Cleaning Out the Toolbox
If it weren't for manure frozen into the ice, we'd have no traction at all and it's only the eleventh...
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...
The Thing About Dimensionally Succinct Horses
I've written "The Thing About" essays on Mares, Geldings, and Donkeys to dispel untrue myths and sing their praises. These...
An Invitation to a Clinic in Your Home
I have a problem. I'm a clinician who loves her job and at the same time, wonders if there are...
Loafing in Limbo: Hibernation as a Training Aid
We are in Limbo. It's that week between Christmas and New Year when nobody knows what day it is. Not...
Silent Night: The Truest Words Aren’t Words At All.
I was standing outside of a hotel at five in the morning waiting for my limo. Obviously, several things had...
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....
Best Advice for Loading Horses on Trailers
I had a clinic stop in Flagstaff where the organizer was a long-time client and hero of mine, Barb. The...
You Know I’m a Small Business, Right?
Do you like the writing I share? It's free, and it always will be. That's my gift to horses, hopefully....
Thank You, Mother: an Ode to a Farm
It's late afternoon as I drive along the front of my farm to the gate. The field fence is shrouded...
Do You Need to Keep Your Horse Calm?
I can't be the only woman of a certain age whose parents thought she needed to be muffled indefinitely. They...
Listening is Acknowledgment: A Gray Mare’s Message
I pulled down the drive to a farm for a Calming Signal intensive. Meeting new horses and people who care...
“Why Don’t You Post Training Videos?”
Photo by Ilona Gerou It was at the dark ages of VHS, long before the...
When Horses Can’t “Do” The Clinic…
Lena was elegant in that special way that Thoroughbred mares can be. Her face had long planes and gentle curves...
Helmet Safety and the Ability to Buy Hay
If my horses could see the big picture, they'd still say my job is hay. They have not read one...
Leading Horses with Spatial Kindness. What?
The exercise was to halter your horse thoughtfully, asking the horse's permission for each step of the process, and acknowledging...
When Impatience and Cruelty are Normalized
Sometimes I find myself standing in front of people talking about horses' feelings. I'm almost embarrassed; I was raised to...