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We were lucky enough to stumble onto Monty Roberts’ Join-Up before our first horse ever arrived, and that’s where we began with each one of our new herd. Then we discovered Join Up without a round pen in our No Agenda Time. And it made such an absolute difference for us to establish relationship first, and true leadership right from the get-go. Our herd members are now all Read More→

No More Poison – Life Without De-Wormers

When we began this journey with horses, now a whopping seven years ago, we were told to de-worm our horses regularly. Some said every six weeks. Every horse.

“Isn’t that stuff poison?” I would ask.

“Not really,” I would be told. Usually met with silence. And a skeptical look.

“I mean, yeah, okay, it is poison. Sort of. But not that kind of poison.”

That last line was usually accompanied by a sheepish smile.

“It kills bugs doesn’t it?”

“Well, yeah. That’s its job.”

“Would you eat de-wormer?”

“I don’t have parasites.”

“Would you eat what you’re forcing your horse to eat?” I asked again. Read More→

Happy Horse Day! Read Chapters 1 thru 4 of The Soul of a Horse

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1

The Herd

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The wind was blowing out of the east, which made the beast uneasy. It wasn’t normal. And anything that wasn’t normal made him uneasy. A stray sound. A flutter of a branch. The wind coming from the east.

But there was a scent on this wind. A familiar scent. One embedded in the big stallion’s being for millions of years. He spun on his heels and sure enough, there it was, easily within sight, apparently not realizing the wind had shifted. The stallion screamed to the matriarch who wheeled in flight.

Like one, the herd followed, racing away at lightning speed, the great stallion bringing up the rear. They ran without looking back for just over a quarter of a mile before the leader slowed and turned.

The predator, a small female cougar, had tired. She had been betrayed by the east wind. The horses had gotten away early, and now she was turning back.

The stallion’s senses had saved them this time. The entire herd was alive and well because Read More→

Eliminating the Root Cause of Most Health, Hoof, and Behavior Problems

Amazon’s #1 Best Seller in Horse Care
#1 “Hot New Releases”

I tried to show you the heart and soul of a dog with the creation of the canine superstar Benji. And I attempted to lure you into the soul of a horse in what StressFrontCoverOLB-325critics have called an engaging, emotional, and often humorous best seller The Soul of a Horse: Life Lessons from the Herd, now in its 11th printing, a book that set traditional thinking about horses on its ear while changing the lives of horses and people all across the planet. Now, here I go again trying to lure you back into the heart and soul of a horse in my new and hopefully powerful Horses & Stress – Eliminating the Root Cause of Most Health, Hoof and Behavior Problems.

We have eight horses. A rescued American Saddlebred, three mustangs straight out of the wild, two Arabians, a paint and a quarter horse. And at our farm there is no colic, no laminitis, no strangles, no insulin resistance, no ulcers, no founder, no navicular issues, no cribbing, pawing, kicking, weaving, pacing, or biting. Read More→

Happy Birthday Miss Firestorm!

StormyBD4cr2x500One year old today!

It seems impossible that the photo below was taken a year ago today. Kathleen had just driven by an hour before on her way to work and there was no baby. An hour later Read More→

Miss Firestorm Just Keeps Growing

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And growing. And growing. The photo above was taken on her 7-month birthday as she and Noelle groom each other. Mama Saffron can be seen, unconcerned, way up the hill under the golden tree. Read More→

Stray Benji Look-Alike Saves Lives! An Amazing Story!

SuesBenji450Sue’s Very Own Benji Communicates with Words!

From Sue Huff in Salem, Massachusetts:

Dear Joe… The attached photo is of my Benji. I adopted him last April from a shelter in Salem, MA and he’s my first shelter dog. I went that day planning to adopt my 5th schnauzer but left with him instead. His eyes are very expressive. I was drawn in by his “Benjiness”. It wasn’t just that he physically resembled a Benji, he looked at me like a Benji would too. Best guess is that he’s a Yorkie/Maltese mix. He’s a little guy, but an amazing one. I’m disabled, and he’s learned to warn me when Read More→

Why We Do What We Do! Please Read Katie’s Story

Wicked and Katie2Katie Pontone and her National Champion

Katie is only eighteen years old but what follows, in her own words, is from the heart and mind of a young lady much wiser than we might expect from one with so few years under her belt:

“I have been using an AANHCP certified trimmer on my pony jumper in New Jersey because we read your book The Soul of a Horse and never looked back. My pony is now the 2012 National Pony Jumper Champion because she managed the only round without fault of the top pony jumpers in the country at the national finals and was the only barefoot one of all the pony jumpers so I must thank you for opening my eyes to the ignorance and nonsense that trainers preach about the incredible powers of shoes.

My pony is Wicked, who is blind in one eye, and her trimmer is Cindy Ross. Thanks to Cindy I can always count on Wicked’s perfect hooves to turn tighter, gallop faster, and jump cleaner than my shod competitors. She is not only ranked number one in the United States, Read More→

An Exciting first day of the year. A new book!

Experience that moment when you blink through astonished eyes
and realize that what you just witnessed was God in your life.

I spent decades butting heads with God. I fancied myself a believer, but only, in truth, because I had been brought up to be. I had never really GOK-Cover325given it much thought. God was there, somewhere. Just not much of a factor in my life. Or so I thought until the day God actually spoke to me. He couldn’t have painted a better picture if He had waltzed into Dallas, placed his hand around my throat and said, Look stupid, I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to set all this up, now back off and let this man talk!

What happened next began a rela­tionship with God that would turn my life on its ear and leave me forever changed. But it took another twenty years for me to fully, unequivocally trust God. And to actually see the way God had been active in my life from the beginning. To understand how every devastation that I believed to be surely the end of life as I knew it had to happen exactly as God orchestrated it or there never would’ve been a Benji. Or a Benji film that became the #3 movie of the year. And there never would’ve been a best selling book that is changing the lives of horses all across the planet. Or a second love of my life after my Carolyn was called home. Read More→

Meet Happier, Healthier Horses Around the World

Rarely a day passes that doesn’t bring emails or posts heralding happier, healthier horses who have left their stalls, shoes, and sugars behind and are living the Wild Horse Model as closely as circumstances allow. Horses who now trust and forge relationship by their own choice, not ours. Unsolicited stories from people we did not know before they wrote. And they are the fuel that drives us ever forward, learning and writing, to make a difference for horses everywhere. After reading just the few below, grouped together for the first time, Kathleen said to me, “When you first contemplated writing that first book, when you told me how important you felt these discoveries were and how much you believed that we should make an effort to get this word out, you said, ‘If just one horse-human relationship could be changed for the better, if just one horse could be living a happier, healthier life then the all the effort would be worthwhile.’” She paused for a long moment and wiped away the beginnings of a tear. “Congratulations my Sweetie,” she said. “Mission accomplished.”

I hope you’ll open your heart and listen to what these horses have to say. Read More→

Winter Reminder… Got Water!

