It's time for another video on great horsemanship...or should I say horsewomanship!

A horseback riding friend of mine sent this to me with the caption of "Almost as good as you and me." I wish.......

If you're not a rider I need to tell you that this kind of riding is pretty amazing and takes a lot of skill, patience, practice and communication between horse and rider.

Here's a few things to look for while you watch. You'll see the horse licking his lips. This is usually a sign of receptivity and relaxation in a horse. If you're working with a horse whose head is way up, is not looking at you but looking all around they are not generally ready to work well. A horse with a lowered head, an eye toward you, ears flicked toward you and/or licking lips is a relaxed horse and a horse that is willing to work with you and not against you.

After she spins her horse in both directions, she settles both of them and starts a series of figure eights at the canter (or lope). If you look closely you'll see that when they are going clockwise the horse's right foreleg extends further forward than the left foreleg. This is called being on the "right lead." Look closely again and you'll see that when they come down the center of the arena, right before turning in a counter-clockwise direction she signals the horse to change leads. This time you'll see his left foreleg extend further forward. This is called a "flying lead change" because it's done with the horse at a full canter.

Amazing Animals!

A listener and friend in Yakima sent me this video and I just have to share it with you!



Can your pet say anything? Let me know!

This video is so beautiful it makes me cry. It's like a ballet between the man and the horse. They are truly partners in this dance. They make it look easy but I can tell you that a lot of time, patience and trust goes into this relationship.



This is a wonderful example of what can be accomplished through Natural Horsemanship.

This spring Washington State University hosted Dr. Robert Miller, a leader in the field of Horse Behavior and Natural Horsemanship.

Dr. Miller's visit was a benefit for the PATH program, a part of W.S.U.'s People Pet Partnership. PATH provides recreational horseback riding lessons for adults and children with various kinds of challenges. I am a Certified NARHA instructor for PATH and I find it very fulfilling.