Horse Trainers: How Do You Know Who to Believe?
It was the end of a long clinic day, and we were wrapping up. Almost done on time until this...
Nube: A Living Lesson in “Less is More”
There's a woman and a tall young horse, moving in perfect strides together but with a healthy space between them....
Horses and Chimpanzees, Or Why Horses Aren’t Cuddlers
When I first moved to my farm, I pretended to be Jane Goodall. My land was a high desert...
Riding Lessons: Seeing Your Horse Through New Eyes
A reader request: "I hope you will someday do an article on looking at the horse's ears and eyes to...
Balancing Energy with a Horse
Is your horse lazy? Lazy is a name we call horses when we want to denigrate them by comparing them...
Horses Measuring Intelligence in Humans
It's my fault for asking for blog topics. She writes, "Can you possibly do a blog post on why your...
The Difference Between Peaceful Persistence and Nagging.
Today, I’d like to use you as a human demo horse. Please, play along with me. Let’s say you come...
The Difference Between Training and Retraining a Horse
Lesson #1. Learning to Lead Horse Training is the process of collecting good experiences. Let it...
Focus is Active Listening. Horses Do It Naturally.
I had a friend who used to write me little vignettes about the antics of her and her horse at...
Human Calming Signals: I Want my Horse to be Fearless.
So, you want a horse that doesn't spook? Don't we all? Great, you wanna look for something over 25...
Worried About Everything? Protection From the Unexpected
"Want to go on a trail ride with me? The last time I was out, my friend's horse slid into...
“How do I stop my horse from doing this?”
"How do I stop my horse from doing this?" An oversimplified version of the most common question a horse trainer...
Letting Go of Shame and Blame. Do It for Your Horse.
Nope. Not me. I was allergic to this color, but Hannah dressed for success from the...
Nube: When He Came Home
I was forty-nine years old with gray hair, calloused banged-up fingers, and chronic lameness in my left foot. He was...
Affirmative Training: The Opposite of Dominance Isn’t What You’d Think
Sitting in a horse pen is the easiest thing in the world. I might even like to cook if I...
Calming Signals: Repeat after me, “Not that I care…”
Because they're doing construction down the road. His previous owner says he once spooked at a llama. The wind is...
Things We Should Refuse to Train Horses To Do
Warning: Loudmouth Party Pooper Rant. I think we all know whose side I'm on in this horse training reality show....
Nebulous Lameness. Nebulous Anxiety. And a List.
Your inner monster screams, "Just Kick Him!" but you don't. You aren't that person. You don't use spurs or whips....