Well, as the dust settles from the US election, some are left standing with their hopes dashed - others had their hope stirred.

Hope for peace, prosperity, rescue…

I love the words of the late Chuck Colson:  “Salvation will not arrive on Air Force One.”

Removed from his seat of power as Counsel to the President, landing in a jail cell for…

Research in equine-assisted mental health has explored how people develop trust by working with horses, but is trust the same for horses as it is for humans?

Social psychologists agree that trust involves giving up some control and accepting vulnerability, with the expectation of being protected from harm.

Dr Robin Foster, Researcher and equine behaviour…

“How important is it to bond with my horse?”

I’m asked this regularly. I may dig a little deeper, “Tell me what you mean by bonding.”

If bonding means to you:

• my horse feels safe/relaxed in my presence
• he understands me,

 I’d say that’s very important. However, if you’re hoping for your horse to share your human…

A CBC interview about helmet safety piqued my interest.

I learned that in nearly every study of hospital admission rates, helmeted cyclists are 80% less likely to receive serious head and brain injuries —but these stats apply only for those who get into accidents.

So here’s the flip side –research says that helmeted cyclists bike faster, take more risks, and ride in riskier environments.

We’ve also discovered safety feature in cars give drivers a fall sense of…

I changed hats t this weekend-literally.  Sometimes “stuff happens” and show managers have to adjust on the fly- and so do judges!  Arriving prepared to judge the western ring , I was asked if I would judge the hunter and jumper rings instead. For those who judge multiple disciplines we must learn to change hats -scoring systems, terminology, penalties, class formats, even…

"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…

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…

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…

As a stereotypically reserved Canadian, judging a horse show last fall in Israel, it was culture shock.  Animated and passionate in communicating, what an initially rattled me (what’s the commotion??), became  endearing to me.

The big idea behind “horse whispering” is the use of subtle body language and keen observation to communicate with our horses.  And one…

Some people read people really well …picking up on subtle cues, interpreting body language -social cognition. You can actually take a quiz to rate “ your emotional intelligence”, if you’re at home with nothing better to do  (perhaps, in itself, a sign of a social introvert?)

    Horses have developed a sophisticated social cognition system to read group members…

A colleague of mine recently called the worn path around the outside of an arena the "idiot ditch". Perhaps somewhat harsh, but I had to chuckle.  Riding the rut doesn't stretch riders to make guiding adjustments or challenge our aids and timing, but it doesn't involve risk ether

Doing the same thing over and expecting a different result may count as…

Pastor and professor Dr. Howard Hendricks wisely said “Experience is not the best teacher- only evaluated experience is”.

As riders, we are responsible for problem solving. When things go wrong in the schooling ring or show ring, it’s wise to stop, assess, and come up with a plan to solve the problem.

“Is it me or my horse?” My natural curiosity floats…

Heard from the horse show bleachers: “Now that’s a happy horse that loves his job.”

In 2004,  FEI introduced into its dressage rules the phrase “happy athlete” to describe the ideal dressage horse.

But judging a horse’s happiness remains fairly subjective.

In a recent blog, I wrote about horse unhappiness – describing the Horse Grimace Scale… the…

Yep, there’s an official tool to identify if that horse is really stressed. Last year, researchers developed The Horse Grimace Scale,  grading 6 facial action units (FAU) to determine horse pain, including ear position, muscle tension around the eyes and nostril shape. Good horse-people read horses well, don’t they?  Just helps to have a scientific tool to confirm we’re not…

Steering a horse with one hand is like adding another language to your horse’s education. Initially trained to speak “direct rein”, as the horse advances in his education you’ll begin to communicate with a curb bit and introduce pressure from the neck.



As an english rider, entering the western world, I felt awkward riding with one hand. So, like many riders, I’d…

I did  a double- take as I walked by this camel in Israel – he wasn’t tied and he wasn’t fenced…

Though I’m no camel training expert, I guess he’d earned the “privilege” of freedom because he’d learned the boundaries by trial and error.

Same way horses do. They learn by bumping into pressure and finding release. And they choose to stay where there’s freedom. That’s self-carriage – when a horse between the aids without being held there.

But what about…

My coaching colleagues and I are often in the “image- advisory role” in regards to horse show turnout. While you gotta love those folks who are blissfully unaware of their personal appearance, in the show ring, presentation matters! Like a job interview…

Reprinted from the AQHA journal’s Five Ways Showing Preps You for Job Interviews

Using Non-Verbal…

Thoughts on AQHA's lip chain rule…I'm all for policy developed on evidence – which often collides with emotion In the horse biz, where we can get stuck in "we've always done it this way" kinda thinking.

Glad to see AQHA committee members consulted with animal welfare, vet, and professionals in their decision to eliminate lip chains. So this is how the…

It’s easier to check up on claims of “success stories” these days. Show records are readily available and information abounds through a simple web search. AQHA, for instance, provides detailed records of the show ring performance of horses and riders. It’s now easier to “look before you leap” into that horse purchase or new coach alliance.

Skeptical by nature,…

This week I saw a horse who’d had enough. He just took the bit between his teeth, locked his jaw and trotted off on a tangent out of the circle, toward the gate. The rider tugged away but the horse’s neck and determination were set like stone. This riding lesson was over, as far as he was concerned!

 A horse will evade the bit itself or the bit operator. In…