The other day, I got an email that touched my heart. It was from a man named Rusty, who told me the story of his draft horse Duke. The love that he carries for his horse was so evident. His story made me think of my own love story with my horse Gemini. And from there I got thinking about all of our stories. How is that we find our first horse love? What kind of place do they settle into in our heart? How do we connect with them? What makes us fall for them so hard? How do we make decisions about them and stay by their side in the long run? Do you have a story like this? I bet you do. I think every horse person has a story of the first horse that really touched them to their core. You never lose that story. Today, ...
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The best words to describe horse showing, for me, is anticipation and relief. You know that moment before you go into your class? They call your name, and you know you’re up next, and you gather yourself and horse — hopefully to go do something great. And if not great, at least something worthwhile. Showing (and for the sake of this argument, I’m going to include going to clinics under the same umbrella) takes a lot of time. And it takes a lot of money. So why do we do it? The American Horse Council estimates that there are 481,000 people in the US that are involved in competing across every discipline. For the average girl that owns her own horse or has been riding for a couple of years, horse shows are often a highly anticipated next step. I’ve narrowed it down to 8 reasons you (and your daughters) ...
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What’s a show mom? A show mom is a category of mom that all young riders know and love. Show moms are the ones that come to their daughter’s horse shows, not just to watch, but to support and be a part of their child’s world. You don’t actually have to be a mom to be a show mom. For example, I’m not a mom, but I surely consider myself a show mom! They’re the mother figures that are there to help, keep everything in line and support the girls who are showing. It’s usually 50/50 — some mom’s are naturally show moms (they think, why would I miss my daughter’s horse show? It’s her life!), and some mom’s aren’t (they think, I really don't want to spend a whole day or weekend at my daughters horse show… I have to [fill in the blank] and I can’t loose that ...
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One of my goals for the year of 2015 was to ride more.  Actually, I know goals are supposed to be specific, so I put it like this: "Ride 2-3 times per week, because it makes me happy and grounded". Happy and grounded?  Interesting way of putting it.  Of all the things that I could have focused on as the reason behind why I should be riding (moving around, getting exercise, taking care of a horse who needs to be ridden, just to name a few), doing something that makes me happy and grounded was what was the most important to me.  To put it another way, my goal was: "ride more, because it keeps me emotionally healthy". Physical health is a great thing that we get from riding.  But in my opinion, the emotional health that we gain is far more important-- and harder to get from other types of ...
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Everyone who knows me knows that I'm a draft person.  A person, who above all other horses, loves draft horses.  It's true, I am a draft lover. Know anyone like that? I think it happened when I got my second horse, a Clydesdale cross who I named Gemini.  He knew nothing, I knew nothing.  It was a spectacularly terrible mix.  Plus, he was incredibly frustrating, and was big enough to overpower me.  Sound familiar?  Anyone who's dealt with a draft horse knows what I'm saying. So, how is it that now, I'm crazy about draft horses?  Enough to write an article about it??  Well, after years together, it's safe to say that he won me over... Wholly and completely. Here's why I love drafts-- and why you should too.  If you're debating what kind of horse to get, please, let me weigh in. Why I love draft horses-- and ...
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Want a horse but can’t afford it? You’ve got some options. Recently, I wrote an article called 10 Reasons Your Daughter Should Own a Horse, which detailed all the benefits of horse ownership for teenage girls. Now, I’ve been compelled to address the next logical step in the consideration process. There are lots of benefits to owning horses, but the first blockade to ownership is the financial investment that has to be made. Horses cost a lot of money, no matter how much of a great influence they may have on your son or daughter. If owning a horse is simply not an option for your family, there are alternative ways for your kids to become involved with horses and get the same benefits, without having to front such a large bill. If your daughter is already in lessons and wants to be more involved with horses, consider these next ...
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I was one hell of a teenager: utterly independent, debated everything and sought full control over my own life by the time I was 13. Looking back, it was actually my horse that kept me safe and out of trouble, when my parents could only do so much. There are many reasons that your teenage daughter might want a horse. There’s also many reasons that as a parent, you may think it’s a bad idea. There’s pros and cons to every situation, I know. Cons: first off, horses are expensive-- they’re actually black holes for money, let’s be realistic. This is usually the first turn off for parents. They take countless hours and coordination of chauffeuring your daughter back and forth from the barn. There’s plenty of other cons, for sure. But for argument’s sake, let’s try to put all those hesitations on hold for the next 5 minutes.... And ...
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