In my younger (ok, MUCH younger) days, I didn’t like mares. They seemed unpredictable and difficult compared to geldings, or even stallions. I was wrong. In the feral society of...
There is a trend these days to label many highly nutritious feed ingredients as worthless wastes. This particularly falls on anything that might be classified as a by-product, including beet...
“What if what we experience close up is real, and what we hear on the news from the mouths of those jockeying for power needs to be questioned? It is...
It happens every winter. A horse that may not even have a prior history of laminitis is found to be very lame and reluctant to move. It’s more than the...
I awoke Friday morning and just stared at the comments. I'd spent the previous evening in a state of distress; a state of overwhelming fear, sadness, and this sick sense...
Research has proven that exposure to cold causes increased stiffness in both muscle and connective tissue, including tendons and ligaments. A recent human study also confirmed that dampness (relative humidity)...
On Thanksgiving Day, while the turkey roasted and my family gathered, my significant other and I huddled on the couch with shoulders touching and a tiny phone in front of...
Impending winter weather and loss of good pasture make all owners of thin senior horses anxious. Some things to consider when a horse is underweight span all age groups, but...
There are obviously countless reasons why a couple decides to breakup or file for divorce. As anyone who has survived a failed, long-term relationship knows, there are so many reasons...
There has been a lot of discussion this year at national and international levels of equestrian showjumping about the health of hunter/jumper sport. The FEI has debated harmonizing entry fees...
When I was a junior I was fortunate to be able to ride with a young, up and coming rider and trainer, Beth Underhill. I vividly remember her sense of...
So, six months ago this was me. (Warning, the next photo might be a bit unsettling. No blood, just very broken bones. Also, cursing ahead.) THANK GOODNESS I was wearing...
My very first horse was an ex-hunter/jumper in her twenties. She was a true gem of a horse, aptly named Lady Be Good. Due to her former career however, Lady...
We’ve all seen at least one article claiming a high percentage of horses are overweight, or even that it’s an epidemic. While the numbers are true, 40+ years as a...
The day before Poetry sold she broke my phone. I asked her to transition up to a canter, and instead, I hit the hard-packed dirt. The phone made a crunching...
#MeToo has been a powerful social media movement that has brought to light just how many women have been sexually abused and sexually harassed. After actress Alyssa Milano asked followers...
Horseshoe-free hoof proponents can be very enthusiastic and are often devoutly committed to the theory of "natural is best." Often, natural is best. However, shaming people for putting shoes on...
My Connemara cross mare JEF Anna Rose and I finished our 2017 show season the last weekend of August at a close to home recognized USDF/USEF show, held at Longfellow...
These days it's pretty easy to become world-weary, and for many of us our respite is found in the barn, which can seem like an impenetrable world of peace and...
A few months ago, I came across a blogger’s article on the rat race that Young Riders and Pony Club create. I read her description of the feeling of complete...
