I have always been pretty good with horses, but never with predators.  This includes men and dogs.

Scout, my Jack Russell Terrier, confirms everyday to me that I have no business attempting to train predators.

Scout is a serial killer.  I am pretty convinced that she must be reincarnated from some famous serial killer madman.  When she is locked in on the kill, there is absolutely no reasoning with her- she cannot see or hear anything else.  After the kill, she always…

I have always loved the Arabian horse and the Friesian horse breed. I love to occasionally you tube videos of the Friesian in action and read and re-read 'My friend Flicka' by Mary O'hara, a book on Arab horses.

I love how majestic the Friesian looks. How they stand tall and proud, with their glossy black coat shining in the sun and their long flowing manes. I love how long their tails are and the feathers that adorn their hooves. The Friesian originally was from the Netherlands along…

You love your horse and your training sessions.  Does your horse feel the same way?  Liberty sessions are an excellent way to keep your horse engaged and to determine if you're horse is signing up for class.  The VIDEO in this blog demonstrates Hank, a retired Thoroughbred, doing just that.  He's engaged in his classes and…

People are commonly told that they need to be dominant to their horses, but such advice is not in line with scientific studies on dominance behavior. Although dominance hierarchies certainly exist among horses, there is no need for people to try to assume a place in such hierarchies. Horses will naturally defer to people because we, as a species, are more confident than horses are and thus more likely to be leaders in the horse-human relationship. Consider the Budweiser ad run during the…

Are you on a tight schedule?  Are you having challenges finding time for your horse?

There is a solution.

When I was focusing more on riding than bonding I found I often didn't have the time to groom, tack up, ride, cool down, untack and groom again.  I often chose to do nothing rather than interact with my horse.  Then I would feel guilty because I wasn't…

People ask me all of the time how I got into natural horsemanship- and I always tell them at the beginning of any of my clinics…

11 years ago I had no idea what natural horsemanship was- Seriously- no clue.

I was eventing at the Preliminary/Intermediate level on my Thoroughbred George, and we either did really well or…

People often tell me that their horse loves to work, loves to jump, loves to show…From what I know about horses, I’m not so sure. Equitation scientists looked into the matter… 



Imagine a conversation between you and your horse, if horses could talk. 



You: Good morning Spunky. Ready for a…

I have been thinking lately a lot about how hard it can be for middle-aged and older women to either get back to their long interrupted riding or to start riding.  It is not easy.

We know we can get hurt.  Many of us have osteoporosis and many more have arthritis.  Our youthful figures have gone away, our once athletic bodies have dissolved, and we just do not feel as sprightly as we did when we were younger.  Medical issues pile up, kids and families threaten all of…

lake

These are the dog days of…

Hello All,

I am writing on behalf of ProChaps. As one of the company players, I have become very much associated with this brand over the past year. Being responsible for the sales and marketing portion of the business I have spent much time on blogs trying to discover what people truly like and want in riding apparel. ProChaps main focus is on the riders leg! We carry 35 different sizes and three different styles of chaps (half and long). We can assure you we will offer you a…

Highlights from Canada

When we crossed the border, I was pretty sure that we crossed over to the Arctic Circle.  The temperature dropped around 30 degrees, and the wind kicked up to hurricane force.  I had on three jackets and the border control officers were in short sleeves and cargo pants- and obviously bothered by the heat.

As I approached the booth with Jack Russell in lap, towing a huge camper and 2 year old strapped…

Last Friday I thought that my truck was fairly operational- besides the fact I could not turn it off- then it did not want to start again.

So I figured, just don’t turn it off ‘til I get to Virginia- it’s a diesel, so I really don’t have to turn it off to fuel up.

Technically, that is correct.  However, if your truck DIES while you are driving it 75 miles per hour down the highway, while you are talking to someone in England- well Houston, you have a…

Gee, this is my 200^th blog!  When I started blogging here on Barnmice over four years ago I never imagined that I could find enough to write about to make it to 200 blogs.  I want to thank all of my readers for reading my blogs each week.

Last week I had decided that feelings of security were more important than feeling cool.  That idea just lasted one ride.  Debbie could not give me my regular lesson…

I make my living observing horses and riders. And I’ve done my own personal survey over 25 years of training and teaching. I’ve had my share of roadblocks with horses, coached riders step by step through others and, as a show judge, winced from a distance at horse and human meltdowns. 



So here’s the most common things that get us stuck,…