Bingo Responds Favorably to the Guidance of my Thighs

Bingo, at 22 years of age and having a lot of bad riding in his life, has strengthened the muscles that help him ignore/disobey/and actively resist all rein aids. His upper neck is THICK, vertically and horizontally, with all the muscles he has built up to resist improper rein aids. If I am not very, very careful I can trigger a super…

How much time do you spend strengthening your relationship with your horse while on the ground?  Many riders only think 'riding' when they think of communicating with their horse, however there are many other ways you can begin to not only create a stronger sense of trust but also to improve your horse's training.

You can listen to this episode of the Daily Strides Podcast …

Yesterday was our last day of summer camps for this year. It went really well despite being so very hot. Of course having my niece with me at the stable made the day automatically great.

My niece helped to groom the horses before going off with her group of kids to color T-shirts and play games. While they played I helped to lead horses on trail rides and in the arena during lessons. When we finished with that the…

A horsewoman told me that, at sixty-three, she was the proud owner of her very first horse trailer. I let out a congratulatory yell and I’ve been smiling all day. Trailers add a layer of independence to the freedom we feel with horses.

Do you remember your first horse trailer? Mine was a navy blue two-horse straight load. It was the late ’80s and no one I knew wanted to…

Have you ever experienced moments when 'lack of coordination' seems to be the best description for you while in riding  your horse?  It often leads to feelings of clumsiness and a general lack of confidence in your abilities, right?  Well, imagine how it feels when your horse suffers a similar lack of coordination; lack of balance leading to an uncomfortable ride for both of you.

This lack of coordination in horses is often associated with fitness and general conditioning, and…

You canter along, the jump firmly in your sights, getting ready for your horse to take off...  When all of a sudden he begins to 'veer' a little off course and before you know it, the jump flies past you, to one side, as your horse once again proves he is the master of running out at a fence!

Frustrating, right?  Particularly when it seems to happen regardless of what you do and how you do it.  In fact for many riders, it feels like they spend more time running out at fences…

Coordination; It's always a wonderful feeling when you can do something effectively without having to put too much thought or effort into it. Being able to cultivate this skill, regardless of what is being done, takes a large number of hours invested in practice. However in order for that practice to be beneficial, it must be correct or perfect practice.

This is the one element that trips many riders up when it comes to having more coordination in the saddle. Hours are spent…

Have you noticed how, very often, there are only two 'gears' when trotting; a good, forward trot or a bland, shuffle trot? However changing from the latter to the former can often be one of the more difficult aspects of trotting.  If so, have you ever considered using the canter to improve the trot?

Sounds too good to be true, but very often a good, forward canter can be the simple catalyst from that mediocre flat shuffle, to that wonderful springy and engaged trot.…

I Try to Make My Thighs a Corridor for the Horses’ Spines

The heat has arrived.  Day after day of highs above 95 F with lows above 75 F, and by the time I get the horse ready I am already drinking lots of water and feeling HOT.

On Sunday I got to ride Cider and try out my new thigh strategy in getting her to move straighter.  My grandson Will was getting to ride Magic the second time and he looked a lot more confident!  While Shannon concentrated on teaching Will to…

“How much does a horse cost? Do you have to be rich to own one?”

I can tell you how much hay they eat, warn you about vet bills and farrier visits. There are many articles and books written about equine…

"Just get back on! You don't want to lose your nerve."

"Why not enter the trail class?  You're at the show anyway."

"Are you coming out on a hack with us?"

Well-meaning invitations, but sadly, invitations into situations  for which neither you nor your horse are quite prepared.

Have you ever felt pressure to push the boundaries with your…

We’ve been left to choose between a pit viper(Hillary) and a jester(Trump) to be our next leader. One has fake hair and one has a fake smile. One is hot-headed and one is cold and manipulative. Both suck and either way we’re screwed over double-time. Is there any hope at all for America or have we really gone to pot? I have the answer you’ve all been looking for. Don’t vote for Clinton or Trump. Vote for Rufie aka “The People Hater”.…

Gee, I have Written 300 Blogs so far on Barnmice!

A little over seven years ago, I started writing blogs on Barnmice.  I appreciate my readers (though a little more feedback would be appreciated) for continuing to read about my boring rides, stuck in the riding ring, proceeding mostly at a walk.  I do hope that you, the reader, have been inspired by my writings to listen to your horse!

Last Sunday Shannon figured out how to put my new Amigo Fly Rider flysheet on the…

Lethargy. Sweltering with a non-specific stickiness. Flies. More flies. Dilly-dallying. These are the wilting Dog Days of Summer, named for Sirius, the Dog Star. No connection to the napping habits of dogs so deflated by the heat that a sploot position on the linoleum is the…

Traditions run deep in the horse world. From tack to training, to the terms we use ...WHY? - I figure it doesn't hurt to ask! Hey sometimes I've found there's a good reason - someone way smarter than me "invented the wheel" and doesn't need ME to re-invent it :) So I'll keep asking...



Like the new bride whose husband asks "Why do you cut off the ends of the…

A while back I wrote an…

Traditions persist in the horse world. Does anyone know why flat classes traditionally start on the left rein?  I caused a little stir recently, at an open hunter show by starting on the right rein in an equitation class. Can you think of other enduring (though puzzling) equine traditions?

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut, until evidence leads us to look outside. I do like how AQHA is encouraging judges to mix up the gait calls and direction of flat classes. I do this…

Fair warning: I'm going to ask you to do a favor for horses. It will involve some of your time and the money that you spend anyway.

I try to avoid any photos of abuse. I don’t share them because they titillate perpetrators. Besides, I’ve seen enough cruelty for a thousand lifetimes.

One got by me this week on Facebook; it was a photo of a dog…