Joe and I continue working together on accepting the bit and being balanced. It’s amazing to me how this horse runs through his inside shoulder. It has become clear that he is extremely unbalanced and maybe more than a little willing to let me prop him up rather than balancing himself. Naughty me. I have … More Your Horse Is Not Being Rude. Except When He Is.
This week I had another lesson on Little Joe (21 degrees this week – positively balmy!). It felt like our best ride so far, in terms of making a connection and building our relationship. Joe is really starting to accept the bit, and will even soften and bend through the corners…sometimes. He is still lacking … More Things That Look Easy, But Aren’t
There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse. Robert Smith Surtees, “Chapter XXX: Bolting the Badger,” Mr. Sponge’s Sporting Tour, 1853
This post has nothing to do with horses, but it has to do with the concept of staying centered in that if I don’t have an outlet for this, I might be tempted to leave a very nasty note on a windshield. And it would be worthless, other than to make me feel a bit better…for … More Thanks, Neighbor: My $400 Mistake
Over the past month or so, every blog post I started began with something like, “I’ve still just been working a bajillion hours…” so I didn’t complete them. There wasn’t much to say beyond the fact that I was working, riding occasionally and sleeping. That was my life, and it was necessary for awhile, but … More Goodbye, 2013. It’s been real.
For crying out loud. It’s been more than two weeks since I’ve been able to bring myself to sit down and write a blog post. In about that same time period, I’ve had two rides…one of which was today, and the other was a week or so ago and I had exactly zero motivation to … More And She Ventured Out into The Sun
Title: Riding Simplified Author: Margaret Cabell Self Publisher: Ronald Press Company, New York Date: 1948 Pages: 77 Topic: Horsemanship, beginning riding Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 My Take: This was a quick read and worth it the couple of hours it took to read it straight through. While certainly geared toward beginners, it’s always good to be reminded of the basics. The … More Book: ‘Riding Simplified’ by Margaret Cabell Self
We all know the Golden Rule: “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”/”treat others as you would like to be treated.” Seems like a nice sentiment and a good way to approach relationships, right? At work, a very smart colleague told me that she recently heard a keynote speaker talking about … More The Platinum Rule
I had a really great lesson on Husky yesterday, where we focused on changing gaits by using just our energy. Here’s what we did: The Exercise: Visualize yourself as an hourglass. When you want to go from a walk to a trot, imagine all your energy moving from your legs up into your shoulders. Feel … More Don’t Get Stuck in the “Oh, Craps”
It’s been a tough few weeks. There has been a lot going on in my life, both exciting and not-so-exciting. All fairly stressful. It has really tested me on staying centered in my life outside of the barn. If I’m being honest, I haven’t always succeeded (but that’s okay). In my lesson last night, we … More There is No Room for Frustration
Centered in the Saddle 