The recent dry and drought like weather has turned the stable where I ride into a giant dustbowl. After an afternoon in the saddle, I’m covered head to toe in dust, especially my boots. I love my riding boots too; I hate to see them get so dirty. My instructor tells me that dirty boots are a sign that you are doing something right. I just think they are too nice to be so dirty.

I’ve been searching for a few ways to keep them clean and in good condition. However, I never realized there…

A friend of mine just adopted a dog called Bobo that was rescued from a hoarding situation.  He was one of 16 dogs being kept in a basement, belonging to an elderly couple, and when the husband died, animal control was called in to find homes for the dogs.  Bobo we think is a Siberian Husky/lab cross, and he has one blue eye and one brown eye.  He arrived at the house a month or so after being rescued, but he had to leave the dog he was used to living with, so of course he is insecure and…

Hey equine bloggers,

The summer is flying by at a fast rate and so is everyone's show season. With seasons at the mid way point, many of you are thinking of upgrading your horses to the next level as we approach the second half of the season. With that in mind, you want to make sure you are wearing the proper equipment to ensure your safety on x-country. Many riders are wearing multiple styles of air vests, which have proven to be extremely beneficial if you were to dismount your…

July 30 I'll be on the night flight to London to see the Dressage at the Olympics. This is my first Olympic visit and I could not be more excited. It is also very appropriate that the location is London. London is where I met a horse for the first time in my life.  It was the year of Queen Elizabeth's Coronation and I was three . Yes , dear reader, now you know that I am in the 'aged' category.  My grandmother's house in London, where we were staying, was on a narrow quiet street and…

In the last two weeks I’ve only ridden three times, instead of six times.  Car repairs, seeing my grandson, jury duty for my husband, just one thing after another interfering with my riding, plus I have been working with a new bit.  Of course the universe does not cooperate perfectly when I want to try out a new bit, this is normal for me, at least it happened once before. 

Since the horses I ride had been “voting” for the Mullen mouth snaffle, and then “voting” for…

Amazing Breeze

Amazing Breeze is a sweet 3 year old mare who has never been raced. She is a lovely, quiet mare that will be suitable for any discipline. Breeze currently stands at 15.3hh and has been working well under saddle.…

King Rush is a handsome 16.3hh bay gelding. He had a year off from work where he lived his life grazing in a large field. King is now currently back in work under saddle and is becoming stronger by the day. He is ridden at walk, trot and canter with ease. Would be suitable as a hack/pleasure horse.…

I’m going to be blunt about sports bras- not trying to offend anyone, (or exclude either of my male readers.) If you work with horses, or dogs for that matter, you should probably be wearing one. The good news is that they have…

So, I wrote last that Miss Muffin moved barns at the beginning of June and was doing well.  Last night my trainer was out to ride her, I'd been telling her how great she'd been (with the exception of our last lesson when her tootsies were much too long).  She was skeptical, and Maggie is never the horse you really want to ride at the end of the day.  But, she was magnificent last night, I mean she rode awhile and asked if I'd drugged her (she was joking).  She actually ended her ride early…

Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if we asked the horse what they would like to do?  Just imagine if they really had a choice in life, My first riding teacher was a lady named  Pamela Goodwin and she was on the Irish showjumping team.  It was her that said to me "imagine what you want the horse to do and they will do it for you".  She also said "let the horse pick their job and they will always do well".  I have never forgotten those words and have lived by them all my life, maybe it's the…

No kidding. That's what the dressage judge wrote on our first test.

I just about choked when I read that, mostly because we had just been eliminated from show jumping portion, which actually went better than expected, but he was the antithesis of 'willing and obedient'.

The dressage scores were good -- mostly 6 and 7, with a couple of 5 - overall 58%, which isn't bad for a first effort. He's done about 60% in all his previous tests with his old owner and now I know what we have…

A helpful Q&A from SmartPak for those with similar challenges:

I have a 26 year old TWH that has chronic diarrhea. He had vet work done last year, when it first started, with his blood work coming back normal, fecal exam okay and teeth are okay. No feed or hay change. Actually, his stool will be somewhat normal, not firm apples but has some substance to them, for most of the time then about once or twice a month it gets loose to the point of liquid. I had him…

Gone in an instant

This has been a very sad time in my family’s lives.  My father’s cancer has gotten the better of him.  He is very weak and hasn’t been able to walk in a month and a half.  He lives in his bedroom—either on the bed or the recliner.  Someone has to be with him all day.  Since I live with him, I get the bulk of it.  I am getting help from my sister and my brother’s family.  He doesn’t want any outsiders helping him.  We do have hospice assisting…

Hi guys, 

Hope everyone has been soaking up lots of sun during their rides this week. To all the riders preparing for Will O Wind Horse Trials this weekend, best of luck! Reminding everyone that the Peter Menet clinic is this Sunday, July 15th; going to be very educational and fun, you won't want to miss it! 

This week's blog is going to be focused on ways to improve rider position from having the proper tack fitted to both you and your horse. At Baker's, we have extensive…

I was recently looking for information on fly masks and sheets for my old girl and came across a helpful article here on the importance of protecting your horses from flies and other biting insects. Did you know that flies transmit serious diseases such as anthrax?…

Every few weeks, I receive an email from Barnmice member and veterinary equine dentist, Geoff Tucker with stories of his practice and travels.  He has kindly allowed me to share this very touching story, as well as others as they come around. Enjoy.

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Well it seems I am meant to once again be breaking open boundaries and doing things that no one else is doing!  I should be used to this by now, after all I have always been a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.  Last week I lost my old grey mare Silver at the age of 21, and of course I cried rivers.  However, it was she that came to me in meditation and told me what her gift to me was, and quite frankly, I was blown away!!

Silver has offered to help me from the world of…