Skip to content

Julie's Blog

julie-riding-horse

Rider Skill Assessment & Training Plan

We 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
Read More

Horse Goals or Bust! Part 3: Rider Fitness & Conditioning Plan

We 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
Read More
Horse looking down a long trail

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,
Read More

Check Your Rearview Before You Get in Gear Next Year

It’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
Read More
Julie training on a horse in English tack.

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,
Read More

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
Read More
Foal meeting the farrier

How to Get a 5-Star Rating From Your Farrier

As 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
Read More
Julie working with a horse on a leadline

Plugging the Holes in Your Horse’s Training

You 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
Read More

Change of Plans: When It’s Time to Pivot

You’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
Read More

Free Articles

julie-riding-horse

Rider Skill Assessment & Training Plan

We 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
Read More

February 2023 Horse Report

I 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
Read More

Horse Goals or Bust! Part 3: Rider Fitness & Conditioning Plan

We 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
Read More
Annie in the barn

January 2023 Horse Report

This 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
Read More
Horse looking down a long trail

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,
Read More
Julie's arena blanketed in snow with the mountains in the background.

December 2022 Horse Report

Around 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.
Read More

Check Your Rearview Before You Get in Gear Next Year

It’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
Read More
Julie training on a horse in English tack.

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,
Read More
horseback riders at the beach in the water in Ireland

October 2022 Horse Report

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
Read More

Training Articles

JulieGoodnight.com Logo

Behavior Bummers

Does your trail horse paw, walk off when you mount up, or go at an inconsistent speed? Correct these behavioral woes with these techniques from top trainer/clinician Julie Goodnight. BY
Read More
JulieGoodnight.com Logo

Julie Goodnight Q&A: Bit Tips

Question: I just purchased a seven-year-old gelding. The previous owner was riding him in a single-jointed snaffle bit. Now, I’m looking for a bit for him and he has responded
Read More

Stop In An Emergency

    The Trail Rider ~ May/June 2016 Riding Right   Stop in an Emergency The one-rein stop is often taught as the go-to aid for slowing and stopping a
Read More
JulieGoodnight.com Logo

The Pully-Rein Stop

The Trail Rider ~ May 2016 Ride Right with Julie Goodnight   To watch Julie Goodnight demonstrate how to perform the pulley-rein stop, go to TrailRiderMag.com.   The Pulley-Rein Stop
Read More
JulieGoodnight.com Logo

Q & A – How To Introduce Kids To Horses And Riding

Q: What are safe tips to introduce my kids to horses and riding? I want them to love riding but don’t want to do too much too soon and end
Read More
JulieGoodnight.com Logo

Q & A – How To Make Picking Hooves Easier

Q: Sometimes when I’m picking out my horse’s hooves, she pulls it down onto the floor. If I hold it tightly, she tries to jerk it away. How can I
Read More
JulieGoodnight.com Logo

Extended Trot Instead Of Canter Cue

Julie Goodnight Q&A Q: How do I get my horse to move out at the trot without breaking into a lope? He’s a western horse learning dressage and the extended
Read More
JulieGoodnight.com Logo

Cinching Up Just Enough – Julie Goodnight Q & A

Q: How tight should I tighten my horse’s cinch—and what is the right process. I don’t want to hurt my horse and I want to make sure he never becomes
Read More
JulieGoodnight.com Logo

My Horse Consistently Breaks Gait From A Lope To A Jog On The Right Lead. Q & A

Q: My horse consistently breaks gait from a lope to a jog on the right lead. What may be causing this? –Haley White A: This is an interesting question—and I
Read More