I’m more than a little late on my year end post, which is pretty much indicative of 2015 as a whole. For me, it was the year that somehow happened without happening. I realize that makes no sense. It’s not that nothing went down in 2015. It’s that so many of the things that did… Read more »
Horse Thoughts
The Indecisive Winter
We’re well into December and it’s currently 53° outside. It’s been above 50° since I stepped outside in the dark this morning with Esti. We have had some nights that get below freezing, but that hasn’t been happening consistently. It’s also been rainy. Which means we’ve basically had a perfect recipe for mud. Oh, mud.… Read more »
Summer, Take II
It’s the end of August, and somehow my brain thinks summer is just starting. I suspect said brain is going to be disappointed in the near future when I have to start wearing layer upon layer of clothing to comfortably go outside, and riding is once again done in a large, frigid building. On the… Read more »
Hiatus
I can’t believe it’s already late August. It’s been such a strange year. Life has been a bit bumpier than usual, personally and professionally and mundanely. We’ve had loss in the family, I’ve had persistent hardware, software, and ISP issues, and we’ve had our fair share of random problems like sewage backing up in the… Read more »
A New Chapter
I’ve spent a lot of time with puppies. My family has always had dogs. Those dogs had several litters when I was a kid. In college a good friend of mine got a puppy and we shared custody for the first six months of her life. My sister had a Great Dane before she was… Read more »
Piper’s Progress
We’ve been in a good riding pattern since we got back from South Dakota. It’s been fun getting to know K’s new horse a little, and the weather has been wonderful. We’ve changed our ride combos and gone back to riding Steen and Nevada together, then switching to Laredo and Piper. This is mostly because… Read more »
Spreading the Fever
On Wednesday, we had a fun job. Our barn owner asked us to be there when K’s new horse arrived so we could oversee her introduction to the herd. We headed out a little early, said hi to all our ponies, then rode Steen and Laredo. Both the guys were great. They were fat and… Read more »
Four Days in South Dakota
It had been a couple of years since Brian and I attended an entire horsemanship clinic. We’ve been watching videos, reading, and continuing to grow in other ways, but the immersive experience of thinking about nothing but horses for several days running it definitely a special kind of boost. When we saw Buck was going… Read more »
Opening Doors
Recently Bruce Sandifer has taken to posting short videos on Facebook. These are awesome because usually he’s just chatting about what’s going through his head as he’s working with a horse. One of my favorite things about him is he’s so willing to express uncertainty, to say he’s just trying something out and he doesn’t… Read more »
Late Spring Update
We’ve had a beautiful spring here in Iowa. Not much rain, quite a bit of sun, and lots of really temperate weather. April was a good month with the horses. Loretta I’ve continued to do work both with Loretta alone and with Loretta and her owner together. We are seeing a lot of really good… Read more »