July Storm: poet gives us telling image

July Storm Like a tall woman walking across the hayfield the rain came slowly, dressed in crystal and the sun. Rustling along the ground, she stopped at our apple tree only for a whispering minute, then swept darkening skirts over the lake, and so […]

Farm Fit meets Gym Fit

We’re active. Most of us horsemen and women get plenty of exercise just taking care of our barnful. Hay tossing, water lugging, and riding add up to being Farm Fit. Some may be Gym Fit, too, toning and sweating in a more formal setting. Read […]

Dr. Cooper will be missed

The large animal veterinary community lost a beloved and respected figure last week in Dr. E.L. “Coop” Cooper. After suffering a stroke, Dr. Cooper died at the Hospice House in Auburn. He was 87. Read the Sun Journal obituary. Cooper hailed from British Columbia, Canada. […]

Open Space Called

Nothing made sense. Moving again after only a year in Iowa? Buying a house in need of much renovation? Living further from, not closer to family? But when the prospect of moving west became real, we weighed those significant financial and logistical burdens against one […]

Breaking Bad and Horse Success. Really.

With open minds and a few decades of experience, we can begin to see patterns, common developments across geographies, species, and time. It happened to me while listening to an interview with Peter Gould, a writer and producer for Breaking Bad, one of the most […]

Outrunning Rain

It started out as a lazy Sunday ride. We headed out with the two favorites, Comet and Pep. Sun high and hot. Nearby fields just cleared of first-cut bales. Down the road, new neighbors were having a keg party of sorts in their front yard. […]

Swamped Trails

Last June, I was in a mild panic, buying hay and feeding it out. That’s how quickly our 10-acre pasture was eaten up by grazing and burned up by the high temperatures and lack of rain. We loved the sun and warmth, but animals and […]

Memorial Day may be for horses, too

Barbara King is a member of a small group of articulate scientists discussing and contributing exciting research on non-human emotions. It’s a fascinating field and one that has, over the generations, weathered challenges of anthropomorphizing and, on the other end of the spectrum, outright dismissal. […]

Live simply. Include Horses.

Ali Brock was recently featured as a guest columnist with her whimsical House Swap. Recently, we talked about her horses, motherhood and her over-arching approach to life. You may find points of agreement and inspiration here. After all, horse care can have a ripple effect […]

Treatment as Tattoo

I was talking with Chris Lombard the other day about horsemanship. The dictionary calls it the ‘skill of riding horses.’ But we know it as the relationship with the horse and the skills around that relationship. “It’s not only how to handle horses,” said Lombard. […]