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
June 2023 Horse Report
My Horse Goals or Bust! plans have taken an unexpected turn. My big horse goals included breeding my mare, Annie, which turned out to be an exercise in patience. It
Horse Goals or Bust Part 7: It’s Go Time!
We are now 7 months into Horse Goals or Bust—setting goals, planning, training, practicing, and preparing. It’s prime riding season in most areas, so now is the time to put
May 2023 Horse Report
It was disappointing to find out that my beloved mare Annie did not settle into pregnancy after her second round of breeding and a month at the mare-care facility about
Horse Goals or Bust Part 6: Your Trailer FAQs Answered
It’s been a lot of fun to hear about the goals, skill assessments, and training plans that we’ve all been working on this year in our Horse Goals or Bust! endeavors. Hopefully
April 2023 Horse Report
I was planning to write a much different report this month, hoping to announce the pregnancy of my sweet mare, Annie. Instead, I am reminded that nothing worthwhile is ever
Horse Goals or Bust Part 5: Grooming Tips from the Trail to the Arena
Whether your horsemanship goals for this year involve gaining confidence, an overnight trail ride, or competing in any given discipline, your horse’s appearance speaks volumes. Not only is grooming another
March 2023 Horse Report
With any luck, my sweet little mare, Annie, will soon be living her dream. If you’ve been following along with Horse Goals or Bust, you already know that I made