Reading on Horseback

Morning Pages & Artist’s Date

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If we are going to reclaim our creative nature, and get over the blocks that stop us from being the best teachers, trainers, riders, writers, artists, doctors, mothers, lawyers, dog walkers — human beings — that we can be… we need to take it on gently and joyfully, with tools built for the task.

Two basic tools will be sued through this process; Morning Pages & The Artist’s Date.

Horse Painting

The Artist’s Way for Equestrians

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I’ll be posting the next week’s section each Monday and asking for you to share your thoughts, experiences and any struggles you might be wading through from the previous week in the comments section. Remember you can also share photos when you post comments if you’d like to share anything visual from your week’s journey.

Joining in? Introduce yourself in the comments and share what you’re hoping to get out of this 12-week journey!

Horses being led in a brutal snowstorm

3 Ways to Improve Your Riding (when it’s too cold to ride)

This winter we’ve been hit particularly hard in the Midwest with sub-zero temperatures, to which I’ve simply resigned myself to the fact that riding will have to wait.

But, that doesn’t mean I’ve resigned myself to lose any hard-won skills in riding. These can be both physical and mental skills, and there’s nothing more rewarding than coming back to riding after a forced holiday feeling like you haven’t skipped a beat.

Quarter horse mare and foal showing obvious conformation faults

Backyard Breeding is the Blight of the Horse Industry

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Essentially that $500 foal is being produced because the breeder likes producing baby horses. It isn’t to improve the breed, to improve upon the parents. It certainly isn’t because they’re running a business of any kind. They are hobbyists who are flooding a market where the victim is the horse because they face a future of uncertainty.

Even professional horse trainers can confuse, frustrate and piss off their horses
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You’re Confusing the &*#! Out of Your Horse

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You asked for your horse to go left – well you thought you asked anyways. You thought you pressed your right leg to his barrel and applied a direct left rein; but can you be sure? You probably thought nothing about how you caught your horse either, while you approached him head on like a predator and yelled at him for running away. You can’t figure out why he won’t lead properly without running his shoulder into you sporadically. He doesn’t stand still for mounting or walks off as soon as your leg is over his back. He leans on the bit or shies away from any contact, spooks and is either dull or too sensitive to the aids.

Guess what? These aren’t training problems, they’re communication problems.

Increasing the value of your horse doesn't just mean monetarily. Changing your view of what your horse is worth to you can change his value.

Learn What Your Horse Is Really Worth

Sometimes I worry I’m not doing enough with my horses. Like, “I don’t put enough training on them, which I really ought to do because it raises their market value.” Without training most horses are deemed at risk of the slaughter-house on the open market. Heck, even with training and championship titles any horse can face a bolt through the head.