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When To Geld My Colt

Question: Hi Julie, I am planning on buying a yearling stallion. I do want to geld him at what age is it ok to geld, also is it ok to put a yearling stallion in

What’s A Buck Kneed Horse?

Question: Julie, I have a question. When someone refers to a horse as “Buck Kneed” what does it mean and will it bother it’s performance? PS- my wife just adopted a donkey and now she

Should I Get A Gaited Horse?

Question: Hello Julie, I am looking at buying a Tennessee Walker. With my current horse, I am finding it a challenge to post. I’m 48 years old. I purchased your DVDs and they were helpful,

Rotating Horse Wormers

Question: Could you please give me your opinion on the rotation of wormers to use throughout the year to get the most coverage for my horses? Answer: The purpose of rotating dewormers is to get

Riding The 20+ Year Old Horse

Q: Has Julie written any articles or done any tv shows on riding the 20+ year old horse? I have a mare that is 21 and has been a pasture pet the last couple of

Preparing For A Career With Horses

Question: Dear Julie: I have a 13 year old daughter who has been in 4H since she was eight years old. She has become a great rider and is interested in learning how to become

Horses Low In The Back, Swayback

Question: Hi Julie, I first saw you at the Midwest Horse Fair. I enjoyed your presentation. I have been riding for over 40 years and teaching riding for 30. I take lessons my self periodically

Horses In Confinement

Question: Dear Julie, I just moved to a home on 40 acres (with a live creek) in Missouri. I’ve never owned a horse (of course, always wanted to) and haven’t been around them for a

Horse Has Bad Breath

Question: Dear Julie, My horse has an odor coming from his mouth. There is no evidence of tooth decay or abscess. What could be the problem??? Thanks for taking time to answer my question. Sonia

Question: Want to know all you should look for when it comes to buying a horse? Click to download the PDF>> buyersguide Copyright ©Julie Goodnight 2000. All Rights Reserved. No part of this website may be

Difference between paint and pinto

Question: There is always controversy about the Pinto…is it a breed or color?…same with the paint. I also always thought the Palomino was a color, but I just recently read it was a breed; can

Bra For Riders

Question: Hi Julie, Do you have any recommendations as to brands, types of sports bras which are most effective for riding (minimizing bounce)? Thanks! AH, Missouri Answer: Hi Althea, Thanks for the question, but I

Are Mules More Difficult Than Horses?

Question: Dear Julie, I was at the Ohio Equine Affaire and was able to sit in on one of your talks. It was the one on ‘herd dynamics.’ Very, very useful information! I have a

Am I Too Heavy For My Horse?

Question: Dear Julie: I bet you have never had this question. Last week we bought a really great black & white 51 inch 4 year old pony. He was gelded 5 weeks ago so we

Advice For Getting Into Training

Question: I’m a high school student who would like to pursue a career in the equine field, particularly riding instruction. What would things could you suggest that would help me be better prepared for that

A Hydrated Horse Is A Healthy Horse

Question: Getting a horse to drink enough water has been a challenge for a long time. So long, in fact, that “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink” is

Issues From The Saddle: Works Well Outside And Poorly Inside

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: I am an intermediate rider at best who purchased a 10 y/o paint gelding a couple months ago. He is from the south and I honestly think is

Issues From The Saddle: Why One Rein Is Better Than Two

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: My riding instructor and I have a question regarding using one rein while riding. I’ve seen it mentioned in several different articles and books. John Lyons discusses using

Issues From The Saddle: When To Start A Colt Under Saddle

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: My granddaughter and I started our yearling colt this year. He was schooled in halter. We’ve had a saddle pad and surcingle on him. He is used to

Issues From The Saddle: What To Do With A Horse That Bolts, Runs Off With Rider

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Julie, I enjoyed watching you present at Equine Affaire in MA this past November. I have been riding a good 15-20 years but most intensively the last 5-6….I

Issues From The Saddle: Understanding Pressure

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: How do you know how much pressure a horse needs to respond to your cues and directions? Answer: From observing any given riding session, on any given day,

Issues From The Saddle: Tossing Head And Bucking

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Dear Julie, We have just begun working on a property that conducts trail rides and have a horse here that we discovered to have the problem of bucking.

