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Lines Disease Many of us are followers especially in a circumstance that’s new to us, a circumstance where we may lack surety or self-confidence. “If you don’t know where to go, go where someone has gone before!” But this approach won’t always work to your benefit. I
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All You Need is Leg (with apologies to Lennon and McCartney) We were working on his flying changes—a middle aged OTTB with a flock of internalized tensions and a penchant for sucking back behind the leg. I was hoping to use some combinations of canter leg yield and canter
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The issue is free choice forage feeding... I respect and honor the way horses are made – they are different – unique, really. In a suitable, native environment, they are quite capable of taking care of themselves. They are free to eat and roam and be, well, horses. Domestication involves removing them
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Tack: Fashion or Function (Part 1) I just read a Facebook post today, from a very dear friend. She was given a trunk full of equipment including tie-downs, draw reins and an assortment of other “training aids.” Her dilemma was to toss it, because she trains by classical, time proven
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After being abroad for two months, nothing felt better to me than climbing into the saddle and working Lucy. One of the many things I love about her is that you can leave her on stall rest for a week or not ride her for two months and she will
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Classical vs Competitive A social media post came thru my newsfeed today, wherein the poster complained about the recent riding at the Falsterborg (SWE) show. She used the words “rough” and “abusive” and feels that type of riding is prevalent in today’s FEI CDI rings. Should the FEI, therefore,
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The Professional Edge: Classically driven or Client driven? Professional trainers and instructors are faced with a continuing dilemma. Is teaching accomplished along classical methods that have been proven over time OR does the Pro acquiesce to the client and do what they say (the goal in most cases of getting
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A lot of bad shoulder-in out there and often committed by riders with the best of intentions. I’m not talking about the blatant disasters—the pull on the inside rein, collapse the inner hip, pop the horse’s outside shoulder down the track kind of malfeasance. I’m thinking
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Peanut butter? No, in this case PB stands for personal best. Once again I want to revisit the notion of why we go showing and what we get out of it. For a certain group dressage IS showing, and showing means trying to win. For the moment we'll
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The Amateur's Affliction Lots of things stand in the way of someone becoming a really good rider. Among amateurs high on the list is guilt—guilt for not riding as elegantly as Charlotte DuJardin (or whomever their hero might be). Maybe you are beyond this stage, but many
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A popular baby boomer product touts "for when the moment is right. . . " At Edwards Air Force Base where the space shuttle used to land it was no coincidence that the main runway was more than three miles long with a flat overrun of many more thousands of feet.
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What's it like to return to riding after an injury? It's tough. My first real experience riding after falling and breaking my wrist was on the lunge line on one of the safest horses in the barn. And I was SCARED. This makes sense to me
