My friend and student, Joan, and I were chatting in her lesson and she said that her motto lately when it comes to finding time for her Morgan, Baxter, is “DO SOMETHING.” I laughed, because that’s been my theme lately…

A reader from England describes her Welsh gelding as “way more whoa than go.” She writes, “I want to do as much as possible at liberty with him and build a bond and incentive for him to want to be with me.” That’s the good news!

The trouble is: “When I have got on him I always struggle to get him to move, I have to resort to moving his hindquarters over and then…

I just had an incredible training session with my mare, Whimsy! What does an incredible session look like? It’s a session where you have complete connection with your horse and your horse gives everything they’ve got to practice the exercises. We were working on hard stuff! (Tips at…

Can you ride the same horse that you play with at liberty?  Is riding going to damage the partnership?  How can you combine the two styles and how do you introduce them?

Extra is my liberty horse and she gallops around me with her red mane whipping and tail like a ball of fire chasing her down the field.  She prances up to me snorting and blowing.  Everything about…

My ten year old student, Saskia, has her very own new pony, Robin.  Robin is like a beautiful little fairy horse, light and springy on her feet.  She likes to make her own decisions.  That's a good thing!  Sometimes people describe their horses or ponies as "stubborn."  We can offer these ponies decisions to make and activities to do that will help them feel empowered and…

It's time to lighten up and take a load off!  Dive deeper into the magic of horses and truly embrace the depth of the equine heart and intuition.  Discover YOUR intuition.  Let us take you to that peaceful inner knowing and help you find the wisdom within you through play with the horses and yoga for your body and soul.  You don't need to be Gumby or have the six pack abs of a Cirque de Soleil acrobat to join this party.  Bring your body exactly as it is and get to know yourself and horses…

"He's just resisting everything!" Maddie called to me in frustration as she butchered a shoulder-in at the trot on her gelding, Indy. (Somewhere in the world a French cavalry officer was rolling in his grave.) I said "Bring it down to the walk and let's see what you are doing." Maddie deftly performed a gorgeous shoulder-in at the walk with Indy rocking back on his haunches…

Recently a few people have asked me how to get the focus of a horse in a herd. It’s awesome that your horse has the opportunity to live in a herd! Keep that up. But your path to BFF’s is challenging. Your horse doesn’t seem to need you for companionship. Or do they?

Your task is to become more attractive than the group. More awesome. More wonderful. More rewarding…

Alex and I decided to make the trip across the water to see the equine extravaganza, Cavalia - Oddysseo, in Vancouver.  We walked on a morning ferry and then took a bus to the olympic village in the city.  The air in the crowd was electric as the opening act began.  The music, background screen, lighting and stage are gorgeous, but the horses put on the real show.  As the…

I'm not referring to neighing to your departing friends, but if that's your thing go for it. My goal for 2014 is to take more time to be present and take time out to DO less. It’s that time of year when everyone is developing goals to accomplish more and turn over a new leaf. I’m going to try to look at the leaf. And then leave that little sucker alone.

In other…

There’s something about horses that can bring out a fierce inner dragon in us. We can get extremely frustrated while interacting with our horses. Maybe it’s because they are big and intelligent. Perhaps it’s their spirit or expansive energy. Whatever it is, we can snap!

How can you tame yourself and prevent that Yosemite Sam outburst?

I can remember schooling my…

Timid horses are the introverts at the party. They aren't usually the first horses to come up and say, "Hello!" but they can make for lovely personalities to befriend. They are naturally super light and responsive to signals and this can make them great fun to play with. Playing with a timid horse is our chance to observe subtle body language and energy manipulation in…

Horses are hungry. The only time a horse is not hungry is when he is on his death bed or very stressed (unless he's a stress eater like me...then hide the chocolate! er... grass). Horses will choose to sleep or play at times, but if you walk up and ask (with a big bucket of treats) while they are sleeping or playing, "Are you hungry?", you won't usually be…

In the last blog post I introduced you to Alex and her lovely three year old filly, Kalipso.  Within days of starting Kali under saddle, Alex was out riding safely on the trail.  If your baby has a good start they can be safely and successfully introduced to the wonders of the world early on.

Last week I watched Kali wander past a bed frame on the side of the road,…

Last week Alex had her first ride on her three year old filly, Kalipso. Yesterday they went for their first trail ride down the trans Canada trail! Kali was calm and easy to handle every time. Her first rides have been completely solid and stress free. With any green horse you want them calm, but Kali is over 16 hands and as a big baby, it's vital that the situation is safe…

Sound the trumpets! We have a new horse at the farm and he's quite a character. He likes to lick people like a dog and is very fond of people in general. Indy is a joy to interact with. My property is perimeter fenced and when it's time to bring the horses in off my pastures, I just open the gate and they all run to their separate grain eating areas. The first day I called…

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…

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…