A Meditation with Lilacs
The wind touches my skin, Asking if I can, for a moment, be still. How can I connect with anything, if I don’t notice the delicate lilac...
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crissimcdonald
Jul 6, 20222 min read
From Horses to Killer Whales
I woke up in the early morning dark in November 2020. Like many, I was pandemic fatigued, but that wasn’t why I was awake. For the fourth...
crissimcdonald
Mar 29, 20204 min read
Shedding A heavy coat
Rocky and Crissi. It’s that time of year. Our horse Rocky is so itchy, he’s rubbing up against pine trees to scratch the hair off. I took...
crissimcdonald
Mar 4, 20204 min read
It’s Not a Catching Problem
Our new clinic horse Top is a chocolate bay with a kind eye and a pink spot on his lower lip that makes him look like his tongue is...
crissimcdonald
Dec 21, 20195 min read
The Season of Acceptance
There are things I like about this time of year. The Christmas lights that festoon the trees lining our downtown main street are magical,...
crissimcdonald
Nov 12, 20194 min read
Excerpt from “Continuing The Ride.”
In the summer, I like to keep a few pots of herbs and vegetables on our south-facing porch. The growing season is short where we live,...
crissimcdonald
Oct 21, 20196 min read
One Rein Thoughts
By the time Shelly came into the arena for her lesson with me, her mare’s bay coat was almost black with sweat. When Shelly bought the...
crissimcdonald
Sep 9, 20194 min read
You Already Have Timing and Feel
As I was brushing our horses yesterday, I noticed that despite the rivulet of sweat running down my back, their short summer coats were...
crissimcdonald
Jul 20, 20194 min read
Your Horse Isn’t Distracted
After learning about the horse’s brain at a recent seminar and getting to hold a horse brain, I felt a thrill much like roller coasters...
crissimcdonald
Jun 29, 20194 min read
Living In The Center
As we stood at the gate to the horse’s paddock on a sunny afternoon, my nephew said: “Aunt Crissi, I want to pet every horse in the pen!”...
crissimcdonald
May 20, 20193 min read
A Gratitude of Horses
Thorny was an old cowboy my parents knew, and the first person who introduced me to horses. I was still in diapers, holding on to the...
crissimcdonald
Apr 16, 20193 min read
The Whole Horse
It was a warm and sunny morning as I chatted with Jaycee about what she would like to work on with her horse Scamp. “I’ve been making him...
crissimcdonald
Mar 6, 20194 min read
Removing Mental Hobbles
Life–and horses, for that matter– both have an uncanny knack of knowing just when you need a little insight and humility. We recently...
crissimcdonald
Feb 20, 20194 min read
Assumptions and Knowledge
Photo: Crissi McDonald I was in my mid-twenties when I started training horses (and assumed I knew more than I actually did). I brought...
crissimcdonald
Jan 15, 20193 min read
In Praise of Simplicity
When I was in my late twenties, I became fascinated by the art of Dressage. Honestly? I am still fascinated. Back then, however, the...
crissimcdonald
Dec 18, 20184 min read
Release and Relief
Breagha (Bree) I think we learn and go through life much like a pendulum; we swing all the way to one side and then we swing the opposite...
crissimcdonald
Nov 20, 20184 min read
The More You Learn, The More You See
When Rusty arrived, his eyes were as hard as his muscles. He had rain rot from withers to tail and large old white scars on his back...
crissimcdonald
May 2, 20183 min read
Firm Resolve, Gentle Approach
The little paint mare stood trembling at the end of the longest lead rope I could find that day. The July morning had dawned hot and we...
crissimcdonald
Mar 19, 20183 min read
Where’s Your Line
Photo: Crissi McDonald I have a little puzzle for you: How would you make this line shorter? ____________________________ Erase it? Cut...
crissimcdonald
Jan 10, 20182 min read
Slowing Down
Shortly after a horse accident in 2014, I had to walk with a cane. The design between its black handle and its black rubber tip was pink...
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