Good Horsemanship is Built One Decision at a Time I spent some time working with my mules Ruger and the Bean after getting back from teaching clinics in Kansas. Nothing flashy. No problems to solve. Just time, quiet hands, and animals doing what they already knew how to do. The … Read More
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
