Jolene tilts her head when she listens. Like Nipper, the phonograph-listening RCA dog, she focuses with intense concentration, adjusting her pointy ears like antennas. Jolene is so tuned into her environment that it’s the farthest thing from a game. Maybe it’s a girl-dog thing. Mister, bless his heart, has slept through Texas tornadoes, but nothing … Read more
I don’t recognize this young dog of mine. She doesn’t care, except that I’m such an old fart. Here’s the catch-up: Two weeks ago, Jolene and I went to her first scentwork class. She listened to the instructor. The scent went into a steel bowl set in the middle of a space. She found it, … Read more
I’m fine. Two weeks ago, Jolene was in the emergency room, and this week it was my turn. But this is the deal. I’m not looking for sympathy. It’s Thursday, and I just want to tell a story. I’m a horse trainer who spent fifteen years writing about horses every Thursday night. Check my website … Read more
People said puppies are so much work. They said they were glad it was me and not them. Amen to that. I am glad it was me, too. I’m 70 and at the top of my training game. And by that, I mean I’ve finally figured out how to shut up while they figure things … Read more
Jolene is fine. But if I’m driving my truck and it’s midnight on a Saturday, it just means one thing. I’m taking a dog to the all-night emergency clinic. Usually on a holiday weekend because the wait is longer then. Let me start at the beginning. The week was going well. The dogs got their … Read more
I bet you flush the toilet in town without a hint of paranoia. I did before I bought my farm. Those sacred words. My farm. My realtor was the only one in the office willing to work in my price range. The horse shed was in better shape than the house, but that was fine. … Read more
Over the river and through the woods, To grandmother’s house we go. The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh Through white and drifted snow… It was a Thanksgiving song we learned in grade school. Do you remember? I knew, from the moment I saw my farm, that they wrote that song about … Read more
I’m coming up on the anniversary of moving to my farm twenty-five years ago. It coincides with my dysfunctional affair with technology. My first night here was a full-moon Halloween. I know this because I wrote important dates on my calendar. This means that at the end of one year, I hand-copied it all onto … Read more
It’s time for my annual announcement. Your horse doesn’t have a training problem. It isn’t a brain tumor, and he hasn’t gotten into the duck chow. It’s late winteritis or spring fever. Both are bad, their symptoms are unpredictable. One day, the pond is defrosting and I think I have survived the longest meanest winter … Read more
It’s springtime in the Rockies. The time change was last weekend, so I’m waking up at three am now, but there’s more light in the evening. I can see tiny bits of green if I bend over for a close look. Earlier this week we were out in shirtsleeves and now we’re halfway through a … Read more