Preparing Your Horse and Barn for Winter
Winter comes early here at my ranch in the Colorado mountains; already low temps are dipping into the 30s. The horses are starting to get fuzzy and I find myself
Horse Report August 2025
Julie and Lucy Riding on the Ranch It’s still technically summer here in the high country, but fall is whispering in on crisp mornings, with overnight temps dipping into the
August Blog 2025
Every Horse Has a Story—What’s Yours? Rich is meeting Tomcat for the first time, just after the auction. In my online coaching program, one of the first assignments I give
July 2025: Horse Report
Annie and Rip Enjoying Long Summer Days. The long days of summer are upon us, and here at the ranch, we are making the most of them. The horses have
July Blog 2025
Rip Standing Quietly While Tied. Patience is a Skill: Teaching Your Horse to Stand Tied Patience may not be a trait we typically associate with horses. After all, they’re genetically
June 2025 Horse Report
Summer Routines and Sweet Progress The Herd Summer is officially here at our little ranch in the Rockies, and we kicked it off with a Fourth of July BBQ on
Small Steps to Big Achievements
Turning with natural aids As some of you know, I’ve been developing a new curriculum for my online training program, focusing on entry-level dressage. This program is designed for both
May 2025 Horse Report
Julie teaching clinic at Oskie Rice Event Center, Maui Summer has finally arrived here in the Rocky Mountains. It’s the favorite time of year for our horses, when they finally
May Blog 2025
Perfect Leg Position and Better Balance will Build Your Confidence in the Saddle In the recent clinics I’ve taught, I’ve seen my riders soar in their skill-level from this simple
April 2025 Horse Report
Homeschooling for Rip Kindergarten for Rip With over a foot of snow on the ground on Easter weekend, it’s easy for us to forget it’s Springtime! Here in the Rocky
April Blog 2025
Setting goals gives riders the confidence to succeed. Listen to the audio version click here Planning & Goal Setting: Your Roadmap to Confidence As the seasons change and a fresh
Horse Goals Or Bust! Goal Setting
Grab a pen and notebook and use this THREE-STEP PROCESS to guide you as youreflect, imagine, and craft meaningful outcomes for the upcoming year.STEP ONE: Reflections on the Past YearConduct
March 2025 Horse Report
Rip’s first farrier appointment This month’s report focuses on Rip, a rambunctious yearling stud colt, born here at my ranch last spring, and the darling of our small herd of
March 2025 Blog
Spring Health Maintenance My vet floating teeth at my facility To listen to the audio version click here Proactive Horse Care: Your Annual Health Checklist As any seasoned horse owner
Annual Horse Health Maintenance Checklist
1. Veterinary Care ☑ Annual Wellness Exam – Full physical checkup by equine veterinarian☑ Vaccinations – Core & risk-based by region, as recommended by vet☑ Coggins Test – If traveling
February 2025 Horse Report
Rip, Annie, and Uncle Abner playing in the indoor arena. To listen to the audio version click here. Look for the title Blogpost: Rip’s Early Training: a Young Colt’s Journey
Goodnight News: Bit Overview
Horse in an Ergonomically Correct Myler bit with Julie Goodnight Rope Reins. Bit selection considerably impacts horse training, comfort, and performance across all disciplines. A meticulously designed and properly fitted
Saddles based on Goodnight design used in Carter funeral procession
“As seen on EquusMagazine.com” Inspired by the traditional McClellan saddle, the modified model offers Army’s horses improved comfort and fit January 31, 2025 – Edited Press Release Over the past few
January 2025 Horse Report
Winter Time in the Rockies Like most of the country, here in the Colorado Mountains, we’ve been battling extreme winter weather. For us, that means temperatures well below zero F,
Press Release for Julie Goodnight January 2025
Julie Goodnight Horsemanship FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 01/13/25 Twyla Walker Collins, Business Manager Phone: (719) 530-0531 Email: twyla@juliegoodnight.com Julie Goodnight Proudly Watches as Saddle Based on Her Design Is Used
Perfecting Saddle Fit Skills
To listen to the audio version, click here and look for the title “Blogpost: Perfecting Saddle Fit Skills Analyzing traffic to our website and the direct questions we get from
Horse Report: Mission Accomplished, Sort Of
Annie and Cathy Brown Rip turned six months old mid-November; all the signs indicated both mare and foal were ready for weaning. Rip mainly spent his time with the older
December Blog 2024
Turning your horse without reins Riding Without Reins: It’s not as hard as you think! To listen to the audio version, click here and look for the title “Blogpost: Riding
November 2024 Horse Report
Rip’s first snow day! A Foal Becomes a Weanling Lately, I’ve been busy washing, drying, folding, storing, and organizing all the blankets in the barn. Our horses have a lot of
Horse Report October 2024
Rip And Annie With The Herd Annie’s colt, Rip, is now five months old. He continues to grow like a weed and eats hay and grain enthusiastically, just like his
October 2024 blog
Could you Stop a Runaway Horse? Proper Rein Handling I’ve just returned from teaching clinics at the C Lazy U Ranch, where I always work with attendees on rein holds,
The Emergency Dismount: When All Else Fails
Photo Credit: Heidi Nyland Melocco When the going gets tough… you may wish you knew how to get your feet on the ground, quickly and safely, at a moment of
Horse Report: Gettin’ the Band Back Together!
