Wildlife on the Trail

We ride in a very urban park, and see a whole lot of people, but we still see a lot of animals, too.  The most common thing we see is the white-tailed deer.  They are all over.  Sometimes they startle the horses if they move suddenly, but usually they aren’t a problem.  Cruiser likes to chase after them.

We see the usual amount of chipmunks and squirrels.  We actually have red squirrels, fox squirrels, gray squirrels and black squirrels. …

Ah, this week everything returned to normal, I got to ride three times this week!  Hurrah!

Since I had not gotten to ride Merlin for two weeks I had a vague hope that Merlin would decide to move.  When I approached him while Shannon was grooming him he greeted me with a nose bump and generally did not seem too upset to see me.  Shannon said that she had no trouble catching him today, so when I mounted him I was full of hope.  We got Merlin through the gate…

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” – Mae West

Spirit's Silver Anniversary.

This month’s posts have celebrated 25 years with my grandfather horse. The first time I saw Spirit he was in a small pen, alone and…

Working on Our Little Problems

I have had Cole for nearly two years, now.  When I got him, he had had a saddle on his back, but that’s as far as his training went.  We have come a long way, and he has given me much to write about.  Now that we have accomplished most everything I wanted to, I fear I am going to run out of things to write about and will start to bore my readers. …

Perfectionism drives human performance to elite levels, often achieving unequalled accomplishments. However, the push to be great can also have a deleterious effect on a person’s mood, and certainly, relationships. Often those around the perfectionist feel disregarded, or inadequate. But what if the relationship with the perfectionist involves a horse? 

Horses have a unique way of telling us the truth about…

I’m back from a 4-day weekend that was mainly for riding with my sister.  We had so much fun.  Thursday, we went on a 2-hour ride with Cole and Ranger.  We did a lot of trotting on the way out and a little on the way home.  The horses were great.  We went on a trail that neither horse has been on since last year.  It was great.  When we got back, I took Cruiser on a short ride.

We weren’t sure how they would feel on Friday, so we went on a shorter ride with a lot of trotting…

A few weeks ago I was in a used bookstore trying to find a horse book I didn’t already have and that might teach me something new.  The only one I could find was one written 30 years ago on race horse conditioning.  I got it, I wanted a new horse book!  When I got home I was looking through it and found a whole chapter on the walk.  If you have been reading my blogs you know that when I ride I walk a lot.  With my MS I just do not have the energy to do much more, usually I…

Hi guys! :)

Today, my friends and I did some switch rides! Our horses are all pretty different, so it was a great experience to figure out how to ride them well. 

All of the horses were great and I'm so glad that we did this today because it gave me a lot to think about when I'm riding my horse - is there anything that I figured out today that I want to try with my horse? 

Have you guys ever experienced this? If so, what did you learn from riding another horse? Did you…

‎ An article of mine was published in a national dressage magazine in 2006. Spirit had been retired two years and he was still pouting (read) and holding a grudge…

Hey guys! 

I'm going to start posting blogs about what I've been doing with Erin and what's coming up for us :)

Lately, we've been really working on our dressage. Dressage isn't our strongest point, and since Erin's a Quarter horse, it's sometimes harder for me then people with warmbloods or TBs that naturally move uphill. If anyone has any pointers or tips on how to get better dressage scores and ideas on how to keep a horse moving nicely uphill while they're round that would…

Well, we had a great time at the Bruce Springsteen concert, but then how could big fans like us not?  Three solid hours of rock and roll.  There’s nothing like one of his concerts.  I went with my boyfriend and his 2 daughters.

To keep this blog horse related, did you know that his daughter rides and shows?  This could be why some of the songs he’s written in the last few years mention horses. 

One song is titled “My silver palomino” who is “Sixteen hands from…

http://www.ratemyhorsepro.com/news/aqha-breeder-arrested-by-fbi-charged.aspx

Hello All I am excited to discover this site thanks to a friend who is a horse trainer. I would like to announce that Dominique Barbier French Classical Dressage Trainer will be   available for us here in Ontario to share with us his lineage under Nuno Oliveira. It has been a longtime dream for me and when I received the phone call from Dominique that he would come I was thrilled. Please join us for thei exciting and intimate time with a Master. contact Julie Wright Divine Dressage…

Had a great ride—actually 2 great rides, yesterday.  The first was on Cole with my boyfriend and Starry.  I think my boyfriend is getting a little crazy.  He always complains that his horse goes too slow, and he does.  Well, he speeds up with another horse.  We started out trotting with Starry in the lead—and I saw my boyfriend tapping him lightly with the whip every few strides.  I was hoping for a quiet trot, and he wanted just to go faster and faster.  Cole took it all in…

I need help finding something that can help stop cancer from growing around my horses eye!!!!!

Good news for the horses!  Cole must of just had a stone bruise, as I was hoping.  Throughout the week, I soaked his hoof and hand walked him.  Thursday, the farrier came out and couldn’t find any trace of an abscess.  By then, he wasn’t even limping in the least.  Friday, I did my leading out on the hard and stony drive, and he was fine.  I rode him on Saturday and Sunday, and he was sound and a joy to ride—even though he had a week off.  I took him out with my sister and her horse,…

“ARE WE REALLY HUMANE TO OUR HORSES”

E. A. Buck

2012 ©

How we treat our horses defines us as individuals, are we humane or are we simply abusers with intent or without intent.  As an industry how we combat inhumane treatment and abuse of horses in competitions and in schooling practices defines us as a society.   Law enforcement has in place the tools to fight the criminal conduct of horse abuse,…

I've been riding in the same Stubben Avalon forabout 5 years. I get it tended yearly, making sure it fits my darling girl. And her back is just great, she gets a lameness exam yearly too, saddle good, horse good, all good...  well, is it?

Maggie Mae has been in training awhile now, coming along great, fixing her various foibles. Another woman at the barn tries some saddles, as her horse is actually sore because of his 'custom made' saddle (how many times have we heard that?).  Orders…