Why Horses Don’t Multi-task
Imagine what it means to have senses as keen as a prey animal. Feel the roar of nature even on...
The Best Horse Conversations Start With “No”
Imagine that each time you climbed on your horse, he began to move in a slow canter, so rhythmic and...
Advice? Take a Deep Seat and a Faraway Look…
My young horse was lame, so my mentor asked if I'd like a lesson on her horse. It wasn't a...
Take a Cue from Your Horse
He was a bright young gelding. Alert, athletic, and so willing. One day he would become the kind of breathtaking...
Affirmative Training: A Cowboy Walks Into a Bar…
A cowboy walks into a bar. He's dusty, fresh from the barn. Shuffling his feet, keeping his eyes low, he...
Horses and the Pain We Can’t Stop.
The Grandfather Horse: Dirt Bath Interrupted. We've all done it. We look at that horse and...
Saying Yes to a Horse When You Mean No
Sometimes something someone says sticks with you because it's brilliant. Sometimes it sticks because it's plain wrong. I was working...
Learning to Herd: How Dogs Become Family
I was raised by people who didn’t let dogs in the house. The common opinion was that dogs should live...
How Humans are Different from Horses
In the beginning, a filly is born. In the hospital, a baby girl human is born. The filly stands almost...
Calming Signals: How Do You Listen To a Horse?
What is your first memory of listening to a horse? Not standing next to a horse and being certain he...
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...
She Said Her Horse Was Pensive.
L. and her gelding, Andante, are boarders here. I always ask how the ride went as they return to the...
Spring Fever, Bad Behavior, or Flight Response?
It's February on the high prairie at the fringe of the Rocky Mountains. The pond is still frozen so there...
An Allergy, Spyglass Tunnel Vision, & a Valentine
Most of us start with an allergy. Our noses get stuffy and our eyes are red and teary...
Can Horses Forgive Us?
The reader said that an essay I'd written "brought to mind how many times my involuntary predatory instincts have surfaced...
A Short List of Things Horses Do Need Us to Teach Them.
For all our love for horses, humans are still predators. We don't like to hear that. We're defensive; we've seen...
Subscribe to Blog via Email
Enter your name and email to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.