…ten years. The best books stand out in my mind like I read them yesterday; others evoke vague memories of pleasant reading, while some are completely forgettable. Here, I will list my most favorite books that I have read or re-read in the past 10 years on horses, works of…
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. Little did I know, that a few decades later, I’d be a
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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 year for me. Needless to say, it hasn’t left me much time to work
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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 love to see
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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!
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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 the field, such is the spirit in our herd of seven head.
It’s
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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 the Ranch Riding Adventure, due to an outbreak of Strangles at the ranch and
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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 resolutions, and I’m already busy crafting mine. I operate with multiple resolutions—personal betterment,
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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 over the last couple years of pandemic restrictions.
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…looked back at my catalog from the original performance horse sale, on Doc’s page I had written and double underlined, “too hot.”
Doc was 6 years old when we brought him home, and it was clear that my first impression was
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…and rider, and a horse that you can count on to perform in all situations. For this, Pepperoni is perfect!
Have you been following my updates on my Facebook page about my foster horse project, Truth Takes Time? She’s an 18-year-old registered Thoroughbred. She raced for 3 years, then…
…as we eased her back into fitness. In just six weeks of 10-minute long-trots, six days a week, I’ve seen her trot go from stiff and reluctant to free-flowing with floating extension. The first week she could barely hold a trot longer than 6-7 minutes and now she’s racing around,…
…one-page, 12-month calendar from the internet, for the year that is ending. Mark the time/days you devoted to horses in the past year and list all your accomplishments.
What progress did you make in your personal skills and/or confidence level? What progress did your horse make? How much time were…
…Mary Ann Page. Between saddling horses, feeding, cleaning stalls, schlepping my helmet and water bottle, and dragging me to the next venue—without them I would have flailed. It was also fabulous to see the hundreds dedicated horse enthusiasts who braved the cold and the germs to attend the horse expo….
In 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 people and horses, see lots of familiar faces, and
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…10,000 years, horses have found ways to make themselves useful to humans. Maybe it’s time we give something back. Focus on One at a Time Watching my own healthy and happy horses frolic in the fields, knowing they will be tucked securely into their cozy barn at night with an…
Winter 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 is frozen solid,
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Here 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 been blessed with a normal monsoon weather pattern lately,
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After 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 the Wild Atlantic Coast of County Galway in the
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See where your horse stands right now and take my “What is Your Horse’s Training Level?” quiz:
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Does your horse try to slam his feet down when you’re done handling them? Here’s why it’s important that your horse learns to set his feet down gently.
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Dear 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 Labrador, Samantha. She was a beautiful girl with
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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 you are hauling 10 minutes or 10
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Assessing your tack—in terms of its condition, fit to the horse, and appropriateness for the horse’s discipline and level of training—should be ongoing, but doing a thorough assessment should happen at least once a year. For me, New Year’s
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http://juliegoodnight.com
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My horses enjoyed a well-deserved training break over the past month. Slowly, my life is creeping back to normal and I’m spending more time traveling. I’m so grateful to be fully vaccinated (and in line for the
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Here in the Colorado Rockies, fall comes early, but we have been blessed with exceptionally warm days and normally cool nights, with about a 50-degree difference from the low to high temps. If
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As the days shorten, I’ve been frantically trying to squeeze in all the activities I wanted to do this summer. The older I get, the shorter the summers are, and it’s hard to get enough trail riding, camping, boating,
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…they loved each other. Then it became obvious that the otherwise sweet and compliant mares would resemble fire-breathing dragons if we ever tried to separate them.
Both mares became so attached at the hip that even a momentary separation of 10 feet would send both mares into a…
I’ll admit, it’s been a bit of a lazy summer for me, and I’ve had lots of time to enjoy my horses in a more casual way. With no clinics, expos or tv projects looming in my immediate future,
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…Louis.
Making that list only took 10 minutes and half a page of notebook paper, but it made a giant impact on my confidence. When I look back at all that we accomplished in our boating goals in a year, I’m amazed! Looking back also helps me frame…
…do more of (or less of) this year? What kind of time can you realistically dedicate to your horsemanship goals?
Print off a one-page calendar for this year and mark it up with your aspirations. Start with your inflexible commitments (work and family obligations), then identify the time you…
…for subzero barn chores and cold-weather riding.
Click Here to Read “Ready for Winter?”
Want to know more about this or something else? Click the search icon from any page of the Goodnight Academy and type in the topic you want to learn more about.
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…controversy, the U.S. Army Caisson Detachment (The Old Guard) has refined protocol to ensure the horses that serve as the mounted escort to our nation’s fallen have saddles that are lightweight, comfortable, and expertly fit to each horse.
Photo by Mary Ann Page – Julie Goodnight poses…
Recently I had a question from one of my podcast listeners, Benjamin. He asked:
“Many blogs, books and online training resources talk about helping you develop the relationship you always wanted to have with your horse. For example,
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…progress VIDEO>> https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152557058567181&video_source=pages_finch_trailer
Who wants to see the barn? Here’s your video tour of the progress so far. It is such a nice day I thought it would be better to show you what we’ve done instead of just write (and I got to go outside!). My husband, Jared was able…
…and go home in a few months, but for years to come when I go up to C Lazy U for my clinics I’ll be able to keep tabs on his progress and follow his training throughout his career.
Be sure to check out my Facebook page and YouTube…
…the most. You can find every single one of the Daily Doses here. Please join me on the LIVE posts on Facebook, to share your story and ask questions @JulieGoodnight. The LIVE posts are always announced ahead of time on my Facebook page. I look forward to connecting with you…
…to disappoint you—I’ve got a new series in the works that I know you’re going to love, about the people, culture and lifestyle surrounding horses. Stay tuned to my Facebook page for the latest news on our new series, Horse Life with Julie Goodnight!
Enjoy the ride,
Julie
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…is no small undertaking, by anyone’s standards, and I could never have pulled it off without lots of expert and enthusiastic help from others. I have an abundance of gratitude for all the horses, people and places that were part of Horse Master over the years. It would take pages…
…frequently recommend to people are listed on this web page, along with an explanation of what type of horse I would use them on http://www.juliegoodngiht.com/myler Also, there’s a great new 4-part online free video series from Dale Myler that you can find a link to on the main page of…
…temperament. Conformation follows closely as a must-have because it has a bearing on performance, soundness and longevity. For my sales program, I rarely look at a horse under 10 years old to buy. I try to find those “cream puff” horses that are safe, solid and fun to own and…
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Question Category: Riding Skills
Question: Julie,
I saw your clinic at the horse Expo in Illinois a couple of years ago and am completely impressed with both the your clinic and the down to earth way you present information on the Q&A page of your
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