December of 2010, the year after we arrived in middle Tennessee, was the coldest in recorded history since the early 1940s. We had just limped through eight days of below freezing temperatures. It got so low the first night that the pond totally froze. I kept trying to break up the ice along the edges so the horses could get to water (the remnants seen on the gravel in the photo below) but it soon reached the point where it was re-freezing befre I could get back into the house. So finally – remembering well Mariah’s fall l through the ice the winter before – Read More→

Two Dominant Mustangs – Rounds 1, 2 & 3

Shiver! Those looks. Here we go again, I thought.

Watch the Video!

You might recall back in early June on Miss Firestorm’s 10-week birthday we decided to see how her mom Saffron and Noelle, both mustangs out of the wild, would do sharing a pasture; the goal being to finally get the herd all together as one, all out 24/7 with both pastures to roam. The result was a disaster. Big mistake. Read More→

I Thought I Had Learned Something About Mustangs…

Last evening Miss Saffron, our second mustang from the wild, received her first ever hoof trim. She continues to astound me virtually every moment we’re together. I suppose because of our very different experience with Noelle. How was I to know that Miss Mouse, our little American Saddlebred rescue, would provide the key to the vast differences between these two wild horses. Read More→

Take This Stress Test

We’re being told everyday: Curb stress and energize health and happiness.

With all the recent studies and research on the affect of emotional stress on physical issues, illness, and attitude we should all be listening.

But it’s not just a message to us. It’s also a message to our horses. Or rather to us about our horses.

How so? Horses don’t have my problems at the office. Or my boss. Or my bills. They don’t spend hours in traffic. Or worry about losing big clients. Where’s the stress?

If someone decided that we – you and I – and everyone else – were all going to live out the rest of our lives in the water what do you think might happen?

Excuse me? Read More→

No Strings Attached

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There just isn’t anything in the world more fun for me than working with our horses at liberty.

It all started when we landed in middle Tennessee three years ago. Twice every day when we went down to feed I was faced with sorting out the horses to their respective feeding stations. Sometimes it took no effort at all and other times it was a fruit-basket-turnover depending on who was where, their individual moods, the weather, and whatever else might be going on. Read More→

What a Special Lady… This Wild Mustang

This day had to come. Kathleen had done her part by assuring Miss Saffron that there was nothing wrong with wearing a halter (see our last post). Now it was my turn, the next step. I had to show her there was nothing wrong with wearing a lead rope… and giving to pressure. And I wasn’t particularly looking forward to it. The only time a lead rope was ever put on Noelle, our first mustang, it was an explosive disaster. But these are two very different horses, I kept telling myself. Saffron trusts us implicitly and has said as much often. But as I clipped the rope onto Saffy’s halter neither of us knew that I was about to make a serious mistake. Read More→

Fearful Kathleen and the Wild Mustang

It was late. And getting darker by the second. We were down for our No-Agenda Time with Saffron and Firestorm, just chatting away, pretty much ignoring the two nibbling hay at our feet. Suddenly, without a word,  Kathleen bolted out of her chair and strolled over to the panel where Saffy’s halter was hanging. The halter she had never yet worn. Read More→

Two Mustangs, Three Mind-Boggling Months!

See the new video: Stormy Sits on Her Bean Bag

Time has flown by at the speed of light. It doesn’t seem possible that it’s been almost 100 days since Miss Saffron stepped off the trailer, an as yet unhandled mustang from the wild who had never willingly touched or been touched by any human. And she was very pregnant. We were told by the BLM that she would probably deliver in May. That was March 17th. Three days later Miss Firestorm was born. Read More→

Is Stormy Afraid of the Pond?

Not exactly.

Only a few short days ago baby Stormy saw her first pond ever. And today she was swimming it it. I don’t think there’s much of anything she’s going to be afraid of. Mouse has been in the pond twice in three years. Mariah took an involuntary dip when she fell through the ice during our first winter here in Tennessee. But that’s it. Cash won’t even get his toes wet in order to have a drink. And he stood there today watching Read More→

Ouch! First Pasture Meeting: Mama & Baby Meet Uncle Skeeter & Mouse

Saffron and Firestorm enter the eastern pasture for the first time with other horses. We chose Skeeter and Mouse to be first because it’s been obvious for some time that, across the fence, Skeeter wanted to be Uncle Skeeter to Stormy. Read More→

New Video: First Trip into a New Paddock for Saffron and Firestorm

Watch the Video

Two months ago Miss Saffron, a BLM pregnant mustang from the wild, had never willingly been touched by a human. Only those BLM folks moving her in and out of squeeze chutes and trailers. Eight weeks ago (3 days after we brought her home) she gave birth to her baby, Firestorm, who was conceived in the wild on or about April 20th (my birthday). Both of these mustangs have been nothing short of Read More→

First Pasture Outing for Saffron and Firestorm

Look at all that space Mommy!

Stormy was coming up on seven weeks old and had never been out of her paddock and the adjacent paddock. We figured it was time. So we locked the herd in the eastern pasture, opened the gate from Mustang Paddock to the western pasture, and Read More→

A Special Telling Moment with Baby Stormy

Over the weekend we took Firestorm out for an adventure away from the paddock where she was born. Her first trip away from home. While mom munched away I walked little Miss Stormy into the round pen for the first time… and was blessed with a special telling moment. Read More→

Saffron and Firestorm – Progress and Photos – Lots of Both!

I have to keep telling myself that a mere six weeks ago this mustang, fresh from the wild, had never willingly been touched by any human. And I keep hearing about domestic mares who go all crazy when they’ve had a foal and won’t let any human near the new baby. I pinch myself several times a day. Actually several times an hour. Because, as those of you who have followed the blog/newsletter know, on the evening of my birthday this very special lady, who had already trusted me to handle her new baby virtually from birth, threw a switch inside herself and gave me the best birthday I think I’ve ever had. Read More→

An Amazing Birthday Gift from a Wild Mustang!

Barely a month ago we adopted a pregnant mustang from the BLM facility in southern Mississippi. At that time she had never been handled or even touched willingly by any human. Her seven-hour trailer ride home turned into nine, delayed by two wrecks on the freeway. She was covered in stressful sweat and not a happy camper. But still, less than an hour after arriving home, she took a bit of forage from my bare hand.

This was clearly an unusual mustang. Read More→

What the Devil is the Wild Horse Model…


…and why did I need to know about it?

Because domestic horses are wild horses.

Excuse me??

That was exactly my first reaction. But it’s true. Domestic horses and wild horses are genetically precisely the same. The horses in our back yard are really wild horses in captivity. Just like a baby tiger Read More→

No-Agenda Time – Join Up Without a Round Pen

No-agenda time is a ritual Kathleen and I began with Noelle after Malachi died. We’d go into Malachi’s playpen, open it up to Noelle, scatter a bit of hay around our feet, then sit there and talk, with no agenda whatsoever. Seriously, none. It yielded some of the best moments and lessons ever with Noelle. We began No-Agenda Time with Saffron and Stormy a week or so ago and the yield has been amazing. Last evening, just after sunset, Stormy fell asleep right at my feet. Shortly after, her mom, Miss Saffron, an untouched mustang from the wild just a few weeks ago, turned away and sauntered off to the water tub for a drink, maybe fifty feet away. Leaving her baby asleep on my boot. She won’t even let Stormy interact with the other horses through the fence. And has never before left her in our care. The trust it took to do that both surprised and overwhelmed us. And that was surely Read More→

Firestorm’s Amazing First Day in the Playpen


Malachi had a playpen. We knew from the beginning that Noelle would not willingly allow us near her baby so we had no choice but to devise a way to separate them in order to imprint and train Malachi. But this time around (Here We Go Again), Miss Saffron, like Noelle an unhandled mustang from the wild, tricked us. She has been so Read More→

This Morning. Baby Stormy Dozes in My Lap

Two Weeks Old Tomorrow Read More→

What an Extraordinary Weekend!

