Think of it as a trip to the amusement park- with your horse. I didn’t start out doing Natural Horsemanship. I started out before that phrase was invented. Like a lot of us, I used voice commands while lunging and required good ground manners. I did the rest from my saddle; riding was my thing. … Read more
This is the time of year holiday greetings include Peace on Earth. We need it- there is so much conflict in the world right now. Each side is defensive of their beliefs and adversity becomes the default position. I don’t have a solution for world peace, but this is what I have learned in the … Read more
We had an Introduction to Driving clinic at Infinity Farm last weekend. It was a fun group ready for a new experience. Our schoolmaster donkey-boys taught the clinic, along with me and Lisa. Participants asked my favorite question about driving. “What do you do if you have a runaway?” The traditional answer, passed down from … Read more
This week I have been reading Xenophon, (431-350BC)- On Horsemanship. So much remains true, except perhaps for the part about the importance of choosing a double-backed (wide) horse. In Xenophon’s defense, saddles hadn’t been invented yet.
When I was younger, I always carried sugar in my pocket because it felt so great to have my horse come to me. It was cheap vanity- until the inevitable day that I forgot to fill my pocket. My gelding stood on my 5 year old foot, begging for a treat I didn’t have. I … Read more
“I only trail ride.” Every time I hear someone say this, I am impressed. To be prepared for every eventuality that can come up while out on trail, a rider has to have a level of horsemanship that is to be envied. Of course that level of ability is rare. Most of us are looking … Read more
Willard Crockett was the first man I fell in love with. I think I was 5, and he was certainly in his 40’s, but it didn’t feel like a pre-thaw February to September sort of romance to me. (I am aware that it didn’t feel like a romance to him at all.) He wore jeans … Read more