Issues From The Saddle: Tongue Over Bit

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Dear Julie, The question I have is for the Mountain Pleasure horse I bought about six months ago. He is a big sweetie, I love him dearly he

Issues From The Saddle: Teaching Horse to Keep Head Down

Question: I watched a show several weeks ago with Julie helping a rider work with a horse that lifted his head up to get away from the bit. I thought she taught the rider to

Issues From The Saddle: Starting A Horse Under Saddle

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Julie Goodnight, Thank you for answering my request. My colt is 3 years, he was born in my arms, he is an Arabian. I have been working with

Issues From The Saddle: Spooky Horse

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Hi Julie! I usually ride some type of warmblooded horse (not exactly sure of the exact type) during riding classes. He’s often very nervous about a certain corner

Issues From The Saddle: Speeding Up A Slow Horse

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Julie, I was at the Equine Expo in Massachusetts last week and enjoyed your clinics immensely. Quick synopsis of my quarter horse…I got him a year and a

Issues From The Saddle: Slowing Down A Fast Horse

Question: Hello, Just wondering if you could give me some advice. My horse, a six year old mustang had been trained for about ten months. He stops, turns fine, but I cannot get him to

Issues From The Saddle: Refusing To Trot

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Hi! first of all, I wanted to say that I saw your clinics at last year’s Equine Affaire in Massachusetts, and you’ve stuck with me as one of

Issues From The Saddle: Reconditioning A Horse After Extended Layoff

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Hello Julie, My horse has been off all summer due to an injury and I would like suggestions as to how I can get him in shape for

Issues From The Saddle: Rearing Horse

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Dear Julie Goodnight I am writing to you in regards to my horse’s problem with rearing, as someone that is experienced in horse behaviour I can not find

Issues From The Saddle: Pulley Rein

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Julie, I’m sure you deal with loads of emails, I hope you get this one. I’ve been taking riding lessons every week for a few months (I used

Issues From The Saddle: Parrot-Mouthed Bucker

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Hello Julie, I have a horse with a few problems. He is a six yr old that was professionally trained at 3 (ya right) then put out to

Issues From The Saddle: Paces Instead Of Fox Trots

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Dear Julie, I just got back into horses a year and a half ago at age 47; I’ll be 49 this year. I am building my confidence in

Issues From The Saddle: Over-Reactive To Leg Pressure

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: I have a 4-year-old bay breeding stock paint gelding. He is broke for western pleasure and does really well. His only problem is that he completely goes crazy

Issues From The Saddle: Not Wanting To Go Forward

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Julie, I have seen you several times at the Equine Affaire in Columbus over the past few years and respect your training skills. I have a particular problem

Issues From The Saddle: Nervous To Go On Trail

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Dear Julie, I have an 8-year-old gelding that is very easy to work with on the ground and in the arena. He tends to become uptight, and nervous

Issues From The Saddle: My Horse Pulls On The Bit As I Ride

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Hi Julie I have been riding for eight months at a stable and am taking classes once-twice a week as well as clinics. I bought a horse from

Issues From The Saddle: My Horse Holds The Bit And Throws Head When Unbridling

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Julie, My horse holds the bit in her mouth when I am trying to take the bridle off and then throws her head up in the air and

Issues From The Saddle: Must Be In Front On Trail

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Dear Ms. Goodnight, I have a 15-year-old quarter horse, MAX, who decided he does not want to be the second horse out on the trail. I ride alone

Issues From The Saddle: Meandering On The Trail

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: My 6 y/o AQHA gelding is very focused in the arena, on or off cattle, keeping his face directed at our target or direction. On the trail, he

Issues From The Saddle: Kicks Out At Canter

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: I have 3 horses, all of which do the same thing. They walk and trot quietly, but when you cue for lope, they will kick up in the

Issues From The Saddle: Jigging Horse Sensitive To The Leg

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: I have been given a 12 year old gelding that I am very much attached to and enjoy riding. The problem is that he has had some past

Issues From The Saddle: How To Relax A Spooky Horse

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Dear Julie, I have broken my arm from the fall. We have snow on the ground and I didn’t want my horse {a forward horse} to run home.

Issues From The Saddle: How To Deal With A Spooky Horse

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Hello Julie, I was glad to see you are doing a clinic in my area in NH. I have a 10 year old who was born on my

Issues From The Saddle: How Much Does Conformation Have To Do With Movement

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Hi, I have a 5 year old QH gelding that is tall and not very muscular. He has a long back and legs and I wonder if that

Issues From The Saddle: How Do You Stop A Horse When He’s Running Backwards

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: How do you stop a horse when he’s running backwards? I was trail riding over the weekend, and my horse took a dislike to the horse behind him.

Issues From The Saddle: Horse Won’t Stand For Mounting

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: I ran across your website while searching for an answer for a behavior problem with my daughter’s 7 year old quarter horse mare. We have owned this mare

Issues From The Saddle: Horse Won’t Move Forward; When To Use Spurs

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: Dear Julie, I’ve seen your show on RFD-TV about how to lower your horse’s head. In the episode you mentioned something about spurs, how to use the spurs

Issues From The Saddle: Horse Won’t Give His Head

Question Category: Issues from the Saddle Question: I have a 2 year old that is not giving his head I can pull it around but he will not give the bit at all. He has