The saying goes that a parent knows. I guess the same is true even when your children aren’t human. Last Saturday, my mare was in the wash rack giving me side eye to assess whether I brought treats. I noticed something. Her sclera (the white portion of the eye that shows when your horse’s head is facing forward but […]
My horse became the smelly kid this winter. I’m embarrassed, but I might as well own it. I am a disciplined groomer. But with the unusually long and intense winter and the copious mud, she became a dusty smelly fur-ball. Exhibit A: I coat her legs in poultice at the slightest hint of heat. It gives […]
This may not look like much. But it took two-and-a-half years, several vet bills, sleepless nights, and lots of tears to get here. Prior to this moment, the last time we rode a centerline to a judge was November 2011. I haven’t been taking lessons, but I felt it was time for an independent third party […]
Horses don’t speak human. But if you “listen” with all of your senses, they absolutely communicate. Nothing will teach a rider to listen to their horse quite like prolonged lameness. Each time I approach my mare, my mind starts a checklist. “Is she bright-eyed? Was that a little swelling on her leg? Did she take […]
Memorizing a dressage test, or anything for that matter, was so much easier when I was little. And even then, I can’t say I didn’t get lost every now and then. I’m sure I’m not the only one. March 30th will be our first show in a very long time. I’m getting started early. While […]
After over a year and a half of unresolved lameness in my mare, I am having outstanding success in a very short time with daily Cur-OST. (Please note: I am not sponsored by, and have no business or financial ties to, Nouvelle Research or Cur-OST. I blog about products only to provide helpful information to other […]
No doubt you’ve been told to “dress for the job you want, not the one you have.” But have you ever thought about dressing for the ride you want? When it comes to the career world, the saying relates to how others view you. In the context of horses, dressing for success is about confidence […]
My mare has not truly been sound in a very long time. 2013 was not a great year for us. Two ligament injuries, stall-rest, and arthritis left her quite lame. Read more about our soundness struggle here. Just before Christmas, she came down with a respiratory infection that resulted in a week of stall rest and […]
Boarding barns are a little like daycare. If one horse gets sick, it’s just a matter of time before the whole barn is exposed. There is a mild viral respiratory bug (thankfully not Strangles and not Herpes) making the rounds in the D.C. Metropolitan area. I keep my mare at a very clean barn with […]
Equine lameness can be discouraging and expensive to treat. I’ve been dealing with a less-than-sound horse for over a year. Several x-rays, ultrasounds, months on stall rest, shockwave treatments, two MRIs and a stay in the vet hospital later, as of Thanksgiving, she was still noticeably lame. Two weeks ago, I started the mare on […]
Have you heard of CurOST? Until a few years ago, I hadn’t either. In 2010, I had the privilege of watching the World Equestrian Games with friends and family. As we walked the aisles of gift shops and exhibits, I picked up several samples. Over the last few years, Nouvelle Research has emailed articles about […]
With my mare in recovery from two ligament injuries, I’ve gotten creative: dreaming up things we can do in the stall, on the lead, and under saddle in straight lines mostly at the walk. I had a world of trouble finding guidance on the internet. Most exercises were tailored for horses with bony injuries. Soft […]
My mare is lame. Has been for a year and three months. We don’t know how she did it, but she came in from the paddock in August 2012 with two injured ligaments in her left front. So, she did a year of stall rest, and I have been bringing her back slowly. But some […]
You’re running late. There are two sub-reasons why it isn’t wise to ride when running significantly behind schedule. Why are you late? Perhaps the universe is trying to tell you that today is not your day. Stress. When you rush, you’re prone to make mistakes. A horse can sense an anxious human from a mile […]
It isn’t fun to brush dried poultice out of a tail. But then again, a tail is a horse’s best defense against pesky biting flies. My poultice regime starts with fashioning a less-than-attractive-but-cheap-and-effective fake tail. Step 1: Cut 2 foot segments of baling twine Step 2: Braid tail. Thread baling twine about halfway through the […]
It’s a new word, but an old phenomenon: Attorneys who ride. As most horse-people know, if you argue with a horse, you’ll lose every time. With most horses, it’s a matter of asking the right questions, in the right way, at the right time. The best lawyers would say the same thing about the courtroom. […]
Capital Cowgirl 