Author Archives: Denny Emerson

So another December has rolled around. And for Americans in all but the most southern tier of states, this means that the toughest time looms ahead for those with horses—December,...

We all know how many things there are about which we can say, "I wish I'd known then what I know now." For me, one of the most profound, as...

I never canter randomly. Whether on an event horse or a Morgan, in a jumping saddle or dressage saddle, I constantly work to improve my eye for a distance. I'll...

Someone asked, "Why do you wear spurs and carry a whip? Isn't that abusive?" Wow. Talk about someone who has been brainwashed by some do-gooder who does't ride. And they...

There must be something buried in the human psyche that craves an object of blind devotion. Why else would there be fans of anything? Think about it. Somewhere there's a...

Retraining the racehorse—some general considerations... 1. Is he sound? Here's the hard reality: Unsound=Pasture Ornament at $10-25 a day, which is somewhere between $3,560 and $9,125 a year to sit...

There are plenty of drawbacks to being 70 years older than the OTTBs I ride—lack of former agility, lack of all courage, lack of being able to get on without...

Fear of fence height is pretty normal. Most horses and riders who jump at all are comfortable at 2 feet because most horses can almost walk over 2 feet. Even 2'3"...

"I don't do this horse justice." How often have I heard someone with a nice horse say something along those lines? "My horse could do so much better if he...

This was a typical preliminary jump from 54 years ago. The jumps were easy, but the test was incredibly hard. We did roads and tracks down near GMHA (Green Mountain...

We all know that nothing we do with horses is totally safe, because accidents can happen in the most serene settings with the calmest horses. But there are a few...

If you go straight back along Nyquist's sire line you will eventually find Caro. Caro was standing at Spendthrift Farm in 1982. Walter Christensen, coach of the Swedish Olympic dressage...

Engagement—The act of flexing the hocks, stepping under the body, planting the hooves, and lifting. The forehand gradually becomes lighter as the hindquarters become stronger. Think of dressage training, therefore,...

Good base, bad base, good base, bad base, good base, bad base, good base. It takes time to learn how to ride, and it often requires decent teaching. I learned...

There are thousands of clinics every weekend, everywhere, in all breeds and disciplines. What can you expect to gain from one of these? Well, the first thing I would ask, is...

Nervous horses are hard to ride horses. Hard to ride in that they are too reactive. They may not stand quietly to be mounted. They may not walk calmly. They...

“What are the three things you must have in order to become a good rider?” 1. A good seat. 2. A good seat. 3. A good seat. This was the...

When I warm up before schooling a horse on the flat, I tend to do it in stages. First, if I have the opportunity (say it isn’t freezing out, or...

Why do show hunters, equitation riders and horse show pleasure riders so often lope along in that "dead zone" canter? Part of the answer must be that the slower, more...

True confession time... It took me "forever" to understand that the better way to get a horse light and in at least some degree of self carriage was to learn...