Maeve Birch Home

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    • Just Start

      I haven’t posted in ages. It was part burnout, part external events, part ongoing shame at not having written anything and the lack of inspiration to say anything new. Life is life. I’ve been going to work, making dinner, trying to get enough sleep, the usual. We got another cat. He’s been great, but had…

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    • When Words Help

      Why sometimes talking to your horse may make things better… We had an emergency move of two horses recently. Two mares who were known not to enjoy trailer loading needed to get on a trailer with no questions asked. The weather conditions unfortunately made it impossible to work on trailer training with them in the…

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    • On the Hard Days

      On the hard days sometimes I forget why I’m doing this, why I come out here in the cold and the wet and the mud, to fix another fenceline or to try and hand-roll a round bale into place because the fields are impassable to vehicles. “I hate horses” I proclaim, as they throw another…

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    • What is “Nothing?”

      What are we doing when we’re standing around doing nothing while out of the pasture? If I’m stopped with Red on a lead rope in some in-between place where horses don’t normally stand, what exactly is it that’s going on? On the way to the barn: We’re stopped because Red either chose to regulate himself…

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    • My Author Interview with SkyDance Mountain Audiobooks

      Exciting news! My interview with SkyDance Mountain Audiobooks’ “Authors On The Mountain” podcast is up on YouTube. In it I expand on some of the things I mention in the book and talk about everything from the advantages of volunteering at horse rescues to potential future writings. I’m grateful for this opportunity to share with…

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    • Winter Horse Activity Levels

      It’s dark out at 5pm and all I want to do when I get to the barn is stand around with horses under the stars. I don’t want to ride, I don’t want to set up poles for them to step over, I don’t even want to take them out of the field. I just…

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    • A New Paradigm: Two Years of Standing in a Field With Horses

      It’s been nearly two years since the first release of my memoir in eBook format. I never imagined that more than maybe ten people would read it, to be honest. I wanted to connect with others who might feel the way I felt around horses, but I wasn’t sure it would happen. Thankfully, even in…

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    • “What are we?!” Questions from Adolescent Horses

      I haven’t gotten a chance to work with a four year old horse at the barn in a few weeks. Actually, outside of feeding him and running a hand over him every day to make sure there’s nothing seriously wrong, no one has had the time to work with him in a few weeks. It’s…

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    • Ruining the Horse

      A few years ago, when I was experiencing the things I write about in my memoir, I was always afraid of “doing it wrong” and “ruining the horse” when interacting with equines. Afraid that my gentler way of doing things would lead to places where the horse wouldn’t be able to interact properly with other…

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    • Announcing the Audiobook Release!

      It’s here! After many months of work by Skydance Mountain Audiobooks and their team, the Standing in a Field With Horses audiobook has been released on Audible! I am so thrilled with how it turned out. The narration and production is excellent.I know many of you are up to your eyeballs in horse care, whether…

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