Three things to know when trailering

I was hauling horses from Utah to Colorado earlier this month. Just south of Moab, Utah, with temperatures in the 90’s, two horses in the trailer, and three dogs in the truck cab, I got a flat. After 30 sweaty minutes, I was back on […]

The Clinton Anderson Kerfuffle

There’s a big hullaballoo over some recent Clinton Anderson comments on a promotional training video. In social media comments and in several online blogs, both his horsemanship and his recorded comments are called to task. We agree with some commenters’ issues, like the concerns over […]

Forage Fine Points

We asked Dr. Joyce Harman to contribute this guest blog post on forage. In 1990, the Virginia veterinarian opened Harmany Equine, bringing holistic healing to a wide range horses, from backyard retirees to Olympic competitors. In 2001, Harman wrote the first peer-reviewed paper on equine […]

9 Benefits of Slow-Feeding

We invited Monique Warren, the owner of Hay Pillow, to guest blog about slow-feeding savvy. Studying equine nutrition and the equine hoof health are her passions. She writes from her home in southern California. You can win a free standard-sized Hay Pillow by messaging us […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Learning to Connect!

Remember the teacher in Peanuts cartoons? She of the trombone voice? Wahwahwahwah. Her lectures left some sleepy and others bewildered. Consider the complexity of the teacher-student connection: the thought in the teacher’s brain, turned into words, then heard and interpreted by students. Is it any […]

Research enlightens your horse work

Knowing and controlling how your movements, behavior, and thoughts impact your equine partner is the absolute key to your good horsemanship. While BestHorsePractices is dedicated to reviewing equine science, some new human research is immensely relevant to our horsemanship. Let’s consider confidence, fear, power, and […]