I know a fair number of people that would rather be on a difficult horse than on the ground with the rationale that at least they can’t get run over or kicked when they are riding. I’m guessing most of my readers are of a different opinion. However, that still Read more
I get asked a lot about my feelings on feeding horses treats or using treats to encourage certain behaviors. I can never fully explain my thoughts on food rewards since it is much more complicated than a simple “I love them” or “I hate them”. Treats serve to make undesirable Read more
Last week I was at the Horse Park at Woodside for Langer Equestrian Group’s Circuit Opener Hunter Jumper Show. As much as I love showing, horse shows always raise a lot of questions for me. Especially at these big, multi-day shows I see a lot of people sacrificing their horses Read more
I think there is a lot of confusion in the horse world about when you should keep a steady pressure and wait for the horse versus escalating your pressure to get a response. I want to be very clear that I think both of these tactics are not only valid, Read more
For a while now I have been feeling like maybe I prefer to do groundwork over riding. I felt like I found reasons not to ride so that I could stick to the ground work. However, I realized that that isn’t true at all. It’s not that I prefer groundwork Read more
I feel like my greatest challenge as a trainer is knowing when to take my time to really get something good and when to move forward so as not to drill. Some of my friends implement a “45 minute rule” where they set a timer and wrap up when it Read more
At the last Terry Church Clinic I attended Terry said something I have been pondering now for a few weeks. She told me that she doesn’t ride green horses like they are green. This was a bit mind blowing to me because everyone knows you have to have lower expectations Read more
I think as horsemen it is very common to get into this routine of releasing either physical or mental tension. You start to frame your whole training session as making the horse more relaxed or more supple. You might even use both those words together, but if you really look Read more
This last weekend I was away at a schooling show at the Woodside Horse Park. It was a fantastic opportunity to expose younger / greener horses and riders to a multi-day show at a busy facility. However, I saw a lot of riders who had forgotten that their horses aren’t Read more
As horsemen and women we are constantly striving to make our horses better. Many of us put our horses in training so that they become more educated, we take lessons to learn how to how to work them better, and we constantly read articles in order to provide better care Read more