More Than Money : The Thoroughbred Horse

2013 Kentucky Derby Winner being awarded

I am happy to see a report coming to the public that addresses the downward spiral of Thoroughbreds in racing here in the USA. I am not a large supporter of the Thoroughbred racing industry, long have I seen it as being money motivated as the primary with the horse falling to the wayside as a disposable commodity. I am very happy to hear the round-table discussion going on that addresses factors such as not putting the horse first among other ideas… check it out for yourself.

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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.

Riding | Training

Association Is More Powerful Than Reward?

February 7, 2012March 1, 2014

4 Comments

Many times as equestrians we overlook the habitual actions we make with our horses. Even more common is to behave in one way with one horse and another way entirely with another. We lack personal consistency and self-awareness to our actions and that inhibits our ability to understand fully our own horses’ reactions and actions.

Riding | The Art Of...

Rein Tension Determines the “Rideability” of our Horse?

June 7, 2013February 21, 2014

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…

Horse tack can be complicated to fit properly to all horses depending on their individual conformation and the discipline you ride in.

Quick Posts

The Proper Fit

May 15, 2011March 2, 2014

Have you ever worn clothes that were too loose or too snug? Remember that uncomfortable feeling you had the entire time? Or carried a backpack that almost sat on your rear, maybe worse when it was hiked up to your neck and you couldn’t take it off without intense assistance?

A pair of white and brown Rodney Powell Show Jumping gloves.

Quick Posts

Using Riding Gloves to Build Confidence

July 26, 2011March 2, 2014

2 Comments

Handling the lunge rope and the reins without gloves felt, well, awful. It simply did not run freely through my hands at will as they had when I wore gloves. My fingers seemed to almost stick incomprehensibly to the reins or the lunge line at the most inappropriate times, truly compromising the signals I was attempting to make. They fumbled and fought against one another in an effort to the correct the sticky fingers problem to no avail.

A cute pony pokes his nose into the camera for a closer inspection.

Riding | The Art Of... | Training

The Importance of Critique For Equestrians

March 3, 2012March 1, 2014

2 Comments

I’m not perfect, and I avoid expecting perfection, although I do aim for “personal best”. As equestrians and horseback riders we give critique constantly, while often being oblivious to the critique we’re receiving. From the moment we…

Horse racing is a cruel sport to the horses involved, even those who don't make it to the race track often suffer uncertain futures and the slaughter house.

In The Media

PETA Exposes Horse Racing

March 21, 2014

It seems unnecessary to me to say that success in sport does not equal sound motivations, or actions… But it is necessary as people still go about under the illusion that it does.