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We took our kids riding yesterday afternoon. It was a glorious sunny day with typical 30 mph winds accompanying the warmth. We had recently purchased a new riding helmet for our daughter, since she had outgrown the smaller one, and felt like the best thing to do with our Sunday afternoon was to test it…

It was one year ago today that I started this horse blog, and it's been a wonderful adventure to share my horse experiences with all of you. Bringing so many old memories to life has been richly rewarding, and I love thinking back on the horses I knew as a kid. As a big thank…

One thing I love about horses is their individual personalities. Just as every person in the world has his own characteristics, every horse is wired differently. And just like every good group of friends has a goofball in it, the horse bunch I grew up with had its own class clown, Gunner. Gunner was my…

Here in the midwest things are changing. It's unbelievable what a week's worth of rain can do for the dried up roots of winter....everything in Iowa is magically green! Our horses are anxiously awaiting turnout, greeting me with whinnies whenever I appear. I love watching them canter out to graze, usually bucking or tossing their…

Spring is right up there on my list of favorite things. There's nothing more refreshing than new flowers, baby calves, twittering robins, and the earthy smell of overturned dirt. It always gives me a sense of excitement and anticipation of the even better season of summer that's coming. Spring brings so many reminders of the…

"I'm so busy I don't know whether I found a rope or lost my horse." A co-worker read this quote to me yesterday from a t-shirt catalog she was thumbing through. As I laughed aloud, I thought, "That pretty much sums up how I feel." Spring hasn't really even gotten into full swing, and I…

I have a friend here visiting from Australia for a couple of months, and we went horseback riding yesterday. It's finally starting to warm up here in the midwest, and with warm breezes beckoning, we put on our riding boots and headed out to the farm. The horses are shedding their winter hair, so it…

My grandma was an avid horse lover. Maybe not as horse crazy as I am, because she had too much work to do to spend any time on horses. But I think that horses were always on her mind. She had these songs that she would sing as she worked---pulling weeds, snapping beans, folding laundry,…

Writing in response to a recent question from a reader of my horse blog, I'd like to address the issue of how to correct a horse that bites you when you're handling it. In this day and age of political correctness, what kind of discipline is acceptable to train a horse to not bite? By…

It's been awhile since I've had the chance to just spend the day following my horse around. But today I was thinking back to when I was a kid, when I would be at the barn all day, not necessarily riding, but just spending time with the horses. There's a lot to be said for…

Every body's got a tale to tell, and if you've been as enthusiastic about outdoor activities as I have, chances are you have some scars as reminders of your experiences. I noticed a scar of mine the other day, which made me start thinking about how I got that scar, which made me wonder just…

I always think about my black colt this time of year. If you read my previous post about saying goodbye to a horse, and my horse poems I wrote about his death, you understand part of the story. But I would like to tell the rest of the story and give more of a background…

One of the hardest things in the world is saying goodbye to a pet or animal that you love. I have lost several horses during my life, and each occurrence was something I felt I would never quit hurting over. So much of grief involves the frustration of being helpless to remedy the situation, and…

Here's a point to ponder for all of you horse lovers out there:  Don't get so horse crazy that you lose all common sense. Getting caught up in your enthusiasm and passion for horses can easily overshadow some basic truths that I would like to point out.  1. No horse is worth getting hurt badly…

Some of my latest musings have been on the attire related to the western horse person. I saw one of the local "cowboys" at the gas station today, he was driving a Ford Escort and stepped out to pump gas wearing a starched western shirt, cowboy hat, boots, spurs, and nasty-tight Wranglers. I quickly averted…

Training a horse can be really hard and really easy. It depends on how well you can communicate to the horse and how well you can read what the horse is thinking. If you can recognize the moment in which the horse is trying to work for you and reward him for it, it creates…

Whether you're paying someone to train your horse, give you lessons, or simply choosing which trainer to watch and follow on RFDtv, it's important to understand what you're learning and make an educated choice concerning trainers.  If you're in the horse business for long at all, you will come to find out that not every…

I received an email yesterday from a reader of my blog who wanted some advice and emotional support.  It seems she has been helping out at a rescue facility for some time, and has put so much of her heart into bonding with the horses and helping rehabilitate them, only to have to give them up when…

I'm no expert on horse conformation. I sometimes look at a horse and think, "Wow---he's beautiful!" and totally miss that his shoulder is too straight or his stifle is weak. For the average horse lover, conformation isn't a big deal. We just love looking at horses. But for a serious rider, it's one of the…

I'm feeling a bit of cabin fever today. This is our second day of a blizzard here in the midwest, and it really puts a damper on my mood. I did venture outside once, to feed the horses and make sure their water was thawed. I felt sorry enough for them to carry most of…