Monthly Archives: January 2019


When you ride dressage, you care about the details. Where each hoof falls, the height of the poll, the way the shoulder follows the arc of a circle. It’s all too easy to micromanage every stride, to push and constrain so that the horse’s body goes exactly where you want […]

The Square Halt


When I arrived at the barn this afternoon, the ground was frozen hard. Tonka was way out back in the furthest paddock, and he was on the far side of that. He came when I called. (Here’s how to train a horse to come.)   Honestly, he doesn’t always have […]

Clean/Dirty


Did you wake up on New Year’s Day at the normal time to take care of your animals, and it wasn’t a problem, because you went to sleep at the normal time the night before? Like before 10 pm? And you were happy to get up and be greeted by […]

A New Year’s Day