It was cold on Wednesday morning, so cold that Debbie called me up to make sure I was coming.  It was down to 25° F, and a light breeze was blowing.  I told her it would really help me to ride since I was not able to ride either Friday or Sunday and my walking was getting worse, but if it was too cold for her it was fine, I could ride on Friday.  She told me to come on out.

When I got out to the stable the ground was frozen hard.  I…

Final January Update on Ground Work

Alas, I have gotten lazy.  In the last week or so, I haven’t done much ground work.  After I ride for a while in the arena, I am taking him right outside to ride in the snow—and skipping the ground work.  The weather is going to get very cold, again, so…

Hi there,

I am writing the current issue of my newsletter. If you are interested you can sign up here.

It's free, no spam, and it comes twice a months (including a short article and some tips about what to read and what to watch).

Nadja

If you’ve never built a horse barn before, then when you set out to build your first barn you will be in unfamiliar territory. While building a barn will require some research and question asking on your part, we thought we’d give you a little help now with these common barn-building mistakes that you will want to avoid.

Entrusting the Project to a…

The New Year is a perfect time for self-reflection and making changes for improvement. If you board your horse, would your barn owner consider you a good boarder? Have you ever thought about it before? Following these tips can help you to stay on good terms with your barn’s manager.

Read Your Boarding Contract

Before you sign any contract, you…

Many horse owners have one – the horse who, either due to injury or old age, can no longer be ridden. If your horse is unrideable, you will face some decisions about his future. There are a few different options for unrideable horses that may work for your situation.

Keep as a Companion

The most obvious, and often most desirable option…

Owning and managing your own barn is a dream of many horse owners. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have horses in your backyard? When Karen Rudolph of Frost Hill Farm Miniatures in Hampstead, New Hampshire, partnered with Classic Equine Equipment to build her very own…

On January 23, 1994, jockey Pat Day achieved a major milestone in his impressive racing career: While riding Miss Popsnorkle at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas, Day won his 6,000^th race. In doing so, Day became the 10^th Thoroughbred jockey to win 6,000 races during his career. Day went on to win two additional races that same…

Hey, so I want to do something with my horse before summer just to get her used to the idea of showing and helping her understand it. Is there anything in oregon that's not in Eugene? Or that is close to estacada, sandy? Anything but English because I sold my English saddle.

As published in the Rider Newspaper

Ride Like You’ve Never Been Thrown

Part 3

A Diamond Dozen

When I started writing this series of articles to assist those who have…

Let me put it this way, I do not think I will have to “train” Tercel to elevate his forehand.

Nothing bad happened, I had a good ride.  But when I got to the stable Debbie was upset from seeing a medical treatment of her mother-in-law.  Fortunately the lady recovered, but she is very old and frail.  Debbie’s husband, as is proper, is at his mother’s side and everyone else has more work mucking, feeding, watering, and turn out, and everyone at the stable is sort of…

If you're thinking of breeding your mare for the first time, you’ll be journeying into new territory. It can mean big changes for you, your finances, and your free time. If you’re thinking of breeding your mare, this advice can help you get started.

Choose a Mare Worth Being Bred

One of the most common mistakes that…

Safety is always a consideration when transporting your horse, but winter weather adds an extra challenge to trailering your horse. When you have to transport your horse during the winter, you will have additional factors to consider with each trip.

Keep a Close Eye on the Weather

When scheduling your trip, closely monitor…

When sending a horse away for training, that horse may be away for a few weeks or even a few months. And while you may have done your homework before sending your horse away for training, there’s still room for things to go wrong. Monitoring your horse when he’s not at home can be tricky, but it’s also important to ensure that he is safe and training is…

I reward too often. I reward when I shouldn't. I reward behavior that doesn't deserve it (anymore). How, some may ask. You cannot reward often enough! Reward fuels motivation, without reward no learning!



Wrong (at least in my opinion).

To understand the most important lessons, horses need no reward.



I don't know about the…

Weekend Update                           

I decided to give Cole a break on Friday and ride Dante in the arena instead; since Ellen wasn’t able to ride him on Thursday.  Wow, was he a nice horse to ride—smooth—responsive and fun. …