P.Ann Turner's Page

After 33 years of marriage, I decided to leave my husband in June of this year. We are still living together and our farm is up for sale so we can go our separate ways. This is why you have not heard from me for a while, it has been hell to say the least, and very hard on both of us. Sometimes people just grow apart and I realized that I wanted more out of our relationship than just being business partners. It has been the saddest and hardest decision of my life, but I feel a right and…

Last weekend, our May long weekend here in Canada, some friends and I drove 6 hours up into the interior of BC. We rented a cabin for 6 and we took 3 horses. It was a place called The Hills in 108th Mile House. The altitude is 12,000 feet, the air is clear and the trees are not as big and lush as our famous "wet coast". I loved the serenity, no people, traffic noise or cell phone towers! I took my new horse Bandit, who has spent years on the Hunter/Jumper circuit, and he has never done much…

Here is a topic that everyone can relate to, the dreadful habit of cribbing. And I have an aversion to cribbing collars that a lot of people use, as I have seen horses have swollen heads from them being adjusted too tight, and also there is risk of damage to the oesophagus. It can also create pressure in the bones of the neck, creating nerve pinches and even sometimes nerve damage. Horses can also get caught up in fences in them, and break their neck. So hence I never use…

Talking about the Good old Days, this one is really old! My Classical Equitation trainer Craig Stevens has been working with an Italian Nobleman called Pucci, who is bringing a centuries old method of training horses to the world from the island of Sicily. Sicily was a melting pot between the east and west, and has retained this method of developing trust with humans. It is done from the time the foal is weaned, and involves the gentlest touch and the lightest pressure you can imagine! You…

You know I see and hear so many thoughtless comments about horses, the good old days need to return! So many people are missing so much because they are not being taught to care for their horse's emotional state and not just his body. Riders are so interested in what they can get out of their horse, but what about what they put into the horse?

Let me explain what I mean. Years ago as a young teenager I was taught by a marvelous lady called Pamela Goodwin, who was Irish, and…