People ask me all of the time how I got into natural horsemanship- and I always tell them at the beginning of any of my clinics…

11 years ago I had no idea what natural horsemanship was- Seriously- no clue.

I was eventing at the Preliminary/Intermediate level on my Thoroughbred George, and we either did really well or…

People often tell me that their horse loves to work, loves to jump, loves to show…From what I know about horses, I’m not so sure. Equitation scientists looked into the matter… 



Imagine a conversation between you and your horse, if horses could talk. 



You: Good morning Spunky. Ready for a…

I have been thinking lately a lot about how hard it can be for middle-aged and older women to either get back to their long interrupted riding or to start riding.  It is not easy.

We know we can get hurt.  Many of us have osteoporosis and many more have arthritis.  Our youthful figures have gone away, our once athletic bodies have dissolved, and we just do not feel as sprightly as we did when we were younger.  Medical issues pile up, kids and families threaten all of…

lake

These are the dog days of…

Hello All,

I am writing on behalf of ProChaps. As one of the company players, I have become very much associated with this brand over the past year. Being responsible for the sales and marketing portion of the business I have spent much time on blogs trying to discover what people truly like and want in riding apparel. ProChaps main focus is on the riders leg! We carry 35 different sizes and three different styles of chaps (half and long). We can assure you we will offer you a…

Highlights from Canada

When we crossed the border, I was pretty sure that we crossed over to the Arctic Circle.  The temperature dropped around 30 degrees, and the wind kicked up to hurricane force.  I had on three jackets and the border control officers were in short sleeves and cargo pants- and obviously bothered by the heat.

As I approached the booth with Jack Russell in lap, towing a huge camper and 2 year old strapped…

Last Friday I thought that my truck was fairly operational- besides the fact I could not turn it off- then it did not want to start again.

So I figured, just don’t turn it off ‘til I get to Virginia- it’s a diesel, so I really don’t have to turn it off to fuel up.

Technically, that is correct.  However, if your truck DIES while you are driving it 75 miles per hour down the highway, while you are talking to someone in England- well Houston, you have a…

Gee, this is my 200^th blog!  When I started blogging here on Barnmice over four years ago I never imagined that I could find enough to write about to make it to 200 blogs.  I want to thank all of my readers for reading my blogs each week.

Last week I had decided that feelings of security were more important than feeling cool.  That idea just lasted one ride.  Debbie could not give me my regular lesson…

I make my living observing horses and riders. And I’ve done my own personal survey over 25 years of training and teaching. I’ve had my share of roadblocks with horses, coached riders step by step through others and, as a show judge, winced from a distance at horse and human meltdowns. 



So here’s the most common things that get us stuck,…

I think that a lot of people are under the impression that my life is glamorous.  As I write this, I am sitting in a campground that spans about 5 acres and am surrounded by at least 500 people in campers and tents parked 10 inches from each other.  Everyone has a Boston accent except for me.  The campground is located across from Santa’s workshop.  My son is watching Elmo for the…

Walter likes to think of himself as amazingly athletic, incredibly fascinating, and wildly handsome, with an exceptional rack of ears. Remember Walter? He is the Corgi that came here to rescue us from the peace and solitude of the prairie 6 months ago.  Walter has…

....I often get asked how to find Great Horsemanship Clinicians or Trainers and how to determine the Good ones from the GREAT ones.....

Here are 5 Telltale Signs to Look for When Searching for Masters of Horsemanship.

•  People Like to be Around Them and Respect…

We have been having a record breaking amount of rain this summer, and yesterday was no different.  It was our 16^th day in a row of rain.  Huge storms barreled through in the afternoon, but stopped just in time for our ride.

My niece came out to ride.  Since Ranger is recovering from a stone bruise, my sister offered me Dante to ride.  (I…

Wet.  Humid.  “Tropical air”.  5.35 inches of rain in the last 7 days.  Dew points in the 70’s F, heat indexes hitting the low 90’s F.

Last Tuesday I ran down to my “local” tack store and asked Donna, the owner, if there were any breeches or tights cooler than and as secure as my FITS all-weather breeches.  She picked out a Kerrit’s full seat tight and a FITS Treads Lite breech with rubber dots where the FITS full seat paneled patches go.  I got the FITS breech…