I was whining to my mother about not having a horse to train. She had been looking at a nice little reining type quarter horse with a friend, why didn’t I get him she asked. I don’t want a quarter horse I whined.  You have Princess Onna, my daughters mare, why don’t you train on her? My mom is so patient and apparently I whine a lot because she just wasn’t what I wanted either she’s old and broke good enough. I wanted a nice young, unstarted, western bred Morgan. Not that I’m picky or…

I can still hear my early instructors barking at me. Like any novice, while I focused on keeping my horse going or identifying the right diagonal, my hands would elevate and bounce around. But the more I tried to force them down, the stiffer and more jarring they became. As a coach, I make it a goal to describe the importance of and specifically how to develop…

Bingo Improves--Slowly

When I arrived at Debbie’s barn her daughter, Sam, was hosing down a TALL chestnut mare’s left hock.  Another mare had kicked her there during turnout, and it was swelling.  When Debbie’s granddaughter led Bingo to me, I had her tie him up several stalls down from the wash stalls because the mare was not happy at all about being hosed.  Then Sam had to get Debbie’s help because the mare refused, refused, and refused again to take her medicine.  So I had to start…

 I learned equitation fundamentals to the repetitive tune of  “head up, heels down!” trotting around and around  the riding school ring. I aquired the “whats” of riding in those early years, but didn’t get good answers to my “whys!”  It’s a shame – if I’d grasped the logic and the science behind the skills, and how I’d use them in the future, I’d have been…

Winter Tries to Return

This week was full of physical soreness for me, and changing weather for the horses. 

When I arrived at Debbie’s stable Wednesday morning for my lesson I told Debbie that I was not up to much activity.  That suited Debbie just fine; she had to give her soon to be endurance horse, the Arab gelding Tercel, another ride before her first formal long distance ride to get him used to his new endurance bridle and breastplate.  She also wanted my opinion on how…

Bingo Tells Me That I Am Just Not Steady Enough    

Wednesday morning was beautiful, cool enough so I could wear my Back on Track back and neck wraps and warm enough that I could wear my spring riding tights and just a light jacket against the remaining morning chill.  The sun was shining, the breeze was balmy, and the horses were happily soaking up the sun.

I did not use the BOT hock boots, since Bingo had made painfully clear that he really does not like them.  Of course,…