It’s time for fall vet checkups and just as talk about the doctor or dentist can bring some of us humans anxiety, the idea of having our horses seen by the vet can bring about similar feelings especially if past vet visits have not gone well. In honor of Halloween this Thursday we want to [...]
Finding Time to Learn Since moving to Indiana in early July, I have had the privilege of devoting more time to developing my own horsemanship. Not only have I had time to read new books and watch new training videos, but I have also been able to take lessons both on the ground and under [...]
Recently I have been working with a fellow boarder’s horse since she is limited on time. The horse, D, spent some time alone before moving to this barn and at some point, in his past, a pasture mate passed away as well, a recent story of a mother orca carrying her dead infant has been [...]
Dear Izzie, When I think of our time together so many memories and thoughts flood my head. Some make me laugh, some make me cry but all make me feel such a sense of gratitude. I knew the day that I met you that you were special. You were terrified, but you were interested, so [...]
An Experience I Forgot, but Will Never Forget On September 24th, 2018 I was in an unfortunate accident with a horse and ended up with a serious concussion. I was grooming in the barn and the horse spooked, flipped over backwards and fell on top of me. We are not totally sure what happened, but [...]
To horse people, the word ‘barn’ means so much more than a building. Our definition is not in the dictionary. ‘My barn’ encompasses the people and pastures and shelters and surroundings that support the horses and owners and riders. A horse barn is a space. A barn is where wondrous creatures from diverse and interesting [...]
The other day I spent some time watching the horses. I watch them often but today when I went to the farm my only intention was to observe the herd. I treated it like a walking meditation, observing the horses and observing myself. When I had questions or what I perceived as negative thoughts I [...]
“You need to be the boss! Show him that you are the leader!” Most of us have heard some rendition of this at the barn. When a horse and human are struggling to connect the blame is often put on the fact that the human is not being bossy enough to make the horse do [...]
He’s difficult, she’s stubborn, he doesn’t listen, she’s naughty, he’s impatient. You could overhear sentiments like these about horses at any farm, or even taking it out of the context of horses, anywhere. You’ve probably also said them yourself. I know I have. I don’t believe that labels are always inherently bad, even ones we [...]
All of us have experienced uncertainty at some point. Uncertainty is so common within our daily lives that many of us can probably think of a few different times today that we felt uncertain. How do you typically respond to uncertainty? Have you ever paid attention to how others respond to uncertainty? Have you ever [...]
Exploring the horse - human connection 