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…

Cold Weather Riding

It seems like just yesterday.  Ellen and I would saddle up Ranger and Cruiser on a brisk fall day and head out for the trails.  They could be very difficult when the weather cooled off.  They wanted to fly down the trail, and we were young and wanted to fly with them.  It would be a blast—and then we would turn around to go home. …

It is always safe to say there is nothing boring going on at the stable I work at. This past Saturday I  arrived early in the morning to feed the horses, as I do every Saturday and Thursday morning. When I arrived Oulav, the Fjord we have there, had his head draped over the gate, as if to say "Well, it's about time you got here, I'm hungry!". I entered his paddock and Money and Sully came over to say…

It's been forever since I last posted on here, been busy with life as a whole. But I will try to get back to writing, it's a great stress reliever and fun to do. Where to begin.....

Last Friday I was able to shadow another veterinarian, Doctor Rob van Wessum. Dr. van Wessum is a specialty vet, focusing on…

We have had 6 ½ inches of rain down here in the last two weeks, and of that 5 inches fell this week.  All the ponds, creeks and rivers are swollen, there are puddles everywhere, the horses’ winter coats are getting all muddy and matted, and I think every single bug on my land is trying to get into my house to get out of the wet.

Even so I have been able to ride some.  These have not been exciting rides since I have less energy since I started changing my medicines around, but…

Ranger’s New Girlfriend

Ranger is a very temperamental horse.  He is in an end stall.  Years ago, my horse, Mingo was in the stall next to him.  They were great friends.  I had Mingo from birth, and Ranger helped raise him.  They always got along.  If Ranger was out on a ride, Mingo would stick his nose between the bars when Ranger came back.  Ranger…

Cole Shows what Clicker Training can Do

A couple days ago, a friend of ours who is interested in taking clicker training up to the next level, came out to see a Cole performance.

Julie has a Haflinger mare that has done a little clicker training on the ground.  Her trainer, until recently, saw no need for clicker training.  The mare had some…

Meet the Ruby in My Crown

As a trainer, I have to consider my mare Side FX to be my crowning glory, and what would be a better statement of a trainer’s talent than to bring up their own horse to be…

Adjusting My Routine

The hardest part about this time of the year is the shorter daylight hours.  Since I have to go home and take care of my animals after work, I run out of time to ride in the park.  In the beginning of the month, I would rush out and take a quick ride with Kevin—just barely getting back before it was too dark to ride the guys home…

A Historic Ride

On our second September long weekend, Ellen and I took Dante up to the showring trails. That isn’t historic at all, but we did have a few “firsts.”

As is typical on our vacations in the fall, we tend to run into park maintenance. Sometimes they are fixing our trail, sometimes trimming trees and then there is…

You Can Teach an Old Horse a New Trick—or at Least Try To

Ellen has had Ranger about 20 years, and they have done all sorts of things together. She has done a good job training him to be a reliable and fun horse to ride. Somehow, she did forget an important lesson, and I didn’t even realize it.

One really, really important thing that…

I have left everyone hanging. A lot has happened with the MerryLegs saga, and I posted it on my Blogger Blog, but not here.  I will get you all up to date.

The Decision

There was no way I could get back on MerryLegs’—the fear was too much, so I realized I had to get help. There is a very good trainer who works at the stables next to us. I contacted her, explained my situation and she agreed to help.

The big day came. It was 3 weeks after the…

Working with horses is the best medicine around. It has been proven that horses really do help to soothe those who are anxious or stressed. Their heart can help to calm our heart rate and therefore calm us down and help us to relax. Those with disabilities and…

"To an optimist, taking a step backwards after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it's more like a Cha-Cha."

Seems like a great way to describe our progress, two steps forward, one step back. Sometimes two steps back.…