Stormy and Saffron

We’re only a week into this new journey and the most amazing things are happening. Barriers are crumbling like crazy. This past Saturday marked the end of Saffron’s first week with us. An un-handled pregnant mustang captured from the wild August 1st of last year. According to the BLM, she was supposed to deliver in May. But Stormy was born three days after Saffron stepped out of the trailer into her new home. We’ve been told that even mares Read More→

OMG Y’all… It’s a Girl!


Yes, already! So much for BLM predictions of May :). Born yesterday morning (March 21) around 8:00am. We know because there was no baby at 7:20am when Kathleen drove off to work at her new passion, teaching American Literature to 11th graders at the renowned Webb School in Bell Buckle. And there was a baby when I went down to feed around 8:30am. A mere three and a half days after a nine hour trailer ride for mom! When Kathleen got my photo-text Read More→

Here We Go Again

Watch the Video

For those who remember Noelle and Malachi, you’ll know why this is entitled Here We Go Again. Last Friday, March 16, we hitched up the trailer, called Laura to sit with the house, horses, dogs, and cat, and drove to the BLM facility on the campus of The Piney Woods School south of Jackson, Mississippi, arriving way too close to midnight. The next morning we adopted our second mustang carrying a foal conceived in the wild.

March 3rd marked three years since Malachi was born (see the blog). And June 3rd will mark the third year since his sudden and shattering death. We felt as if our hearts had been ripped right out of our bodies. It was a terrible time. So how did we know the time was right to have another go? That God was saying, “Now!” Read More→

Steven Spielberg Loves Benji

From the new Cesar’s Way Magazine
Oscar’s Issue

Who’s Hollywood’s Top Dog?

Needless to say when the Oscars are handed out this weekend there will be no prize for a four-legged star.

In fact, when they held the first Academy Awards in 1929 Rin Tin Tin got more votes than any human actors…but the Academy decided it would be inappropriate to give an Oscar to a non-human.

So at Cesar’s Way Magazine we decided it was time to redress the balance and in the new issue which goes on sale this week we’re presenting a Hall of Fame of the 50 best dogs in movies and TV. We’re sure you’ll agree on some and not on others Read More→

2012: Believe in Yourself

I grabbed Carolyn’s hand as we stepped off the train. A nervous chill of anticipation skittered up my spine. People were rushing past us, anxious to get on with their morn­ing, and we timidly tried to keep up. Someone spoke, and smiled, then spoke again and hurried off. The words meant noth­ing, but we smiled back just the same.

I was bristling with excitement. Gone were the miseries of the long, sleepless flight over. Gone were the first flashes of Milano, seen as a drowsy blur of televi­sion stations and newspaper report­ers. Now, after a good night’s sleep on a long train ride, my senses were alive and tingling again and the whole feeling was like I had dozed off in Dallas and awakened here.

It was our first trip abroad and my first time out of the country except for three days in Nassau and a few hours in Juarez. So, maybe you can imagine. I mean, anywhere would’ve been terrific, but we weren’t just anywhere. We were in Rome!

The Eternal City. Born nine hundred years before Christ. Home of Cato, Nero, Constantine and the Caesars. A magical place where it is said, you can actually hear the breathing of the centuries; Read More→

Ready at Last! Beginning Ground Work – Everything We’ve Learned About Relationship and Leadership


When we were first starting with horses less than five years ago we dove deeply into the training books and DVDs of several of the top clinicians in the United States. We owned virtually everything ever written or videoed by Monty Roberts, Clinton Anderson, and the Parellis and we were bouncing back and forth from one to the other testing what worked best with our horses. But I was secretly longing for a compressed, congealed, shuffled together guide to the basics. Read More→

Winter Breakthrough – Got Water!

Last December was the coldest in middle Tennessee since the early 1940s. Another record. Of course. At least we’re consistent. We had just limped through eight days of below freezing temperatures. It got so low the first night that the pond totally froze. I kept trying to break up the ice along the edges so the horses could get to water (the remnants seen on the gravel in the photo below) but it soon reached the point where it was re-freezing before I got back into the house. So finally – remembering well Mariah’s fall through the ice the winter before – I closed off the entire pasture  and Read More→

Why Relationship First Works


We were lucky enough to stumble onto Monty Roberts’ Join-Up before our first horse ever arrived, so that’s where we began with each and every one of our herd. And it made such an absolute difference to establish relationship first and true leadership right from the get-go. Our herd members are now all willing partners who never stop trying. Never stop giving. Stacy Westfall says Read More→

Two Year Anniversary in “Founder Valley”

Horses eat grass.

They are genetically programmed to eat grass. 18-20 hours a day. Their bodies must have it. Their hind gut must have it. But from the moment we landed in middle Tennessee, the warnings began to pour in from the locals.

Your horses cannot be out 24/7 on the rich sugary grasses of middle Tennessee.

You’ve just moved into Founder Valley!

It freaked us out. Could grasses be that different? Read More→

Training with Treats – Stepping Out of the Box

I’m not a professional trainer. I do not do it for a living. But I am a student of what works. Logic and common sense to a fault, I suppose. Which lead us quite unexpectedly to the discovery that horses can develop a vocabulary.

Yes vocabulary!

Horses can learn the meanings of words and, like children, as their vocabulary grows they can put those words together into different phrases and sentences. Even actual conversations. That’s not supposed to be true according to most, but Kathleen and I have found it to be absolutely true. And now there is even a scientific study proving it. Read More→

Six Popular Questions… and the Answers

A few short years ago I could never imagine a time when we would be receiving so many questions about our experiences with horses. How they should be living. And eating. How the barefoot thing was working out. How we achieved such terrific relationships. How our horses transitioned from dry rocky California to wet green middle Tennessee. Questions about pastures, Join-Up, ground work, lifestyle, leadership. Read More→

High Desert Horses on Middle Tennessee Grasses


From dry rocky southern California (above) to lush
green – and wet – middle Tennessee (below)


I wrote this article for the latest edition of The Horses Hoof magazine, adapted from the book The Soul of a Horse Blogged – The Journey Continues

Our timing was perfect. The move from dry rocky southern California landed us right in the middle of record-setting rainfall in Tennessee. Seven inches the day the horses came in. And it rained for days prior to their arrival. Gail Murphy’s Personalized Equine Transportation Service has a reputation for never being late, but on this day they were. The rains slowed them to a crawl causing them to arrive after dark. Which is when we learned that the turn onto our road was too tight for their rig to make. We had to shuttle the horses off the transport trailer onto our 3-horse trailer which had to be pulled by a generous new neighbor with his 4-wheel drive tractor because my truck would’ve been mud-bound for sure.

