The American Quarter Horse: we've all seen them before, whether it was at a fair herding cows or in the country on a ranch. The Quarter Horse is our heritage and what we all know. They've been around as long as we can remember and have put out many great sires and mares in our time. Some of my favorites include No Guns Please, Metallic Cat, Peptoboonsmal and Lopin N My Blu Genes. All great sires famous for great things. Quarter Horses are stereotypically known for reining, cutting…

Bingo Was Not Too Sure About the Next Experiment

As I wrote in my blog last week

(I Try Three New Things with Bingo,) I tried the Pee Wee bit on Bingo, and Debbie wanted to see if the next size up of the Pee Wee bit would work better with him.  So I dug through all my bits and finally found the medium size Pee Wee bit and put it on my…

Are you happy with your veterinarian? It’s the question I ask when a client loses a horse or has a long-term issue. I’m not sure it’s important that they actually have the best vet in the world, but it is important that they think they do. The reason to talk about it now is obvious; there may not be time…

I Try Three New Things with Bingo   

Since I had four lessons on Bingo, I figured that it was time that I changed some stuff with his tack for my lesson this week.  My main concerns were his reluctance to accepting a metal bit in his mouth, his reluctance to start moving, and his reluctance to turn.

The first one, the bit, I cleared with Debbie last week when I showed her my Pee Wee bit and asked her permission to try it on Bingo, you can see this bit here:…

Sometimes no amount of protective gear or training can stop accidents from happening.   Especially when Mother Nature is involved.



On Wednesday April 27, 2016  a very accomplished equine professional and his horse were struck and killed by lightning in Mantachie, MS. …

No, no the horse does say "Moo", it says "Neigh". The cow says moo and the cow is what this is all about.

Over the course of Friday and Saturday I got to ride along with a bovine veterinarian from the Fowlerville Veterinary Clinic. Her name is Doctor Bonnie Dansby and she is awesome. So I don't…

Further Adventures with My New Saddle

This week I rode three horses using my new saddle.  Doing so made me appreciate my Corrector saddle pad even more than before!  While my new Crosby looked like it fit the horses’ backs, withers and shoulders much better than my other English saddles, the two horses I used it on without the Corrector shortened their strides at the walk, did not move their backs as much, did “stabbing” trots, and otherwise indicated some…

“I’m here, I thought to the horse. We’re here. Please, tell me who I really am. Please tell me I’m OK.”

With those words, Shawna Ervin asked for help from Cisco, her horse partner in Tapestry’s Horse Ibachakali program. The way Cisco answered her plea for help was…

My dad used to say that anyone who cannot explain what they are doing so well that anyone can understand really doesn't know what they are doing.

No. That is wrong.

There are a great many people who know very well what they are about, yet who cannot explain anything very well at all. Knowing what you are…

Bingo Seems to Like My New Saddle!

I have had a saddle quandary over the years, many of the horses I ride have backs that are wider than my ancient saddles can handle.  I got these saddles for my Anglo-Arab way back when Thoroughbreds were THE sport horse breed, and while my Stubben Siegfried and Crosby Wide Front saddles were wide for their era I dare not use them without my Corrector pad on the wider backed horses I ride now.

Several months ago, I learned that years ago…

Bingo Shows Some Signs of Understanding   

Everyone at Debbie’s stable was upset when I arrived Wednesday morning, because the 30 or so year old pony, Lily, could not get up.  For a week or two, with two people pulling and pushing, they had been able to get her to stand, but on Wednesday they could not get her up on her feet at all.  Debbie, of course, was with Lily, waiting for the veterinarian to arrive, all the way back on the other side of the riding ring.  Mia was brought in for…

We scoop it. We dump it. Heck we even use it to fertilize our gardens. Yep, I'm talking about horse manure. There's a lot more to horse manure than just cleaning it up. We can tell a lot about our horses and their overall health from their manure. The Color, Consistency and Control of their poop can offer much insight. (Parts of this article…

Is your pasture lush and green or sparse and weedy?  Maintaining an established pasture is easier than you think.  There are several key ingredients to basic pasture management: soil, fertilizer, weed control, and rotation. …