Silva: We Need to Ditch Autocratic Teaching

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 […]

Micro-steps with Rewards Work Best for Dogs and Horses

The weather is warming. Snow is disappearing. And like riding season, herd dog training season is back! My dogs and I are fortunate to resume our training with Ann Chernoff Allan, a remarkable local trainer. Read more here. Last year, we trained faithfully for six […]

The Winding Road of Life with Horses

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 BestHorsePractices columnist. She will offer two arena presentations with […]

Sweaters are back, thanks to Cotopaxi

No one wears sweaters any more. Why? They don’t breathe. They don’t stand up to hard work. They’re not fashionable. Sweaters are for dowdy, office types stuck in the 1950’s. Outside of a formal work interview or a fancy lunch, I haven’t worn one in […]

Delightful Days at Circle Z

Many of us are more than ready for spring. Waiting out the weather is fine, by why not escape instead? Our newest partner is the Circle Z Ranch, in Patagonia, Arizona. Here, owner Diana Nash maps out what your delicious, delightful week will entail: Circle […]

Nancy Lowery: Where is MeToo in the Horse World?

Editor’s Note: We hear this week from Nancy Lowery of Calgary, Alberta. Lowery has been blogging about her Leadership Learning through Horsemanship Experiences for more than a decade. A recent interview series by Lowery explored what Calgary leaders have learned through their relationships with horses. This […]

Jeanette’s Journey, the Final Trek!

Editor’s Note: In the sixth installment of a multi-part series, we hear from Jeanette Hayhurst, a long-time and avid horsewoman from Barstow, California. Like many of us, she has continued to connect with horses, even when her age and physical limitations kept her from doing […]

The Most Fun You Can Have With Dogs in the Dark and Cold

I’m servant to three, highly energetic, mixed-breed-but-mostly herding dogs: Peeko, a heeler mutt; Kip, a mostly Aussie girl; and Monty, a mostly border collie boy. Together, we trek between two and ten miles every day. Especially during the winter, many of those outings happen in […]

We sit down with Western Folklife’s Kristin Windbigler

At the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, we were thrilled to sit down with Kristin Windbigler, executive director of Western Folklife, the organization that runs the Gathering. She took the helm less than a year ago after serving on its board of directors and working for TED as […]

News, Updates, Money, and Coffee

We’ve been working hard on developments for the Best Horse Practices Summit. In particular, we’re excited at the prospect of a new website, to be designed by TJ Zark of the brand and design company, Hello Zark. By March, the website will be live and […]