Channel Archives: Learn

Games of the I Olympiad

For more than 1,500 years the world was void of the Olympic Games. That void was thanks to Roman Emperor Theodosius I who was so hell-bent on promoting Christianity, that...

Spring Winds

Grrr…. Need I say more than the title of this post? Spring is so lovely—temps warm up, pastures get green, months of dirt can be washed off—but oh, the wind....

Women & the Ancient Olympics

If you've read my previous Olympic-themed posts, you know that women were not allowed to attend or participate in the Ancient Games. And for the most part that was true....

Somebody Moved Stonehenge!

My green warmblood True and I have started riding around a 275-acre ranch after our work in the arena is finished. It’s a nice way for him to cool out...

Horses and the Ancient Olympics

Horses have been a part of the Olympics from close to the start. There is no way our four-legged friends, who helped shape humanity on multiple levels, could be left...

The Power of Horse-Human Connections

Anyone who has spent enough time around horses knows there’s a strong, uncommon bond between our species. Through a millennia-long partnership that dates to 3500 B.C., we’ve developed a unique,...

Hello, Mares! Preventing Misbehavior

Uh-oh! Our boy True has discovered mares. Most of his buddies so far have been geldings. When the occasional mare walked past, he was curious and attentive. But only recently...

The Backward Step

The human prefrontal cortex loves progress. Forward, forward, forward. Set the goal and move inexorably toward it. Sometimes you can’t go as far forward as you’d like in one leap,...

The Unintentional Dismount

Sometimes forced dismounts are met with laughter and other times tears and ambulances. I think it’s fair to say that 99.9% of the time we’re jettisoned from the saddle it’s...

Health Care for the Young Horse

Young horses demand certain types of nutrition and veterinary care that are a little different from adult equine needs. My young Warmblood True has been very healthy. I attribute that...

How do you dishorse?

If you turn to page 1 of the 1976 Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship you will find instructions on how to dismount. Page one. That’s how important this is. I’m...

The Perfect Flying Change

Flying lead changes are on my short list for True at this point in his training. We’ve been doing a lot of simple changes, shortening the number of trot steps...

Love Nips between Horses

Aww, sometimes horses are so darn cute. I know that sounds anthropomorphic, but hear me out and judge for yourself: True’s been separated from his injured pasture mate for a...

These Boots Were Made for Riding

A friend of mine texted me the other day, “Why are they called field boots, dress boots and paddock boots?” Fair question. Why are they called field boots? And so,...

Sharing the Arena

True loves to share the arena with other horses: “Woo-hoo! Play time!” Mares are especially exciting because they’re rare where he lives… and, well, because they’re mares: “Hey, baby! Wanna...

No Bones About It

Today I thought I’d venture down the horse’s leg as there are a lot of curious names down there. We will start at the bottom and work our way up...