Horsemanship Does Not Begin or End In the Saddle
I was out at the barn the other morning, going about my daily chores and routine while my mare enjoyed some relaxation in the turn-out pen after a ride, and I got to talking with a fellow boarder. She...
View ArticleThe Passive Leader
Mark Rashid has put the interests of horses and people first in his journey of discovery, unveiling truths which help humans to form a trusting relationship with horses. Mark Rashid “When the pupil is...
View ArticleModern Lessons From the Classical Masters
This article was inspired by a comment recently made by a reader of a past article, in which I referenced the “Masters” of classical horsemanship from a few centuries ago. “What I want to question is...
View ArticleHorse Time Versus Human Time
Someone once said that God invented time to keep everything from happening at once. In fact, humans invented time in order to help bring order, meaning and understanding to their unique existence. As...
View ArticleDealing With Fear: Horses and Humans Part I
A leading North American sports psychologist recently called to tell me something he thought I would enjoy. He said in studying the importance of psychology in the performance of the human athlete for...
View ArticleClassical Perspective On Starting Horses
In my ongoing attempt to answer the question, “Why should we revere the classical masters?” below is a quote from one of the foremost Masters of classical dressage, François Robichon de la Guérinière...
View ArticleJust Another Deluded Cowboy
The kind and natural approach Several years ago, in search of an ethical alternative to the harsh and seemingly senseless mainstream training techniques, I began following a system of natural...
View ArticleDealing with Fear: Horse and Human Part II
In my last article, “Dealing With Fear: Part One,” we learned that what frightens horses does not frighten humans and what frightens humans does not frighten horses. A horse’s one and only fear that...
View ArticleIs Horse Ownership Natural?
Recently, I was at the rare cocktail party with my non-horsey husband and a group of his coworkers. Being a jeans and baseball cap horse girl, I was out of my element, but I put on my social face and...
View ArticleMind Your Aids and Cues
“I have mentioned the supreme refinement of all the aids, of which the intelligence is the most necessary for the rider as well as for the horse.” Antoine de Pluvinel (1555 – 1620) If you’ve read my...
View ArticleHorses and Spirituality
For over two decades I have been teaching the principals of Natural Horsemanship (or what was once referred to as “Horse Whispering”), helping humans create better relationships with their horses....
View ArticleRidden Meditation II: Frame of Body, Frame of Mind
In general, most meditation is from a sitting position, with the infrequent incorporation of walking into the practice. Both involve the quieting of the mind, extending your awareness to your...
View ArticleThe 4 Reasons a Horse Says, “No”
The most asked question in the equine world is: “Why does my horse sometimes refuse to do what I ask him to do?” No matter what situation is occurring the problem is always some form of horse...
View ArticleHow Horses Heal Our Emotional Wounds
©Stephanie and Eliza Lockhart Collection Twenty years ago as I began to gather research that would eventually form the basis of my book, Riding Home – The Power of Horses to Heal, I had my first...
View ArticleThe Academic Horsemanship Paradox
Let me first define what I mean when I use the term “Academic Horsemanship.” By this, I mean a study of horsemanship that is based on the writings and practices of the Masters of the art that have...
View ArticleThe Horse, a Gift for All Seasons
When I set out to write RIDING HOME ~ The Power of Horses to Heal I wanted to share about the profound emotional healing one can experience from today’s equine therapy. I also wanted people to discover...
View ArticleHorses in Winter
Winter can bring the doldrums even to our horses. In their natural environment, the air gets colder, the ground gets harder, food gets scarcer and predators get hungrier. Like us, sometimes they just...
View ArticleReal Riders Don’t Hand-Off Horsemanship
In the age of handing horses off to grooms and jumping in Range Rovers for coffee runs, it’s important to remember that this sport is called horseback riding—as in these animals are willingly carrying...
View ArticleThe Nature of Horses
The most important factor to remember when interacting with horses is the radical difference in their evolutionary nature. The horse is a prey animal and for millions of years, a prominent food source...
View ArticleHow and Why Horses Help Our Children
Throughout human history, people have loved owned, and ridden horses. Horses fascinate us; they silently speak to our hearts. However in the last few years, something new, and quite extraordinary, has...
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