Hi Everyone! How are all of you? Oh wait, hold on a second, because I think that I just saw summer flying right past me! I mean where has summer break gone? I just don’t know!!! So I started middle school on the 6th of September, and it is just SO awesome! My teachers are cool and so is lunch and all of the subjects in between! I really love my locker too. Also, with Mom and Lauren doing the…
Cowgirl Up!
It is hard to grasp the fact that we are on our way to Fort Worth, TX to the Supreme Extreme Mustang Makeover. Every sore, ache and pain…not to mention the extra calices we have added to our hands has all been worthwhile in preparing for this competition. We are hitting the blacktop early with Viggo and Sparrow to help us transition from the cool Northern Mountains in Central, PA to the dry Texas heat and to give the horses…
Countdown to Competition
What a great day it is when I can get up in the morning, enjoy a cup of coffee and a morning hug from my daughter, and head off to the barn to spend the day training horses! I’m so very blessed to be in the position of making a living from what is truly my passion! Every day is a new adventure. Sometimes people ask me if I ever get sick of riding horses – I just smile and…
NLH Clinic Update
Our August Foundations clinic was a huge success and we’re looking forward to the next clinic at NLHTM the first weekend in November. All of our participants made huge improvements in their horses and in their horsemanship in just a few short days and importantly – had FUN doing it! We worked on several Foundation exercises such as the ‘basic-4’, the ‘tractor tire’ exercise and the ‘push-toy’ concept in addition to several others. It was amazing to see the improvements…
Push-Don’t Pull
Have you ever seen a pull-toy? I think we all have and likely remember them from our childhood. They are usually very simple, make some noise or are somewhat flashy by design and can be quite captivating to watch.  When I was a child I remember playing with these and my overstuffed animals for hours but I also remember just sort of dragging them along mindlessly while focused on other tasks. It was easy to cling to them and…
Trainer Spotlight-‘Chip and Dale’
CATRA, the Capital Area Therapeutic Riding Association, is a nonprofit organization located in Grantville, PA which provides  therapeutic horseback riding to people with disabilities. CATRA is run by Ben and Shirley Nolt  who just celebrated the organization’s 25th year helping disabled people improve their lives through interactions with horses, and other animals that live on the farm. I first met Ben and Shirley several years ago when a former client introduced us.  Ben was looking for someone to train some…