Winter Wisdom for Horses and Mules As I write this, the thermometer hovers around thirty degrees and I’m inside with a mug of coffee and the woodstove humming. My mules, Ruger and the Bean, are outside, content, frost dusting their backs, unbothered by the cold. Every fall, as we head … Read More
Plan Your Next Horse Camping Trip A solid plan doesn’t make a trip predictable; it makes it possible. Every great horse-camping trip begins long before you tighten the cinch. It starts with maps spread out, coffee steaming, and dreams of alpine lakes and winding mountain trails taking form. Whether you’re … Read More
Leadership Means Looking Inward, Offering Grace, and Building Trust A boss instills fear, assigns blame, and controls others. A leader inspires confidence, takes responsibility, and empowers others. Those words have rung true across every chapter of my life, whether I was serving in the Marine Corps, navigating high-stakes bank mergers … Read More
When Doubt Creeps in, Listen and Learn I recently wandered across a quote that made me think for a hot minute: “Don’t fight your demons. They’re here to teach you lessons. Sit down with them, have a drink, and learn their names.” It sounded like something you’d find in a … Read More
A Safe Trail Horse Feels Free to Think For generations, the goal of horse training was to get a horse “broke.” Broke to ride, broke to lead, and broke to behave. But what if I told you I disagree with the whole premise? Historically, breaking a horse meant precisely what … Read More
Pack Trips into Wilderness Let Us Experience Dark Night Skies Early August, 2:30 a.m. – Darn, what am I doing wrong? I muttered to myself. Camera controls glowed as I struggled to adjust the settings to capture the view in front of me. The cold made my fingers stiff, and … Read More
Trail Access for Equestrians Depends on the Stewardship of Horse People Flying from clinic to clinic, I spend more time in the air than I’d like to admit. This past weekend, as I settled into my seat and watched the pre-flight safety briefing, a particular phrase caught my attention: “The shared … Read More
An Education in Packing and Precision Ed Haefliger called me in 2009, shortly after I started writing a column on trail riding and camping with horses. I was still finding my footing as a writer and, if I’m honest, I felt a mix of excitement and imposter syndrome—I didn’t even … Read More
Lessons from Hardwoods and Horses Few things ground me like the smell of freshly planed wood or a sun-warmed saddle. Both promise hard work and quiet satisfaction. Each time I smooth a piece of Osage orange or saddle up Ruger for a ride into the high country, I’m reminded about … Read More
Road to the Horse Winner Mike Major Headlines Educational Lineup Compiled by Kim Roe The Northwest Horse Fair & Expo, a yearly celebration of the horse in the Pacific Northwest since 1999, returns March 21-23, 2025, to the Linn County Fair & Expo Center in Albany, Oregon. The Northwest Horse … Read More
