Well it could have been worse, the horse could have been stolen!  My leasing experience is not as bad as some but bad enough, the horse is reasonably okay but the people were quite a nightmare to deal with.  I thought I had got a wonderful long term lease for my school horse Bandit with a novice adult rider wanting to get back into shape after years of being away from riding.  I knew the trainer and she seemed like a decent person, albeit less experienced than me but I was willing to give…

Is it the responsibility of the owner of the horse to fence their animal in, or the responsibility of the neighbors to fence the horse out? I have been debating this issue with my father in law who refuses to hold his little sister responsible for her STALLION who is always out, on our property, eating my hay, flowers, and destroying my fences.  Her property is next door and she has a 3 wire barbed wire fence that is very loose.  She operates a small animal rescue on her property and refuses…

I finally got my RS-tor last week, and I did not waste any time putting it on my saddle.  The name of this wonderful piece of gear is pronounced “arrestor.” 

Due to the effects of my Multiple Sclerosis I have lost the confidence I used to have decades ago about my ability to stay in the saddle.  Faulty balance, weak and quickly tiring muscles, lack of coordination, my…

Hey bloggers,

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and staying warm during this cold fall weather. This week the Baker's blog is going to specify in bandaging- proper bandaging technique, the importance of bandaging and proper bandaging products. Being a competitive rider it is very important to know how to properly protect and treat your horses legs after…

  I lost a friend this week,  I forgot I could hurt this much.  My beautiful little mare coliced and couldent be saved. Her little mini donkey companion is morrning and I must find hin a  friend  before I lose him too.  Any sugestions

As more than a few people have commented on my tack box in past weeks, I post these here for a wider audience.

I got tired of arriving at a barn only to spend 10 to 15 minutes scrounging up brushes, hoof picks, &c., so I put those in a bag.

Then I bought my own saddle, with the changeable gullet, so I wouldn't have to ride those school saddles that feel like two angle-irons welded to an old oil-drum. The changeable gullet meant I could fit any horse I was given in only a few…

Out on the trail, bushwhacking through woods too thick to walk through on foot, we come across a fallen tree, branches everywhere, and pine trees on the other side. Vinnie is behind us, following. I ask Oakley to approach so I can see if there is a way around. While I'm looking around, he keeps walking up to the tree, looks down at the trunk as if to say "oh, this up to my chest. I can't step over this... I'll have to jump..." and…

Well today is Thanksgiving in Canada, and don't we always have so much to be thankful for?  Really we do, but we find so many things to complain about, the beauty is lost.  Today is  day to celebrate gratitude for cell phones, your child's smile, the loving partner in your life, the horse who tolerates your lack of skill!  Just think about it, most of us here are not in the African desert starving with no medical care and no rain in sight.  Just imagine being one of those people for a day,…

It is getting cooler now in NC, so I am hoping that I will continue to recover from my trip to MD three weeks ago.  Every year it seems to take me longer to recover. 

Wednesday I rode Mick for my lesson with Debbie.  I warmed Mick up for around ten minutes, the poor guy was stiff as usual, and the fact that Debbie’s horses are now spending the night in the stalls  means that he had been standing in his stall for many, many hours.  I had done the circular massages on…

Hey bloggers,

This week's blog is going to be based on titanium products and why they are extremely beneficial in human and equine health. Firstly, taking a look at human health, research and observation of the benefits of titanium has been discovered and proven in a variety of sources. One source in particular is an article written by Dr. Brett A. Taylor. He is an orthopaedic spine surgeon who deals with the surgical procedures to treat fractures, degenerative conditions, tumours and…

on 10/05/2012

With the abandonment of the CanEquid program by Equine Canada,  Bill DesBarres has taken up the cause,   bombarding horse associations with pro-chip marketing diatribe,  attempting to lay the infrastructure to satisfy EU demands for horsemeat,  all under the guise of isolating disease.  He has partnered with Animal ID Systems,  which has been heavily promoted by Cargill Meat Solutions, Monsanto and Schering-Plough – Big Ag intensive production systems, and this initiative was partially…

Monday October 1 2012

I tacked Cooper all up and first did some ground work with the 12' lead and rope halter, falling leaf, c-pattern to the back of the arena and then to the front. We did some responsibility circles at a trot and he maintained them for the most time, a few times I had to cluck and just raise the stick and he continued on. The we did some Clinton Anderson changing eyes stage 1. I put the bridle on and did a little giving to the bit and clock work. I had to stay in…

Imagine you and your horse sharing  the same air, then in the same way we share the same energetic environment.  If the air you are breathing is polluted, then both of you are breathing polluted air. Now let's apply that to a barn environment.  When you go into some barns the horses are all happy, in good weight, friendly and interested to see new people.  In other barns they are all standing with their backs to the stall doors, or running around terrified inside their stalls, or totally…