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
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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
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
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
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
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
January 2019: Horse Report
At the moment, all my horses are healthy and sound (knock on wood), but we’ve been contending with injuries and various lameness issues rotating through my herd. Dually is looking better than he has in
Back to Basics: Part 2, Square-One in the Riding Arena
When a horse’s training is either lacking or confused, we often talk about going “back to basics.” Last month, I talked about basic training from the ground—and how important it is to have a well-mannered,
January 2019 Letter from Julie
Dear friends, I’m not one to look in the rearview mirror for too long—I’m too pre-occupied with what’s in front of me. I’ve got so many exciting new projects coming to fruition this year, and
December 2018 Horse Report
Now that I am home for an extended period, I’m getting a little more time with my horses. I’m happy to report that my old man, Dually, is feeling well and trotting sound. I don’t think I’ll
Back to Basics (Part 1)
“It’s time to go back to Square One.” This is a phrase we often throw out when a horse has developed undesirable behaviors, or the handler has lost all authority and control of the horse.
December 2018 Letter from Julie
Dear friends, Although I’m sad this year is coming to a close, I’m excited about next year. I’ve got exciting changes in store for 2019, with a few pet projects of mine coming to fruition.
November 2018 Horse Report
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Julie Goodnight (@juliegoodnight) on Nov 14, 2018 at 12:07pm PST Annie is fully recovered from her sprained stifle and is back in training and
November 2018 Letter from Julie
Dear friends, Snow storms, single-digit temperatures, hurricanes and “red tide” provided interesting challenges to my travels last month. From the high mountains of Colorado, to the gulf coast of Florida, Mother Nature made her presence
Reward, Reinforcement and Punishment
Horses are intricate and complicated animals and their views and perceptions of the world around them can be quite different from our own. Being prey animals and flight animals, horses are highly sensitive to all
October 2018 Horse Report
I had a great time with all my horses last month, but we had our ups and downs. Annie has just recovered from a minor performance injury at the end of September—a sprained stifle. She
October 2018 Letter from Julie
Dear Friends, September was a whirlwind for me—starting out in Ireland, then attending six different events, all over the map, ending up at the CHA International Conference at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
Did You Teach Your Horse to Kick?
The first time I saw and understood this behavioral dynamic, between a horse and its rider, was about twenty years ago at a clinic for people learning to manage their fear of horses. I’ve seen
September 2018 Horse Report
Lucky for me (not really luck; more by design), I have Melissa to keep my horses working in my absence and my son, Hunter, to keep them secure, comfortable and well-fed. My horses live at
Riding in Ireland
After two flights and ten hours in the air, we landed in Dublin, ready for our horseback riding adventure! My husband Rich and eight of our friends made the journey together, meeting up in Galway
August 2018 Horse Report
With all the talk about my new young horse, Pepper, it may seem like I’ve forgotten about my other three horses. Yes, a pretty young face always get the attention, but I have my other
August 2018 Letter From Julie
Dear Friends, It’s been a fabulous summer, here at the ranch. We‘ve avoided the wild fires so far, and the monsoon season is providing some relief from the drought. Hay prices are up because yields
How to Make a Perfect Horse
Before the horsemanship clinic even started, I could see the bad dynamic between the horse and his owner. The big brown gelding was agitated and acting aggressively toward his owner, a middle-aged woman, who was
July 2018 Horse Report
Our newest addition to the herd, Pepperoni (SCR CD Peptoes), is a two-year-old AQHA gelding, bred at the renowned Spur Cross Ranch and donated to the Legends of Ranching program at Colorado State University. I
A Devoted Horse
Horses rise or fall to your level of expectation, no matter how high or low. If you think he’s going to spook at something, he generally will. If you think he is going to throw
July 2018 Letter From Julie
Dear Friends, I’m home for my summer break—seven wonderful weeks at home! No airports, no business travel, until my fall clinic season begins in late August. I’m celebrating by working in my postage-stamp-sized flower garden,
June 2018 Horse Report
I’ve spent lots of time in the saddle this month; sadly, not much of it on my own horses. I always enjoy riding other people’s horses—whether it’s getting on a horse in a clinic to
June 2018 Letter From Julie
Dear Friends, Are you ready to ride? With a few horsemanship clinics behind me and a few more coming this month, it already seems like summer to me! This is my busiest time of year—spring
Think Forward: Ride Yourself Out of Rough Spots
When was the last time you felt a lack of control while riding your horse, even if only for a moment? Was he spooked? Did your horse freak out because the other horses took off?
May 2018 Horse Report
On April 21st, I attended the Legends of Ranching horse sale at Colorado State University. It’s an awesome program that I’ve been a part of since its inception, as a member of the Advisory Board
Help! My Horse Won’t Stay on the Rail
Horses are smarter than we give them credit for and any horse that’s been around an arena more than once, has figured out that it’s a much shorter distance around when they cut corners and
April 2018 Horse Report
Because of a heavy travel schedule, I went three weeks in March without riding my own horses. I hate that! Fortunately, I have Melissa, to manage my horses for me during my frequent absences. Consequently,
April 2018 Letter from Julie
Dear Friends, I crisscrossed the country last month, from Arizona to Pennsylvania to California to Florida—meeting many incredible horses and their people. We recorded the TV show in Tucson with some horses that were rescued
Horses Give More than they Get
When you own horses, and especially if you keep them at home, sometimes it seems like your whole life revolves around doing their bidding—food service, housekeeping, valet service, maintenance. Most people who dream of bringing
March 2018 Horse Report
On the Road Although I’ve gotten plenty of ride time in the past few weeks, very little of it has been on my own horses. Fortunately for me, Melissa and Rich are keeping the ponies
March 2018 Letter From Julie
Dear Friends, After being in Florida and Arizona last month, where the riding season is already in full swing, then coming home to snow, ice and riding indoors, it seemed like a letdown. But I
Begging for Acceptance
Imagine you’re meeting a blind date at a coffee shop, a setup by your friend who just wouldn’t take no for an answer. Even though you’re not really interested in a relationship right now, you
