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Is tattooing the new ear piercing?
When my daughter turned 16, she announced she wanted a tattoo. Caught off guard, I immediately said, "No!" She countered with, "Well, I...

Maria
Mar 103 min read
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There is NO Crying in Horse Training!
When I first started learning how to work with a horse in a round pen, I would trailer my horse Cisco to a local trainer, Ray Wheeler. I...

Maria
Oct 23, 20243 min read
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Thoughts on Anger
When one of my daughters was about 7 or 8 she was riding her bicycle in the neighborhood, and she fell. Her knee was bloody, and she...

Maria
Sep 5, 20242 min read
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People Lie.
Horses don't. They are 100% honest. It's so refreshing to work with another being when you know exactly where you stand. If you are being...

Maria
Jun 24, 20241 min read
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Leadership...with a Side of Horses
It's fun to test one’s leadership skills in front of a horse. Can you get a horse to back up, run around you, come back to you, lift a...

Maria
May 13, 20241 min read
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Do you fall up the stairs?
In horsemanship (and in life?) we often go too fast and slip up. In such a rush to get to the top, or reach the goal, we often try to...

Maria
Apr 30, 20241 min read
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You Can't Make Me
Why isn’t he moving?” A very frustrated Jake* asked. I replied, “because he knows you don’t want to be here”. This happened when a group...

Maria
Mar 6, 20242 min read
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Lead from Behind?
We’ve all heard sayings such as ‘lead by example’ and ‘a good leader shows the way’, but what about leading from behind? With horses,...

Maria
Feb 9, 20241 min read
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It's Not About the Horse!
When clients come to the farm for a session, I always give a quick demonstration in the round pen to show them what we’re going to be...

Maria
Jan 18, 20242 min read
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Grading of Last Year’s (2023) Resolutions, Pass/Fail
Last year (Jan 2023) I wrote a blog about resolutions and how horses can help me keep them. This year I thought I would review my year...

Maria
Jan 6, 20242 min read
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Pilot or Passenger?
These past few months I’ve been working with a horse named Ben. He’s a big boy (part draft for anyone that knows about horse breeds);...

Maria
Dec 7, 20232 min read
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The Grass IS Greener
We all know the saying, 'the grass is greener on the other side'. Most teachers, therapists, coaches and gurus will try to convince us...

Maria
Dec 7, 20231 min read
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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall....
What if we all had a magic mirror that only told the truth? Would you want one? Maybe it depends on the circumstances? Working with...

Maria
Dec 7, 20231 min read
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Finding Neutral
Neutral is a safe place. It’s when and where all is calm. After a blow up or high stress situation, we want to restore peace and quiet....

Maria
Dec 7, 20231 min read
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Do You Pickleball?
Pickleball has become a huge sensation, and although I have not tried it yet, it does look like fun. A game that doesn't seem to require...

Maria
Dec 7, 20231 min read
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What replenishes you?
We are so busy getting things done we often forget that we need to replenish ourselves. Just like food replenishes our bodies, we also...

Maria
Dec 7, 20232 min read
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This is Ben. Ben lost his mojo.
Ben is a very big boy at my barn; he stands at 16.1 hands and is part Belgium draft. He doesn’t belong to me, but I take care of him. ...

Maria
Feb 12, 20234 min read
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5 New Year's Resolutions Horses Can Help Me Keep
Although I’ve read countless articles on the failure rate of new year's resolutions (up to 80%!), I still like to go into the new year...

Maria
Jan 17, 20234 min read
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The Art of Negotiation, Equine Edition
Part of a future series called “Lessons from the Round Pen”. Similar to Robert Fulghum’s “All I Really Need To Know I Learned in...

Maria
Nov 3, 20223 min read
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5 Benefits of Working with Horses
Horses Don’t Play Chess Horses live moment to moment. They do not strategize and think many steps ahead. They graze, they play, they...

Maria A
Sep 28, 20223 min read
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