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…
Using Your Indoor Arena Voice
Sometimes when I get wound up, excited or nervous my voice will rise and rise until I am nearly shouting and don’t realize it. This was a big problem when I was a child and…
The Gift of Equestrian Grudges
I’ve been holding a grudge. There, I said it. For too long I had a grudge and not just any grudge, it was one that I didn’t even know existed. This thing, this weight I’ve…
Are You One of the Discarded?
It’s March and the weather is warming, then cooling, then raining, then snowing. My body is in a fight to survive this weather. I have Fibromyalgia and CFS/ME. I am in 24/7 pain and have…
Equestrian Ability vs. Desire
From a superficial level it is easy to mistake ability with desire, or to group them together as synonymous terms. To believe that if a rider has the ability they will also have the desire…
Inspiring Our Horses & Equestrians Through Leadership
Simon Sinek presents a fascinating idea – a different perspective towards inspiration and leadership. As equestrians we’re more than just riders or passengers in the saddle. We are also leaders for our horses and for…
The Importance of Critique For Equestrians
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…
A Case Study Humanized.
I have a lovely 13-year-old student who is much more mature than those years. She is gifted, committed and built to sit on a horse. She has been in a saddle since she was six. To each…
The Rough Seas of Being Human.
For as long as I can remember I have worshipped horses. One of my earliest memories is of cantering my imaginary horse around a field while my mother had her riding lesson. I was four…
The Fate of Totilas Lies with Sjef Janssen?
There has been much news recently about Moorland’s Totilas who is now being ridden by Matthias Alexander Rath, facing a future subjected to the training “guidance” of Sjef Janssen – the strong proponent of Rollkur,…
Tips for Posting the Trot Successfully
Posting trot can be a really beneficial for horse and rider. Despite its popularity, many of us find ourselves struggling to post correctly or with good rhythm. Here are some tips to help improve your…
Edward Gal Uses Rollkur – Updated
My neck gets sore just watching. It is only during a poorly developed (read spoiled) walk that Edward Gal allows any freedom of the neck to his horse, and during the rest of the ride he keeps him round, round, round. Keep in mind that not only FEI rules but also Classical Dressage Masters have noted that the position of the horse’s face should be anywhere between 45 and 90 degrees depending on the horse’s individual conformation, this horse is well beyond 90 degrees.
Association Is More Powerful Than Reward?
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.
Are You An Idle Equestrian?
“Therefore, ideleness which is the cause of so many evils must be hated by all good men. Even if idleness were not a deadly enemy of good customs and the cause of every vice, as everyone knows it is, what man, though inept, could wish to spend his life without using his mind, his limbs, his every faculty? Does an idle man differ from a tree trunk, a statue, or a putrid corpse?”