I’ve just recently returned from a great clinic. It was a great group of riders and horses and I enjoyed working with all of them. We had green horses, finished horses, novices and experts, a
Horses are instinctively herd-bound. It’s one of seven categories of instinctive behavior in horses and it is known as gregarious behavior. A desire to be with others. BTW, the other categories of instinctive behavior in
I see it all the time at clinics, expos and at TV shoots. Sometimes it’s between untrained horses and inexperienced riders/handlers—a constant battle of the wills; but sometimes the opposite is true—often I see experienced
I like to talk about starting a young horse under saddle—what we used to refer to, crassly, as “breaking” a horse. It is a good sign for the state-of-the-horse-union that this term has fallen out of
Hello Julie, I have a 4 yr old registered paint gelding, Zippo Pine Bar bred, tall and gorgeous that I have had for just over a year!!! But, he is terrified of being mounted. I
I love the meditative state we get into, my horse and I, riding round and round in the endless monotony of the indoor arena. Nowhere to go, nothing to look at, no distractions, no surprises.
It was 6 below zero this morning. Relatively warm by some standards, when you compare it to 25 below, which our neighbors had. That’s why our valley is known as “the Banana Belt of Colorado.”
A few days ago, I was driving home from my last trip of the year, relishing the thought of being home for eight weekends in a row. As I drove through South Park (yes, there
In almost every clinic I do, we start with ground work to help establish a productive relationship between horse and human—to develop respect, obedience, focus, communication and control. Frequently, someone will remark that training horses
This is the heart of clinic season for me and I have been on the road almost every weekend—WA,CA, OH, CO, MA. They were all great clinics with interesting people and horses. This weekend I
Starting last week, new episodes of Horse Master airing for the next nine weeks, which were filmed in Queen Creek Arizona back in January. As usual, I was happy with how all the episodes turned
Last week I was a presenter at Equine Affaire in Columbus OH. In case youve never been to this expo, it is huge with hundreds of vendors, every kind of junk food imaginable (and some
Tucked away in a corner of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in South Florida’s elite horse capital, a small but impressive group of equestrians, physicians, researchers, manufacturers and organizational leaders gathered to discuss the
I’ve just returned from southern California and a fabulous weekend at Equine Affaire. We had beautiful weather, good crowds and I met and talked to tons of really nice people. I was busy all weekend
I just returned from a week in Queen Creek AZ (just outside Phoenix), for a Horse Master shoot. We taped nine episodes of the TV show in just four days at the Horseshoe Park &
About ten years ago, as I was walking through my barnyard, I came across a stray piece of baling string on the ground and it prompted me to start a new column, “Pet Peeves Around
I love New Years Day even more than Christmas. Last night we “celebrated” in our sane and civilized way, which allowed us to be tucked into bed by 10p. Rich worked all day, ending the
It’s hard to believe that the holidays are almost over. That means I’ll be back on the road again soon, heading to Wellington, Florida next weekend for the first “Helmet Symposium.” It’s a big summit
Recently I was a speaker at the NARHA annual convention, which conveniently for me, was in Denver this year. That means I didn’t have to get on a plane to go somewhere for the first
Lots of people have asked me about how we make the TV show and since right now we are in the midst of it, I thought I’d write about what’s on my mind. We’ve long
I know from what people tell me—either before or after the clinic—that they were very nervous to ride with me. This always surprises me, although I’ve heard it enough to know it is a common
Horses have taught me a lot in the past 50 years. In particular, I have learned that there are three things to keep in mind when it comes to horses: Never say never. Never say
When I am at clinics and expos (about 35 weekends a year), I spend a lot of time talking to people about their horses and the problems they have, trying to offer advice about how
Jigety jig. I can’t believe it’s finally over! The fall expo season has been hectic for me, with many weekend trips plus a three-week marathon in Kentucky for the world equestrian games. I have been
… not a destination. That was the title of a keynote speech I gave at CHA’s International Conference recently, in Lake City FL. CHA’s annual conference always has a ton of hands-on horse activities and