They hadn’t been out of the trailer for ten minutes when every one of them began to wallow in the mud like little pigs. And through it all I could only think about what all this wet and mud might do to their beautiful, dry, rock-solid barefoot hooves. Read more…

One fantastic reason to jump into Kindle right now Read More→

New Interview with Joe on Horse & Friends Radio


Benji, Cash and I were blessed to  be interviewed by Rafael and Conrad on Horse & Friends Radio. They dug a lot of good stuff out of moi and it was a ton of fun as well. I hope you’ll check it out. Click this link: Joe on Horse & Friends

Okay I Give Up. Kindle Has Won Me Over.

Amazon announced last week that Kindle Books are now outselling all of their print books – paperback and hard back – combined!

Wow. It happened so fast.

I finally broke down and ordered my first non-fiction book on Kindle… and it took me almost a full hour to throw off the shackles of the printed page and become a huge fan. Why? Because I can Read More→

The most amazing thing happened today!

We’ve posted a new video because the most amazing thing just happened! It reminded me why we have been so obsessive about getting the relationship right with each of our horses before anything else. Even before training. Relationship that gives the horse the choice, the free will to make it so. And what a difference it has made to this newcomer as he has stumbled his way through the learning process. Our horses have never stopped trying, never stopped listening, never stopped giving. And they are with us because they want to be. As you will see in the video. Please take a look: Video: Relationship First! Read More→

Trust Yourself to Try and Err


For years I’ve called the process of making Benji movies trial-and-error film making. I always – well, usually – know what I want to see up there on the screen, but almost never know how to get it on film. I remember late one night in Oregon on Benji the Hunted there were about twelve of us crammed and bundled around the camera which was sitting on the dirt pointed down at a tiny little cougar cub who was supposed to be looking up at Benji, pleading with his eyes to not be left alone to be eaten by Read More→

Thinking Outside the Box!


This is simply the Coolest Thing Ever! Your horse is fifteen to twenty feet away from you when you step up onto the mounting block. You cluck a couple of times and lo and behold he sidesteps all the way over to the mounting block and stands there patiently waiting for you to climb on.

No way, I said. How in the world would you teach your horse to sidestep to you? From fifteen feet away! It’s just not in the logic pattern of everything we’re told to teach the horse… “give to pressure”… not step into it!

But I saw it with my own eyes and was blown away. Read More→

Reading the Eyes of a Horse


I can remember the vet checks on our very first three horses. I was walking Cash down to the arena with Dr. Matt and he casually mentioned, “He has a good eye. A soft eye. That says a lot.” I could only wonder what he meant. What could he see that I couldn’t? And what did it tell him? But I chose not to embarrass myself and I kept quiet.

Much later – after learning that either I lose the fear of being embarrassed or I would never learn anything :) – I asked him about it and he told me what he had seen. Read More→

New Video About Our California Paddock Paradise – What We Did, How We Did It & Why?

When we first discovered that the genetics of a horse prescribe a lifestyle of living out 24/7 with lots and lots of movement we threw up our hands in frustration. We had no access to land other than a 2.5 acre plot behind the house that was virtually straight-up-and-down steep with some of it totally unusable. Horses in the wild out in the Great Basin of the western United States – where their genetics evolved – travel 10-20 miles a day looking for grass forage, water, and staying away from predators. How could we even get close to replicating that with what we had to work with? But ultimately we discovered that it’s amazing what you can come up with when you really put you mind to it. With less than 1.5 usable acres we wound up creating a Paddock Paradise that generated approximately 8-10 miles of movement every 24-hour day for all six of our horses, and we did it quite simply and inexpensively using what we had available. It’s all explained in the new video, with specifics and on-the-scene videos (one of them quite whimsical according to Kathleen and I’m not sure how to take that :). Click this link and take a look: Our Paddock Paradise: What We Did, How We Did It and Why? Read More→

EBooks with Video – Who’d've Thought?


I cannot believe that a few short weeks ago I had no clue about any of this. Kathleen had been into it for some time, but for pleasure, not for horses. Then a conversation with Casey Pugh, a vet tech friend, clicked on the light bulb. Quite by accident because she, like Kathleen, was using it only for pleasure.

What the devil am I talking about?? Read More→

Another Amazing Experience at Road to the Horse!


Just imagine! Pat Parelli, Clinton Anderson, and Chris Cox all under one roof for three incredible days! That was Road to the Horse 2011 which wrapped up last night. It was such a close, tight competition that I would’ve hated to have been one of the judges trying to make a decision. You always hear folks saying “everyone who competed here was a winner” but Kathleen and I can vouch for that statement in this case because everyone was a winner, especially the sold-out coliseum audience because Read More→

We Are Blessed!

For so many reasons!

The first, response to our new book has been overwhelming. Which means more and more horses all across the planet might soon be living happier and healthier lives. Here are a few of the early comments:

I loved The Soul of a Horse, but this book is even better! The Soul of a Horse Blogged captured me from page one! Joe Camp is a master storyteller and I am so fascinated by his amazingly short journey to the truth about the horse. He understands the nature and needs of this magnificent animal, and the book is more about the soul of a man who is not only committed to the horses he loves, but to sharing what he has learned and continues to learn for the benefit of all horses with elegance, style, truth and transparency! Kathleen Camp’s photography brings this whole equine-man journey to life as it woos you through the pages. I am so loving it!! Read it, you will not Read More→

Winter Breakthrough!


This has been the coldest December in middle Tennessee since the early 1940s. Another record. Of course. At least we’re consistent. We just came through eight days of below freezing temperatures. It got so low the first night that the pond totally froze. I kept trying to break up the ice along the edges so the horses could get to water (the remnants seen on the gravel in the photo above) but it soon reached the point where it was re-freezing almost before I got back into the house. So finally Read More→

The Soul of a Horse Blogged – The Journey Continues Now Available Everywhere

Available Everywhere

Amazon- Paperback & Kindle

Barnes & Noble – Paperback & NOOKbook

Buy personally inscribed copies

This book has had more pre-sales than any book I’ve ever written and I can’t thank y’all enough for that. If you plan to buy it, for yourself or as a gift, please, please, please, go to Amazon and help kick it off with a good ranking. Personally inscribed copies are still available on the website.

Thank you so much for all the support you have given to us and our efforts through the years to make life better for horses (and people) everywhere. Kathleen and I feel very blessed at a very blessed time of year.

We wish you all a warm and wonderful Christmas filled with love. – Joe

Amazon- Paperback & Kindle

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Happy Thanksgiving! Hope Yours is as Wonderful as Ours!


Kathleen and the twins have been here for a week of unbelievably beautiful Indian Summer weather. Unreal for late November (more records?). We’ve ridden as a family four times… all with the three B’s…barefoot, bareback, and bitless. We figure it’s the first time Mariah and Pocket have been ridden in at least two years… and the first time ever that these two have been ridden bitless. But all concerned were delighted with each ride. Above Allegra, Kathleen, and Dylan on Pocket, Mariah, and Skeeter pause for a picture, a rare occurrence that I’m allowed behind the lens.

