Author Archives: liascott

The explosive equine

Posted on February 12, 2019

A few years ago, in the course of trying to retrain Tally after the “trainer” who started her had botched it so badly, I was making one last walk circle before getting off. But my dismount did not happen as … Continue reading →

Posted in Horsemanship, My Journey | Tagged Andrew McLean, behavior modification, flight response, horse behavior, Horse training, impulse control, Roxie, Tally, The Truth About Horses | 5 Comments

What guides you?

Posted on February 3, 2019

This post is about asking for your input. Three surveys, linked below, are the brainchild of my friend Caroline Stephens, for which she kindly asked my assistance. We are interested in where people are getting their riding information, particularly related … Continue reading →

Posted in Just For Fun | 6 Comments

Noble and the mud

Posted on January 31, 2019

There is one constant, every winter – Noble hates the mud. Once it reaches a certain point of sloppiness, there is nothing that will entice him to cross the ‘bog’ to reach the higher ground and grass. This has been … Continue reading →

Posted in Horsemanship, Thinking Out Loud | Tagged horse preferences, horsekeeping, horses, Noble, personal preferences, shelter, stalls, turnout | Leave a comment

Fun with photos: the trot

Posted on January 26, 2019

The saying is that a picture is worth a thousand words, yet so many involved in Dressage want to deny what the pictures tell us. The most common complaint is that a photo is “just a moment in time” – … Continue reading →

Posted in Improving Your "Eye" | Tagged biomechanics, Dressage, Eadweard Muybridge, engagement, extended trot, hollow back, improve your eye, photos | 8 Comments

Horsekeeping while ill

Posted on January 20, 2019

The last thing I want to do is drag myself out from under the warm blanket, in my warm house, to venture out into the cold and the rain. It has been over a week, and four tissue boxes, and … Continue reading →

Posted in My Journey | Tagged home horsekeeping, horsekeeping, Noble, Roxie, Tally | Leave a comment

A Special Anniversary

Posted on January 11, 2019

Today I am diverging from the usual subject matter in recognition of a special anniversary. It has everything to do with horses, and yet is not about the horses. Twenty years ago, on this date, escrow closed on a small … Continue reading →

Posted in My Journey | Tagged home horsekeeping, home ownership, house buying, our barn, our home, rural living | Leave a comment

The fearful equine

Posted on January 2, 2019

A recent Facebook conversation about positive reinforcement led to someone asking a question about one of my favorite fallacies – if you comfort a fearful or spooking horse, aren’t you just reinforcing the fear? I first encountered that idea when … Continue reading →

Posted in Horsemanship, My Journey | Tagged Angelo Telatin, animal behavior, animal emotions, fear, Noble, positive reinforcement, spooking, Tally | Leave a comment