It is autumn now. I should be writing poetic blogs about geese on the wing, abundant golden harvests, or maybe a symbolic essay about the seasons of life. I’m not in the mood.

Every day the sun comes up later, and goes down earlier.  The drought has drained my beautiful pond, my pasture has fried and died. Hay prices are simply impossible. Some of the elder barn residents are…

It goes without saying that Duke Ellington is right, about most everything. And even horses agree.

But I get ahead of myself. This is how it starts: you’re riding, moving in unison with your horse. You’re fluid, and free-…

When the autumn time change happens, I always feel like my house gets smaller- by a few acres. The outside is my favorite room and I resent winter for taking it from me.

And is it just me- or is every winter somehow a bit more twisted and confused than the one before?

In the dark months, everything on the prairie seems the very definition of the dead of winter. It’s a monotone landscape, flat-cold, with not many trees to distract my sullen gaze.

And just when…

“Do you ever wake up and wonder how your life got you to this day? Oh well, no time to daydream. Off to church with the donkeys.” That was my Facebook post, and my friend responded, “Donkey church or donkeys take you to church?”

Neither. Actually the donkeys get invited every year (last year.) But the comment got me thinking about Donkey Church. What would that be like? Is there a…

Top 10 Wind List:

The advantages of not having an indoor arena on the flat, windy, treeless plains of Colorado.

10. Less time is spent working the arena -as all hoof prints are erased hourly, along with the top inch of sand.

9. Wind helps with the spring grooming -working like a brand new shedding blade.

8. Riding with feel is increased as your goggles get covered with dust, or you simply ride  with your eyes closed one direction .

7. Un-cued, near…

Riders know this lesson; if you get bucked off you have to climb back on. That’s the rule. Horse or rider are better for it. They say that the hardest thing about riding is hitting the ground (sigh) but I disagree. The recovery is often more challenging.

I think we are afraid of what we know- more than the unknown. Experience makes it personal. Once we have…