PinnedMember-onlyDaffodils for DharmaThrough the loss of a childhood dream, I learned to find beauty in grief. — Every spring, daffodils come bursting through the cold, hard dirt of winter to reveal their yellow flowers like long-awaited sunshine after the snow. They are so irresistibly beautiful that the scientific name for wild daffodils, Narcissus pseudonarcissus, references the Greek myth of the man who fell in love with his…Pets9 min readPets9 min read
Jun 19, 2022Member-onlyInstagram’s “Horsefluencers” Drive Me NutsEquestrian lifestyle influencers focus more on followers, fashion, self promotion, and branded partnerships than horse welfare. — Irecently saw a video of a horse trainer strap a saddle and a mannequin to a frightened two-year-old horse and send it galloping and bucking around a small pen. “She’s a much better rider than I’ll ever be,” joked the influencer. The fact the terrified animal couldn’t free itself from…Instagram7 min readInstagram7 min read
Jun 16, 2022Member-onlyI’m Becoming a Science-Based Horse TrainerMy lifelong passion for horses and natural curiosity for science became the perfect combination — and changed my path in life. — The horse world is all about tradition, not innovation. Training horses is still, in many ways, medieval. The equipment we use — leather, steel bits, iron shoes — dates back thousands of years, even if it looks a little different today. …Horses8 min readHorses8 min read
Jun 6, 2022Member-onlyA Horse Helped Me Survive My HysterectomyI thought losing my uterus at 24 was hard. Letting go of the pet that helped me through it is worse. — I had my surgery on a Monday. By the time the weekend rolled around, I was already itching to visit the barn. “I just want to see her and say hi,” I told my husband, referring to the little filly waiting for me at the stables. “I won’t do any…Horses7 min readHorses7 min read
Apr 23, 2022Member-onlyWhat Horses Taught Me About ConsentThe feminist movement to prevent assault and trauma applies to our animals as well. — I learned the lesson most people assigned female at birth learn at a young age: your body is not your own. People tell you how you should dress, what weight and shape is ideal, how long your hair should be and how to style it. …Animals10 min readAnimals10 min read
Aug 8, 2021Member-onlyAnimals Are Not MachinesWhat I hope we can learn from Annika Schleu and Saint Boy. — Hopes of a gold medal for German pentathlete Annika Schleu crumbled when her assigned horse was unable to perform during the showjumping portion of the Tokyo Olympics event. Riders are randomly assigned a horse to compete with, and riding a new horse is part of the challenge — and a…Olympics6 min readOlympics6 min read
Aug 5, 2021Member-onlyA Horse and a HaircutHow one small act of kindness changed everything for an animal in need — I didn’t know what to expect when I saw my new horse for the first time. I had paid for her sight unseen, and arranged for her to be shipped to Oregon from Washington. …Pets8 min readPets8 min read
Jun 8, 2021Member-onlyWe Still Believe the Biblical Myth That Made Women InferiorEvolution, Eve’s apple, and a religious agenda aimed at oppressing women. — Do you know the story of Adam and Eve? It’s a Biblical creation story about the dawn of humankind, a perfect garden, and a fall from grace. In sum, the first woman is tempted by the devil to eat forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge and gets herself and…Religion8 min readReligion8 min read
Jun 4, 2021Member-onlyHow I Make $3,257.69 Every F*cking DayFulfill your wildest income fantasies with these foolproof hacks from some random person on Medium. — I never thought I could make this much f*cking money. But now I do, probably, and I want you to believe that you can too. So I’m writing this to let you in on my secrets, because I absolutely do want to let everyone else in on a chunk of…Life Hacking3 min readLife Hacking3 min read
May 10, 2021Member-onlyThe NRA Doesn’t Care About Mothers or Mass ShootingsTheir Mother’s Day tweet tells us all we need to know about their thoughts on those who lost their lives to violence. — The National Rifle Association could have thought twice about the tweet they sent out today in celebration of Mother’s Day, but they did not. No, they knew who would be nodding along in agreement: people who think victims are just sensitive snowflakes. After all, “victim” is a status for liberals…Guns2 min readGuns2 min read
