What I Hope For many of us, the world looks significantly different than it did at the beginning of the year. Many stables shut their doors to anyone other than those directly involved in their horses’ care. Others have
I have a pony in the barn, and boy, is she a good teacher. She has nice manners, is easy to make go and stop, and is never fresh. But, if you don’t remember to steer, she will work
Or, How to problem solve during your practice rides How do you approach your rides? For many, riding is for pleasure or therapy. But for those are are working toward specific goals – maybe it’s the next show, or moving
“Can I Get Rid of My Crop?” I hear that question from my students sometimes. My response is generally if you hate carrying a crop, you probably need to carry one more often. It’s the same with the other things
I listen to a lot of Podcasts when I’m driving to horse shows or judging jobs. I like to learn, and podcast became a way for me to learn-on-the-go, filling up otherwise empty time I spend driving. Often, when I
“Clay is shaped into a bowl, But it is the empty space that makes it useful. Cut out doors and windows make a room, But its empty space makes it useful. So, what is there is beneficial – But what
Last week, I took some riders to a show. It was a mixed bag: some good, some not-so-good. There were no blue ribbons, although there were some good placings in competitive classes. With those, however, were a fall, some refusals,
Last week, I taught a new student. Let’s call her Joan. Joan is a Short-Stirrup rider. She can walk, trot and canter, and jump small jumps. She knows how to groom and mount. She knows to keep her heels down
“Before I went to the Olympics I rode all kinds of horses: big and small, cold and hot, ones that stopped, ran away, stood up on their hind legs. To be a great rider you really should be able to ride
My six year old student rushed out the arena door with her determined pony, as I heard her mother call after her, “If you don’t want him to walk, plant your feet.” Her pony had jetted through the doorway, tugging