A Case Study Humanized.
I have a lovely 13-year-old student who is much more mature than those years. She is gifted, committed and built to sit on a horse. She has been in a saddle since she was six. To each…
equestrian
The Rough Seas of Being Human.
For as long as I can remember I have worshipped horses. One of my earliest memories is of cantering my imaginary horse around a field while my mother had her riding lesson. I was four…
The Fate of Totilas Lies with Sjef Janssen?
There has been much news recently about Moorland’s Totilas who is now being ridden by Matthias Alexander Rath, facing a future subjected to the training “guidance” of Sjef Janssen – the strong proponent of Rollkur,…
Tips for Posting the Trot Successfully
Posting trot can be a really beneficial for horse and rider. Despite its popularity, many of us find ourselves struggling to post correctly or with good rhythm. Here are some tips to help improve your…
Edward Gal Uses Rollkur – Updated
My neck gets sore just watching. It is only during a poorly developed (read spoiled) walk that Edward Gal allows any freedom of the neck to his horse, and during the rest of the ride he keeps him round, round, round. Keep in mind that not only FEI rules but also Classical Dressage Masters have noted that the position of the horse’s face should be anywhere between 45 and 90 degrees depending on the horse’s individual conformation, this horse is well beyond 90 degrees.
Association Is More Powerful Than Reward?
Many times as equestrians we overlook the habitual actions we make with our horses. Even more common is to behave in one way with one horse and another way entirely with another. We lack personal consistency and self-awareness to our actions and that inhibits our ability to understand fully our own horses’ reactions and actions.
Are You An Idle Equestrian?
“Therefore, ideleness which is the cause of so many evils must be hated by all good men. Even if idleness were not a deadly enemy of good customs and the cause of every vice, as everyone knows it is, what man, though inept, could wish to spend his life without using his mind, his limbs, his every faculty? Does an idle man differ from a tree trunk, a statue, or a putrid corpse?”
Our History Predicts Forceful Horsemanship
We see political leaders make the same claims – it is always some other factor which dictates why their decision was forced rather than their own inclination. Horse culture has inherited this long-standing tradition, afterall we are only human; and it is not new. It still trickles down that we are a “dominant” species over the horse – therefore we are all wise and knowing and the horse should respond to our directions as a result of his lesser intelligence.
Why I Ride Without Stirrups
The benefits of riding without stirrups goes beyond the traditional hour long longe lesson. So you practice riding without stirrups on the longe, then go back to using them as a crutch for all your riding between lessons? How does that make sense?
The Value of Ponying Young Horses
I have been ponying horses for a number of years now, on a regular basis, and am absolutely convinced of its value and efficacy with young horses as well as older trained riding horses. There…
Being an Honest & Responsible Equestrian
I wonder at times, would the people who write this sort of stuff have the gall to express those same sentiments to my face if we met in person at random? Say they ran into me at a dinner somewhere in public, would they yell and shout, scream curse words at me and call me names to express their dislike of my opinion?
Procrastinating
I don’t know about you, but I am a really great procrastinator, coupled with an uncanny ability to rationalize EVERYTHING. That just spells disaster. With that in mind I’d like to share a few points from a list of “99 Excuses”. I have found that planning to accomplish one MAJOR task (i.e. greater than washing the laundry, etc.) each day really helps to kick procrastination in the pants and grease the wheels of motivation.
3 Inspirational Equestrians You Don’t Want to Miss
Are all riders perfect? No! Are all horses of top breeding and flawless athletic ability? Ha, you jest! But nothing in life is perfect and if we sit around waiting for perfection we will likely miss out on the beautiful, inspirational equestrians who are plugging away in their own quest for perfection.
The Difference Between Classical and Competitive Dressage
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 measure of awe inspired in people when they hear that “so and so” does Classical Dressage. It has a note of magic attached to it, even if it is a tradition based on a bunch of dead guys; or maybe it is because of those dead guys.
The Benefits of Keeping A Barefoot Horse
“Improperly trimmed barefoot horses have helped to perpetuate a number of myths. Among them are notions that going barefoot puts the horse at greater risk of bruises, concussion, cracks, weak hooves, white line disease, thrush and absesses. Shoeing the horse and poor barefoot trimming are the culprits of many of these myths.”
Be One With Your Horse – Without Crawling Inside Its Dead Body
It’s done all the time by Para-Equestrians. To be one with your horse does not require that you climb inside it’s recently gutted abdominal cavity, or that you tread the line of morality. Still, it happens that this is forgotten. An Oregon woman, claiming she wanted to be one with her horse, first shot it in the head with a high powered rifle then proceeded to gut it, undress and have photos taken of her laying inside its carcass. You can view the uncensored photos here.