Respect or fear? Does it matter?

I have become addicted to the Inspector Gamache mystery novels by Louise Penny. I love the characters, the little town much of it takes place in, but even more I love the philosophical layers Penny unearths through the characters in each novel. In the most recent book I finished (A Great Reckoning) there is aContinue reading “Respect or fear? Does it matter?”

Blessed are the flexible…

… for they shall not be bent out of shape. Khaleesi has been on some down time after Big South Fork and I have been flung headlong into fall season of music program administration, teaching and rehearsals. I have done some hiking with her and then snuck in one unimpressive ride before the hurricane rainsContinue reading “Blessed are the flexible…”

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?”

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”

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”

With me.

Last week was a milestone for Wyoming and me. Her first solo ride. I had gone to the barn with that plan in mind, however when I arrived I had my doubts if it would be the right day. Well it wasn’t upon arrival. Everything seemed fine at that point. In fact my horses wereContinue reading “With me.”

Give up the pattern

Know when you have to give up the pattern to work on the dance. Emily Kemp My long term plans for Khaleesi include finishing higher mileage events culminating hopefully in a single-day 100 mile ride. For Wyoming at the moment it includes having a horse that can function as a solid trail partner including transportContinue reading “Give up the pattern”

The Emotional System

I have been considering the systems of horses and humans for a few years now and how they work when healthy and what happens when they malfunction. I worked with a mentor a couple of years back who helped me see that humans and horses do function on systems and this can be observed andContinue reading “The Emotional System”

Kairos

I like to imagine a horse knows her name and will tell you if you ask. Khaleesi was born on March 17 and named Shamrock temporarily until she was renamed Ireland. I knew when she came to live with me however, that she had a real name and would reveal it when she was readyContinue reading “Kairos”