Years ago, if you owned one saddle, chances are it would fit most of your horses, at least well enough. But this is no longer the case. What’s changed? For one thing, the variety of horse breeds that people commonly ride has changed. When I was growing up the most popular breeds were thoroughbreds, Arabians,…
Is your relationship with knots characterized by fear and loathing, or curiosity and delight? Personally, I love learning new knots and feel especially gratified when I can chose just the right knot for every job. I want to share with you my favorite knot for tying a horse to a trailer (or other object). It’s…
If you rode horses as a teenager, you probably could tell stories about the crazy things you did and wonder how you survived. If you are a teenager now, you probably do crazy things on horses and – one day – you will wonder how you survived. For me it was working around horses barefoot,…
We have not posted for several weeks, for which we apologize. It has been a very dark time for us, as Kerrie’s thoroughbred, Prophet, was ill and, sadly, passed away on Friday. Prophet, née Clear Profit, was born in 1999, bred for the racetrack. He had a successful racing career, earning almost $80,000 with 14…
I find that horse people are very particular. They have strong feelings about how things should be done, from how to lead a horse or put on a bridle how to train a horse. When I was a kid I took lessons at a local stable and learned the basics of being around horses. As…
Tik Maynard’s memoir, In the Middle are the Horsemen, is a humble, endearing book, just like the man himself. He tells the story of his multi-year quest to define his place in the world of professional riding and training. I have seen Tik teach and witnessed him transform nervous, high-headed horses into relaxed puppy dogs…
The name Edward Curtis might not mean much to you, but you probably have seen the iconic photographs of Native Americans that he took in the early 20th century, such as this one of Red Hawk, an Oglala chief. Curtis was a photographer in Seattle and in 1896 he met and photographed the daughter of…
Are you confident that you can handle a trail emergency? Do you have the knowledge and supplies you need? To be perfectly honest, for me the answer, sadly, is “no.” Even though I am a professional worrier, for some reason I don’t think much about what could go wrong once I am mounted. Trail riding…
“A bicycle is a better form of transportation than a horse,” my brother, Eric, declared over a lobster dinner one night. It was the 1970s and I was about 11 or 12 years old, my brother 16 or 17. We and our siblings were living with our father on Cape Cod for the summer. “No,…
Imagine a native Vermonter who moves to Alaska and is so dedicated to trail riding that she ties a blanket around her waist with baling twine to fend off the winter cold. Then, picture her at a sewing machine stitching belt loops onto that blanket so she can put it on like a skirt. Now…
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