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Usually my horse maintenance plan goes something like this:  pitching hay morning and night and making sure they're all walking on four legs.  But sometimes horses require more than that.  We had the vet come out the other day, to castrate our buckskin yearling stallion and check on his mother's health.  Both of the buckskins have…

This is Dorothy, our favorite pet cow.  Disregarding the fact that I grew up on a ranch where we really didn't name cattle, as all of the calves were destined for the sale pen and most of the cows were a uniform black color with no distinguishing characteristics...we now have a small enough herd with enough…

For the beginning horse enthusiast, the task of buying all the stuff that is needed for horse ownership can be exhausting.  It can also drain your bank account very quickly, and without prior experience you might find yourself buying things you will never use, or horse items that aren't the best quality.  This article will…

Okay, so it's been a long time since I've posted anything here at CowgirlDiary, and I apologize...it's been summer and a lot has happened, and---sad to say---none of it was horse-related.  But it's been fun, and busy, and crazy, and I'm just now getting to sit down and sort through photos and reminisce a little…

When I was sixteen years old, my dad bought me a beautiful black colt to train.  That colt took all of my focus, my affection, my time, and attention, and I was devastated a few months later when he got badly hurt and had to be put down.  I remember making a promise to him,…

I've been mulling a bit lately, over the horse ownership thing again.  I've mentioned before that I feel guilty about owning horses and not spending much time with them, aside from feeding time.  I confess that it's been about three months since I've ridden....in fact, I can't even remember the ride at all, or when…

So here's our third giveaway for the month of June---isn't this fun?!!!  This week I am featuring the paperback version of Horses Never Lie About Love, by Jana Harris, which I have reviewed before on my blog.  It's a true life story, nothing fictional about it, but it gives you a clear picture of one…

Most of us horse lovers have been inspired by horses and riders in the movies at one point or another.  Whether it was growing up watching Bonanza or seeing Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken for the first time, those horses and the people who rode them made a big impact on us and deepened our interest in…

I'm so excited to share this with you!  This week's giveaway is a beautiful beaded bracelet with silver horse themed accents and intricate detailing, offered by WyoStyle, and designed by Equestrian Designer Kerstin Stock.  Additionally, WyoStyle is offering a discount to all CowgirlDiary.com readers.  Their items are uniquely designed for horse enthusiasts, and you'll really…

One of the really cool perks of blogging is the offer of horse-related merchandise to feature on my blog.  I recently received several items to review, and am ready to launch a series of giveaways here on CowgirlDiary!  Keep a close watch over the next couple of weeks, and I'll be telling you all about them…

Today's post was written by Paula, who visited my blog and sent me an email asking for advice.  This is her success story of finding a horse of her own.  Ever since I was a little girl I recall wanting to be a cowgirl. I had this pair of cowboy boots that you would have thought were…

I finally got word from my folks about their first crop of foals from their new stallion, and best of all, they sent pictures! Now I can't wait to travel out to their ranch in Idaho to see them for myself. They have had a good foaling year (last spring they not only lost a…

I started drawing horses when I was four.  I remember I had been given a large book of colored construction paper, and if I had been more frugal I might have understood that such a variety of colors could have been used more creatively.  But I made a horse drawing on each page of that…

We're still trying to come up with a name for our mare.  We have kicked around ideas, but no matter what one person suggests, someone else has an aversion to that particular name, or they have a suggestion that they think would work better.  I'm beginning to think that I just don't have the imagination…

Last weekend we took our cows out west where I grew up.  From here, it's a four hour ride in a car...a six hour ride for a cattle pot and truck and trailer with seven people packed into the crew cab.  Saturday was one long hectic day.  But it was one of the best weekends…

I've been going to a lot of cattle sales lately, at the local auction barn.  Inevitably, there are two or three horses there every week, and I'm always curious at what they bring.  I wonder why they were brought there, and where they are going after that final winning bid.  It always makes me wish I had…

I was at the cattle auction last Friday watching our feeder heifers sell when I got a text message from my brother-in-law that said, "You haven't been checking on your adopted calf lately, have you?" I panicked, thinking maybe it was dead. "No, why? Is it sick?" I typed back. "Emaciated, lethargic, and has a…

It's springtime, and babies are being born, and it makes me start wishing and hoping.  No, we don't have any expectant mares this year, but my folks out in Idaho have several mares that are bred to this Hancock bred blue roan stallion, Handmade Forever, for his first foal crop.  They purchased the stud colt and…

I've been really busy the last three days.  Four days ago we lost a calf.  One of our herefords' calves was stillborn, and it's a real shame because the calf really would have been something---a purebred hereford bull calf.  But for some reason or other, he didn't make it through the birth process.  So we…

When you're just buying a horse, or beginning riding a new horse, it can be really hard to know what type of bit to use.  There are two ends of the spectrum, where you don't want to use a bit that is too severe and risk ruining a horse's mouth, but you also don't want to…