As a natural health practitioner, I have a wide variety of modalities to choose from when making recommendations for my clients, my family, and my animals.  Sometimes I select an herb or two.  Other times I may use a homeopathic remedy.  But what I turn to more than anything are therapeutic-grade essential oils.  I call them “Turbo Herbal Medicine”.…

Think of it as a trip to the amusement park- with your horse.

I didn’t start out doing Natural Horsemanship. I started out before that phrase was invented.  Like a lot of us, I used voice commands while lunging and required good ground manners. I did the rest from my saddle; riding was my thing.

To tell…

As people continue to live unhealthy lifestyles; eating processed foods, drinking lots of soda and coffee, and not getting enough rest, the more people are experiencing bouts with a cold or flu.  Here are some simple, natural ways to fight these pesky bugs!

1)  Alkalize!  Pathogens (germs) thrive in an acidic environment.  Your body becomes acidic when you eat a…

Horses are my life. As a person who is deeply involved in all aspects of the horse on a daily basis, I strive for a connection with each of them and work at understanding and communicating in a way that is fair, humane and encourages trust and connection. This stuff doesn't happen overnight (necessarily) - it doesn't happen immediately in our human-to-human relationships…

By Patti Bartsch, M.A., Ph.D. ~ www.NaturallyUnbridled.com

Ok, well maybe "lie" is a little on the strong side but intentional misconception hits it right on the head! Most of my coaching clients tell me that they eat "pretty…

The Running Horse





A Bi-monthly Newsletter from Horse Play



Special…

Wednesday I saw a tornado.  Up close, while trapped in my car on an elevated stretch of highway in Springfield, Mass. Scary!  Funny what a random lethal event does to your head.  It’s clarifying. 

My sister, a fellow agnostic, asked me if I prayed.  The question took me off guard, and its answer surprised me a bit: I didn’t.  I’d wondered if this was “it”, and then thought, why not?  I don’t live in the area, just happened to be there at that moment as I traveled to Vermont for…

Inspired by the "Road to the Horse 2011" on DVD which arrived last week, I've decided to implement an intensive training program to get Brody ready to be ridden.  Brody's been with us almost one year now, and he came to us with a suspensory injury.  But the vet came last week for Brody's vaccinations, and gave the go ahead to climb on and ride. Woohoo!

Brody may be physically ready to be ridden, but mentally and emotionally he is not.  (And, of course, there is the…

"Respect is appropriate response to pressure."  I heard Pat Parelli say this once, and the ring of its truth is undeniable.  Whether working on the ground or in the saddle, a horse's appropriate response to pressure is essential to any activity.  Brody definitely needs (re)education on this!

Maybe lack of cooperation is his passive-aggressive platform for establishing dominance, or maybe I haven't been consistent enough in establishing my expectations and requiring him to…

The story of how a horse goes from a second chance pony, into an inspirational life changing horse.

http://horsecarezone.com/navaras-story/navaras-story-part-3-time-for-change-just-the-beginning/

Navara's story. Tell me what you think so far. I hope you enjoy

I really want to focus on strengthening my leadership, so that eventually I can safely ride Brody and take him out on the road.  Here's how I worked to establish my physical space with Brody this week.

First, Brody did not want to be haltered, especially once he caught sight of the rope and stick.  So I swung the halter towards his hindquarters and got him moving off whenever he started stepping away from me.  When Brody wheeled to face me, I turned my back to him and stand…

So good to be back after a very long winter!  I've been freshening up my groundwork skills, reviewing Parelli and catching up on all the Downunder Horsemanship (Clinton Anderson) episodes I recorded from RFD-TV.  Yesterday I decided to get back in the paddock for a first session, and I was amazed at how much Brody remembered, particularly changing direction on a circle.  We seemed to have just about picked up where we left off.  I decided to keep it short and vary the exercises a…

The Running Horse 

A Bi-monthly Newsletter from Horse Play

March - April 2011

Horse Play

EIN: 05-0506340

Website:  www.hptrc.org

Email:  horseplayri@msn.com

Message from Aidan – the Alpha Mare

Spring might be coming! Rain, mud – but mud is better than ice - then there…

The Running Horse

A Bi-monthly Newsletter from Horse Play

Jan – Feb 2011…

For a while now, I have been talking with and surveying equestrians and what I found out has been most interesting.…