Anyone who has worked with or owned horses understands that horses don’t give a flying F about your plans, even if those plans are supposed to be beneficial to them. My barn owner, Kate, her husband, Lee, and I had plans to get Kiss trailered to a clinic at my trainer, Deanna’s on Friday afternoon….
Tag: training
It’s Spring and The Kiss-anthemums Are Blossoming
It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but everything is good! Updates on my riding and training progress with Kiss.
New Year, New Barn, New Post!
Hello! I know, it has been a significant minute here since I last posted. I’m still navigating my depression and the oppressive challenges posed by Jake’s separation anxiety, but I’m now working with a veterinary behaviorist, who assures me that, once we have the meds right, I’ll be able to leave my house at least…
Everybody’s Doing It, Sooo…
There are so many things in the traditional horse world that most riders accept as conventional wisdom but is actually, at best, not doing the horse any favors, and at worst can be harmful. For example, the flash noseband is rampantly used to keep a horse’s mouth shut, especially in the dressage world. Nevermind that…
Two Steps Forward, But Then…
They say time flies when you’re having fun, but time streaks at light speed when you’re having stress. I was making pretty good progress with my new rescue dog, Jake’s anxiety at being left by himself. By the first week of September, I was able to leave him for up to an hour by himself…
Girl, You’re Gonna Carry That Weight
I think it’s part of the human condition to make horrible decisions in traumatic times. For me, going through a divorce, I decided to rescue a dog. Oh, but not only rescue a dog, I rescued a dog who wasn’t housebroken, had heartworms, and wasn’t neutered. Oh, AND, come to find out, he has some…
Mocking Bird Moves
As I’ve mentioned many times before, dressage is hard. You know how I know it’s hard? Because a large number of people who train in the sport seek out shortcuts. What do I mean by shortcuts? Shortcuts can be a number of things, but most frequently it’s the use of training aids, as well as…
Pon-ed
So, a lot has happened over the past couple of weeks that I’m not really ready to discuss quite yet. However, suffice it to say that it’s been quite the emotional roller coaster and I was also out of town for a full week, which, combined with the healing of Kiss’s “boob,” made for a…
The ‘Spooky,’ or Under-Confident Horse
At the age of 42, I’ve become somewhat of a connoisseur of spooky horses. I guess because I’m fairly even-keel on the exterior, I’ve often been paired with more nervous souls. When I was younger, I took all manner of spooking in stride. My first horse, Ahab, would jump to the side or full-on bolt…
A Long Weekend of Life Lessons
Coming off of a long weekend is always tough. You feel a little foggy and not quite yourself. It takes a moment to settle back into your weekday routine and focus on things that need doing. This weekend was full of activity after a lot of rain the week before. On Saturday, Deanna came by…
Equicurious 