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If you're wondering how I got to be horse crazy, the photo above serves as an explanation. That is my mom, at about six months, on her pony Mickey, with her dad at her side. My mom grew up with horses, and her favorite was a horse named Old Paint, whom she kept from childhood…

This is one of my horse drawings I found in an old journal of mine. A bunch of my artwork was destroyed when stored in our basement that flooded last spring. I had forgotten that my drawings were down there! So it was neat to find this drawing, forgotten but still in good shape. A…

In 2001, I was a lonely single schoolteacher just out of college, living in a little farmhouse in the country with not many hobbies or friends in the area. I remember sharing my passion for horses with my students, and two little twins in my second grade class would say, "Oh, we have a horse!…

Summer is by far the best time for horseback riding! There is nothing like an evening ride when a hot day begins cooling off. These rides are best enjoyed bareback, as the horses seem to have a lighter step and are happy to go on a joy-ride, rather than work. My best memories of childhood…

It has been pouring steadily here for a couple of days, and a neighbor told me his rain gauge shows 6 inches so far. I had planned a day of riding, but am going to put that on hold and write a little bit about rain rot. It's something I've only seen once or twice,…

I got to go horseback riding with my little sister last week, which is something I don't get to do that often, since there are about 18 hours of interstate between us. Being eleven years older than she, I sort of have that typical older sister mentality that she ought to listen to whatever I…

We just got back from visiting my parents who live in Idaho. They live in a beautiful valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains and raise beef cattle, alfalfa hay, and Quarter horses. We hoped to get there in time to help with their spring round-up and cattle drive taking cow-calf pairs up into the mountains for…

What is it about color on a horse that makes it worth double the price? Right now, Cowboy Dad and I are looking at buying a really flashy buckskin mare. She is not registered or well-trained, hasn't been ridden in over a year, doesn't neck-rein, and the owners can't ride her anymore due to health…

If you've been involved with horses for any length of time, you will find that the horse industry is much like the used car industry. There are a lot of scoundrels out to get your money and will do anything to make a buck. The term "horse dealer" does not carry a good connotation, since…

In the horse world, the over-abundance of free-flying opinions is always evident. You can have two different horsemen with successful training programs and they will not see eye-to-eye on even one training technique. One topic that often sparks a good debate is training horses in a round pen. I have heard horse people claim that…

Rudy is the horse from my childhood who taught me the most. I've spent more time horseback on Rudy than any other horse in my life. He is on that pedestal in my memory where all faults are forgiven and forgotten--to me, he is the best horse in the world. Rudy was born special. My…

It's the time of year to get cattle out to pasture, and that always means lots of horseback time for me. As a kid, I looked forward to the spring cattle drives, knowing it would be a great way to test out my horse and gauge the progress we were both making in becoming solid…

I talked to my mom on the phone today. She said they have a new foal on their ranch, a dark brown horse colt with white feet and a big star on his face. She asked me to help them come up with a name for it, and I'd love to except for the fact…

1.   Prepare your horse by perfecting his leading and ground handling skills. If a horse is not completely halterbroke and responsive to being led and handled, you should not attempt to train the horse to lunge. Spend a lot of time with your horse and practice basic leading skills until they are perfected. 2.  The…