We humans are always labeling ourselves. Labels reflect politics and attitudes, or can define a purpose.

The horse world is no different. We divide ourselves by breed or riding discipline. Sometimes a label is inclusive and sometimes not so much.

Some riders label themselves as recreational as opposed to competitive. This feels odd to me- I believe we are all recreational. Some us…

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 generations of teamsters, is enjoy the ride.

I had a decent runaway when Ernest and I were still green. There was an explosion of sound behind us,…

There were a few dark years (between leaving home and having enough income to support a horse) that I was earthbound with only house pets. I survived it. Barely.

During that horse-less time, a box arrived. It was a surprise parrot -from a friend in Panama. I’m not saying it was a great idea to catch a bird and ship her, I’m just saying that she…

Has it been one of those weeks? Everything that could go wrong–did? We all know how it feels when gravity gets  heavy-handed and you begin to feel thick and bound by life. It happens.

Maybe you should go to the barn and let yourself be carried a while.

If you have a partnership with a horse then you know that some days you carry them and some days they carry you.

You carry them…

Is it just me -or is a big part of the work-a-day horse world seized up in a flop sweat about money? Stress and worry seem to hang in the air. Horse sales are down. Hay production is…

There is so much debate currently about methods of training: German vs. French, classical vs. competitive, natural horsemanship vs. anything with an English saddle. It can get adversarial.

Most people agree that finesse is better than force in horse training, but we seem to have a hard time agreeing upon a definition of what those words actually look like in technique. That…

I have been preparing for a clinic this weekend at Infinity Farm. It’s the my favorite clinic every year: Fundamentals of Dressage. One of my clients asked if it was going to be the same as last year. (Eye roll -is this a trick question?)

Nope, the fundamentals of dressage have not changed in the last year, or the last century for that matter. Dressage is the art of riding with balance…

Namaste is a Sanskrit word -which means it’s very old.  Most translate it to some version of “The spirit in me…

The foundation of Dressage for the rider/horse is rhythm. I define that as a balanced combination of relaxation and forward. It sounds deceptively simple.

A rider/horse can not sacrifice forward for relaxation, or relaxation for forward. The art of riding is in negotiating the balance of the two in both the rider and the horse. Forward must be consistent; sometimes the rider relaxes…

I’ll call her Sage.

Sage was a thoroughbred mare with classic elegance. A solid bay with a long neck and pointy withers. She was very feminine, not too tall, but she was proud.

That’s who she was born to be -but what she looked like was very…

Who Am I This Time is the name of a short story written by Kurt Vonnegut and made into a film with Christopher Walken and Susan Sarandon.  It’s a quirky story about two people of very different and uncomfortable personalities -who fall in love while acting in a community theater production of Streetcar. (Hear Walken’s painfully shy, tongue-tied character roar, “Stella!!”…

… and Grace gives herself a promotion.

Dressage borrows lots of language from ballet -after all, we are the dancers of the horse world. Pas de Trois is a dance of three. I have commandeered that phrase to describe riding lessons as a conversational dance between horse, rider and instructor. All three participants have to be heard for the dance to succeed.

I am always…

I was being half-mauled by a terrier. I was running an errand in an urban office and the dog’s owner was horrified. She apologized, explaining that her dog never did that.

In the dogs’ defense, I have a very special stink to my feet. I carry with me a cornucopia of delightful smells from several species in my barn. I smell like an exception to the…

“Do you ever wake up and wonder how your life got you to this day? Oh well, no time to daydream. Off to church with the donkeys.” That was my Facebook post, and my friend responded, “Donkey church or donkeys take you to church?”

Neither. Actually the donkeys get invited every year (last year.) But the comment got me thinking about Donkey Church. What would that be like? Is there a…

Dear Drama Queen,

I understand getting upset. You have so much passion and desire for riding. I know how much you want to do the very best job. Sometimes the world seems to conspire against you; it’s like every bad thing happens to you and none of it is…

“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate and wine in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!”

The first time I saw this quote it was on a…

Top 10 Wind List:

The advantages of not having an indoor arena on the flat, windy, treeless plains of Colorado.

10. Less time is spent working the arena -as all hoof prints are erased hourly, along with the top inch of sand.

9. Wind helps with the spring grooming -working like a brand new shedding blade.

8. Riding with feel is increased as your goggles get covered with dust, or you simply ride  with your eyes closed one direction .

7. Un-cued, near…