size BarbaraEllinFox.com

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Knowing how to talk about the size of a horse might seem like a mundane topic but a writer should know certain trigger words because their incorrect use is a dead giveaway to horse lovers. Where to measure Horses are measured from the withers to the ground by hands. The red line in my parts of the horse chart depicts this line. A hand is a unit of four inches that stems from when men measured horses according to the width of a man’s hand, rather than a measuring tape. Today, a “stick” that has a level is used for official measurement. When is Height Important?Read More →

Plans BarbaraEllinFox.com

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I live by plans, whether it is the future with the horses, teaching riding, training, or writing. I have a plan for everything, my horses, my manuscripts, both fiction and non-fiction. Teaching Riding When teaching riding, I have a plan for the day’s lesson, but I also have a long range plan for each student. The same applies to training horses. There are the immediate issues to work through, but there are also the steps, parts of the plan necessary for developing a willingly cooperative riding partner. It takes years to develop a good rider. After a rider learns to control their own body theyRead More →

Reno BarbaraElinFox.com

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Reno is my BLM mustang who was captured by the government during the horrendous Calico round-up in Northern Nevada. In fact, his HMA (herd management area) Granite Range is the setting for my current work in progress. Over time I’ll tell you Reno’s whole story starting with his capture, but for now I’ll tell you about yesterday, because today yesterday is hard to forget. Mmm, Reno is a Little Chubby One thing Reno has difficulty with is saddle fit. He’s a large chested horse with a round back that is shorter than most horses.  Reno has a special gel infused saddle pad for his westernRead More →

morning BarbaraEllinFox.com

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Morning in the barn is a favorite time for me. I love the sounds and the interaction with the animals. Hoping to find a way to share my blessings with you, I took photos and recorded sound this morning. If you’d like to listen to the birds while you read this post, just click on the sound bite. Where do they Sleep? Most of the horses spend their time outside unless the weather’s bad. Two usually come in at night—Reno my mustang, and Lewis. Reno has his own room for two reasons, and we’re alike in both cases. Reno is always dieting. He loves food,Read More →

love horses BarbaraEllinFox.com

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 When did I first love horses? Not exactly a burning question for anyone other than myself, but every now and then, when I survey the Missouri farm and multiple horses in the pasture, I wonder—How did this happen? My Home I grew up on Long Island. That’s the skinny island that sort of looks like a fish with Montauk Point at one end and New York City at the other. Montauk Point is home to a lighthouse that was authorized by President George Washington in 1792. Long Island, or L.I., Is about 118 miles long and 23 miles wide and is currently home to more than 7,800,000Read More →

Capi BarbaraEllinFox.com

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Capi is a 17.1 hand Percheron horse who weighs 1850 pounds.  That means he’s one inch taller at his withers (front part of his back) than I am at the top of my head, and he weighs more than eight times what NFL Quarterback Tom Brady weighs. I’m pretty sure this is the only time you’ll find me with Tom in a blog post. Capi is our first draft horse, and when he arrived at the farm his mass and height were intimidating. His hooves were almost as big as my head and his head was almost half as long as my body. The ideaRead More →

Dressage Test like writing contest BarbaraEllinFox.com

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What is a Dressage Test? A dressage test is a performance done by a horse and rider. There is a prescribed pattern during which the rider and horse perform certain movements. A judge with the benefit of a scribe scores each movement, makes comments, and at the end the scores are tallied and the winner is chosen numerically. What is a Writing Contest? A writing contest is a performance by the writer and their manuscript. There are certain prescribed rules and conditions required for entry. Several judges score particular elements, hopefully write comments and the points are tallied to choose the finalists. Is there aRead More →