Allegra was convinced that should could do the Kevin Costner/Silverado running/leaping mount onto Mariah so I told her to give it a shot. Read More→

Look into the Heart and Soul of a Horse

Due out December 1st.

I want to thank each of you who caused our publication year to be so incredibly special by helping to push The Soul of a Horse into seven printings and make it an official best seller. We are indebted to you all and appreciate you very much. This new book, this continuation of that journey which began with The Soul of a Horse, is for you. And for every horse on the planet. – Joe

Now the commercial :)

The Soul of a Horse BLOGGED – The Journey Continues can be pre-ordered and personally inscribed in time for Christmas. Click here.

This is Joe and Kathleen’s continuing journey from the end of the best selling The Soul of a Horse: Life Lessons from the Herd through their adoption of a wild pregnant mustang and on through their move from the dry rocky hillsides of southern California to the wet grassy hillsides of Read More→

Horses Never Forget Human Friends

A new scientific study reported by Discovery News verifies that horses are closer to people who treat them well and the study praises the use of treats and words. Those who have read The Soul of a Horse will understand why that gets a big Yippee! from me, and I’m sure from trick trainer Allen Pogue as well. A full chapter in Soul (The Big Red Circus Ball) is devoted to these subjects. We have known for some time that the findings regarding treats and words are true but Read More→

What a Year!

Today marks the one-year anniversary of our southern California herd’s arrival in middle Tennessee, and what a year it’s been, moving from this:


To this:


Last September 17th our horses arrived, after dark, amidst seven inches of rain that went on to become 26 inches over the next four weeks. We were worried sick Read More→

Fear and Faith: Sometimes It’s Hard to Stay on the Horse’s End of the Lead Rope

Mariah Healed Herself

I’ll never forget standing out in the rain one cold October day, soaked from head to foot because the rain wasn’t expected. The temperature was only in the mid-fifties, but to me, sopping wet, that was freezing.

I looked at our horses, heads down, dripping with water, and I just couldn’t stand it. Read More→

Blogger News Network’s Maryann Miller Reviews Who Needs Hollywood

“Granted, not everyone wants to buck Hollywood and the odds to make a movie, but everyone has a dream of some sort, and this book encourages people to fight for that dream. Work for that dream. Even if it takes half a lifetime to make it come true. Who Needs Hollywood is so much more than a story about a dog or about making a movie. Like Camp’s best seller, The Soul of a Horse, this one is full of insight and inspiration. And how to make things happen against all odds. Who Needs Hollywood is written with candor, and at times a self-effacing humility and is a refreshing break from some celebrity books that are all about me.” – Maryann Miller, Blogger News Network

Link to full review: http://www.bloggernews.net/125128

After Eleven Months of Record-Setting Weather…

Cash’s left rear – Photo taken two weeks ago

Eleven months ago we moved from dry, rocky southern California to middle Tennessee. I had done my homework and had conversed a lot with my pasture mentor Melanie Bowles (The Horses of Proud Spirit Sanctuary). Still I was very nervous. Our guys and gals had been living on hard rocky desert-like ground. All barefoot. Their hoof trims every eight weeks amounted to maintenance trims as they were wearing their hooves much like they would if they were in the wild. But they were moving to the soft (it turns out mushy) green grass pastures of middle Tennessee and we were being advised by many that our herd simply could not be out 24/7 on the “rich grasses” of this area. Read More→

New TV Interview with Joe & Kathleen On Location At Their Tennessee Farm


Nashville Newzine taped a new TV interview with Kathleen and moi on location at our middle Tennessee place. Kathleen and Skeeter did super but the old guy in the interview needs a haircut in the worst way. And seeing this actually motivated Kathleen to do the job before she headed back to California yesterday. The days and nights when she’s not here seem to drag by at a snail’s pace… and when she’s here they fly by at the speed of light. And now we’re back to the every-once-in-a-while schedule until next summer when the twins graduate. Sad. But I keep telling myself: We can do it. We can do it. The link to the TV interview is: http://www.nashvillenewzine.com/JWplayer/JoeCampInterviewSM.html.  Several of the herd are featured as well.

Are You Living Your Passion?


Every time I look at one of these photos of Kathleen’s and think about how much I lusted after the very life we’re living I have no choice but to reflect upon how very blessed we are. Have always been. I’ll never forget asking my dad when I was a junior in high school, “How am I supposed to go about choosing a career? Where do I start?” His response was profound, and not of the times, and for some reason that surprised me. Read More→

Kathleen Talks About Joe’s New Book


Hi everybody. This is Kathleen. I sent Joe to the barn so I could write this piece of truth. His next book has just come out and no it’s not the follow up to The Soul of a Horse. Joe had this book and two others almost finished when he pushed them aside to write “Soul”. This one’s not even about horses… unless you’ve ever wondered what kind of person could begin writing a book like The Soul of a Horse less than a year-and-a-half after acquiring his very first one. This new book will answer that question (in spades!). So, in truth, it is about horses because this journey is the one Read More→

Yippee! At Last! No More Excuses!


Finally. Enough days of dry weather sandwiched together to get the grading done and get the pea gravel delivered and voila! We have a round pen. Kathleen returns for the summer (another yippee) in a couple of weeks – with her cameras – and then work with Noelle will begin in earnest. No more excuses. A Join-Up and a lead rope are in her future :). Meanwhile she will spend time Read More→

If You Regularly De-Worm Your Horses…

…please listen to this Equine Affaire presentation by Dr. Dan Moore, the Natural Vet: http://www.thesoulofahorse.com/Video%20NH/NaturalVetOnDeworming.mp3

He also gets into vaccinations and diet and nutrition as well. Very good information. – Joe

The Absolute Best Film About Wild Horses I Ever Hope to See

Cloud (on the right), mustang stallion of the
Pryor Mountains winning a mare

Ginger Kathrens’ motion picture camera has followed the life of Cloud since the day he was born – the day she named him – more than nine years ago. Across those years she has filmed three incredible PBS Specials on Cloud and his wild herd, but the latest one Cloud: Challenge of the Stallions (I call it Cloud 3 :) is truly the best compilation of the the most amazing footage I’ve ever seen that tells a story story so remarkable Read More→

Noelle Has a Sweet Spot


Unfortunately it was a tick bite, but at least it served a purpose. I could give her something she loved. This became the routine for more than a week, until the bite began to heal and was no longer itchy. I immediately looked around for another tick…nooo, just kidding. Anyway, around here you don’t have to look far to find ‘em.

I love it when Kathleen comes home, camera in hand. I tend to forget about these sweet moments until I start browsing through her weekend of photos. I didn’t even know she was standing behind me when this next batch was taken. Read More→

Other Things That Make My Day

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Kent Maddock was after us for months and months to allow them to acquire Scribbles. If you’ve read the book you cannot help but remember Scribbles. One December Kent called and begged, saying he wanted Scribbles to be a surprise Christmas gift for his wife Laurra.

