Riding lessons are mainly about developing balance and confidence on the horse.  Your child learns how to tell Rainy to walk, trot (when
they are ready), and stop.   The saddle has a comfortable “grab handle” which is easy for kids to find.
Children also learn about grooming, picking hooves clean, and parts of the bridle and saddle.
I have been equally amazed to see a child’s confidence grow over a period of weekly lessons, as I have to see how much my horse Rainy loves these kids.  One day a particular student and …

Rainy and I have both been working on our individual art styles and methods.  Below are some of her paintings and a video clip of her at work.  I used the clicker training method to encourage her to free up her artistic inclinations.
This is a video clip taken while Rainy ………..and I were in Florida at Valhalla Farm this winter.  Rainy is practicing painting on her new easel, and HANDING me the paintbrush when she is through (instead of just dropping it on the ground or sometimes sending it flying …

My horse Rainy has long mane that I don’t want to pull or shorten  just for a driving show or riding class.  At the Midwest Horse Fair  I did a version of what the trainers at Valhalla call “puffy braids.”
I braided the entire job while allowing my horse to have her head down and nibble hay.  That made her enjoy our time together and we were both relaxed!
How to braid “Comfy Braids” for long mane:
Begin at your horse’s bridal path and braid ~4 inch sections down into straight braids.  Do not make them …

I brought Rainy to Pat’s barn, and she helped me to feel what “pushing the horse up into your hands” feels like, and then she worked with Rainy while I watched. Rainy and I have both been building our abdominal muscles since this lesson! See the video clips below of Pat teaching me about this.
Previously I had been struggling with asking Rainy to carry her head in a prettier position using my hands (that’s a common mistake but a no-no nonetheless) and in this lesson something finally clicked and I …

In late May a friend filmed Rainy and I playing outside. It’s her first time going over a jump on a lead line. Neither of us know much about jumping yet. In the videos below, you can see us playing in the round pen, Rainy’s first small jump, and our progress on the Spanish Walk.

These are from a DVD I made with Requisite Variety last year in July. You may notice in the first one that Rainy (my gray mare) is not stepping under her body fully. Since the filming, I began to use massage with my horses (with guidance from Barb Riffle,) and have noticed a dramatic improvement in their movement and attitude. Of course, who wouldn’t benefit from a couple of massages each week?
Thanks to my parents, especially dad (Wes Licht,) who brought me up with horses and ponies as part of …