Divide Ain’t Wide: Common Roots

Editor’s Note: 2018 Best Horse Practices Summit presenter Katrin Silva grew up riding dressage in Germany before moving to the United States at age 19 to learn to ride Western. She’s been riding both disciplines for the last twenty years and is a regular guest columnist […]

Death, Life, and Time with Horses

By Maddy Butcher My ex-husband – father to my three sons, an Irishman to whom I was married for 12 years – died this spring. He was estranged from us for over a decade. Read follow-up to this essay here The boys – now men […]

Summertime: Tanks Rule

I live in Colorado, ride Western, and often help ranchers with cattle. Purists here say that even in the heat, long sleeves must be worn. I am not a purist. Some might call me a Redneck Rider. Redneck Riders are passionate about many things. Heeling […]

A Visit with Kimes Ranch Jeans

We’ve been fans of Kimes Ranch, the rider-friendly, made-in-America jeans company for years. Recently, we chatted with Kimes Ranch Marketing Director Lindsay Perraton to learn more about the company’s recent growth and successes. We’ll review a pair of their Jolene style soon. Cayuse Communications [CC]: […]

Welcome Peggy Gurnett

We welcome Peggy Gurnett Horsemanship to the Cayuse Communications family of advertising partners! Peggy lives and works in Boulder County, Colorado, where she has been helping horse owners and riders for years. She has been featured in Western Horseman and on ESPN. She’s ridden around […]

Joy Rides Workshop is Perfect for Summiteers

Trish Lemke, a talented horsewoman, life coach, and owner of Joy Rides, has developed a small, intimate Durango workshop especially for Summit attendees. “Be the Human your Horse Wants You to Be” is a day-long workshop perfectly timed on Sunday, October 7, before the Summit […]

DIY Dry Lot

With guidance from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (an agency of the Department of Agriculture charged with helping farmers and ranchers to optimize pasture health, among other missions), I’m building a dry lot. A dry lot is a space in which horses can move freely, […]

DIY Saddle Racks

This easy DIY comes from the folks at the Internet Hay Exchange. Materials lists: Scrap piece of 2×4 lumber between 18 and 24 inches in length #2 Eye Bolt (eye hole is about one inch in diameter) Four-inch Rope Hook Tool list: Philips Screw Driver […]

DIY Projects

Years ago, I sold my round pen (16 six-foot-high, heavy gauge panels, weighing about 90 pounds each) to a woman from Downeast Maine. She brought her flatbed trailer and the two of us loaded them. Twenty minutes and done. She cinched them down with ratchet […]

Amy Skinner: A Bit about Bias

Editor’s Note: Amy Skinner is a regular guest columnist and has been a horse gal since age six. Read her most recent article on the questionable nature of the 30-day start. She will present an arena demonstration with fellow trainer and rider, Katrin Silva, at […]