Recording the Arc of Your Horse’s Life
The foal's name was Sunny, his registered name Sunbrite Sunset. This photo was taken just before we met. The rest...
Nube: What Retirement Means
And so, Nube [pronounced new-bay] retired in limbo. Undiagnosable. Sometimes, the solution for a long-running struggle is to just stop...
Human Failings, Horses, And Judgment
A four-year-old video surfaced this week and a dressage rider deeply apologized for the overuse of a whip. She will...
How Affirmative Training Was Born.
I am not a bliss-ninny. Loitering in denial doesn't work for me. I'm a blunt truth-teller who doesn't enjoy being...
Calming Signals: Another Word for Dominant
There is a wild stallion on the ridge fighting all comers for his harem of mares. We think aggression and...
Travelblog: Thinking About Aging in Ancient Surroundings
I was in Newcastle Upon Tyne. I had finished ripping around Scotland and arrived at my hotel, where a group...
Stay in Your Own Lane
I don't mind getting stuck in traffic. It practically makes me un-American to say so. I don't love it but...
Nube: Undiagnosable
I hope I'm not going to end up writing some kind of justification for harsh training. Usually, it's easier than...
The Joy of Imperfection
We are sick to death of the violence against horses. It isn't just the damage caused by rollkur in reining...
Nube: More Dark Clouds and Questions With No Answers
The worst thing about remembering a horse in the past is that maybe there are current options that your horse...
Nube: Dark Clouds and Questions With No Answers
Nube (Nu-bay) was particular. He required my undivided attention in the saddle and on the ground. My focus had to...
Edgar Rice Burro. All He is Saying is Give Peace A Chance.
Yet another horse trainer got tarred and feathered on social media this week. It happens all the time. People jumped...
Horse Training Means Affirmative Waiting
Humans, aren't we swell? Compared to horses, we have dim, frail senses, we're seven times slower in our response time,...
Famous Cruelty, Ordinary Cruelty, and an Affirmative Solution
Another story of cruelty hit the international press last week. Operation X documented horrors happening in a well-known Danish...
Euthanizing Your Horse: How to Trust Yourself
It's colder now. The leaves are gone. The wind charges at us from the north, and the temperature drops ten...
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...
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 Training and Retraining a Horse
Lesson #1. Learning to Lead Horse Training is the process of collecting good experiences. Let it...
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