It’s not dramatic when I say that riding in a clinic with Kirsten Nelsen this weekend was life-changing. Her whole philosophy is called Training for Optimal Balance, which includes both physical and mental balance for horses and riders. She is a follower of Jean Luc Cornille and his philosophy of the Science of Motion. The weekend … More The Life-Changing Kirsten Nelsen Clinic
In my lesson last week, Drifter was pretty lazy and dopey. I was actually pretty happy about this because the last three weeks or so, he’s been pretty spooky and revved up – particularly in one stupid corner where, apparently, there be dragons. (Screw you, winter in Wisconsin!) Anyway. He mostly ignored the Dragon Corner … More Drifter Jumps Like a Big Boy
Is it possible that it was just four months ago that I posted about saddle searching in earnest? It feels like a lifetime. I had been tentatively searching for a little while before that. And I finally found one! I spent the first few months of my search doing a lot of research while I waited for … More Saddle Success!
Over the weekend, I had a jumping lesson on Drifter. He has been coming along so well, even after having three weeks off around the holidays while I was traveling, dealing with the awful mud we’ve been having and the fluctuations this week from sub-zero to 40-degree weather. It’s enough to make even the sanest person go … More Drifter: A Jumper in the Making
News: I have started a new job! Now I am surrounded by people who don’t yet know that I’m a horse person. And that’s inevitably going to lead to some confusing conversations. I can’t tell you how many times in the past that I’ve said, “I’m going to the barn tomorrow morning,” only to have … More Things Horse People Say That Have Absolutely No Meaning in the Real World
The call comes from your instructor (or maybe you’re just really masochistic motivated): “drop your irons.” And at first you’re like: okay, I got this. Yeah. I’m awesome! I’m so strong and balanced! Half a lap around the arena you’re like, By now your legs are really burning. Maybe your instructor is giggling gleefully in the middle … More Throwback Thursday: Thoughts while Riding without Stirrups
Oh my gosh, guys. In my most recent lesson on Drifter, we jumped for real! Not just cavalettis or even a single small jump; they were real, honest jumps! It was nice enough to ride outside, so our trainer, Leanne, wanted to have us experiment with going over the colorful, “spookier” jumps set up out … More That Time I Jumped Drifter (Again)
Autumn is a time of transition, and for me it is no different. Twinkle and I have competed together in our last show as a team, and we’re parting ways. This was always the plan: Ride and compete with Twinkle for a year, then go on to riding Drifter full time. It’s bittersweet all the … More Moving on, with a Twinkle in My Eye
Not too long ago I read an article about how women tend use qualifying words like “just” to pacify those around them. In a work setting, it could be used like this: “I’m just checking to see when you might have that project completed.” Just. It softens things. Makes you less demanding. Less “bossy.” Since … More Why I’m Banishing the Words “I Don’t Know” from My Vocabulary
Last week, Twinkle had a visit from the chiropractor, so I rode Drifter in my lesson. Usually we either jump or work on fairly advanced stuff since the lesson is a group of older competitive riders, so I was both excited and slightly nervous about riding Drifter in that environment. But I was mostly looking … More That Time I Jumped Drifter
Centered in the Saddle 