horse body language


Last week Tonka was feeling wonderful. He was going sound and letting me know that he felt good. I blogged about it. Jinx! I had that fun jumping lesson, and then two great rides over the weekend. Tonka was forward, balanced, doing enthusiastic canter work, and was supple across his […]

Calm Hoof Soaking


It rained all day on Thanksgiving. The horses were not turned out into their big paddocks, but Tonka has his in/out so at least he got to put his head outside. The barn was closed to boarders so that the staff could have most of the day off. We all […]

The Sanity Nugget


Tonka and I have a relationship based on two-way communication. We both have a say. I trust that when Tonka stops in an alert posture that there is something to suss out. I don’t take that stop as a disobedience. Rather, it’s the start of a discussion. For example, yesterday […]

He’d Rather Canter



Some lamenesses have obvious causes and clear resolutions. Your horse is injured by a known trauma. The wound heals. Perhaps a ligament swells, causes pain, and eventually returns to some semblance of its former self. X-rays and ultrasounds can give definitive diagnoses. Sometimes. Unfortunately for the health of the horse […]

Horse Back Health Is Complicated


Some of you saw this photo of Tonka in my Instagram feed.   You commented on how regal, confident and happy Tonka looked. He did. At that moment. But lest I let this one photograph misrepresent how Tonka felt all day at the show, here are few pictures that I […]

A Good Photo Of My Horse


Today I shared an apple with Tonka.   After Tonka finished chewing and swallowing, he continued to lip smack and savor the moment.   Then Tonka licked my breeches. He wasn’t nudging me for more. He was being affectionate and thanking me.   Yes, I believe that sometimes animals are […]

Animals Say Thank You



As I wrote about last time, heading away from home, especially without other horses for company, can be stressful for horses. Today dawned cloudy and still. It’s always less scary when the wind isn’t blowing things about. This would be a good opportunity to get Tonka off property, without Steve […]

Weather Prediction


Two weeks ago Tonka was obviously sore, most notably his left front. I immediately stopped riding and made an appointment with my veterinarian. She deduced that the coffin joints inside of his hoofs was causing pain (read more on this blog) and injected the joints with a cocktail of drugs. […]

Coffin Joint Injection Results


I live on a hill overlooking a beaver marsh in southern Maine. This is the view from the front of the house. Two acres of field and blueberry barrens sloping down to wetlands. If I were a landscape painter I couldn’t have imagined a better composition. Those 4 large oaks […]

Observer or the Observed?