Blog

The Death of “Natural Horsemanship”

Natural horsemanship is dead. Long live natural horsemanship. Natural horsemanship is a trending phrase that got attached to a style of work and a way of connecting with horses that Bill and Tom Dorrance offered up a few generations ago. It involved working with the […]

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A word about Remuda Readers

Whether you’ve subscribed to the Remuda Reader program or not, here’s something you should know: Beginning next year, Remuda Reader – the program of exclusive, password protected content – will increase from $10 to $20 per year. Still pretty darn affordable considering what we deliver: […]

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Four keys to higher learning

Amy Skinner is the horsewoman behind Essence Horsemanship in Boyne City, Michigan. Later this year, she will celebrate her 40th article as a guest columnist for NickerNews and BestHorsePractices. Kudos, Amy! You can meet her at next week’s Equine Affaire, where she will help staff […]

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Two bones to pick

Did you know? There are two bones in the human body that have us riders in mind: One is the smallest human bone, at just a few millimeters. It’s the stirrup, one of three bones in the middle ear. That’s the air-filled space between the […]

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A First Ride Scare

We started exploring the outstanding riding opportunities in the Mancos, Colorado area. Read about the move to Colorado here. As ignorance and luck would have it, the first ride brought a pretty decent scare: On the return leg of a six-mile trek, we were cutting […]

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Dorrances added to the Remuda Reader lineup

This week, scores of Remuda Readers read about Bill and Tom Dorrance, thanks to an extensive interview with Bill’s son, Steve Dorrance and his wife, Leslie. Many consider the brothers the forefathers of what many now call Natural Horsemanship. I call it the only horsemanship […]

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ISES: Iffy Science from Ivory Towers

The International Society of Equitation Science considers itself a do-good organization. Its mission statement includes improving horse welfare. Indeed, the group has used science to successfully lobby against hyperflexion and nose band tightness, and for that, it should be applauded. But some ISES member research […]

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Progress gets bloody & backwards

If progress is measured by two steps forward and one step back, then this summer would follow perfectly along that zigzagging course. Recently, Jolene and I have successfully partnered up several times a week to tackle our weak points: She’s more comfortable with having a […]

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Fire and fast-moving horses

During one of the most devastating wild fire seasons on record, one of BestHorsePractices’ preferred horsemen, Martin Black, was immediately impacted by the country’s largest fire to date. Imagine a fire consuming a third of the state of Rhode Island. Or the entire city of […]

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A “Big” Scare

Since Sackett’s death, I’ve been more wary of our horses’ wellness, especially when it comes to anything related to possible sand ingestion. Read about sand colic and other forms of colic. Over the last month or so, Jolene seemed to be getting bloated. She was […]

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