Some trust in horses…

As long as the vet-in this afternoon holds no surprises, we have at least made it to the start of attempt #2 at the single-day 100 mile ride here at Big South Fork Recreation Area in TN. If we were signed up for the 50 I would say I feel pretty confident that barring theContinue reading “Some trust in horses…”

Training or Testing?

I was listening to a podcast recently where Stacey Westfall discussed the differences between testing and training (she uses the word teaching interchangably for training). Stacey was talking about the process of learning vs the process of showing what has been learned.  Anyone who rides a horse has to do some amount of at leastContinue reading “Training or Testing?”

Clay Pots and Loud Singing

Last week I was hurtling toward ride weekend doing my best to get through each day and knowing if I looked too closely at all that was and wasn’t in place in my own strength I might panic and end up in a total crash. As I took care of exactly what was in frontContinue reading “Clay Pots and Loud Singing”

The Skies I’m Under

This blog was drafted on August 3 just before the Emily Kemp Clinic. It was left unfinished in the whirlwind of clinic and aftermath until today. The clinic was a wonderful success and an update including some near future plans will follow shortly. And hold me fast, hold me fast‘Cause I’m a hopeless wandererI willContinue reading “The Skies I’m Under”

Prepare to position

Thank you to those people who have given me glimpses of this thing that I now chase after too… Over time this blog has shifted from the physical mindset of conditioning and “training” a young non-Arab horse (well 1/4 Arab…) to complete a 100 mile single day event to a wandering road of the deeperContinue reading “Prepare to position”

Happy New Year 2021

Hello friends! I am excited to share some news about my new venture Hope Horsemanship. It’s been in the making for a few months and the website is officially live with a new blog as well. I will continue to write here especially as I have hopes for a real ride season with Khaleesi whoContinue reading “Happy New Year 2021”

The Right Result

Joyce Meyer has a saying: if you keep doing the right things, eventually you will get a right result. The right things are usually not the easy things. The right things come with resistance, struggle and doubt. But if you hang in there I believe what Joyce says is true, the right result will come.Continue reading “The Right Result”

First 5 videos

It’s been fun creating the first mini-series in video for starting the day connected. I’ve learned a fair amount already about the video-audio process and they will continue to improve in quality as I go forward. There are a couple ways to find the videos in one place. First is the link to my WordPressContinue reading “First 5 videos”

Leading for connection

Here is the second video in my new series! Each step of the process with your horse will bring you more connected or less depending on how you do it. When leading your horse in- or out- it’s important to be clear and expect excellence in leading as this will set the tone for theContinue reading “Leading for connection”

The Relationship

I knew when I brought home Ireland (now Khaleesi) as a barely handled 4 year old that I didn’t want a horse that complied with what I wanted or needed out of fear or force. I wanted a willing horse who would choose to be my partner. I didn’t want a trained horse, I wantedContinue reading “The Relationship”