Another Week of Not Riding

The weather has been most uncooperative! Last Sunday Shannon's grass ring was just too wet, even for just walking around.

Wednesday I nervously watched the weather radar before my lesson. It showed rain in several places but not over the stable. Debbie called, I told her this, and we agreed to try…

   We did a dressage competition at the Royal Canadian Riding Academy last Saturday. We were riding the 2019 USEF Training Level Test 2. For the first time, a test result that came back and I'm quite happy with everything on it. The judge, I was told afterwards, judges FEI competitions, and has a reputation for marking hard and being picky, so it…

Have you ever wondered why you like horses? 

Hmm. “Like” is a very weak word to describe the connection 99% of horse lovers feel to horses.

Statements, such as horses are in your blood, and born to ride are common among horse people and understood at a core level.

Which begs the question are horses in our DNA?  Are we (some of us) hard wired to carry the horse lover gene?

Artist /…

We have all heard of the fantastic prices some pieces of art fetch at auction especially when created by some famous painter like Monet or Salvador Dali

The style of these two painters are polar opposite, however they have one very important thing in common  - they both were the originators of a particular style of art. 

Way back in 1860 Claude Monet was one of the first artists to paint in the “Impressionist” style, he was…

Two Creaky Old Ladies

Yesterday I got to ride Mia. When I got to the stable the stable hands told me the Mia had hung around the barn UNTIL someone asked if I, Jackie, was coming. Mia immediately headed out to the furthest part of the pen she was in, out to the other side of the riding ring. Then they told me she had done the same thing earlier, hanging around the barn until someone mentions my…

I Feel Secure While Trotting

I know that this is an unusual new event for a rider with 45 years of riding. When I learned to post the trot at age 6 I had no problems and until my MS ruined my balance, proprioceptive sense, coordination, etc., I always felt secure trotting. However, for the last 5 years or so I started to feel like my breeches had a surface of slick glass as I started shifting…

Horses are far from your average pet. In fact, they are beautiful, majestic creatures. Owning a horse can be very exciting but at the same time, owning a horse also comes with a great deal of responsibility.

It’s important that you know all there is to know about how to care for a horse, observing what good horse health looks like, and when you need to call a veterinarian.

What You Need To Know…

Some Added Security in the Saddle

This week I tried something new.

Several weeks ago, on the COTH Forum, when I asked about hip protection, another rider recommended a new product, rubbery pads that self-stick onto the saddle.

Ever since I started riding…