Avoid Killing Your Vet
The title should include, “or severely injuring him!” Honestly a large animal vet’s job is hard enough with a well behaved patient that I can’t help but think it’s just downright rude to present him…
Author: Erica Franz
I've been riding since I was 9, and in love with horses from the day I was born. Living in Washington with my horse and 5 dogs.
How To Ride The Horse’s Neck
Let’s establish one basic truth, each horse has a neck. Sylvia Loch once remarked, “horses would be so much simpler to ride if they didn’t have necks”, which I can’t much argue with. Early in…
Grow A New Hoof!
To me this isn’t terribly new, I’ve had a few close friends who have dealt directly with sloughed hoof capsules and so on. Somehow my curiosity just doesn’t tire of it though and I thought…
Video of a Nuno Oliveira Carousel Lesson
This neat little gem came to my attention thanks to the Sylvia Loch & The Classical Riding Club (CRC) facebook page. The video caption says – Lesson to a student in the Amazon carousel Nuno…
My Favorite Barrel Race
No lie, I think most people by now know I’m not a big fan of barrel racing… but this is my new favorite video of just that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnjHxCDDGdQ But I mean, really, a TUBE TOP?…
Just A Little Criticism
There’s this idea, which is so prevalent among equestrians, and in many other niche groups as well, that critique or criticism of anyone or thing in the group is inherently evil. Especially if you aren’t a…
Is Winning The Battle Worth Starting A War?
When you’re around horses long enough you’ll eventually hear something along the lines of not letting your horse “win” if you should differ on opinions with one another. But by deciding the horse ought to…
Rein Tension Determines the “Rideability” of our Horse?
How tight do you hold your reins? And can that impact the rideability of your horse on a given day? According to researchers from the University of Gottingen, in Germany, the impartial measure of rein…
Criticizing the use of Rollkur in Causing Parzival’s Hospitalization
Yesterday the EquiSearch blog reported that Dutch rider Adelinde Cornellisen’s horse Parzival was hospitalized for cardiac arrhythmia. Adelinde and Parzival stood out on the international scene when they were disqualified at the 2010 WEG. Well,…
Safer Trail Riding with Safe Rider App
If you’re like me you don’t always have a friend to accompany you down the trails. Granted I’ve opted to avoid going solo when riding unpredictable or green horses, but even the most bomb-proof horse…
Fear, Confidence & Benefit of the Doubt
Although I think most people’s outward assessment of me would not readily include the adjective “fearful,” they might be surprised to find just how many times I do in-fact experience fear. Sometimes it is fleeting,…
Is Your Horse Environment Supportive?
I started riding at a large farm which combined boarding, private lessons, training and home to a Therapeutic Riding Program. There was an ebb and flow of energy that coursed through it, the busyness that…
Exploring the Double Bridle : Unconventional Practice
I’ll keep the background story brief about me and my horse Jobi for now. I’m sure it will develop itself with more posts. I owned him for many years and brought him up through advanced…
Starting with Body Awareness
As riders we often demand from the horse that he respect our personal space by not pushing into us, walking too closely or otherwise intruding and creating a situation for injuries. But do we extend…
An Equestrian’s Guide to Responsible Commenting
What is the goal of putting in your two cents? When you post a comment are you hoping to lift the person up, tear them down, or perhaps something deeper – offer an insight which…
Are You Riding Towards A Goal?
Whether riding is a hobby or your profession, sometimes we all need a reminder to set some personal goals. My own reminder arrived this last month in an unrelated vein. Feeling as though my progress…