Transform - what does that word really mean?  It means change from one state to another.  I am constantly watching people ride, and in amazement I see the conflict between man and beast show itself in so many ways.  All of us try to achieve balance in our riding, but balance is emotional, spiritual, physical and mental.  If any one of those 4 elements are out of whack, the other 3 are also. We as humans have to grasp this connection, as the horses already know this.  If you are drawn to…

When I started with my first horse over 40 years ago horse training was sort of considered an esoteric activity that only adepts could do.  Most people sent horses to trainers because only trainers had the equipment and the secret knowledge necessary to train horses.  After several months at the trainer’s place the horse came home, hopefully knowing enough about carrying and obeying a…

Hey bloggers,

This week's blog is going to be based on the variety of autumn and winter blankets we have available at Baker's. We carry a variety of brands and blanket styles, and I am going to describe each of them to you so you can figure out what blankets you would want to purchase to keep your equine buddies warm for the upcoming Canadian weather. 

The first blanket brand that we carry at Baker's are the Rambo blankets. These blankets come in a variety of styles including…

As a judge and competitor, I’ve seen a lot of bad horse show experiences. From horses who begin to anticipate in the class to those who refuse to go in the gate. There are riders falling off and others just falling apart emotionally. 



If training a horse is like climbing a staircase, many mishaps occur because riders try to skip a step, or even jump…

Best Laid Plans

My sister and I were planning long rides on this holiday weekend.  Saturday morning, we headed out on the first one with Cole and Ranger—and when we started trotting, Ranger was lame.  Our hearts fell.  It’s bad enough to have a lame horse, but it is way worse when the horse is on the older side.  The anxieties are multiplied a hundred times.  Could this be the big one?  Is it something chronic that will limit his use? 

We watched him and…

You know, when someone passes out of your life, especially someone close to you, it reawakens you to the world and who you are.  My older brother Austin, aged 65, died a week ago on August 27th.  It came out of nowhere, a rare blood disorder, he was into the ICU and on life support within 3 weeks of  getting ill and then he went.  It was all so sudden, unexpected and sad. 

Long ago I realized the power of gratitude, and one thing I know, I have no regrets about my…

September 2 2012. I haven't been feeling well for several days now but went out to see Cooper, pick his feet and say hi to him. He had a new kick on his left hip. You could tell it was a kick as the hoof mark was there. There was an egg size bump with a little heat to it.

I took him to the wash stall for some more cold hosing again. He wasn't very comfortable with the water trickling down his leg and massaging at the same time. I didn't make it out last night again.…

Last week Debbie asked me if I minded her training a horse she had in for training during my lesson.  I told her I did not mind at all.  I LOVE seeing Debbie train a horse, she makes it look easy!  During the weekend Debbie called me saying she wanted me to shim the Corrector pad so the mare would be more comfortable under saddle. 

So on Wednesday not only did I have to shim up the Corrector (since the mare has a rather flat back I used all eight shims,) I helped…

Hey bloggers,

This week's blog is going to be comparing the two air vests that are currently on the equestrian market. Safety is paramount, and wearing the proper equipment while riding gives you a sense of security and relief if you were to have a mishap while riding. It is a great addition to everyones tack collection to own an air vest for ultimate safety while participating in the equestrian sport. Both the Hit-Air Vest and the Point Two Air Jackets provides riders with greatly…

Here is a ranch for sale in Alberta where I take Dressage lessons. May be of interest to someone out there. The link is
http://jamesriverhorsepalace.com/contactseller.cfm

Kentucky's Governor has guts.  <> BRAVO <>

http://www.thehorse.com/viewarticle.aspx?ID=20569&source=rss

We’ve all been there: Schooling our horse, asking for something, but not getting the right answer. We try one thing and then another, the work is sticky so we try a bit harder. At the same time, the horse feels a bit more resistant.

“This wasn’t just plain terrible, this was fancy terrible. This was terrible with raisins in it.”  -Dorothy Parker.

But then…

http://www.barnmice.com/profiles/blog/new

HELLO EVERYONE,

AS THIS GOES TO PRESS, YOUR GYPSY BOHEMIAN DEKALBPOET is once again coerced by her former co-editor/boyfriend//writer to submit more poetry to the Troubadour BILL LEIGHLY'S web zine. I have a funny feeling that I'm the one that's going to get the whole shebang plopped in my lap but I can't stray away from this temptation. While creating a cover…

Survey Says……The Lake Research Partners Survey on Horse Slaughter is Righteous!

Rainy Day Ride

As is much of the US, we have been in a drought. It isn’t as bad as some parts of the country, but it still is pretty bad. Every cloud has its silver lining, and as trail riders, this means we don’t have many days we can’t cross the river. It has been a fine summer for riding. I don’t know when I’ve ever seen the river so consistently low.

When it does rain, we are so happy to get it, that we don’t even complain if we can’t cross the river. This happened the…

It's been just over a year since I got my horse. (Or he got me, depending on your perspective.)

I've learned more about horses in the past 12 months than I'd learned in five years of merely riding, even working through the EC Rider levels. See, there is a lot of stuff you just cannot do with someone else's horse because, well, you can't really try stuff if she's not yours, can you? Plus I met another good teacher, who had much to teach.

Well, we went out on the trail the other…

Thank you to Barnmice member and vet Dr. Geoff Tucker for sharing this story.

Hey guys,

Hope everyone had a great weekend and is enjoying their last couple weeks of the summer. Championships are approaching and the final stretch of the show season; the summer has flown by! With fall close approaching, just reminding everyone to make sure all their rain sheets and winter blankets are cleaned and repaired so they are ready for when the cold weather is here. If you haven't cleaned your horse's blankets from last year yet don't stress, just drop them off at Baker's…