“Asking your horse to hold your weight at the halt, like gossiping cowboys with their legs hooked over their saddle-horns, is much harder for a horse than moving with weight on his back. When you’re not riding, kindly get off his back.”

This quote is from last week’s blog and Cathy asked me to elaborate. I promised I’d hold it to a moderate rant.

Let’s start by…

And the Trainer Says…

I sent out the email to MerryLegs’ trainer.  I told her how I liked a horse that wasn’t lazy and unmotivated.  This was my biggest concern.  His owner made me think he wasn’t, but she didn’t actually ride him.  Mingo was a very quiet, sleepy horse, and he drove me crazy.  For many people, he would have been the perfect horse.  My older niece simply adored him.  They were the perfect pair from the very first ride, and I am so glad I had him so she could…

Working with Dante

Each time I go out to the barn, if Ellen isn’t there, I spend a little time with Dante doing spring tuning.  We are just reviewing the things what he knows to prepare him for trail riding.  For the first week, we played bus stop.  He remembered the game quite well.  It is where I take him to the end of the driveway and we wait for cars to pass.  If he stands still, it click and treat him.

Dante remembered the game very well, and just loves…

Losing track of the days here!  Didn't get to work him yesterday.  I was just to exhausted from work, and hadn't seen my husband in a while due to our conflicting schedules, and me always being at work or the barn.  Today I got him out and we lounged some with side reins.  He wasn't exactly hot, but very anxious.  I am starting to connect when he does this goofy thing with his mouth.  He always opens his mouth and acts like his is smiling or chewing.  He does this when I put his bridle on,…

Developing your riding seat begins with understanding that your seat must be used to signal to your horse, not interfere or disrupt his natural movement.  In order for you to utilize this aid successfully, it is imperative that you be relaxed first.  Relaxation is not floppiness, it is just an awareness of your body and how you are using it without any tension or resistance through your muscles.

The problem and confusion over developing your riding seat often begins right at…

As spring arrives, so does horse show season. While it would be great to buy yourself a new wardrobe each year to start the season off fresh, doing so probably isn’t practical. If your wardrobe from last year is looking a little drab, there are a number of ways you can spruce it up without spending a ton.

Add a New Show Shirt

One of the easiest…

We have all heard the old saying 'No hoof, no horse', and any of us that have been around horses for any length of time know it to be true.

But, aside from just the regular picking out and greasing of your horses hooves, what else are you actively doing to ensure the long term integrity of your horses feet and how closely are you paying attention to the small changes that can sometimes lead on to big problems?

Often as owners and riders we just assume our farrier is doing his…

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!! I never watched those movies(unless Krypto the super dog counts), too long, too boring and unlike Captain America, Superman is boring. But why discuss super heroes(Iron Man,…

Good News

Yes, this is good news. I finally got the results of the latest medical test, and it isn’t the C-word (and I don’t mean canter.) The problem is something very manageable, so that means life can go on. It is spring, and it is going to be a good one.

More good news—Kevin and I cross the river! Hurray! The first time was Friday night. Cole and Starry did great for their first trail ride of the year. They were both somewhat startled by a turkey running behind them, but…

“Working student.” It’s a phrase that is often thrown around in the horse world, but what does it really involve? If you’re questioning whether being a working student is right for you, or even whether you should take a working student on yourself, this information about the world of the working student may help you decide.

The Basics of Being a Working…

The days are getting busier and it gets harder for me to update this, but i am staying consistent with riding Mossberg.  Yesterday we stayed in te round pen part of the arena and rode after lounging with 2 other horses on the other side of the arena.  He was distracted but not crazy, and listened to my cues.  Working on more umph and forwardness.  I was afraid he would go up if I ever pressured him too much, but am learning he just throws a mini hissy fit and continues…

Spring is here!  The Bradford Pears and Forsythia are blooming, and I can see the leaf buds are starting to swell.  I hope it lasts for a while.

I did not have a very pleasant ride on Tercel.  Grooming him was fine, I had almost no problems brushing his ears or putting the poll cap on.    He was a little antsy when I started my lesson but we walked around the ring and he was not horrible--UNTIL--a rude duck flapped its wings just after we passed it.  All of a sudden…

"Every horse has its day" ~ Jordan Kroll & Julie Fleming(lol) 

I went to the stable hoping that despite the didisagreeable weather, I'd still have a good ride. Yeah. Right. 

Before I delve into detail of my hectic…

I don’t use spurs, because I don’t want to make my horse dull!”

If you’ve shared this opinion with so many riders I meet, you’re in good company!

But what if I suggested that the opposite might also be true?  As a woodworker might choose smaller chisels to refine the details of his project, so spurs give a rider precision in delivering his cues,…

 No argument there  - although our behavior is only strange to Non horsey people

Have you ever wondered just How Many “Strange” people are out there and if we are all in some way connected.

Lets do the;  Six Degrees of Seperation Experiment

To see…

Day 8, Mossberg got out of his stall right before I was going to ride and ripped around the farm for about 15 minutes.  He was really fired up so I finally caught him and free lounged him until he started to calm down and focus.  After this, I brought him back out to groom and tack up.  After a little more lounging, I got on and we worked.  He did pretty well after all his shenanigans :) 

Day 9 we lounged and did a lot of transitions of walk trot and some trot to canter.  The…

When it’s time to move to a new barn, relationships with your current barn owner or manager can become strained. It’s hard to bring up the fact that you are moving your horse, especially if you are close with your barn owner or if you have been at your current…

Waiting

I waited and waited to hear from MerryLegs’ farrier, with no response.  I told MerryLegs’ owner, and she sent an email to him to check his spam.  A few more days went by and nothing.

In the meantime, my health problem got more complicated.  My health wasn’t any different, but the test that would let us know what was going on couldn’t be completed and my doctor wasn’t sure of the next step.  He wanted to consult with a colleague—who turned out to be out…

In life there are very few things that are both New and Free

But Horse Watching is one of them.

There is Bird watching and Whale watching so why not put a name to something horse lovers have been doing for centuries –…