In part 2 of our three part series on conditioning we take a look at Interval Training. If you missed last week’s article on long distance conditioning check it out here. What is Interval Training? Interval training is the system of breaking a training session into shorter periods of training Read more
Last week I discussed the importance of conditioning. If you didn’t see that article check it out here. Over the next several weeks we are going to dive into a few basics methods of conditioning, how they can be implemented into your routine, and what they are useful for. The Read more
Most horse owners rarely think about their horse’s fitness level or try to actively improve it. Most of us just go about our ride working on training the horse to do his job. However, most of the training we are doing is asking the horse to carry himself better, which Read more
The barefoot versus shoeing issue is a long-standing one. Proponents of shoes will tell you that they keep the horses sound and proponents of barefoot will tell you that shoes just cover up the issues. Before we dive in I want to let you know that I am strongly in Read more
Everyone has heard the saying, “when one door shuts another door opens”. Although almost everyone is familiar with this saying, most of us have trouble putting it into practice. After all, it can be really hard to look at disappointment in a positive light. With horses we are constantly needing Read more
There is a common thought in the equestrian world, especially in the Bay Area, that horses should be kept in stalls. There is a large number of people that even believe that keeping horses in stalls is better than putting them out in a paddock or, dare I say it, Read more
I hear people claim horseback riding isn’t a sport and doesn’t require physical fitness all the time. They say riding is just sitting on a horse while the horse does all the work. While this can be true for a few very limited instances it isn’t normally the case. Horseback Read more
I decided to write this quick guide because I have been severely disappointed in most people’s bridle adjustments. In particular, I don’t like where most riders position the bit in their horse’s mouth. When I get a new horse in training I almost always adjust the bridle before I even Read more
Most people assume being a good rider is the same as being a good trainer, which is far from the truth. Good riders learn proper position and aids. They learn how to ask correctly for skills and ride well trained horses. However, when a horse doesn’t respond properly a good Read more
First things first, let me clear up some terminology. I don’t tend to use the word “lunging” a whole lot because I feel it tends to draw up the image of sending your horse in endless circle after endless circle in the hopes of tiring him out. I hate to Read more