Perhaps fitting, yesterday was my birthday, and I was born in the year 1984… the same year that Reiner Klimke scored the Olympic Gold Medal aboard his Westfalian gelding, Ahlerich. Their victory lap at the Olympic Games…
I've been riding since I was 9, and in love with horses from the day I was born. Living in Washington with my horse and 5 dogs.
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Dear Wisconsin Equestrians, Stop Starving Your Horses
I’d be less surprised if someone from Arizona, California or Florida, etc. thought this baby was of good condition because they’re not used to seeing horses with full-grown winter coats. But for other Wisconsinites to…
Safer Trail Riding with Safe Rider App
If you’re like me you don’t always have a friend to accompany you down the trails. Granted I’ve opted to avoid going solo when riding unpredictable or green horses, but even the most bomb-proof horse…
Cycles of Learning
Circular, that is time. We live in a world dominated by linear functions, our calendar reads left to right, start to finish. There is little left of the cycles we once relied upon as a species to guide our functions from day to day, week to week, month to month, season to season, year to year. Instead we rely upon days, minutes, hours… seconds, to remind us of the time we have lost or wasted, or perhaps the time we have saved.
Download : Dr. Deb Bennett on Horse Maturation Rate
If you’re unfamiliar with the article, I cannot recommend enough that you read it cover to cover to better understand the true rate of skeletal maturation in the horse. Also why it is a bad idea to start 2 year olds under saddle.
For those who are already familiar, this is an updated version of the old, original article. You could also print out a few copies to have on hand to share with other equestrians who question why you haven’t “just started” your horse already.
Switzerland Criminalizes Hyperflexion
Finally, a step in the right direction! Switzerland officials enacted a law prohibiting the use of hyperflexion (aka Rollkur) in their country. While this doesn’t solve the big picture of horse abuse created by extreme flexion of the horse’s neck, it is an improvement over the fictitious ban created by the FEI.
No Really, Can We Stop Excusing Horse Abuse?
Is there really any viable reason for abusing a horse? According to the Parelli’s there are several. But hey, we all make beginner mistakes out of frustration and emotion; and it’s what we do with those mistakes that defines us; and the Parelli’s have chosen to make excuse after excuse and then invite us to watch a demonstration of their “edutainment”.
Thank you for this website, your insights and the great videos you have attached to these articles.
Thank you for this website, your insights and the great videos you have attached to these articles.