My husband loves classic country, but I’m not talking about 90’s country gold; I’m talking about 1950’s songs about cattle drives and trapping animals. I hadn’t heard many of those songs before (much to his chagrin), but he put together a playlist, and I’ve come to love those old songs. There’s a particular song by…
Lessons from the Saddle
Let Them Go On A Good Day
One of my favourite things about my job is the animals. I grew up in the city and spent my childhood hearing stories about my parents growing up on farms. As a child, I tried to find ways to recreate those same farm experiences in my life. That usually meant playing lots of pretend in…
Connection Over Control
There’s an idea in the horse world that anyone can get a horse to do something with enough force, the same way that you can get anyone to do anything with enough coercion. The difference is that that horse, or that person, probably won’t want to do that thing again. I do not agree with…
Eye’s Up
One phrase that I find myself saying a lot when I’m teaching riding lessons is, “Eyes up!” That’s because when you’re riding, you need to be able to see where you’re going so you know that it’s safe for both you and your horse. Looking down at your horse – while a very nice view…
White-Knuckled Ride
Anyone who works with horses can tell you that it's never dull. Every day is a new adventure, and every horse is different from the last. Some horses will head out on the trail without a second thought, excited to get away from the barn and see new things. Others are more hesitant, unsure of…
Riding Wild
I’ve been bucked off several horses during my riding career. While each instance was different, there’s one common denominator that spreads throughout the stories: the horse was uncomfortable, so they sought to get me off their back as quickly as possible. The important thing to remember (other than trying to roll when you land to…
Who Do I Say I Am?
I have loved horses for as long as I can remember. My first word was probably “horse,” I had horse shirts, movies, books, and a room that was saturated with every possible horse knick-knack and textile. My friends in school even called me “Horse Katie” (you know who you are, and y’all are great!). If…
Tip Your Ears Back
When a horse is listening to you, they’ll tip their ears back towards you, showing you that their focus is on what you’re asking them to do and not on everything that’s going on around them. When their ears are pricked forward, it means that their attention is elsewhere, probably on something blowing in the…
Riding with God
This past week I spent most of my days leading trail rides for 8-10 year old children. Some were scared, some were excited, some didn’t want to be around the horses, some were physically shaking with excitement every time they saw a horse, and some were suddenly and surprisingly allergic to horses. If there’s one…
Lessons from the Round Pen
Anyone who has worked with horses will tell you that they never stop learning. You’re always learning how to be a better rider, trainer, listener, and partner. Along with that, you’ll also learn a whole lot about yourself as you work with horses, whether you want to or not. I’ve done a lot of learning…
Simply Katherina 