We had an awesome Yoga & Riding Retreat at the C Lazy U Ranch in Granby, Colorado last fall. There were about thirty women altogether, for four days of riding lessons, trail riding, yoga
You know you’ve been gone from home too long when your own dogs growl at you and you can’t even find the silverware drawer in your own kitchen. That’s what my homecoming was like after
Today (from 2010) is the last day of the hardest year of my life (at least I hope it is my last hard year). One year ago today, I received that late-night phone call that
I’ll admit, I am very picky when it comes to my personal horse, Dually. While I am fully aware that horses are tough and adaptable animals that do not need stalls, bedding and blankies for
Recently I taught a clinic with about 30 4H kids. Surprisingly, they were all mounted on pretty decent horses and most of the kids had appropriate tack and rode reasonably well. They were all good
This week, one of my favorite episodes is playing on Horse Master. It features a 4 y/o Mustang and his owner who participated in the Mustang Challenge. He’s a really cool horse—very classic looking Calvary
I have been struggling with the “Five Pound Challenge” here lately. What about you? I am still gaining and losing the same five pounds. Since I love to eat and drink AND I love to
The other night, about dinner time, I got a call from one of my dear friends, Lucy. She was distraught and needed advice on how to deal with her severely colicking horse; we talked it
I have long been a supporter of wearing helmets while riding and I have done my best to use my influence to set a good example in the horse industry. Unlike other so called “adventure
In every horsemanship clinic I teach, I start the mounted session by assessing all the riders in terms of their control, their riding position and skill and their authority over the horse. To do this,
See the Facebook Discussion Group about this blog posting: http://tinyurl.com/5poundchallenge During a recent trip to the beach, I had cause to don my bathing suit (a rarity for horse us trainers—our white legs and farmer’s
I am in the midst of clinic season—a clinic almost most every weekend through the end of June. It’s the most popular season for clinics as people gear-up for the summer riding season and look
Holy cow. What a weekend! It started with a beautiful day on Friday—lots of riders and spectators, many great clinics indoors and out. But Saturday and Sunday where a totally different story with tornados, torrential
One of the questions I dread the most is when a polite stranger on a plane asks me, “What do you do for a living?” Usually, the question was preceded by an inquiry about whether
Although I grew up with horses and we had many over the years, my first true love of a horse was a grade Morgan mare named Minnie. She was the most beautiful horse in the
My Horse Master TV show started airing in England and Ireland on RFD-TV’s cousin, Rural TV. They are opening with the popular surf episode where I train a warm-blood to go into the surf—it was
I had a great week at home and now am travelling once again, this time headed to Tallahassee FL for a Horse Master shoot. Getting home on Sunday last week mean I actually was home
I am on the way home from Lexington, Kentucky, where I spent the weekend at the National Youth Horse Leader’s Symposium, an annual conference put on by the American Youth Horse Council, whose mission is
A few years ago we went on a skiing adventure in Telluride, Colorado, my brother, husband a group of our friends. It was my first trip to the high mountain ski town, even though I’ve lived
After much heartache and aggravation, the Honolulu police horses are finally headed to their retirement home on the big island of Hawaii. Dedicated and hard working officers have been reassigned to new posts but they
We were taping the show about 40 miles north of Houston at a beautiful center with a covered arena (we needed it) and a rehabilitative center. Our show topics were learning the cues and training a
As spring approaches, I am getting an increasing number of inquiries from people looking for a new horse. So it is with no small amount of forethought that this week’s episode of Horse Master features a
…Can be a bad thing. Take for instance garlic. It is my favorite ingredient—I am likely to order an entrée at a restaurant based solely on this one ingredient. I put it in almost everything
Actually, the five pound challenge is not really new, but an ongoing challenge. You can find it at: http://tinyurl.com/5poundchallenge Last summer a group of friends and I made a commitment and contest to lose five pounds