Articles

I was offered the chance to read and review a book called "What the Bible Says About Animals", by Jacquelyn Wilkins, and was thrilled. The book is written in a very reader-friendly, conversational style, in which the author shares her own story and viewpoint, based on numerous verses of Scripture.  The book resonated with me…

I was recently asked to review some horse grooming products for a local company here in Iowa called Equi-Spa.  I gladly agreed, but it was just coming into the dead of winter, and since my horses are kept mostly-outdoors (they have a shed they can freely go in and out of for shelter, but usually…

I just got a new book in the mail, called "Cowgirl Lessons", by Rae Rankin.  It's a sweetly rhyming storybook about a little girl's adventures on her horse riding lesson day, and it's illustrated by J-san with whimsical ponies and all the cowgirl details you could hope for in a children's book.  You get a…

A cowgirl friend of mine (Allie, who blogs over at Rocking E Cowgirl) asked me if I would be interested in trying out some ShadowSense eye shadow.  I'm not one to go buy the latest greatest thing, but I like wearing makeup so I said, "Sure!" From what I had heard about LipSense, I knew…

It has been busy around here, and I can't believe it's April and three months have passed since my last blog post.  One of my excuses is that it's calving season, and this year has been especially difficult.  When cattle are involved, there's always trouble of some sort.  This spring, we have had cows with stillborn babies,…

These two AQHA mares are being offered for sale, located at my dad's place in Challis, Idaho.  They have been raised, trained, and ridden on his ranch, sometimes used to work cattle and sometimes for recreational riding.  Dad retired a year ago, sold the cattle and the ranch, and dispersed of most of the horses.  He…

I started giving horseback riding lessons to two little girls this past summer.  With fall approaching, daylight savings time changing things up, and the temperatures dropping, we started feeling like our horse riding time might be nearing an end.  So we decided that since these warm fall days are still lingering here in the Midwest, we would make…

Alert all your horse-loving and book-reading friends!  CowgirlDiary.com is giving away a new book, just released this month!  It is The Tale of the Dancing Slaughter Horse by Victoria Shade, and is a memoir written about her life growing up with horses and learning dressage, finally getting a horse of her own, and finding out…

Well, just when everything is finally going good...the pony recovering from her tendon injury down at summer pasture with the two buckskins, and the older mares at home being used for weekly riding lessons...disaster strikes.  Sunday we were at the farm after lunch, planning to work on rebuilding a fence, and so while we were…

I was recently asked by a friend of mine if I would give horseback riding lessons to her two daughters.  I have never taken riding lessons or given a formal riding lesson.  But it sounded like fun to me, so I said "yes".  The girls are beginner riders, and I am a beginner teacher, but…

It was a year ago that we enjoyed being a part of my youngest sister's wedding on the ranch out in Idaho.  She got engaged in May and married in September, so the wedding had to be planned in a hurry.  I wanted to help her with the preparations, but I live over eighteen hours…

As I recently browsed the Nebraska/Iowa Horses For Sale pages on Facebook, I kept seeing a lot of ponies.  So I mentioned to my husband that we should get a pony while the kids are still little.  He said, "No horses.  But I might consider a pony for the kids."  Well, you know....that was a…

This is me, at age one, riding my trusty horse.  Wow...it's been a long time since I've written here at CowgirlDiary!  I love blogging, but sometimes it's hard to keep with the theme here because I have not been doing much riding lately, and when there is little to no horse activity, it's hard to…

It's always something.  This time, it's our twenty-three-year-old horse Red, who has developed severe allergies and has what is called "heaves" in horses, or COPD in humans.  The symptoms are a deep cough, difficulty breathing so you see his sides "heave" in and out with each breath (hence, the name "heaves"), lack of appetite or…

It was a little over a month ago that I found my favorite mare Penny with a really bad slice under her hind pastern, and I was afraid she might die from it (she had lost so much blood!), or might never recover full use of that leg.  I did get her to the vet…

I wanted to post a collection of photos of my horse Rudy through the years, just to remember him by. He was the best horse in the world. I remember in high school I entered a writing contest and the title of my essay was "The Best Horse in the World"...I don't remember everything I…

When Rudy had to be put down, I saved a strand of his tail hair to have something made to remember him by.  In the days following his death, I did an internet search for hand-braided horse hair bracelets, and sifted through a few different companies and artists who make them.  I found the website…

I haven't had the best luck with my horses this winter.  I went out Monday morning (a week ago) to feed, and saw Penny standing out by the hay feeder alone.  All the other horses were inside their run-in shed, as it was a cold morning with high winds and blowing snow.  I didn't think…

I lost my horse Rudy on the 3rd of January. He was almost twenty-eight years old, and ever since he came to live with us in October, I have worried about him. I knew he wasn't going to live forever, but I had hoped for a few more years, especially now that we were reunited.…

This time of year, it's an expected thing to receive gifts.  Around Christmas time you get a new calendar from the feed store, a pair of gloves from the company you buy your calf vaccine from, a candy cane from some random Santa you meet while shopping, a bonus from the work place...and so it…