Rashid circles back to softness

Mark Rashid visited Durango for an evening lecture and three days of sold-out, one-on-one sessions recently. The author of several books and DVDs, Rashid travels internationally as a presenter and clinician. For the past several years, Rashid and Crissi McDonald, his wife of eight years, […]

Halter and Lead Rope Factors

Amy Skinner is the owner of Essence Horsemanship and a frequent BestHorsePractices contributor. She teaches and trains from her base in Boyne City, Michigan. Skinner reviewed the 4-knot halter with lead rope from Knotty Girlz. Read more about Knotty Girlz here. Read additional halter post […]

What David Foster Wallace can teach you about riding

I’m just back from a cross-country, truck camping trek: 6,200 miles, 11 states, and dozens of hours of listening to books and music. The work of David Foster Wallace, the amazing writer of fiction and non-fiction who died in 2008 at age 46, is a […]

Feel Matters: Knotty Girlz rope halter review

Years ago, I worked for a high-end furniture maker whose tables were beautiful. Thanks to repeated sandings and buffings, their feel was extraordinary: like polished granite but soft and warm. When it comes to furniture, he explained, people – especially women – prioritize touch. “When […]

When Knotty Girlz are Nice

Being a woman in the rope industry is a bit like being a woman in rodeo: gals are outnumbered and the ride can be awfully rocky. Yet, Robyn Doloughan, owner of Columbia Basin Knot Company and its retail division, Knotty Girlz, has stayed in the […]

Do you have a bench? Research and Nina recommend one

Nina Fuller, photographer and equine-facilitated mental health practitioner, once asked me during a visit if I’d walk with her to “the bench.” It seemed like an innocuous enough invitation, so I joined her. We walked with her dogs past the horse and sheep pastures, past […]

7 Clinics makes for valuable couch time

Cindy Meehl speaks for many of us when she introduces 7 Clinics, the excellent instructional DVD set featuring Buck Brannaman. After decades in the saddle, she felt she was a good rider and doing right by her horses. “I had always done it in a […]

When ‘Head Down’ cues are wrong

As owners and riders, we have the privilege of teaching our horses lots of nifty movements and exercises. We can do it with force and intimidation, with treats and sweets, or with the concept of partnership in which horses will: appreciate a relationship of trust […]

Perfectly Plump? Say it ain’t so!

I’m guessing you got this same catalog in the mail last month. It pictured three “happy” horses moving towards the camera. My immediate reaction: “Gawdalmighty, they’re so fat!” I shared it with some horse friends who thankfully agreed. I called Dr. Rebecca Gimenez, president of […]

Backing up to move forward

Last fall, before making the move to Colorado, Jolene and I took several mammoth leaps backwards in our training progress. Read more about the debacle. Since then, we’ve gone back to the very basics: ground work, round pen work, roadside walks, jogs, and hikes on […]