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…
Lessons from the Saddle
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…
Don’t Run
It’s just a tarp, why are you so afraid of it? For the love, it’s hay, you eat it every night, it’s not going to attack you. That was a tree, ya dummy… These are all phrases that I’ve not only said before but that have taken up permanent residence in my everyday vocabulary. “Why,”…
The Outside of a Horse
If you know even just a little bit about me then you know that horses are a huge part of my life. I’ve spent the better part of the last 5 years working with them, and while I have taught them a couple things they have taught me many more lessons than I could ever…
