Author Archives: Denny Emerson

Winter Coping Strategies

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,...

Why I Wear Spurs

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...

Beware of Blind Devotion

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...

Doing Your Horse Justice

"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...

Weight Lifting for Horses

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,...

The Thing About Riding Clinics

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...

Training the Nervous Horse

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...

A Better Way to Warm Up

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...

Fear of Flying

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...