Rediscovering Our Equestrian Passion
As the years pass and our lives change, I find that so too does our relationship with the horse. Not necessarily our relationship to one particular horse, but rather our association to horses.
equestrian blog
Book Learning is Futile?
Have you ever met anyone who was self taught a foreign language by book alone? Neither have I.
I also have never met anyone who learned how to train their horse and to ride by book lesson alone – and was successful at it. Success.
Horses are Abused, Why are We Afraid?
There is a painful truth – horses are abused every day. Equestrians at every level, in every discipline, at every age level, skill level, and popularity level are involved in some form of abuse. That is not to say that all equestrians period abuse their horses, but rather to say that abuse does not discriminate. They come from every country and not all of them are obvious.
And, we have all witnessed some form of abuse against horses.
Our Endearing Partners
What is the purpose of horsemanship? Why do we spend the time and exert such energy, let alone invest such great costs into an animal which rarely returns the monetary value we place upon them? Do we play with horses merely as a show of our great ability to train another being and prove our superiority? I would argue to the contrary.
Who Is Clinton Anderson?
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 but, almost every clinician out there is little more than a salesman working away to sell a product and turn a buck.
Don’t get me wrong, there are many who are good-hearted and honestly believe in what they are selling, and then there are others who know that what they are selling is a pile of rubbish but continue selling it anyhow.
Q & A : Treat Training Your Horse
Commonplace I see horses who mow over their owners’ personal space, who root and push with their heads and faces, who poke their noses in every crack and crevice for a small nibbling of sustinence… not to mention those who simply drag their unwitting handlers half a mile for a mere blade of green grass.
Taking A Lesson From Trick Horse Trainers
Don’t get me wrong, I have been teaching my horses to perform various tricks since I can last remember… the key difference is whether that is ALL you do. Certainly not all trainers who specialize in trick horse training focus all of their attention on the tricks, and that is particularly what caught my eye in this video.
Here Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!
Outside of naming names this week has been an eventful one already. Just after she first arrived I found some very tender spots along her back and since then I’ve been giving her regular back massages (aren’t you jealous?! I know my boyfriend wishes I’d give him a back massage!), the benefits of which are becoming readily apparent.
What A Jerk of a Horse!
Unfailingly I flinch when I hear someone call their horse a jerk, dummy, stupid, or other more offensive words. The horse is our mirror so who is really being called those names?
Small World (Horse Wise!)
I know I’ve said before, but this likely will not be the last time I will remark that it is a small world… in more ways than one.
Did She Lit De World On Fire?
Even underweight and sprouting a dull coat in preparation for winter she garners the attention and appreciation from fellow horsemen. Lit De World On Fire may not have impressed racing aficionados but off the track…
Out Of The Starting Gate
and into the training ring… At least that is the plan, and the project. If you frequent Writing of Riding then you will know that there are several new things – new site layout, new…
The Movie Secretariat
It was my pleasure to have the opportunity to go to a screening of Disney’s new movie, “Secretariat“. Keeping in mind that I am not at all a fan of horse racing, I have to…
American Horses Are Still Being Slaughtered
Yes, American-based slaughter plants have been closed and horse slaughter ruled illegal in the states. But… horses are still being sold to kill buyers in the US and then transported across the border to both Canada and Mexico where horse slaughter continues. And… the same issues exist in those plants as did American plants of inhumane slaughter practices.
2010 WEG Demonstrates Hyperflexion
Despite the FEI’s ruling that Rollkur is a banned practice, and instead has favored the use of LDR (Low, Deep, Round), there is plenty of evidence to the contrary that hyperflexion is a norm for competitors. The World Equestrian Games, hosted in Kentucky this year is already proving the perfect grounds to spot the practice in person.
Desensitizing the Horse = NH Sham
I really prefer having things told to me straight, don’t lie to me and then give an excuse as to why you couldn’t tell me the truth in the first place. That is why I strongly dislike this common and popular tool of Natural Horsemanship and feel it is of greater detriment to horse and rider than simply putting the facts out there.