Here on my ranch, we now have a herd of five horses. Three geldings, plus Annie and her prized foal, Rip. I am happy to report that they are now
Jealousy & Possessiveness in Horses
Annie warning Tom to stay away from her foal, Rip. Horses are emotional animals. Like humans, horses feel and display the six basic emotions. Fear, anger and surprise are overtly
Horse Report: Summer Days with Annie & Rip
Here in the Colorado mountains, the lazy days of summer are an exquisite time of year. Warm sunny mornings, followed by afternoon thunderstorms that cool things off at night. The
The World Awaits!
My new colt was born at the most convenient time of day, about the time most people are arriving at work. Most foals are born in the wee hours of
Newborn Foals: Mother Nature Usually Gets it Right
*UPDATE!* Annie had her beautiful, healthy colt right after publishing time! “Little Colt” (not named yet!) was born on Friday, May 17 at 9:01 in the morning. Here he is
Horse Report: Waiting On Baby
It’s hard to believe that Annie’s due date is almost here. As I write this, she is now 332 days into the 340-day average gestation of a mare. All systems
March 2024 Horse Report
My sweet little mare, Annie, is now 3/4 of the way through her pregnancy. She’s only 14.0 hands and very compact (short-backed), and the baby (I like to think of
How Much Does a Young Horse Really Know?
There are a multitude of reasons why people might end up with a young horse in their lives… You’re raising a foal from a beloved mare. You’ve been riding “made”
January 2024 Horse Report
In the last month, most of the horse activity around my ranch has centered on the weather. January can be fickle up at 8,000 feet above sea level. We usually
How Horses Learn to “Read” Humans
If you’ve ever ridden with me in a clinic, you’ve heard me talk about how clever horses are at determining a person’s level of intention and determination, or lack thereof.
December 2023 Horse Report
Winter is finally upon us, and as most of you know by now, Annie is in foal to Bet Hesa Cat. Her due date is April 28th, so she is
A Look Back: My 2023 Horse Goals
My crew is always coming up with big ideas for helping riders and horse owners live their dreams. Like me, they are all on their own personal horsemanship journey and
September 2023 Horse Report: A Lesson in Letting Go
Many of you have followed along with my plans to breed my AQHA mare, Annie, to a top cow horse stallion, Bet Hesa Cat. At first it seemed highly likely
When Horses “Shut Down”
A horse owner recently reached out to me asking for guidance with a 3-year-old colt that came to her completely shutdown. His eyes glaze over and he statues-up in response
Should I Let Someone Else Ride My Horse?
Photo Crredit: Melissa Arnold Should you let someone else ride your horse? There are two common points of view that I run into on this subject: “No! I do not
July 2023 Horse Report
As I mentioned last month, my plans to breed Annie didn’t go the way I hoped, and I’m shifting gears with her this fall to my #2 goal—going horse camping!
Horse Goals Or Bust Part 8: Mental Strategies to Manage Day-Of Anxiety & Perform at Your Best
Whether your equestrian goals involve a competition, a trail adventure, or building the confidence to try something new, it’s likely that you will experience periods of anxiety and moments of