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…
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…
Let’s establish one basic truth, each horse has a neck. Sylvia Loch once remarked, “horses would be so much simpler to ride if they didn’t have necks”, which I can’t much argue with. Early in…
How tight do you hold your reins? And can that impact the rideability of your horse on a given day? According to researchers from the University of Gottingen, in Germany, the impartial measure of rein…
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; money affects motivate. So, does that mean that Barrel Racing, fueled by speed and competitive cash, is subject to horse abuse the same as other sports?
By nature we are designed to work against the horse, and the use of our hands is no different. When we sit in the saddle we respond in fear by leaning forwards rather than sitting up taller or leaning slightly backwards.
I swear it’s hard-coded in our genes to respond to any hints we may be pulling or leaning on the reins with the shrill reply, “I’m NOT pulling!” In 20 years of riding I’ve shrieked that response more than once. It’s okay to admit making mistakes, it’s what we do with those difficult lessons that defines us, and please please please… learn to stop pulling on your horse’s mouth sooner than later!