Of all the horses I've ridden, Oakley is quickly proving to be the most challenging to figure out.

He is also variously frustrating, exhilarating, joyful, puzzling, embarrassing, irritating, exhausting, satisfying, and a dozen other feelings I cannot yet name. He is a real test of my patience and just beyond the limit of my skill and knowledge. There is only so much one can learn from reading and a lot of what gets written explains exactly what to do, but almost inevitably leaves out…

We all know that cancer, heart disease, and diabetes run in families.  Do you know what else runs in families?... Recipes!

I firmly believe that nutrition is the foundation to good health AND that education is the foundation to good nutrition.  After thinking about how so many people are…

EXERCISE CORRIDORS

 …

Boundaries. With kids or horses, establishing limits and expectations is the one of the most considerate things we can do for them. Insecurity and resentment arise when boundaries aren’t well communicated or they shift.

As  decision maker the horse/human partnership, riders must clearly define their expectations of the pace, path and package with which they…

Maggie's been in training lately, so all I do is hack her.  Although my trainer was out of town dealing with a personal emergency, I've still just been doing that, so that i don't confuse her.  So, I was out of work early on Friday and headed to the barn for a hack before the sun went down.  We headed to the berry field...

They've finished the fencing of the field next to it, and although the posts have been there for ages, apparently this was a good excuse to spin and bolt,…

First, I finally got Cider's saddle to stay centered on her back.  As I've written before I had bought a Wintec Wide saddle to use on Cider.  At first I could not keep the saddle centered, and since my balance is not good I had to repeatedly re-center my saddle on her back.  Finally Shannon and I figured out something that works--a double fleece GP saddle pad.  The top layer of…

The Big River

Before Cruiser and Ranger entered their senior years, every Saturday and Sunday, we took them on our favorite long ride.  It was fast paced and fun.  Usually, we would ride about two and a half hours or so.  Sometimes, we would go a little further, too. 

Due to their age, some years ago, we…