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Horse Report: Life is Good for RipThe Herd, from left to right: Abner, Casper, Tomcat, Rip, Annie
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The Emergency Dismount: When All Else FailsPhoto 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
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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
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Jealousy & Possessiveness in HorsesAnnie 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
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Horse Report: Summer Days with Annie & RipHere 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
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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
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Newborn Foals: Mother Nature Usually Gets it Right*UPDATE!* Annie had her beautiful, healthy colt right after publishing time! “Little Colt” (not named yet!) was born on Friday, May 17 at 9:01 in the morning. Here he is
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Horse Report: Waiting On BabyIt’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
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March 2024 Horse ReportMy 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
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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”
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January 2024 Horse ReportIn 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
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How Horses Learn to “Read” HumansIf 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.
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December 2023 Horse ReportWinter 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
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A Look Back: My 2023 Horse GoalsMy 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
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September 2023 Horse Report: A Lesson in Letting GoMany 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
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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
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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
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July 2023 Horse ReportAs 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!
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Horse Goals Or Bust Part 8: Mental Strategies to Manage Day-Of Anxiety & Perform at Your BestWhether 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
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June 2023 Horse ReportMy 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
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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
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May 2023 Horse ReportIt 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
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Horse Goals or Bust Part 6: Your Trailer FAQs AnsweredIt’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
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April 2023 Horse ReportI 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
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Horse Goals or Bust Part 5: Grooming Tips from the Trail to the ArenaWhether 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
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March 2023 Horse ReportWith 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
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Horse Goals or Bust! Part 4: Rider Skill Assessment & Training PlanWe 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
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February 2023 Horse ReportI 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
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<i>Horse Goals or Bust!</i> Part 3: Rider Fitness & Conditioning PlanWe 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
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January 2023 Horse ReportThis 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
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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,
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December 2022 Horse ReportAround 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.
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Check Your Rearview Before You Get in Gear Next YearIt’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
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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,
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October 2022 Horse ReportAfter 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
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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
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September 2022 Horse ReportWith 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
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How to Get a 5-Star Rating From Your FarrierAs 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
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August 2022 Horse ReportHere 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
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Plugging the Holes in Your Horse’s TrainingYou 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
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July 2022 Horse ReportAll 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
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Change of Plans: When It’s Time to PivotYou’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
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June 2022 Horse ReportAnnie 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
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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
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May 2022 Horse ReportIn 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
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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,
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April 2022 Horse ReportDear friends, The past month brought some rather profound changes around our barn, leaving a giant hole in my heart. First, we said a sad farewell to our faithful old
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What’s the Temperature of Your Horse’s Temperament?Horses are unique individuals with differing temperaments and a variety of idiosyncrasies. Even within one breed or type of horse, temperament can vary greatly between individuals. The more you know
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Trailering Checklist Part 1: What to Know Before You Hit the Road There’s a lot to consider when it comes to traveling with horses, and I’ve learned a lot of things to do (and not to do) over the years. Whether
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February 2022 Horse ReportWinter got off to a mild start here in the Colorado mountains but has come back with a vengeance lately. With lots of snow and sub-zero temps, our outdoor arena
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