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...
Are We Over-training Our Horses?
My Grandfather Horse was so good with latches he could have broken out of Alcatraz and made it back to...
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,...
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...
We’re Not Perfect: The Great Halloween Wreck of ’23.
In my online Barnie group, we do performance art around Halloween. My horse, Bhim, along with Edgar Rice Burro, Arthur,...
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...
Peaceful Persistence, a Horse Training Manifesto
What does "not conceding" mean? Oh, I can't wait to bray about this, says this trainer whose spirit animal...
How to Focus Simply.
I had just finished a lesson when another woman I knew at the barn came up to me with a...
Tunnel Vision for Problems and the Things We Don’t Notice
The night-feed is my favorite. In the summer, the sky and clouds are as gaudy as the underwear department...
Calming Signals and Why the Second Time’s a Charm.
Want to know the smallest thing you could change in training for the biggest improvement? I usually say doing a...
Virtual Dressage and Girls in White Shirts
The FEI passed good rules this year, and the Olympic judging held to the high side. Dressage had things to...
Does Leadership Mean Domination Now?
From a Reader: "Anna, you articulate the dance between horse and human so very succinctly. I wish it were easier...
The Dynamic Power of Consistency
We would like consistent behavior from our horses. It would be good if they took each cue with light and...
Affirmative Training: Misunderstandings About Control
You have made some changes in how you work with your horse and you're both much more relaxed. You've evolved...
Horse Intelligence: What Are We Missing?
I love reading about science like hungry people love over-cooked greenish-gray Brussel sprouts. And that's the kind of sentence...
Life Happens: The Unplanned Dismount
"I owned horses for 20 years until divorce happened," the reader said, asking me to write about it. "I think...
Whoa. A Hands-Free Halt.
She's an 18hh Thoroughbred-Shire cross. She's 30 years old and her name is Thyme. I'll give you a minute to...
Human Calming Signals: What’s Your Barn Persona?
How aware are we when we pull on a persona? We're usually aware when we tidy one up to make...
Subscribe to Blog via Email
Enter your name and email to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.