Every single one of us needs to be nurtured by an inspirational equestrian from time to time. Riding horses, whether you are conscious of it or not, is an art form – and like all artists there is something to be said for inspiration in order for us to be at our best. In our …

Once upon a time ago, the difference between Classical and Competitive Dressage seemed synonymous with the distance between the walls of the Grand Canyon (which happens to be up to 18 miles wide!). Whether it is merely my perception, or the reality, which has changed I have yet to determine. Nonetheless there is still a …

[dc]C[/dc]ompetition at the top level does not indemnify you from abusing your horse. It does not mean that judges are more fair, that the people involved care more about the horse. Caring for a horse and caring about a horse are two completely separate issues. These videos are perfect examples of that. Every horse is …

Barrel racing is a high speed event, and when speed is added to any activity the difficulty level increases as do the potential errors. Let’s also add to the mix the fact that it is a competition sport and involves money, and as demonstrated in Dressage, Jumping and Reining, to name a few competitive sports; …

By and large equestrians of all disciplines and sports tend to view leading in a rather two-dimensional fashion. That is, leading is used in order to transport the horse from point A to point B but otherwise has little effect on the training of the horse. This is a real shame because the manner in …

This still happens? I imagine the result of this training to be a horse who is unattached to humans, works based off repetitive cues rather than the conversation with the rider, and that avoids being caught to go for a ride. And I’m not certain the purpose of having her jump over a barrel when …

I’ve received several requests to write about my impressions of Clinton Anderson and his Down Under Horsemanship… but the truth is that if I were asked to give my impression about every clinician out there my blog would be full of the same repetitious posts warning of salesmen. In my mind, not only Clinton Anderson …

Something can always be learned by watching other people train and work their horses, especially what NOT to do. But finding what TO do can be a challenge and show up in the most surprising of places. I am not a huge advocate of trainers who specialize in trick training. Don’t get me wrong, I …

This is a new clip that I put together recently. If you like it let me know, pass it around, share it with friends and horsie-fam. More to follow soon… [youtube cw9Ne2akHJU] More Horse Videos From Erica K. Frei

I caught this one on my way out the door for the day, and it put a smile on my face. Simple, easy, enjoyable. Reminded me of starting my first horse, minus two blondes… :) Oh, and for those that think this is a dig at the hair pigment challenged… fyi, I’m a blonde myself. …