Bad Horse Ads: Episode 1
Horse ads are everywhere online from dedicated horse classified websites to horse forums and social groups, and it’s hard not to notice the large number of downright bad horse ads. These aren’t just Craigslist ads…
Bettina Drummond: Classical vs Competitive Dressage is a Moral Issue
The incomparable Bettina Drummond continues to speak up and add useful bits of insight to the horse world. This time she’s talking about riding horses as an artistic pursuit vs riding for competition. Intro: “Today’s…
Classical Dressage Inspiration: Visuals for the Week #2
Inspired by the video of Wonderful I shared yesterday, here are some additional videos of stallions from various State Studs for your inspiration. All of these videos are excellent visuals, demonstrating forward moving horses, and using…
WEG Warmup: FEI Calls For Blood
Surprising competitors and fans alike, the FEI released a statement earlier today calling for more blood. Attention Coaches and Athletes: Gaining mainstream publicity for Equestrian Sport is a task we work at tirelessly, and it…
Why You Should Buy A Helmet Today
If you haven’t done a check-up on your current riding helmet now is the time to do it and decide if you need to replace it. Why? Because today (July 12) is Riders4Helmets International Helmet Awareness…
The Longevity of the Dressage Horse
In the beginning of my journey into Dressage, there was confident talk about the longevity of the Dressage horse. It was generally accepted that the Dressage horse wasn’t expected to reach Grand Prix until they…
Finding Balance In Dressage
It can be easy to lose balance in Dressage and end up pursuing one extreme trait of the discipline or another. Perhaps you’ve been working hard to perfect your lateral work and forgot to notice…
Barrel Racers Keeping It Classy
Heads up, this post contains foul language. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. More often than you’d expect, I receive comments that are .. displeased with my writing. But the majority of them always come…
Dressage Knockout – As Terrible As It Sounds
As if the overwhelming persistence of bad dressage wasn’t enough, now there’s Dressage Knockout. Picture this: instead of the traditional “bore-you-to-tears” Dressage we’re used to seeing you get the pleasure of watching two Dressage riders compete…
Visual Lesson : Signs There are Holes in Your Horse’s Training
What does it mean for there to be holes in your horse’s training? It means that somewhere along the line his training was incomplete, like he missed a day of school and never got caught…
WEG Warmup: Familiar Faces in Team USA Lineup
To be held in Normandy, France, the 2014 World Equestrian Games (WEG) promises a line-up of familiar faces from the United States. Steffen Peters – Legolas (see warm-up ride) Guenter Seidel – Wylea Jan Ebeling – Rafalca (see warm-up ride)…
Visual Lesson : Your Seat and Legs Aren’t That Important
Surprise, surprise, surprise. I’ve actually been writing about how unimportant the rider’s seat and legs are for a long time but it may have gotten lost in the shuffle. So, here’s a visual to help…
Classical Dressage Inspiration: Visuals for the Week
It’s important to balance your senses – to watch a lot of good classical dressage examples to replace all the bad ones that are inevitably seen on the internet. Of course, coming by exceptional classical…
Consideration for the Horse
Our culture is rich with self-centric activities. We blog about ourselves; we socialize by posting selfies; we socialize by telling people what we’re doing every second of the day; we are driven by our own selfish desires….
Carl Hester, “Don’t Bash Totilas”
I know, you either love or hate Carl Hester. Chances are pretty good you’re in the “love him” camp. I’d love to be there too, but I’m not. When he started talking about the benefits…
Are you abusing your tack?
The use of horse tack has some interesting parallels to the use of recreational drugs, including the abuse of both. Before your panties get in a bunch, read me out. For some equestrians the use…