One Chill Horse

You might be horse crazy if: If you stare at pretty pictures of pretty ponies all the time If your Pinterest feed automatically populates with horse pics If you know the closest tack shop, feed shop and vet to wherever you are in your city If you can talk about the size of a horse's butt without giggling If you misread things with horse context If your phone is full of pics of your horse, your dog, other people's horses, horses you want, horses you think are pretty and like 3 photos of yourself If your first thought each day is the forecast and if it says rain you immediately think mud If you are always interested in buying buckets, brushes, treats and every little thing that you probably already have 8 of If your YouTube history is full of instructional videos on bits, collection, flexion and lead changes If you see a single horse in a pasture and immediately feel sad for it and wonder where it's goat/donkey/horse friend is, because what kind of monster woul...

To ride is not to sit on a horse and grin like an idiot - I mean, yeah that happens, but it's not the whole story. Horseback riding is a sport that can appeal to a wide range of people and that has been a long standing part of American culture.   You may not get to ride all the time, but hopefully you get the chance on a vacation to go for a trail ride. Below are a few tips to help you have a comfortable and safe trail ride (Western Saddle perspective): 1. Have a soft hand with the reins, hold with enough grip to send signals, but not enough to cause undue pressure and unwanted responses. Don't forget that your hands are holding a line that goes into the horses mouth, that when you move your hands you are putting pressure on lips, tongue, cheeks, roof of mouth and neck. So be gentle, firm and clear in your signals. 2. Keep you back straight, but not too straight and not hollowed out. Your hips rocked under, your core engaged, but not too tight. Relax at the sa...

Before turning to the saddle, I had tried various other activities such as swimming, physical therapy, yoga, personal training, belly dancing, pilates - all to no avail. No matter what I tried I was still in pain. There is nothing special about my aches and pains, except my age. I have been dealing with neck and back pain (that then becomes arm and leg pain) since I was in my growth spurt years. As an adult I have been informed that I have degenerative disc disease, which is a fancy way of saying - Oh look, arthritis! I was still hiking and having adventures as best I could, but I felt limited a great deal of the time. Some of the things I have managed to do before I started really feeling better are: 2010 I hiked Old Rag in Shenandoah National Park 2012 I hiked and Snorkeled around St John's and St Thomas 2014 I hiked through El Yunque National Forest and up Mt Britton 2014 I snorkeled in open waters and swam with wild sea turtles 2015 I swam with stingrays on Grand Cayma...

We always hear about how much it costs to have a horse. It is common knowledge that horses are perceived as being expensive, you have to consider such things as Boarding  Lessons Tack  Vet Bills Farrier Bills Emergency Vet Bills Helmets Boots Barn Clothes Show Clothes Show Tack Trailers Trucks Shavings (if not included in boarding) Fencing (if not included in boarding) Feed (if not included in boarding) The list goes on and on and on. All of those things cost money and time. When we talk about budgets and payments, it all sounds like burdens, and is the negative side of the equation. What we don't discuss openly enough is the positive side.  What are you getting for those dollars? Horses give us everything. If you are a horse person, you immediately know what I mean. The sense of peace, calm and rightness that comes with being around horses. The sense of partnership that comes from having your own mount to call your friend. For those ...

Girls love horses - well this girl loves horses! I was about 2 when I learned that I was horse crazy, but it came so naturally that I don't realize my mania until much much later.  This love is like breathing, there is no process - it just is, as if it has always been. The magic of it is not something easily explained, it is an addictive feeling, the need to experience horsey time, it is an urgency in the soul that is not easily quelled. ***First pic of me on a horse, my dad's work horse, 'Yeller' 1983(ish) So in the vein of the American Dream, you would think, awww this girly must have had a pony as a tot. Nope. I had access to a few cow horses, horses you rope from and sort cattle with, or ones you ride through rough country on, but not any sort of calm demure lesson pony.  My access to even these snarky mounts was short lived and riding was a rare treat. Yet, it never lessened my Christmas morning excitement, each and every time I got the chance to be around...