“Ohhh that’s so sweet,” Kathleen cooed, and my resistance shield Read More→

I Wish You Moments That Calm Your Soul like This Does Mine

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It’s been too long. This is where Kathleen and I ate our first several dozen meals after the move last September. Breakfasts. Lunches. Dinners (or as they say here in middle Tennessee: Suppers). We would sit sometimes for an hour without a word. Just watching the herd. Listening to the symphony of the frogs at night. The birds. The crickets. Smelling the roses. Without alternative. Locked up in the house over a seemingly endless winter, buried in work and warmth, the roses were fewer and further between. And easy to ignore. I often looked at it as a good thing because I was getting so much work done. Not bothered by those smelly old roses. But my spirit suffered. Read More→

A Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Pete'sHoof

Finally we’ve got the date set for our barefoot TeleWorkshop. Sorry it took so long. It’s called A Crazy Little Thing Called Love – or – Why Would You Ever Let Your Horses Go Barefoot? It’s not a “how-to” but rather a “why-to” workshop designed for people who are not yet convinced barefoot is the right thing to do, the loving thing to do. And for everyone who is already there but needs ammunition to ward off and convince all those friends and “not-so-friends” who think you’re nuts. This is a two-hour workshop with Joe, Kathleen, and Eddie Drabek, one of the foremost natural hoof specialists in the country, jammed full of facts, undeniable truths, and real-life experiences, with lots of Q&A after.  Send your farrier! Check it out.

Benji and The Soul of a Horse Are Big Hits at Road to the Horse

Badges400

Being called an entertainer had little effect on Benji. She’s been there, done that. Me? I think I’ll have my badge framed as it’s the first (and probably the only) time it’ll ever happen to me. But what a fun, fun weekend it was. Kathleen and I feel very honored to be invited into inner circle with Read More→

Ahhhh…. sunshine at last!

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Four consecutive days of sun! The first time that’s happened since we moved in last September. Kathleen flew in Wednesday night and brought it all with her. There wasn’t Read More→

This Morning Began…

CalmBeforeStorm…like this. The calm before the storm! Read More→

Learning the Hard Way

CU-IceChunks

I was so proud of myself. I would go out several times a day and chop the edges of the pond so the horses would have no problem getting water. I would often watch them when they came to the pond and if a thin coating of ice had formed one tap with a hoof would produce water and they would drink. As the number of days below freezing began to build into the double digits Read More→

Day 2 of the New Year: Another Awesome Day!

MouseCash
This is what we woke up to this morning. How awesome is that? Kathleen has been here since the 24th and she goes back to SoCal tomorrow. I wanted so much for her to experience the joy of waking up and seeing her new home covered with snow. And here it is. God is so good :) Read More→

Happy New Year Y’all! Ours Began Awesomely!

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2009 was a tough year; full of struggles, change, and pain. And much to remember. But 2010 began with an awesome reminder of what our task on this planet is all about. Read More→

Words That Made My Day!

A day doesn’t pass that we don’t receive several beautiful emails from folks who have read the book, the blog, a newsletter, or been on the website and been moved by something we’ve said or done. These words are what make it all worthwhile. The juice that keeps our wheels turning and keeps us fired up about what we do. And keeps us ever Read More→

Cash’s First Ever Snowfall

SnowCashOnNose400Actually it’s the first snowfall for four of our six horses, three of our four dogs, and our kitty. Okay, okay, I know all you guys who live way on up there in the freezer are laughing your heads off at me calling this snow, but Read More→

Hope Yours is a Happy as Ours

40 degrees here. Blustery. Family here. Turkey cooking. Happy. Hope yours is as happy! – Joe

Two Month Report: Happy Healthy Mustang Joins Happy Healthy Herd; Life Lessons

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Sometimes I have to haul off and slap myself.

Seriously.

Something to force the brain to stop racing around like a crazed maniac and take a deep breath. To pause and smell the roses. Or at least look at them. How many times in my life have I closed my eyes and dreamed of the above picture? And here it is. Part of our life. And I’m fretting about how far behind I am and how much I have to do. Read More→

Benji Helps Raise Money for Gentle Carousel Therapy Minature Horses in Ocala

BenjiLeadsMagic400Benji leads Magic into the Ocala Mayor’s office to receive a special
presentation for making a difference in the Ocala community

What a spectacular weekend this was in Ocala, Florida. Wall-to-wall events and media interviews all focused on fund-raising for the Gentle Carousel Therapy Miniature Horses and bringing a bit of happiness into the lives of hospitalized children and senior citizens. Gentle Carousel is a non-profit organization lead by Debbie and Jorge Garcia-Bengochea, two of the most caring, selfless individuals I’ve ever met. Their miniature horses visit kids in children’s hospitals and Read More→

How can Sailing and and Horses be Similar?

This whole move thing to TN has been a bit overwhelming. I told Kathleen tonight that this experience in moving to Tennessee was like my former sailing days. When it was bad it was usually really bad, but when it was good it was glorious. Highs and lows. That’s what life is made of :). I guess that’s why I never cared for California. It’s pretty much always the same. Today in middle Tennessee it was (finally) sunny and incredible. The dogs and the horses and I all loved it. Together.

Joe

Could Be a Book Cover!

Mal-Close-up-Snuggle-Noelle-Baby

Sorry to digress but Kathleen just uncovered this photo in her archives, which I had never seen, and sent it to me in Tennessee under the subject line: Missing the boy. God knows I do everyday, and I try to stay focused, but really wanted y’all to see this one. It’s what I loved about him and still love about her. Thank you Sweetie for shooting it vertically :)

Joe

“Maybe he taught you something quite extraordinary that will help the lives of other horses in the future.”

Last night I finally bit the bullet and began reading the huge stack of cards and letters that you sent to Kathleen and me after Malachi’s death. I had put it off time and time again. I considered not packing them when we approached the move to Tennessee. I knew they were all Read More→

It was the best of times… It was the worst of times

I sat on the front porch tonight and ate broiled salmon and spinach sautéed in olive oil and garlic while listening to the rain. What Kathleen and I call an Asheville rain, in honor of what was perhaps her first understanding (for a California girl) of how nice a rain can be. We were attending a Celtic music festival in Asheville. It was a Sunday morning Read More→

The First Day of Sunshine Since We Arrived

HerdFromHilltop

Yesterday. Photo from high up the hill. Everybody is present except Mariah. Even Noelle can barely be seen behind the tree by the barn. Sort of makes it all worthwhile. – Joe

The Horses Have Landed

WidePasture500wPocket, Mouse and Skeeter enjoy their new home.
Shot from our new front porch while eating breakfast this morning.

Once again our timing was perfect. The move from southern California landed us right in the middle of a “most unusual” weather pattern that has set records for rainfall. It’s been raining for days and days. Seven inches the day the horses came in. The weather slowed the progress Read More→

Love Happens Premiere Photos

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The Westwood Village Theater has been hosting world premieres forever. There’s a photo in the men’s room of the 1948 premiere of Casanova. This was a spectacular night for a very proud papa celebrating son Brandon’s first film as writer/director. Read More→

Spent!

It took 4 hours to load Noelle into the shuttle trailer! About a minute and a half from the shuttle into the big transport. Kathleen filmed it all. A mini-series! And several very tired folks. One very close call. Thanks so much Dani, Gail, Dar, Mary Ann, and Julio… and, of course my sweetie. Now the herd is headed for Tennessee. Noelle and Cash will sleep well tonight. As will we.

