Long Overdue News About Jupiter

So I realized this morning I had not updated my blog entries with anything about Jupiter in many months. As if it was not bad enough that I have not been properly tracking his progress, but worse yet, I neglected to mention the single most important bit of news concerning Jupiter, but before I get…


Horse Training is like Chess

At first blush, the title of this entry is a tad obtuse. How is horse training like chess? Sort of sounds like the riddle from Alice in Wonderland, “How is a raven like a writing desk?” In the Lewis Carol classic the riddle is nonsense spoken by a madman. In our case, it is my…


Whimsy leaves us…

Whimsy is on her way. Up before the sun, she stood quietly with me as the horse hauler pulled up, figited a little as he opened the doors, walk cautiously up the ramp when I asked her too, but gods what a look she gave me through her window as they pulled away. I know…


Jupiter the Nurse

We have been remiss in writing up how Jupiter has been doing these past couple of months.  It has been a lot of the same.. he’s continuing to get better at balance and coming under himself, he’s getting incredibly light in response to seat and leg aids… But yesterday his wonderful personality came out yet…


So you want to make your horse a warhorse?

I received the following query via Facebook yesterday: “I am considering to become involved in SCA equestrian activities, and was wondering what I should take into consideration, especially concerning horses…what to look for, how to know if they enjoy it etc…Would you have advice for a beginner in this area…I have been riding since I was a…


The Frame of the horse while riding…

I ran across these on Christine Sander’s Facebook page and some of the comments below were offered by her. They are intended to show the muscle groups that are in use when a horse is at various levels of collection. The information processed in these illustrations is from Goody “Horse Anatomy”. What he provides on…


Mercedes officially has her new home!

We received word from Mercedes’ new owner that she wants to keep her so our trial period is complete.   It is really wonderful to hear from the owner that Mercedes is doing well with the trust games they have been playing and that their first ride went very well.  I think we found a…


The Equine Mind – As I See It

In recent months I have spoken with several horse trainers and owners, on the subject of the “intelligence” of horses, individually and as identified in specific breeds. I put the word intelligence in quotes because the first thing I concluded was that before we can even start discussing how smart a horse or breed may…


Why A Bad Day Is Not Necessarily A Bad Day

Something happened during my training session today that doesn’t happen often. I came off a horse. Soil test, unplanned dismount, rider relocation, call it what you will, I was on the horse, funky things happened, I was looking up thinking “What a beautiful blue sky… hey, wasn’t I riding a horse a moment ago?” For…


Hoof Abscess – Things I Have Recently Learned

Having always owned horses with great feet, that never required shoes due to their thick hoof walls and general superiority, I had never had to deal with hoof abscesses before this winter. Enter Zephyr. Z, while possessing fine hoof walls as well, is unfortunately a little flat footed. This means the soles of his hoofs…