My Early Years He’s gone now – the all-consuming dream and obsession of my youth; the culmination of years of begging, scheming, and ecstatic toil; my first horse; my delicate little, green-broke, grey Arabian filly. Well all right, perhaps he wasn’t a filly, or grey, or even possessed of a single drop of Arabian blood,…
The canter is a three-beat, broken diagonal gait – outside hind, inside hind/outside fore, inside fore. We all know that. So what are all of those other faster-than-trot, slower-than-run variations we riders are subject to from time to time? Individual differences in equine carriage and conformation can account for a certain degree of variance in…
I had a revelation the other day. Out of the clear blue it came to me … why I am so comfortable and (if immodestly stated) quite good at teaching beginning students how to ride. I relate easily to inexperienced riders. My equestrian status for the vast majority of my horse-obsessed lifetime has been that…
In April each year comes the none-too-eagerly anticipated time when the horses and I are compelled to shed the fast-held remnants of winter’s relative inactivity and begin the slow, progressive trek back into summer’s energetic routine. In northern Minnesota, none but the hardiest and most determined (not to mention most masochistic) equestrian enthusiasts pursue their…
Ringworm, girth itch, rain rot… what horse owners wouldn’t do to wipe these words from the equestrian vocabulary! Unfortunately, these determined fungi (or in the case of rainrot, a bacterium masquerading as a fungus) are not so easily eliminated. These relentless skin invaders have been a source of immense irritation to horses and owners alike…
Albert had always been a glutton, consuming anything and everything in his path. Now he forced himself to nibble grain and valiantly chewed (and chewed and chewed) wads of hay, only to have them fall from his mouth in slimy cuds. Albert never had any particular problem with the heat before. Now he staggered around…
Julie first came to me as a riding student at an early age. She was heavy even then, but she had a keen mind and an intense desire to learn to ride. She worked harder than any student I’ve ever had to acquire the skills necessary to become an admirable equestrian. She had to work harder. She…
Choosing a riding instructor may be as simple as calling the one and only individual within a hundred mile radius who offers riding lessons. For most of the equestrian minded public, however, the choice is not nearly so limited, or so easy. Before beginning your search for the best possible instruction, it is both helpful…
I know what it’s like. Every time you see a horse, even a picture of a horse, your heart beats faster. You read every horse book and magazine you can get your hands on. You envy every horse owner so much it hurts. You love the way horses look, feel, and smell. If and when…
“Can I have a horse? Can I, please? I promise I’ll feed him and brush him and ride him every day. Please … PLEASE … PLEASE?” How many hapless parents have been relentlessly bombarded with this urgent cry; the tearful, pleading eyes; the overwhelming burden of withholding from one’s own child that most essential element sure…