Joe

Reflections

Our herd had it’s last feed on their dusty rocky hillside this morning. We’ve had a bit of a time holding ourselves together. Kathleen filmed the entire round and we realized that we had never recorded the whole procedure before. The gang seemed to know something was afoot, especially when I walked out after with all five of their tubs. Noelle is the big question mark and moving her into the shuttle trailer that will take her down the hill to the big travel trailer (which cannot get up the hill) is our primary concern at the moment. It will be an interesting test of keeping our adrenaline down at rock bottom, and taking the time that it takes. Please say a prayer.

Joe

Moving Week is Here!

Suddenly scary. We’re actually going to do this. Movers come Friday. Horses leave Sunday. Love Happens premiere on Tuesday. Kathleen, Benji and I leave Wed for Bell Buckle TN. Horses arrive the 17th. Movers the 18th. Kathleen will be at both ends filming the horses and maybe a photo or two which we can pass along. So much going on my fret level (always way above normal) is up around the moon. Driving Kathleen crazy. Will report on the other side. Please don’t forget to tell everyone to go see Love Happens on the first day, Friday September 18th. Thanks much.

Joe

Mouse Returns Home… sort of. Gets Standing Ovation!

Last night was an emotional ride. Benji and I were invited to speak at The Animal Rescue League of Iowa’s annual fund raiser: The Mane Event. At the end of the presentation I attempted to demonstrate to the supporters of the ARL how important they are to the League’s work of saving animals; how their support is actually making a difference. Not only saving but changing lives… of people (mine and Kathleen’s) as well as animals. Our Mouse was the subject.

MouseRescueMouse on the far outside

Two years ago, nine-month-old Mouse was among 14 horses rescued by the ARL from just horrendous, Read More→

Escaping Taxafornia

This was no easy decision. It was overflowing with complexities and angst. Kathleen had lived her entire life in southern California. All of her immediate family is here. And half of mine, the other half in Montana. So the notion of moving to middle Tennessee left a few chords unstruck. Read More→

Is Natural Horsemanship an Oxymoron?

That phrase  – Natural Horsemanship – is beginning to affect me like fingernails on a chalk board because there’s very little that any of us do with a horse that is truly natural. I suppose if we never had an agenda – a human agenda – we might be able Read More→

Federal Court Slaps the BLM – Says Mustang Removal Illegal

A federal district court in Washington DC has granted a  Summary Judgment Motion Against Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar et al forbidding removal of the West Douglas Herd of Wild Mustangs from their range in Colorado. This could be huge for all mustangs.

In the case of Colorado Wild Horse and Burro Coalition vs Ken Salazar, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior, Read More→

Never Pray for Patience. God will Give you a Horse.

Patience is not a concept I’ve had much contact with in the past. Like so many homo sapiens, I’ve always wanted everything to happen right now. I think it’s genetic. The shortest distance has always been a straight line. We humans tend to be that way. Especially in this millennium of instant gratification. But since my introduction to horses, I’ve come to learn Read More→

No More Salt Blocks

Noeele-Joe-7-20-09

I have never been licked by a horse before. Lots of sniffing, nudging, lip nibbling, and just hanging out close by. But never a full-blown, full-tongue lick on the arm. Especially by a mustang who’s never even had a lead rope on. That is I’ve never been licked until yesterday. Kathleen and I (and ALL of the dogs) were sitting in the play pen Read More→

Keeping Your Head

Patience has never been my long suit. And the ability to panic at the least little thing seems to be embedded in my genetics. So maybe you can imagine what was going on in my tummy the morning that Noelle, our unhandled wild mustang, decided she would take a walkabout out in the free world. Read More→

Noelle Helps Us Rise from the Ashes

For those who wonder whether horses grieve let me assure you that they do. Noelle’s demeanor has changed completely since the loss of Malachi. She wanted – needed – companionship and I was the only one around. We helped each other. Consoled each other. Reassured each other. And the net result for both of us has been Read More→

We Enter the Blogoshpere

In an effort to keep up with the 21st Century, Kathleen and I have leaped headlong into the world of blogging with this, The Soul of a Horse Blog. The object is to make the blog everything that our newsletter has Read More→

Thank You so Much!

Kathleen and I want to thank all of you who sent emails and cards of condolence, prayers, and warm thoughts after the tragic death of our beloved Malachi. I must admit to you that I have so far only read the barest few of the hundreds that came in. But we intend to read Read More→

A Brilliant Star Extinguished

MalGator-5-25cr350 Our Hearts Are Breaking

On the evening of June 3rd, exactly three months from the day of his birth, we lost Malachi in the aftermath of a violent thunder and lightning storm that knocked out a power pole on our property. As we piece together what happened, a fleet of huge power company trucks climbed our driveway that night which passes right by Noelle and Malachi’s paddocks and stalls. These gigantic loud monsters Read More→

The Buckskin Emerges

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Journal entry of May 25, 2009 – Not only does Malachi continue to grow (I had to raise the plank that keeps Noelle out of his playpen this week) his whiteness is now giving way to the buckskin underneath. Especially on his neck. See the photos above and below. Kathleen doesn’t usually get to show up in these posts because Read More→

Contrary to What Some Are Saying in the Media, Wild Horses Are Very Much Indigenous and Native to the Western United States!

Below is a portion of a chapter from my next book, which might give you a hint as to why we adopted Miss Noelle, who was pregnant with Malachi when we brought her home.

I was astonished when I learned that we were at risk of losing America’s wild horses. How could that be? These horses are not only a living laboratory, as a group they are a legendary icon of Read More→

Quite a Morning Adventure for Malachi!

MalAdventure-5-5-350

What a spectacular morning! Malachi really stretched his boundaries on his at-liberty walkabout. Although today it was a race-about. He had never ventured farther than Read More→

New Video is Up: Benji Gets a New Baby…Horse

Our canine superstar Benji, Oprah’s favorite onscreen animal, has never had anything to do with our other horses. Not even sweet Cash. Along comes our unhandled pregnant mustang adopted from the BLM Dec 10. Malachi was born on March 3 and from the very first day Benji was taken with him. Maybe because Benji was adopted from a shelter as well Read More→

Barefoot Goes Legit at Auburn University Vet School

Pete and Ivy Ramey are currently spending one week every month at Auburn University’s Vet School trimming hooves for Doctor Deborah Taylor, DVM, MS, DACVIM who is recording and studying the results of natural hoof care on chronic laminitis cases. The study has consistently shown rotation reversal, increased sole Read More→

Hard to Believe Malachi is 7 Weeks Old! Lots of New Photos Below

Mal-3-24-09-1cr350

This photo was taken at 3 weeks old, but our boy horse is almost two months now (see below) and is definitely proving every day that deep down every horse on the planet would prefer to be in relationship than not. Born of two wild unhandled parents he is completely unafraid of people or other horses. Perhaps too much so. I’ve brought everyone from the herd Read More→

Spending Quality Time with Malachi

Malachi-3-15-09-PrettyBoy350W

I’m writing this on the 17th day of Malachi’s life, but this photo and all the ones below were actually taken on his 12th day. I’m spending so much time with him and Noelle that I’m sorry to say I’m having trouble keeping up with everything else, like photos, newsletters, even email. By the way, all the fantastic photos you’ll see in this journal entry Read More→

Malachi – The Soul of a Horse Continues

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Malachi’s 8th day on the planet.

