Category Archives: exercise

What we read into what horses tell us

Recently I have been concerned about how people and horses come together, and how we “read” what horses are telling us.

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Straight from the heart…what do horses tell us?

Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to talk about what we think of “love” between ourselves and our horses. We don’t really need studies to tell us what we feel about our horses and probably we have a good sense of how our horses feel about us. So much of what we feel would be considered “anecdotal evidence,” yet it is powerful and real. But there have been pilot studies done on the relationships between people and their horses, with some surprising, validating results.

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10 tips to riding horseback for the rest of your life

(Okay, if you really want to, you can get off to sleep and for meals, if you think it’s necessary.) DSC_0480 Continue reading 10 tips to riding horseback for the rest of your life

P for pinning – the ears, that is!

Do you have an ear pinner? Why do horses pin their ears at you?

Ear pinning is a signal to move out of the way!
Ear pinning is a signal to move out of the way!

Continue reading P for pinning – the ears, that is!

A child with horses

When I was four my parents took me on picnics in England (where I was born) to the country, and the highlight of my day was getting to see an old farm horse who would come to the fence in search of treats and a pet. I knew nothing then, only that my heart was so drawn to that horse that I carried him home with me in the car, everywhere I went from thereon, in my imagination, in my heart, in my soul.

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Best Body Language blogs of 2013

I decided to go through and pick out what readers had deemed the best Body Language blogs of 2013.

Lalique_04_2009 Continue reading Best Body Language blogs of 2013

Working with the liberty rein over cavaletti

This week I posted a video of Jazzmine going over cavaletti using only the liberty rein. In the past, I have taken her over cavaletti at liberty with just a halter, to guide her if she loses her connection with me. This is our first exercise with the liberty rein.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dEkR5PHAX0&w=560&h=315]

Continue reading Working with the liberty rein over cavaletti

The importance of touch in horse work

Touch can change heart rates, calm and nourish. Touch is the way we sometimes make contact when nothing else can work. I remember being in the hospital and having someone touch me in a healing way, just touch, not trying to move me, and it made all the difference in the world. IMG_0440 Continue reading The importance of touch in horse work

Recognizing horse guides

The closer we get to horses, the deeper our experience can become. Horses can guide us in remarkable ways. My mare Jazzie came to me in dreams for two years before I brought her home. I am in the process of learning why she wanted to be with me so much. Sometimes (probably more often than not) horses know things that we don’t know yet or that we can’t sense.

Jazzmine, who appeared in my dreams
Jazzmine, who appeared in my dreams

Continue reading Recognizing horse guides

The art of knowing horses

This past weekend I conducted a workshop in Corrales, New Mexico at the home of Nancy Freshour, an avid horsewoman. The three who participated were all accomplished horsewomen and really knew their horses well. IMG_0760 Continue reading The art of knowing horses