*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
-+ 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.** 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
We’re recuperating from last week’s clinic in Wyoming. I heard more smoke moved in the next day, so the timing was good. We wouldn’t have worked the horses if the smoke had been worse. The smoke followed me home. Some years it’s been more dense, but with daily air quality warnings, this is bad enough. … 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
A beady-eyed burnt-orange sun crept over a smoky horizon, and it’s hot-air balloon season in Colorado. Juxtaposition: A new day dawns, but the same destructive fires continue to destroy homes, kill animals, and upend lives while others carry on as usual. My hay guy just delivered a load, $2.50 a bale more than the last … Read more
Yes, it’s a proper word. I didn’t make it up, but I wish I had. Quanked is in the 1893 Glossary of Words Used in the County of Wiltshire. It means overpowered by fatigue. They didn’t say emotional exhaustion, but I’m not alone here. I needed a word that was as old as I feel. … Read more
Mister has a big all-day chewy and doesn’t even come out to wave goodbye. Mister would like you to know that he is a dog that knows things that are not visible. Don’t hurry back on my account, he says. Half of my heart stays with him. I would prefer to hide out on our … Read more