Photo & Poem: Second Cup
Second cup of coffee while waiting for light, a second cup while waiting to head out. The horses have thick...
Cantankary: If Not Now, When?
Expecting New Year's resolutions from me? Nope, I'm not the type. I am so thrilled to have survived another year...
Photo & Poem: Letting Him Lead
You were there the day he was born, all ears and knees. You knew him when his hooves were...
Part One: The Future for Horses, a Different Narrative about Herd Dynamics
The first story I remember about herd dynamics was that stallions lived on the rise above the valley to watch...
Calming Signals: How to Show Love
"How do you show your love for horses, then?" A clinic participant asked me at the end of a long...
In Training to Be a Late Bloomer
He was a bona fide dressage master. We were lucky to have him come for a clinic. It was the...
Photo and Poem: No Other
You are wise to not let me see, stoic one. Show not your age, certainly not a weakness. Be...
Calming Signals and Color: Do Horses Understand Laughter?
Every week new research comes out, some more ethically tabulated than others, about science proving horses are intelligent; an...
Photo & Poem: You Know the Way
The rhythm of hooves over even soft ground, we’ve lost time out together, rocked safe in the saddle like...
Free Advice: Everybody’s a Trainer
"What I see astounds me. It's difficult to be around other riders who constantly give advice I didn't ask for."...
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...
Photo & Poem: Payment Due
No more lingering in the melon-colored dusk, grazing late to the barn. The pasture is finished, even the weeds...
Photo and Poem: Black Bay
She was for sale: a black bay Arabian mare and I was looking for a beginner lesson horse. Tacked...
The Real Helmet Heroes. (#ihad, #riders4helmets)
This week was ordinary in the horse world. We love horses, who have the quickest response time of any domestic...
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...
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