Terry Golson

I was all set to write a training-theory filled blog today, but the weather report looked vile. It wasn’t the anticipated few inches of snow, but rather it was the freezing rain to follow that changed my plans. Instead of sitting at my computer this morning, I headed out to […]

Snow Day

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For Tonka, 2017 was year of symptoms but no definitive diagnosis. It started with a slight head shaking. Then his back hurt. Then Tonka felt great and we had some rides where he did brilliant first level work. Then he couldn’t bend his neck. Then his back was sore again. […]

Getting Moving

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It doesn’t matter what species of animal is in your care – horse, dog, cat, iguana – the only way for them to thrive is for you to know them well and to pay attention. Sometimes, identifying what’s amiss and figuring out a remedy is like solving an Agatha Christie […]

Deducing What’s Wrong

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I recently had to rework some sloppy training on my part. It took me awhile to notice that I’d let things slip. Tonka is a calm and amenable gelding. But even a horse like that is always adjusting their behavior to what their human is doing. Just because you’ve taught […]

Reworking Sloppy Training

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All horses can potentially cause injury to us humans. Their vision, hearing and smell keeps them hyper-aware of danger, and their response to that is to put distance between themselves and the perceived threat. If prevented from fleeing, they will rear, kick and strike-out. Horses are especially wary of new […]

Desensitizing and Counter-Conditioning Horses

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As I’ve written about before, Tonka and I have been walking. Mostly, we’ve been in the covered arena, on safe footing, and sheltered from bitter cold winds. Two weeks ago, during a break in the weather, we managed to get down the road a bit. Tonka was on alert, but […]

Barn Sour Drama

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The stuff that a horse wears is called tack. Most tack is used either to control the horse, or to keep the rider on. What style of riding you do, what breed of horse you ride, your skill, the horse’s level of training, and your budget, determines what you put […]

Bit or Bitless?

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Yesterday, when I arrived at the barn, the temperature was above 20° F! The sky was clear. A red tailed hawk was screaming above the hay field.   She could hunt – the rain last week washed away the snow. But, soon there was a bigger animal than a mouse […]

Getting Out Of The Ring

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Tonka and I have been going for walks.   The walking is in addition to riding. Although Tonka is turned out during the day, he doesn’t move much. Not in the snow. Not when hay is right at his feet.   A horse is designed to eat and move. Bite. […]

Walking With My Horse

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