Malachi is the last book in the Old Testament of the Bible. In Hebrew the word means messenger, and in the Book of Malachi the message is that change is coming.

Malachi intended to write a book about change.

I didn’t.

In fact I didn’t set out to write a book at all. Kathleen and I were just trying to figure out how to keep and care for a small group of horses that had somehow landed quite unexpectedly in our front yard. We were asking Read More→

Morning Surprise – It’s a Boy!

Foal-Noelle-3-3-09-3W350

We’re giddy. Last night everything was normal. No liquids anywhere. And this morning there he was. And mommy is very much a mommy. And very protective. This morning I couldn’t touch Read More→

Noelle – Day 70 – Accepting Both Sides – Molting, Not Foaling. New Photos and Videos

A friend asked us if we had a name for the foal yet. We said no, and he said, “Well, the mom is Noelle. How about Foelle?” I threatened to send his email address to all of y’all :)

Today was a good day. Perhaps not the best day Noelle and I have had, but still good. And Kathleen did take some photos and video. It was an unseasonably Read More→

Omigosh y’all! Noelle is bagging up!

Day 60 – Dr. Matt was here this morning and pointed out that Noelle is bagging up and will probably foal within the next 30 days… at least two months before earlier predictions!

Holy moly! The best laid plans and all that. Did I ever tell you that this is our first, as in FIRST, experience with birthing a foal, never mind one from a mustang who has never been touched (willingly) by anyone but me! Gleep and gulp! Even this morning when Dr. Matt got too close Noelle had to leave my side.

Since the last note I have been able to rub and scratch on both her right and left sides, down to the withers and down the leg to the knee. This morning on her right I even reached down her side toward her flank, and down her spine a bit. And I’m cleaning out eye boogers on both sides ?

I’ve begun a bit of halter desensitization, putting just the weight of my hand on the halter loop. At first, of course, she pulled quickly away. But the first time she didn’t she was instantly rewarded with a bite of hay. Now she rarely pulls away and – on occasion – she’ll even drop her head a bit, or give to a slight tug to the right. Again, instant reward. A rub, a good word, and a bite.

Today I’ll begin trying to approach and get approached without hay in my hands. And we’ll begin a new supplement for mama and baby.

Now, to shake off the sudden onset of tension and pledge to embrace whatever happens and deal with it at the moment. As you’ve heard me say before, God has obviously never felt obligated to let us know what’s in store. He does keep things interesting.

Joe

Day 46 – Noelle Is Crossing Major Thresholds; Photos and Video

This morning Kathleen said to me, “Do you realize that you’re always saying, ‘I wonder when I’m going to be able to do this or do that with Noelle.’ Just a few days ago you were saying you couldn’t wait until you could scratch her on the neck. Seriously, just a few days! And here you are scratching her neck, her chest, her leg, her ear, her face and are you satisfied, even just a little bit? Have you taken a moment to just sigh happily Read More→

Day 15 Noelle Accepts Benji; Day 25 She Accepts Rubs from Joe

Day 15 with Noelle, our new pregnant Mustang who had never been handled before arriving at our place is coming along beautifully. Today she and Benji actually “joined-up” completely on their own. They sniffed noses and touched each other. Unfortunately we didn’t have a camera in the paddock at the time, and the funny thing is that Benji won’t Read More→

In the Beginning… A Pregnant Mustang for Christmas

From the journal January 3, 2009 – On the evening of December 20th, 2008, we arrived home with my Christmas gift from Kathleen, an untouched pregnant Mustang adopted from the BLM in Reno, a six-year-old buckskin lady who chose us – well, chose Kathleen. I had missed her completely in our survey of the 150 or so mares in the five-and-over pasture at the BLM facility the week before.

Just imagine being the very first person ever to be touched by a wild Mustang, and being the first person to touch her foal. Shivers skitter up my spine every time I think about it. Two horses Read More→

Horse Owners: See This Short Video – An Actual Hoof Cross-Section Showing what Happens When the Hoof is Peripherally Loaded (as in Wearing a Metal Shoe)

This short video from Ove Lind in Sweden is the clearest example I’ve ever seen of why laminitis and other problems with the lamina in your horse’s hoof go hand in hand when your horse is wearing a metal shoe. The horse was not Read More→

Odds and Ends

I read somewhere during the past year that someone was having good results feeding their horses pro-biotics to help clean out the parasites, thus eliminating the need for worming. We had already gone to a program of fecal testing before worming, with a plan to test every six months and only worm if the tests are positive. So we started using Probios Dispersible Powder (http://www.probios.com/powders.htm#disperpwdr), mixing about a half teaspoon with each horse’s small tub of Triple Crown Safe Starch forage, feeding it Read More→

Q&A with Joe Camp

1) There are thousands of horse books on the market. Why did you write another one?

I didn’t actually. I mean, yes, of course, it has to do with horses, but first and foremost it’s a story. I’ve spent most of my life telling stories, most of them involving animals. And I found this one particularly fascinating. Two complete novices-my wife and I-leaping into this enigmatic world of horses literally without a clue. The mistakes, the fear, the fascination, and the frustration with some of the answers we were getting. And ultimately the discovery that something was very wrong in this world of horses. Read More→

There’s No Such Thing as Domestic Horses

It took me three years to finally boil this journey of ours down to a single simple point as it relates to how horses are supposed to live. It never ceases to amaze me how I can have something right in front of my face and not be able to see it because it’s camouflaged by some predisposition or learning sequence. Like this old logic problem:  What do the words, first, hijack, and crabcake have in common? Stare at that for a bit and if you get it quickly, you’re doing better than I did. I spent several hours before finally, in desperation, I began to assign numbers to the letters, looking for some commonality of sequence, or totals, or something. Only after a number was attached to each letter did I see it. The answer literally leaped off the page. Do it yourself, assign numbers… ie: a=1… b=2…z=26, etc. You’ll see it very quickly. That’s the way it was with this concept of so-called domestic vs wild horses. How do you explain Read More→

On Trial and Error

For years I’ve called the process of making Benji movies trial-and-error film making. I always – well, usually – know what I want to see up there on the screen, but almost never know how to get it on film. I remember late one night in Oregon on Benji the Hunted there were about twelve of us crammed and bundled around the camera which was sitting on the dirt pointed down at a tiny little cougar cub who was supposed to be looking up at Benji, pleading with his eyes to not be left alone to be eaten by some larger predator (his mama had been shot by a hunter). The look in the cub’s eyes had to be right. It had to make us (the audience) choke up a little, feel the plight of this poor helpless baby. So there we were, this huge crowd of people all scrunched in a ball gawking down at this wee cub with a bevy of bright lights in his eyes, and I was supposed to be holding the “look” of the cub (as if he were gazing up at Benji) and I was also supposed to be doing something that would evoke just the right expression. Something that would make the cub’s eyes beg pleeeze don’t leave me here… Read More→