The only thing predictable about the weather in March in Maine is that it is unpredictable. Two days ago it was warm enough for Tonka to have his first naked roll of 2021. A day later it’s 10 degrees F with wind gusts of 35 mph and the horses […]
relationship building
Tonka had something sticky on his nose, so I used his favorite soft curry on it. Seven years with Tonka, and I never knew that he liked this. Now he wants me to curry his nose everyday. A relationship is never static if you pay attention to what […]
Something New: Nose Grooming
While Tonka and I did our warmup walk in the ring yesterday, we stayed out of the way of a lesson. The horse being schooled is a big, powerful mare, with a goal of competing in the jumpers. There’s a lot of energy and drama when she goes. The fences […]
Listening Despite Enthusiasm
Shorten your reins! I’ve heard that my entire riding life. On the most basic level, your hands hold onto the reins, the reins attach to the bit in the horse’s mouth, and how you move that bit tells the horse what you want them to do. Turn left. Turn right. […]
Shorten Your Reins
Tonka had a lot to say in yesterday’s lesson.
Tonka’s View Of Our Jumping Lesson
Tonka turns 15 today. In terms of age, he’s caught up with me. We’re both past our athletic prime, but we still have a lot of active years left. We’ve got arthritis, tight muscles and some twinges, but prefer to be moving and doing interesting things rather than sitting around. […]
Happy 15th, Tonka!
I’ve had Tonka for seven years and there hasn’t been a day with him that I haven’t worked on a certain behavior. Actually, it’s more of a mindset. I call it connected relaxation. With attention to this goal, and consistency in training, it has come to underlie everything that my […]
Connected Relaxation
Last week the snow fell light and deep. No crust. No ice. Perfect for riding. I led Tonka to the outside ring. He was not sure that I was serious about this. After I got on he said that walking through snow is a lot of work. Look at […]
Dashing Through The Snow
I’m writing this while a nor’easter blows through. Currently there’s a hard, cold rain pelting down. In a few hours it’ll turn into wet, heavy snow. But last weekend it was sunny and 40°F, which is remarkably good weather for southern Maine in the winter. I knew it might be […]