Typically, I don’t like to focus on the negative but in this case, it’s the negative that’s the problem so please pardon this transgression.  We are immersed in a negative-thinking society.  The news is 90% (or more) negative; focusing on murder and other crimes, falls from grace, the downfall of the economy, wars, and doom…

     Hello again fellow bloggers or readers,

I have just returned from riding the most wonderful horse in the world! Stella was amazing, today before I left for my ride I decided that I was going to work on transitions and flying lead change. Stella is a Quarter horse and what I find particularly extraordinary about Quarter horses is they are just so dang SMART! Today Stella showed me her…

After all this time my new, new saddle fits both Cider and I.  Cider needed the widest of the gullet plates for my new Wintec Wide and I needed the saddle to have the full 18" seat (thank you Caitlan and Donna!)  The extra half inch of seat made all the difference for my comfort.  I had put the stirrup leathers on too short and since the stirrup bars are so tight on the saddle I could not lengthen them while I rode.  Even so the extra length in the seat…

       My name is Bethany and I am currently 14. I have never written anything that has been put into the public eye before so you will have to bear with me here. Well here is my back Story on how I started riding and how I met Stella.

       When I was 8 soon to be 9 I was riding on…

I got off work early and at the barn by 5:30 p.m. for my 8:30 lesson!!

We were still getting ready by lesson time LOL.

We worked in the round pen for about 20 minutes, but first I groomed him and did some stretches on his legs.

He did great, a little stiff but much better.

I was having a hard time keeping him going slow again, he just wanted to go go go fast fast fast.

We did more circles at each end of the arena outdoors then when they others were doing…

Some time ago, the term “horse whisperer” came into being,  not necessarily by the horse enthusiasts themselves, but largely by the people outside of the industry. The term claimed its fame thanks to Robert Redford who starred in the movie with the same title, while he posed as a rancher who developed a spine-tingling connection to an otherwise unmanageable horse. The romantic notion of being able to communicate with horses was propelled into the mainstream media and readily…

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…

I gave Cooper the weekend off as it seemed he was sore after a lot of hard work that he is not used to. I worked him a little in the round pen, he was a little stiff on his left rear leg. He went at a nice slow pace, kicked out a little when asked for a lope (canter) but did very well. I did some stretches on his legs and tacked him up and went for a ride. We were both relaxed and it was a very nice ride. We didn't work long, on the ground for about 15 minutes and in the saddle for 15. We…

Photosensitivity in livestock can be a major problem. Not only can it cause pain and discomfort but it may even result in production loss and in severe cases death.

Photosensitivity is an abnormal skin reaction to direct sunlight exposure. This condition is not the same as sunburn.

Photosensitivity causes skin to become very susceptible to ultraviolet rays. When light penetrates the affected skin it kills cells and causes swelling, itching and may perhaps even…

Unfortunately this woman's hysteria draws attention away from the real issue, which is the idiocy, greed and inhumanity of carriage horses in the middle of Manhattan streets.

The fortunate part is that her hysteria has brought the videos a lot of views that they would otherwise not have received.

 

 Update: Sorry everyone, the woman removed the videos!

Timing is everything when communicating effectively with your horse. Catching a horse in the moment he makes a decision with  reward or pressure identifies that particular decision as right or wrong. Pressure delivered a second too late allows him to…

I have been using my Micklem bridle for roughly 2 weeks now, and we just finished up a jumper show today.  Other riders and trainers did notice the bridle and asked me about it, did it make a difference?  I am still in the 'testing' phase but did admit that my TB is going much better in the Micklem.  A few people did mention that they know my horse has been a bit of a head tosser before the fences and after at previous shows so they were interested in seeing us go today since several of them…

Between the heat, humidity, rain and thunderstorms I only got to ride once this week.  Debbie asked me to take my lesson on Thursday so she would not have to rush home from a trip.  She had one of her non-boarding students, a girl, spending the morning at the stable so I got to explain why I rasp Mia's toes to a girl just starting off on her riding career, after telling her how she did…

Much, much better ride tonight during our lesson.

I got to the barn early and did some natural horsemanship ground work in the indoor arena. He is very bored with it, you can tell. I have to start doing some of the things from the next level, challenge him more. I am still doing Level 1 Parelli things with him. I am also viewing my Jonathan Field dvd's, I think I might do his method when I finally add in loping to our work with the rope hackamore, which is still a long way off. I do…

This is a story of how physical comfort provided an opportunity for emotional recovery.  This is email from Rescue 100 that is located outside of Edmonton, Alberta.   August 4, 2011

You would not believe the transformation in our Rescue horses since we started using Fiske's for the mosquitoes. It has been truly amazing. We slowly and patiently worked with each horse to get close enough to rub on the salve as you had suggested. They were desperate for relief from the horrible…

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,…

Henk writes:

Fellow equines, I don't have to tell you how important it is to keep your human madly, passionately in love with you. Human devotion gets you the best treats, accommodation in the nicest stable, and a rider who is forgiving on those days when you really don't feel like working hard. To help you keep that human eating out of your hand (or, more to the point, feeding you out of hers), I've compiled a top-10 list of…

TC Youth is proud to announce Sophie Dean-Potter, age 13, as our second recipient of the TC Youth in the Spotlight Award, sponsored by Equestrian Factory Outlet! Sophie has been riding and taking lessons since she was five years old. Both her parents are…