RELAXED AND FORWARD: Since 2010, an archive of weekly horse training essays. My dogs say it's their turn now. Happy to oblige, it's all affirmative. Including words from a gray mare on the fine art of aging cantankerously.
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...
How to Stop Taking Your Horse Personally
Bhim is a one-of-a-kind, I surely hope. People might say he's still with me ten years after he came for...
The Season of Letting Go
The autumnal equinox is about change. There's a miserable fog today, dense and so uncommon on my high prairie. Chilly...
How to Attend a Clinic
Gray Mare memories: It was one of the first clinics I ever attended. The clinician was famous; I signed up...
Being the “Good” Horse Isn’t Easy.
People want to tell me about their challenging horse, the quirky one, the scary one, the kill pen (scam) horse....
Calming Signals: Thoughts About Spooking at Nothing
There are two kinds of spooking. This is the first: It was midmorning on the ranch, and we were riding...
Reverse Anthropormophism: Building A Better Relationship
Do you ever go to the barn and pretend to be a cowboy? You'd wear the shirt that matched your...
Calming Signals: What Normal Looks Like
Do you ever think about what horses give up in living with us? Humans have a way of always seeing...
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