*I’m a full-time horse trainer who has written about horses (here) since 2010. My dogs think it’s their turn now.* I try never to step outside of myself and take too long a look at what I’m doing. It’s how I maintain my self-respect in the moment. Of course, then I blow it by writing … Read more
*I’m a full-time horse trainer who has written about horses (here) since 2010. My dogs think it’s their turn now.* Just across the west pasture, Pikes Peak shows an early September snow. Here on the prairie, we hit the low forties overnight. The horses are growing winter coats. The sheep are getting hairier, as hair … Read more
It’s the autumn equinox. The sun rises rusty yellow, low-angle light catching prairie particles floating like fog on the horizon. We have more deer in our pastures than horses these days. A month ago, I mucked at dawn to avoid the heat. We didn’t just have a hot summer. Colorado just had its hottest in … Read more
The buttery glow of a palomino at sunrise. But so much more. It’s his obvious intelligence. His ability to have total awareness of his environment while focusing on us. His choice to engage with us, when his instincts might be wary. The miracle of survival despite his fragility. It’s enough to steal my breath, like … Read more
And by “bar,” I mean the Swedish Vallhund Nationals. We didn’t tell Mister. I packed up the Rollin’ Rancho out of view, closed the curtains, and Jolene and I pulled out just as if we were going to a class. We drove two hours north to Greeley and joined the Vallhund family camp. Over 1600 … Read more
-+ I am driving a rented passenger van. It’s a first. There are three humans and five dogs. The family is here from Texas; two of Jolene’s sisters, along with mom and dad. They came up for the Swedish Vallhund Nationals. Jolene and I are going because they are. She doesn’t have all the letters … Read more
*I’m a full-time horse trainer who has written about horses (here) since 2010. My dogs think it’s their turn now.* It’s the small things. One morning, I pulled the shower curtain open and, remarkably, the bathroom rug was right there, in the bathroom. Usually in the backyard, Jolene and I played a sneaky slow-motion fetch … Read more
**I’m a full-time horse trainer who has written about horses (here) since 2010. My dogs think it’s their turn now.** Have I wandered out of my lane? I’m not a dog trainer, just a horsewoman. But none of us are just one thing, are we? Because I work with horses doesn’t mean that I am … Read more
I’m doing it again. Pretending to be Jane Goodall… you know, if she got a herd of sheep. I was born this way, to the dismay of those who thought daydreaming about animals was an immature waste of time. I guess I showed them, still doing it on the far side of seventy. Jane Goodall … Read more
Mister, who is the voice of conservative reason and common sense, looks me in the eye. What starts as socializing a puppy quietly becomes a habit, and before you know it, you are slipping off to classes and then to dog trials. You wind up driving hours for herding lessons. You end up with ducklings … Read more