We really enjoy mixing up normal ring riding in the winter with obstacles. These obstacles do a number of things: help us build trust with our equine partners,break up the routine ring work, andhelp desensitize our horses to new and potentially scary objects. Our general go-to obstacles in our ring are fairly limited. We mostly…
Humans are weird. We talk with our hands. We make strange noises. We move erratically. Sometimes, it feels like we should try to be quiet and still around horses so that they are quiet around us. Not exposing horses to these weird things actually can make them more spooky because they are not desensitized to…
Like most people, I was always taught to mount my horse and lead my horse from the left. I don’t know about you, but when I started riding at 11 years old, I didn’t really think to ask why it was always the left. There were so many other horse related things that had to…
Back in the beginning of May my friend Sabrina sent a message to a small group of our horsie friends with a listing for a kill pen horse out of the infamous New Holland auction in Pennsylvania. The photos were heartbreaking. He was known only as “Hip 448” and didn’t have a name that anyone…
Today, April 9th, just so happens to be Unicorn Day! Is this a weird made up thing? Yes, yes it is. However, it makes me think about my unicorn. In real horse terms, a unicorn is usually that special and often magical horse who checks all of your boxes. Can’t you just picture a unicorn…
It’s hard to believe that Monica and I started this blog and website an entire year ago. Where did the time go? It was just over a year ago on one of our first trail rides of spring when we started talking about the complete lack of information about trail locations, trail maps, information about…
There comes a time in most trail riders’ lives when they think about either making the jump to horse ownership or purchasing their next trail partner. This process can be both exciting and nerve racking, especially if you don’t know what you are looking for in a horse. A good trail horse has to be…
A friend of mine, Anna, has always loved horses, but recently she made the switch from riding to … “Shetlanding”. That is, she purchased a 10 hand tall Shetland (maybe Shetland – Mini cross?). You may be thinking “Why?”. Honestly, I know I was! Well, first, she bought him as a pet for her retired…
Like some of you, I have a human Valentine. However, let’s be honest… our horses are seriously better Valentines than our humans could ever be! Why? Well, here are just a few reasons: Talk about cheap date! No need to take your horse to a hip new restaurant with overpriced food – those 99 cent…
I got to thinking the other day about all of the little hacks we use on a daily basis in the barn and on trail rides. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all. If horse people have a need, they will figure out the how – often in creative ways. I thought it would…
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