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We spent last Saturday, as we do most weekends, out at the farm.  The horses are turned out to graze the green grass in the farmyard while my husband and I work in the garden and our kids play with the kittens and ride bikes and such.   We were getting along well and having an enjoyable…

Summertime is busy.  I love summer, but there is just so much going on, so much garden work to do, so many kids' activities, so many vacations....nope, I am not complaining!  But here it is nearing the end of July, and I finally got my saddle out and dusted it off and discovered that my…

I was recently asked to write a guest post for Equitrekking.com about the best horseback riding trails in Iowa. Equitrekking.com is conducting a 50 State Trail Riding Project, and needed a post for good horseback riding trails in Iowa; so they contacted me to see if they could have permission to reprint my post on the Pierce…

We visited my parents in Idaho around the end of May.  They live in a beautiful valley in the southeast part of the state where they raise beef cattle, Quarter Horses, and mules.  We spent a week out there riding horses, hiking on mountain trails, enjoying their western scenery, and catching up on life among…

We extended our stay in Idaho a couple extra days so that we wouldn't miss their annual cattle drive where they take their cow and calf herd fifteen miles up into the mountains.  It is an all-day event, starting early and ending late, and involves a lot of horseback riding and beautiful scenery.  We didn't…

I'm on vacation this week.  No, not sunning on some beautiful beach somewhere like most people would think of, but in my opinion this is better---I'm visiting my family in Idaho and spending a great percentage of my time horseback.  I usually refer to my folks' place as a "working cattle ranch", with emphasis on…

It's not often I get to ride three different horses in one day---much less, ride new colts and just-started horses, which is one of my favorite things.  I'm in Idaho, visiting my parents and sister, and besides enjoying family time over the Memorial Day weekend and following week, our goal was to put some rides…

I have become a horse collector, evidently.  There are five of them in my corral, and I simply cannot turn down the chance to add another to my collection.  My most recent addition came all the way from Idaho, a gift from my little sister.  She's a pretty blue roan mare named Bluebird, and I…

Branding smoke....a fragrance that isn't likely to be bottled and marketed by Dior or AirWick anytime soon, but nontheless a smell that evokes strong memories, pulling me into a reminiscent state of mind.  I started helping brand calves when I was five years old, back when getting to go along for daily ranch work alongside my dad and siblings was…

You can never have too many horses, right?  My sister from Idaho called me the other day and offered me her beautiful blue roan mare.  I didn't know what to say, other than, "Please and thank you."  Other things went through my head, such as how will I get her here, it's twelve hundred miles…

That old Kenny Rogers song came to mind today, as I was thinking over the happenings of my weekend.  In terms of horses, you should never be too sure of a horse.  Riding horses is always a gamble.  There are no sure bets, and you can win or lose with a stroke of luck, good…

You might remember my previous post regarding Dorothy the Hereford Cow.  She has been part of our family for six years now, and we have grown fond of her.  But Dorothy cannot have a baby calf, having suffered a stillborn and difficult birth in her third year, and so, ever since, she has just been…

I got a phone call last weekend out of the blue.  The guy had been searching online for horse trainers in the area and found an ad I had placed probably eight years ago (before I had kids) when I was looking to take in outside horses to train.  He wondered if I could help…

Cowgirls of yesterday were famous for being bronc riders, sharp shooters, Wild West performers, and Hollywood actresses.  They were brave, fun-loving, hard-working, and maybe just a little bit crazy in the head.  I love reading their individual stories and lists of accomplishments, and it is so inspiring to look into the history of cowgirls.  Not all of them were…

If you've trained a lot of horses, you probably already know that when you're starting a colt, it's not always a bad thing to let them buck.  But I've talked to a few trainers who wholeheartedly disagree with me on the subject, and I've heard stories about people who have the mindset that letting a colt buck will ruin…

We recently stayed at a swanky hotel in St. Louis where my husband attended a business conference for his work.  The kids and I went along just for fun, the thought of spending three days at an indoor-pool-equipped establishment being our main motivation---yes, the long winter is getting to us!  While there, my husband got…

You may have heard about the recent study sponsored by Harley Davidson that found that women who ride motorcycles are happier than women who don't.  The study interviewed 1,013 adult female riders and 1,016 adult female non-riders. "The findings make it clear that riding a motorcycle greatly improves a woman's feelings of overall self-worth."  More than half…

I didn't follow the trend on Facebook of sharing daily posts with something you're thankful for during the month of November, but mentally and in my prayers I listed many things, and decided to post them here.  One of the locals has a good response when he leaves the bank I work at and I…

Riding horses is dangerous.  So is operating an automobile.  So I'm not saying we shouldn't engage in either activity, but I'd like to point out that when you are around a horse, virtually anything can happen.  I've seen good horses in bad wrecks, great riders get broken up, and not-very-cautious riders get away with doing…

I'm concocting a grandiose tale in my head about what might have happened last weekend.  It goes something like this...Cowboy Dad and I loaded up our horses and trailered out to the South Dakota plains where our cow herd spent the summer.  We then rode all day gathering up the herd, enjoying the beautiful western landscape, sorting…