Not all those who wander are lost – J.R.R. Tolkien When I was 12 years old my sweet father took my sister and me on an epic six-week trip throughout the Western United States. We visited, camped, and backpacked in many of our country’s most beautiful public lands like …
Read MoreThese Feet were Made for Travel – Seeking Horse Adventures
Many things can go wrong between the time of matching a stallion to a mare and finally riding the consequential horse four (or more) years later. Problems can occur during gestation, foaling, weaning, and starting. Thousands of dollars will be spent—stud fees, veterinary fees, feed, farrier, and trainer. And then …
Read MoreGoing for Magic – Breeding Horses is a Job for the Passionate
My warmblood gelding Beowulf (Wulf) is 30 years old. He’s been the model of health all his life, but this fall he’s beginning to show signs of his advanced age. He has difficulty eating hay (though he tries) and mostly lives on large amounts of pelleted feed. His topline is …
Read MoreThe Years Tick By – Getting Older Can Mean Getting Better
Late morning on September 7, Labor Day, I was hot-footing it north on Interstate 5, heading home from judging a horse show in Eugene, Oregon. As I sung along with the radio, I noted to myself how dry the Willamette Valley looked. Along the way I stopped off to meet …
Read MoreOut of the Ashes – Stories of Generosity Remind Us of Humanity’s Kindness
There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. These are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns—those things we don’t know we don’t know. – Donald Rumsfeld Wellness weighs heavy on our minds these days. It …
Read MoreExploring Options in Equine Wellness – Sometimes We Find What We Need in the Unknown
It’s late July as I write this column and I’m preparing to make the eight-hour drive down to the Oregon Horse Center to judge a Working Equitation show. Hurray! It’s the first horse show I’ve been to in 2020. I’m excited to see horses and people in the flesh. I’ll …
Read MoreLearning Continues – A Computer, Wi-Fi, and Imagination Create Opportunity
Training is directing your horse toward something he doesn’t know. – Anna Blake When I was in my late teens, I worked with an older horse trainer I respected a great deal. He didn’t talk a lot, but one of the things he told me was this: “Train a …
Read MoreMaturity Brings Excellence in Horse Training- Move Slowly, Take Your Time, and Take Breaks
My young horse, Gus, turned three years old in May. The years have flown by since I brought him home as a pudgy weanling, and now it’s time to start him under saddle. He’s a typical adolescent—bumbling and silly in one moment, taking my breath away with his athleticism and …
Read MoreHope for the Future – Well-Bred Performance Horses Make Training a Joy
I just wanted to mow the lawn. After weeks of rain the sky finally cleared. My grass was knee deep and I figured I could get a little done after the evening chores. But five minutes into the job one of the tires fell off its rim. Oh bother! There …
Read MoreTack is Useful Art – The Stuff We Need and the Stuff We Love
“What I love about people (and I do love people) is that crises bring out the best in them. And the best people aren’t people, they’re animals.” – Stephen Colbert I’ll admit it, I’ve been rather sad lately. The world seems darker than usual. There’s a lot of bad news …
