Philosophy
When Things Don’t Go as Planned
When you are working with a horse that has a mind of his own there will always be things that don’t go quite as planned. This is the moment that I see riders make the most mistakes. As humans our Read more…
How-To Guides
The Half Halt
The half halt is one of the simplest, yet least understood concepts in riding. In very basic terms the half half is half of a halt. A halt is performed by the horse rocking back onto his haunches, balancing, and Read more…
Philosophy
Coddling Versus Respect
I recently had a conversation that brought up a lot of stuff for me and really helped clarify some ideas. I figured what better topic for a blog? This conversation centered around coddling in the context of when is it Read more…
Philosophy
The “Dull” Horse
In my experience the “dull” horses are the ones that are actually the most sensitive. Yet they are labeled as dull by owners and even other trainers. These are the horses often ridden with whip and spur. Maybe they have Read more…
How-To Guides
Good Turns and Why They Elude People
I have a lot of students currently that have trouble steering. And this has been an issue the majority of my students have struggled with at one point or another. I could blame it on my teaching or my horses, Read more…
How-To Guides
The Unbalanced Horse
I currently have a few horses that are really learning to use themselves. They are all suffering from PSSM, which has certainly contributed to their fundamental lack of balance and awareness of where to put their feet. Since I am Read more…
How-To Guides
Top 3 Exercises to Finding Connection in the Saddle
I’ve been doing a lot of theory blogs recently so I thought it might be fun to mix it up and do something a little bit more accessible that you can incorporate with your horse right away. When I was Read more…
How-To Guides
The Energy Field
Every horse in every minute gives off a certain energy. In fact every creature does, we are just very bad at reading it. Most people can feel the energy shift when a horse tenses and bolts off or sighs and Read more…
Philosophy
Asking Questions Instead of Giving Commands
I seem to be on a bit of a trend here with blogs on training philosophy. I think it’s because I’ve become a lot more clear on a few topics recently and really wanted to share them. This week I Read more…
Philosophy
Giving Up Control
Horsemanship and riding often revolve around us being in control of the horse. Although that has become the status quo, there are quite a few problems with it. If we are always focused on being in control then it makes Read more…