'm a politics geek. There, I said it. But the rhetoric is deafening. Sometimes there...
Riding the Inside of Your Horse
When I was just a dressage-princess-wannabe, before I became a full-blown Dressage Queen, I thought dressage riders all wore a kind...
A Serenity Prayer For Both of You
The seasons are changing and the air feels cooler. That's what you notice, but your horse seems just a bit...
The Truth Behind Bit Drama
Do you know how your bit works? No, I mean really. Not some cowboy-on-YouTube's fantasy about horses needing to learn to carry...
Ride Shorter, Progress Farther.
If I were to write a training book entitled Less is More, it would be hundreds of pages long. The...
You're a Timid Rider?
What if it isn't a bad thing? I have a "big picture" thing I want to say and it's going...
Serenity NOW! (Training Calmness)
She wrote, "I struggle with him to stand still. I suspect he recognizes I am nervous."I'm answering an email question...
Halt, Rein-back, Cha-cha-cha.
This is how it feels: It's a trot that's resistance free. He glides with relaxed strides. At first you think...
Judging Dressage
Dressage isn't perfect, but what part is baby and what part is bath water? Watching the Dressage competition at the...
Weekly Photo Challenge: Morning
The sun rises pale and delicious on the prairie. Take your coffee to the barn; baby pink clouds diffuse...
How to Ride Creatively.
Riding a horse is the simplest thing in the world. Just point 'em and kick. What's so hard about that?...
Defending Horses with Words and Money
Fair warning: I'm going to ask you to do a favor for horses. It will involve some of your time...
Admitting You’re Wrong.
Do you remember the first time you wanted to be right? It might predate memory or even language. Being good...
Reciprocity: A Softer Ask, a Softer Bend
I overheard some riders complaining like old campaigners. Asking a horse for bend sounded like the Hundred Years' War. They...
How to Defuse a Horse Bomb
Maybe you're mentally arranging your to-do list, or rehashing an imaginary rant about something that happened at work, or just...
Do You Inspire Your Horse?
Do you inspire your horse? Does he volunteer more than you ask? Are you proud of who you are in...
What I Didn't Know Then
It seems that most things I learn about horses, I learn in hindsight. It's not a bad thing. Horses learn...
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