Have you ever found yourself riding a hot horse where the slightest touch of your leg sends them shooting forward with the speed of a snake strike?  Even worse, once they start on that forward trajectory, they get heavier and heavier on your hand, they get more and more unbalanced until eventually there is an epic tug of war happening; horse and rider pitted against each other, often at speeds, which for the space you are currently occupying, are breakneck! …

If you’ve had the winter off from riding, then you’ll probably be feeling pretty rusty when you get back into the saddle this spring. Want to get yourself back into riding shape faster? You can do these exercises from the saddle and soon you’ll be back to riding-fit.

Work Without Stirrups

One of the best ways to quickly get yourself fit…

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,…

If there's anything the story of Thumbelina taught us, its that size doesn't matter, anybody can make a difference if they try hard. No matter what others say or think about you, keep up the good…

*ahem* to the left we have the gorgeous Scout(of run gypsy run) in all his glory, and to the right we have Shiva(of Big N little gypsy vanner horses) in all her beauty. …

Last week was sort of frustrating.  When I called Shannon to ride on Sunday she told me that she and her husband had to finish a job, and since they run their own business I understood, small businesses depend on their reputations.  Good ones get the job done.  Then Debbie called me Tuesday to tell me I could not have my lesson because they were going to give all their horses their spring shots Wednesday morning.  Well, the small Dy’on blinkers I had ordered came quickly and…

For a while I always thought to get a Warmblood one crossed a hot-blooded horse with a cold-blooded horse. It made sense to me. Hot + Cold= Warm, so a hot-blooded…

To ride or not to ride that is a silly question. Truly that is a goofy question. The mailmen's motto is my motto for riding, literally, lol. Now, on to my opinion of stables. This is based off of my opinion only. No fun facts today(although I'm thinking of doing the Warmblood horse tomorrow) 

Wyn farm is a lovely establishment nestled on forty acres of land in the country. The owner and manager are two friendly women with a shared love for horses and…

We all love to treat our horses. Whether you feed treats by hand or drop treats into your horse’s feed bucket, always having a stock of horse treats in your barn is important. But buying packaged traditional horse treats can quickly add up, especially if you…

Springtime’s arrival means important barn maintenance. Having the right supplies can make barn and property maintenance easier, so before you set out through the muddy pastures, make sure that you have these supplies in your barn.

Heavy Duty Rubber Boots

Rubber boots are an absolute must when working around the barn in the spring. Invest in a quality…

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…

Our horse hobby has an uncanny way of spreading into and taking over our vehicles. While we might delight in eau de horse, chances are that some of the people who have to ride in our cars won't feel the same way. Are horses taking over your vehicle? Here are some ways to reclaim and barn-proof your car.

Use Plastic Totes

Plastic totes are key to getting a horsey car organized. Invest in a few heavy-duty plastic totes that fit in the…

Icy Cold Weekend

Soon as the weekend showed up, we plunged into the Arctic Circle.  Friday evening was so cold, that I couldn’t talk kevin into riding with me.  The river was too high to cross, so I planned to do a few trips with Cole on the hill.  He was one little bundle of energy.  When I got to the bottom, flat part of the hill, I hesitated to trot at the usual spot.  I wisely decided to shorten distance to the stopping spot.  When I did ask him to trot, he made a  huge…

Spring is here, and that means it’s time for spring cleaning. Spring cleaning your barn is a perfect time to do a sweep for common barn safety issues. When you start spring cleaning your barn this year, make sure to add these important safety tasks to your list.

Remove Old Hay

Old hay accumulates dust and begins to lose its nutritional…

A fence post a day, keeps the doctor away(or, brings them to you faster than what you'd like). Lemme tell you, lifting tree trunks, I mean fence posts, is harder than it looks. It's called MANual labor for a reason: a MAN was meant to do it, not a woman(or teenage girl). Good thing I love manual labor outside,eh?

Today was technically my very last day at the stable…

Last Sunday, when I was talking to Shannon about my latest problems with riding Tercel, I asked her if she had seen racing blinker hoods for sale nearby.  She hadn’t, but then she remembered that she had an old “made up” driving bridle with blinkers that she had used for training ground driving with a horse she had sold many years ago.  Shannon dug it out of her tack room,…

I Slept on It

The following morning, I sat up in bed and said, “I’m getting a new horse.” It was just that easy.

So, I went to work, put a few hours on the job—just giving myself time to change my mind. When that didn’t happen, I typed up an email, leaned back and looked at it for about a minute. I typed up an email, leaned back and looked at it for about a minute. I hovered the mouse over the send button, paused and------click.

I took another deep breath and sat there,…