In a very interesting conversation with a trainer whose observations are consistently brilliant, I realized that it’s hard for riders to see the similarities between human and horse gaits.  This is because the vertical position of a human’s torso, due to our being bipedal, changes the orientation of the arms or forelimbs, thereby obscuring their motion.  So I thought it might be useful and interesting to compare the motions of humans and horses, anatomically.…

It is autumn now. I should be writing poetic blogs about geese on the wing, abundant golden harvests, or maybe a symbolic essay about the seasons of life. I’m not in the mood.

Every day the sun comes up later, and goes down earlier.  The drought has drained my beautiful pond, my pasture has fried and died. Hay prices are simply impossible. Some of the elder barn residents are…

  Re-adjusted my focus!! Cathy River's new blog post The Language of Confidence. Amazing what I've been saying to myself...#shift #mindset....

 …

STEP BY STEP & COLORADO HORSE PARK FOUNDATIONS RAISE THOUSANDS FOR FAMILIES DISPLACED BY WALDO CANYON FIRES AT SUMMER IN ROCKIES SERIES

CHILDREN RECEIVE SCHOOL SUPPLIES THANKS TO STEP BY STEP’S “SCHOOL IN A BACKPACK”

ONLINE INITIATIVE BEFORE FALL CLASSES BEGIN…

Love this new blog post by expert Confidence + Money Breakthrough Coach, Cathy Rivers of Big Horse Dreams, Inc.!

Also, I was asked the question not long ago: Do I think that your success and confidence as an equestrian is connected to your relationship with money?…

Hi all! This is a GIFT invitation for 4 Free Discovery Sessions offered by Cathy Rivers, a.k.a. The Confident Equestrian Coach. I'm posting this because an "equestrian" lifestyle can be costly and having a successful relationship with money is key! We all know that! 

Here's the info:

Offered by Cathy Rivers of Big Horse Dreams, Inc.…

  Check-out Cathy Rivers newest blog post! Often over-looked horsemanship lesson! Great info!

  Cathy Rivers, www.bighorsedreams.com

June 19th 2012

At some point in your horse ownership life there will come a time when you won’t be able to make it home to feed the horses. Are you prepared? What if you can’t do feeding and chores for 2 weeks or more? Are you prepared? What if you are at the Emergency Room and…

   Love! that Cathy Rivers is now offering that following: 

Horses know exactly who you are. That’s a fact. So wouldn’t it be nice to know exactly who they are? Especially if you’re equestrian genre is competitive dressage? How about resolving – once and for all – the frustrating challenges in your horse’s training, as well as in your own, that’s keeping you both from the winner’s marks.

Cathy Rivers, holistic horse therapist, accomplished dressage…

     It's not February, but we are halfway through the year. Wanted to share my re-read of this blog by Cathy Rivers'....

     good to touch base on with our goals!

     Re-Post

     by Cathy Rivers

    http://www.bighorsedreams.com or check out her other blogs @ http://www.bighorsedreams.com/blog/

   3 LESSONS YOUR HORSE TEACHES YOU…

   Had the opportunity to experience the process of Inner Nature Design...amazing...Cathy (Rivers) did my design....she's now offering the process to the equine community! It was definitely the missing piece for me...so I want to share and re-post this from her blog!  Also, she's doing a free 30-minute Discover Session if anyone's interested...it's so worth it!

 …

  Cathy River's latest blog re-post from http://www.bighorsedeams.com. Love this!

This past week I have been introducing my 2 year old filly to the bit. First two times, no problem. She was willing to put it in her mouth and she chewed and fussed on the rubber snaffle. Then came bit attempt #3 and out came the “You Can’t Make Me!” For little Peg, she decided there was nothing in it…

When the autumn time change happens, I always feel like my house gets smaller- by a few acres. The outside is my favorite room and I resent winter for taking it from me.

And is it just me- or is every winter somehow a bit more twisted and confused than the one before?

In the dark months, everything on the prairie seems the very definition of the dead of winter. It’s a monotone landscape, flat-cold, with not many trees to distract my sullen gaze.

And just when…

The Marlboro Man isn’t for me.  He’s the strong and silent type- it might be a romantic image on film, but it doesn’t look like much fun in real life. He probably eats an unhealthy amount of meat, that’s a given. A legendary smoker- no way would I let him in my barn. I doubt we would share the same taste in horses, (or anything else.) A hug from the Marlboro Man would feel like carrying an arm load of sticks and cans- way too boney for my taste.

And wouldn’t the Marlboro Man be…

CLAIRE DOROTIK, LMFT

Having spent a lifetime around horses – growing up riding and training horses and later riding at many of the country’s top show barns – Claire, in many ways, understood horses before she understood people.

Claire’s competitive accomplishments include top placings at the Almaden farms Mini Prix, the Michelob Classic Mini Prix, the Monterey Bay Mini Prix, a 2nd place finish…

Is it just me -or is a big part of the work-a-day horse world seized up in a flop sweat about money? Stress and worry seem to hang in the air. Horse sales are down. Hay production is down. Show…

There is so much debate currently about methods of training: German vs. French, classical vs. competitive, natural horsemanship vs. anything with an English saddle. It can get adversarial.

Most people agree that finesse is better than force in horse training, but we seem to have a hard time agreeing upon a definition of what those words actually look like in technique. That starts the debate…

I have been preparing for a clinic this weekend at Infinity Farm. It’s the my favorite clinic every year: Fundamentals of Dressage. One of my clients asked if it was going to be the same as last year. (Eye roll -is this a trick question?)

Nope, the fundamentals of dressage have not changed in the last year, or the last century for that matter. Dressage is the art of riding with balance…

Inspired by the "Road to the Horse 2011" on DVD which arrived last week, I've decided to implement an intensive training program to get Brody ready to be ridden.  Brody's been with us almost one year now, and he came to us with a suspensory injury.  But the vet came last week for Brody's vaccinations, and gave the go ahead to climb on and ride. Woohoo!

Brody may be physically ready to be ridden, but mentally and emotionally he is not.  (And, of course, there is the…