It’s my busiest time of year, and most weeks I’m only home a couple nights—which makes owning a colt challenging. Pepperoni is the kind of young horse that needs to be ridden daily and kept busy. He’s the equine version of a Border Collie (busy-minded, afraid of nothing, smarter than his own good and on the lookout for trouble) . Often this time of year, due to my travel … [Read more...]
Unspoken Agreements
Is your horse easy to get along with, until you ask him to do something new and different? Or, heaven forbid, something he doesn’t want to do? Perhaps he’s happy to go down the trail in the company of others, but not alone. Or maybe he’ll go anywhere you point him, alone or with company, as long as you don’t ask him to cross water. How about the horse that half-heartedly trots … [Read more...]
May 2019 Letter From Julie
Dear friends, Prime riding season is fast approaching and most of us are gearing up and making plans to spend some quality time with our horses this summer—I know I am! My husband surprised me by coming home with a brand new 3-horse trailer with living quarters! I’ve always wanted one and recently hinted to Rich that it was on my bucket list to camp with the horses. What a … [Read more...]
Horse Report April 2019
I’ve spent more time on the road than at home this month, getting less ride time on my horses than I would’ve liked. Fortunately, I have Melissa, my barn manager, to keep the horses going in my absence. I had to make the hard decision not to enter Pepperoni in the Legends Futurity, which takes place this month. Between my schedule and his time off due to a sprained stifle, … [Read more...]
Top 5 Trailering Tips
Top 5 Tips for Stress-Free Trailering Loading a thousand-pound flight animal into a small container on wheels and driving that live-weight down a busy highway to a horse show or up a 4WD forest road to a trail head, is no easy task and should never be taken lightly. I remember driving my mom’s Buick (circa 1972), pulling a 3-horse-abreast trailer when I was only 16. My horse … [Read more...]
April 2019: Letter from Julie
Dear friends, I’m thrilled it’s spring! I was gone for two weeks in March and when I got home, my outdoor arena had totally thawed and Rich had freshly groomed it for me, in honor of my return from a long hard trip. It was long because I had contracted a nasty cold on the first leg of the trip, and it was hard because it included shooting video outside during the infamous “bomb … [Read more...]
Horse Report March 2019
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...]
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