This is not a winter we will soon forget. More snow, ice, wind and cold weather than I can remember for some time. Thankfully, we have a nice toasty indoor arena, but after a few months of riding inside, the horses are eager for a different point of view. It was awesome to spend a week up in Fort Collins at CSU Equine with my two horses, Annie and Pepperoni. We had some quality … [Read more...]
Horse Master Memories
After 11 years of producing the TV show, Horse Master with Julie Goodnight, and 260 episodes featuring a different horse and rider, I made the decision to end the series. Eleven years is a long run for a TV show—by any standards—and it was important for me to go out while we were still on top and time to move onto other projects. Although I will miss the Horse Master crew, the … [Read more...]
March 2019 Letter from Julie
Dear friends, Last month, my horses and I spent a week at Colorado State University, substitute teaching for the Legends of Ranching colt-starting class. (This class has 32 young, untrained horses paired with 32 student trainers starting them under-saddle and prepping them for the Legends of Ranching Sale on April 19th), and guest-lecturing in a few other equine classes. It’s … [Read more...]
February 2019 Horse Report
I’ve had a little more time on my horses this month. Pepperoni, now a 3-year-old, is progressing nicely after a small setback from a stifle sprain. After treatment from Dr. Potter (who was kind enough to treat him on Christmas Eve so I didn’t lose another week of training), some rest and rehab, Pepper is back to 100%. We did lose about three weeks of training, which will make … [Read more...]
Horse Master with Julie Goodnight, The Final Chapter
My career as a horse trainer took a sudden detour back in 2008, when I went from riding horses for a living to producing a television series, called Horse Master with Julie Goodnight. Becoming an Executive Producer and Host of a TV series was not in the original business plan, when I started my horse training company back in 1987. But when a door opens, I tend to lunge for it. … [Read more...]
February 2019 Letter from Julie
Dear friends, This year is off to a roaring start for me, with an early trip to Denver for the WESA market show (a trade show for buyers and sellers of horse-related products). It’s a great opportunity to network and strategize with corporate partners, and to see innovative new products that are coming on the market. Then toward the end of the January, I headed to Miami … [Read more...]
January 2019: Horse Report
At the moment, all my horses are healthy and sound (knock on wood), but we’ve been contending with injuries and various lameness issues rotating through my herd. Dually is looking better than he has in a long, long time. Just when I had given up on being able to ride him again, he seems to be sound! I still won’t ride him, but I’m going to start some light exercise with him to … [Read more...]
Back to Basics: Part 2, Square-One in the Riding Arena
When a horse’s training is either lacking or confused, we often talk about going “back to basics.” Last month, I talked about basic training from the ground—and how important it is to have a well-mannered, attentive and cooperative horse on the ground—before moving up to training under-saddle. If being on the ground with the horse is a harrowing experience, why on earth would I … [Read more...]
January 2019 Letter from Julie
Dear friends, I’m not one to look in the rearview mirror for too long—I’m too pre-occupied with what’s in front of me. I’ve got so many exciting new projects coming to fruition this year, and I’m thrilled the time has finally arrived. In many ways, 2019 will look the same for me—traveling to expos and clinics to teach people and train horses, writing/recording/videoing to … [Read more...]
December 2018 Horse Report
Now that I am home for an extended period, I’m getting a little more time with my horses. I’m happy to report that my old man, Dually, is feeling well and trotting sound. I don’t think I’ll be riding him, but it’s great to know he feels good. Rich and Eddie continue to work on their aim with mounted shooting. With one schooling shoot under their belts, their training goals … [Read more...]
Back to Basics (Part 1)
“It’s time to go back to Square One.” This is a phrase we often throw out when a horse has developed undesirable behaviors, or the handler has lost all authority and control of the horse. But like many things in horsemanship, it is far easier said than done. Getting back to basics or going back to square one in your training may mean different things to different people, but to … [Read more...]
December 2018 Letter from Julie
Dear friends, Although I’m sad this year is coming to a close, I’m excited about next year. I’ve got exciting changes in store for 2019, with a few pet projects of mine coming to fruition. Stay tuned here for some big announcements coming your way next month! Last month, I was in Myrtle Beach, SC, for the American Heart Association’s Annual Beach Ride—1200 horses, 2000 … [Read more...]
Looking Back: The Journey of Goodnight Training Stables
It was about 33 years ago that I took the big plunge and started my own business, Goodnight Training Stables. Back then, I simply imagined a fun and active life training and caring for horses. Little did I know, that a few decades later, I’d be a TV star and have a media production company. I didn’t really see that coming. Horses are still our central focus, but my how times … [Read more...]
November 2018 Letter from Julie
Dear friends, Snow storms, single-digit temperatures, hurricanes and “red tide” provided interesting challenges to my travels last month. From the high mountains of Colorado, to the gulf coast of Florida, Mother Nature made her presence known. In spite of the challenges, we had a fabulous clinic at the C Lazy U Ranch (snow and single digits didn’t stop us). Then we … [Read more...]
Reward, Reinforcement and Punishment
Horses are intricate and complicated animals and their views and perceptions of the world around them can be quite different from our own. Being prey animals and flight animals, horses are highly sensitive to all forms of pressure: physical, mental and environmental. They are lightening fast learners, which can make them very easy to train or un-train. Unfortunately, horses … [Read more...]
October 2018 Horse Report
I had a great time with all my horses last month, but we had our ups and downs. Annie has just recovered from a minor performance injury at the end of September—a sprained stifle. She stepped off the trailer at C Lazy U slightly off, and right away I knew what had happened. The day before traveling, I was working her as normal and at the end of our workout, when my horses … [Read more...]
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