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June 2020 Letter From Julie

Dear friends, The last three months have been a whirlwind of disappointment, worry, having expectations, lowering expectations, exploring options, reinventing business, getting used to a new normal and gradually gaining hope about the future. Like

My First Covid-Era Horsemanship Clinic

After almost two decades of being a road warrior, traveling 20-30 times a year to clinics and public speaking at horse fairs and conferences, I suddenly found myself grounded when travel came to a screeching

Helping Horses in Need—It Takes a Village

Dear Friends, This is a story about one horse that needs our help, and the dozens of people stepping up to help horses in need every day. But the truth is, he is only one

May 2020 Letter from Julie

Dear Friends, Another month has gone by while we all do our share to fight the spread of this awful virus. Here in Colorado, we are slowly rebooting the economy and I am hopeful that

The Unwanted Horse in the United States: An Overview of the Issue

Author, Tom R. Lenz, DVM, MS, DACT provided permission to post. Horses in the United States no longer wanted have been sold or discarded by their owners throughout history, but it is only in the

The Unwanted Horse issue – Where is it today? 2020

This article is posted with the Author’s Tom Lenz DVM, MS, DACT permission. Horses in the United States no longer wanted have been sold or discarded by their owners throughout history, but it

April 2020 Horse Report

In the four weeks since my last horse report, we have been on lockdown. Most Americans, and indeed people all over the world, are affected by this pandemic but for each of us, the effects

Horsemanship Homework

Sometimes life doesn’t go as planned. Despite our best efforts, there are times when life-events will supplant your horsemanship activities. Putting in too many hours at work, an illness in the family, a new job,

April 2020 Letter From Julie

Dear friends, What a difference a month makes! Here in Colorado, we are in our third week of shutdown and second week of stay-at-home orders. We are all taking the pandemic seriously and doing our

March 2020 Horse Report

Had I written this report a week ago, when I was supposed to, it would have sounded much different. Then, I would’ve been whining about being on the road too much and how little ride-time

Fresh Start

Like my fruits and vegetables, I prefer my horses fresh. It’s clearly not for everyone, but I enjoy riding a horse that’s a little bit excited, that’s looking down the road, eager to get there

March 2020 Letter from Julie

Dear friends, The valley I live in is known as “the banana belt of Colorado” for a reason. At a high altitude, winters are long and in spite of lots of snow and cold in

February 2020 Horse Report

We are in the midst of a long, hard winter! Typical this time of year, one day might be sunny and warm with highs in the 40s or 50s, and the next is single digits,

Pepper walking in the snow between two tree branches.

Winter “Whoas”

Unless you have the luxury of loading up your horses and heading to Arizona or south Florida for the winter, chances are good your riding activities have been seriously curtailed by winter weather. Whether you’re

February 2020 Letter From Julie

Dear friends, Is it Spring yet? Once the holidays are behind me, I’m always eager to get the year underway. I’ve got places to go, people to meet and horses to ride! I’ve been busy

January 2020 Horse Report

All of the horses are currently healthy, hairy and happy. And for that, I am grateful. Even old Dually (now 20 years old and retired from active duty) is occasionally spotted running and bucking in

My Favorite Books of the Year and Decade

As a voracious reader, I often reference books when I’m teaching or public speaking. Typically, that leads to questions from other voracious readers about what horse books I recommend. With the start of a new

January 2020 Letter From Julie

Dear friends, Happy New Year! I’m reluctant to see another year end, but I’m enthusiastic about the opportunities the new year brings. I’m a planner, so I like looking ahead; I’m an overachiever, so I

Consistency Counts

On one of my many visits to southern California, I was conducting a horsemanship clinic in the town of Norco, renowned for its horse-friendly lifestyle. On any given day in “Horsetown USA,” you’ll see horses

December 2019 Letter From Julie

Dear friends, As the year ends, I’m resisting looking back and wondering where the days/weeks/months went, and instead I’m focused ahead on what the new year will bring. I’m a big fan of New Year’s

Looking Back: The Journey of Goodnight Training Stables

It was about 34 years ago that I took the big plunge and started my own business, Goodnight Training Stables. Back then, I simply imagined a fun and active life, training and caring for horses.

November 2019 Horse Report

Since this time last month, I’ve been away from home for 25 days, in the normal course of my job attending clinics, expos, conferences and teaching at CSU Equine. Fall is a busy time of

November 2019 Letter from Julie

Dear friends, Winter has descended on us rapidly, here in the high mountains of Colorado—we’ve already had several snows and single-digits. We always appreciate the snow (not so much the single digits), no matter

Do You Have a Codependent Relationship with Your Horse?

October 2019 Horse Report

I rode my horses a lot less than I’d hoped last month, since I was on the road more than home. We were not able to take the horses up to C Lazy U for

October 2019 Letter from Julie

New Kid on the Block: Introducing a new horse to the herd

Whether you keep your horse at home or at a boarding facility, there will be times when new horses must be integrated into an existing herd. Generally, this involves a lot of posturing between the

September 2019 Horse Report

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Whole Food Options to Boost Protein Quality

http://www.gettyequinenutrition.com/ Whole Food Options to Boost Protein Quality By Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D. Protein is not a popular subject. Most “nutrition-talk” revolves around carbohydrates – sugar and starch, to be specific, because they impact metabolic

Eddie and Julie's husband Rich, with his head bowed, black and white photo.

Dealing with the Death of a Horse

It’s never easy to witness. There’s something about their power… their free spirit… the image of running like the wind, that makes it especially hard to watch a horse go down. Seeing a happy and

September 2019 Letter from Julie

Dear friends, We spent Labor Day Weekend boating at the lake (one of my other passions). It was our 19th wedding anniversary, in addition to one of the last weekends of summer, so Rich and

Horse Report August 2019

August 2019 Letter from Julie

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Dear friends, The summer is flying by too fast here in the Colorado Rockies! I’ve enjoyed some time off at the lake—boating, fishing, swimming, chillin’ and grillin’. Fortunately, Melissa keeps my horses going

Joy 2 Ride: Top Ten Qualities of My Ideal Riding Horse

#Joy2Ride | Top 10 Qualities of My Ideal Riding Horse I expect a lot from my horses, and they rarely let me down. My horse is my partner, first mate and a reflection of my

July 2019 Letter from Julie

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Dear friends, After a busy spring travel schedule, I am thrilled to have some extended time at home to ride my horses and enjoy the glorious Colorado summer. Rich and I are hosting

June 2019 Horse Report

Dear Friends, With my summer break (from travel) ahead of me, I’m eager to get more time in the saddle! My youngster, Pepperoni, is doing well given the sporadic ride time I’ve had in the

June 2019 Letter from Julie

Dear friends, With the spring expo season in my rearview mirror, my attention turns to horsemanship clinics. As always, we had a fabulous time at the C Lazy U Ranch last month, which is celebrating

Equine Good Citizen Award: Is your horse eligible?

Well-mannered, easy to handle horses are a joy to be around—it’s like pushing the easy button. A calm, patient, focused horse that respects your boundaries, is eager to please and willing to do you bidding

Julie teaching at her C Lazy U Ranch clinic on Pepper.

May 2019 Horse Report

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

Apple, the horse starring in this episode.

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

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

Julie petting Pepper's neck, riding in the indoor arena.

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

Top 5 Trailering Tips

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

April 2019: Letter from Julie

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] 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,

Horse Report March 2019

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] 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

Horse Master Memories

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] 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

Julie with the colt-starting class she substitute taught at CSU.

March 2019 Letter from Julie

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] 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

February 2019 Horse Report

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] 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

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

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