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 without Reins.” Most riders can’t
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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 apparel for all four seasons. No
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 mom. Soon, it will be
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, rein length, and stopping aids.
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 your choosing. In most instances,
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 all running together again as
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 expressed, and easily recognized. Displays
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 serene view of my beautiful
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 the night. It’s Mother Nature’s
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 are ready for launch! How
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 as a colt) is making
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” horses for some time and
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 get some warm, sunny days
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. Although it is a super
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 about halfway through her pregnancy
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 seeking new information and better
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 that Annie would conceive, even
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 to [any cues] … as
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 want someone interfering with the
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! In the meantime, my other
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 doubt in your journey. This
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 has been a rollercoaster of
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 into action all the activities
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 75 miles from here. We
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 your plans are coming together,
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 easy. In lieu of a
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 way to bond with your
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 the decision to breed Annie
Horse Goals or Bust! Part 4: Rider Skill Assessment & Training Plan
We are now four months into Horse Goals or Bust!, and we still have half a year left to fulfill our dreams and achieve our equestrian aspirations! Last month, we addressed horse and rider fitness,
February 2023 Horse Report
I am happy to report that my plans for breeding Annie this year are well underway! So far (*knock on wood*) everything is going according to plan. Annie hasn’t figured out what’s in store for
<i>Horse Goals or Bust!</i> Part 3: Rider Fitness & Conditioning Plan
We are three months into Horse Goals or Bust!—my nine-month plan to help you accomplish your horsemanship goals and live your dreams. Many of you have jumped onboard for this ride, including most of my
January 2023 Horse Report
This year, my horse life is taking an abrupt turn in a direction that surprised even me—and it all started with a piece of paper. A year ago, when my team first presented me with
Horse Goals or Bust! Ready, Set, Go!
It’s that time of year to hit the reset button, look forward, and set new, impactful goals for yourself. We started this journey last month in my blog and podcast, Ride On with Julie Goodnight.
December 2022 Horse Report
Around my barn, we shift into a lower gear this time of year, based on surviving winter. Here in the high mountains of Colorado, winter comes early and stays late. We had plenty of sub-zero
Check Your Rearview Before You Get in Gear Next Year
It’s true. The older you get, the faster the time goes by. The past few years have been topsy-turvy, and a roller-coaster ride of emotions. During this time, three friends unexpectedly passed away—all of whom
What Does it Mean to Have “Realistic” Training Expectations?
Whether your young horse is ready for saddle training, or your adult horse needs to be restarted, has developed undesirable behaviors, or is ready for a higher level of training, there may come a time
October 2022 Horse Report
After two weeks of clinics and tours, I arrived home from Ireland to the peak of fall weather here in the Rocky Mountains. One day I was riding horses on the Wild Atlantic Coast of
Artificial Aids: Training Tool or Crutch?
Horses are amazingly adaptable creatures, and over thousands of years they have partnered with us and found ways to make themselves invaluable to human society. Since before horses were even ridden, humans have attempted to
September 2022 Horse Report
With heavy hearts, we laid our old friend “Doc” to rest this month. Doc was a talented performance horse, and taught every one of us something special. He finished his days being the faithful mount
How to Get a 5-Star Rating From Your Farrier
As a kid, I rode show hunters, and back then most of them were off-the-track Thoroughbreds–notorious for their shelly, thin feet and the tendency to lose a shoe right before an important show. I learned
August 2022 Horse Report
Here in Colorado, summers are long-awaited, and then over before you know it. As we like to say, there are four seasons here: winter, winter, winter, and road construction. We’ve been blessed with a normal
Plugging the Holes in Your Horse’s Training
You have future goals to accomplish with your horse, but you know you’re not ready yet. Equestrian sports require a long-term commitment and often the journey takes us places we didn’t imagine when we started.
July 2022 Horse Report
All winter long, we yearn for summer, and by the time it gets here, we start whining about the heat. The horses are no different! Like humans, horses tend to like variety in their food,
Change of Plans: When It’s Time to Pivot
You’ve made big plans and set some lofty goals with your horse, starting months or even years ago. Maybe you want to do a series of competitions, a long-distance trail ride or a bucket list
June 2022 Horse Report
Annie and I took a road trip earlier this month to present at the Harmony Horse Expo, a fun and educational weekend full of training demos from trainers and other horse professionals, hosted by the
Trailering Checklist Part 2: Is Your Horse Ready to Hit the Road?
Your horse didn’t exactly volunteer to join you on your next road trip, and isn’t pining for a big adventure or “revenge travel” to make up for lost time over the last couple years
May 2022 Horse Report
In the past four months, I’ve traveled coast-to-coast for many different horse expos and clinics—just like before-times! It was great to be back on the road again, to meet new people and horses, see lots
Quiz: What is Your Horse’s Training Level?
Horses are very precocious animals—they are fast learning and their education begins in the first moments of life. Unfortunately, they learn inappropriate things just as quickly as the good stuff, so it is easy to