Pro Tips
The Rider Plank: Instant Posture Improvement in the Saddle
It is no secret that a foundational piece of rider fitness is strength in your core muscles. The rectus abdominis is the abdominal muscle on…
Author:
Rebecca Didier
Books and Film
A Little Bit Better
Training horses, learning how to ride them well, these pursuits can be an obsession. They can bankrupt us, disrupt other relationships, and generally make us…
4 weeks ago
Pro Tips
Catch Me If You Can!
Ah, the wind in your face and your horse’s mane as he turns and snorts and shows you his heels! The carrots in your pockets,…
1 month ago
Training
One Exercise, Eight Lessons, Any Discipline
It’s no secret that the arena can become a dreadfully boring place. Even the strongest, healthiest, most loving and connected horse-and-rider team are sometimes driven…
2 months ago
Horse Health
The Good Kind of Pressure
You know what’s great? When you can put your hands on your horse and make him feel better: rejuvenated when he’s tired, calm when he’s…
2 months ago
Breeds
Beyond Blazes: Horse Markings Seldom Seen
It was early in our equine education that we learned the terms for the common white markings found on the head and legs of the…
3 months ago
Training
Silly Walks For Better Riding
Remember that ridiculous Monty Python comedy sketch “The Ministry of Silly Walks”? It has inspired all manner of copycat moments over the years, and while…
4 months ago
Horse Health
Hands On Healing
What if I told you that with patient, conscientious placement of your hands on specific areas of the horse’s body, you can bring about profound…
4 months ago
Horsemanship
Filling in the Training Gaps
Mark Rashid has made a name for himself by interweaving principles of the martial arts into his horse training and his teaching. A second-degree black…
5 months ago
Training
The Jig is Up: 7 Ways to Change Prancy Habits
When I was a kid, we used to call it “parade gait”…the bouncy jig our ponies performed when we all lined up in an open…
5 months ago
Books and Film
Reality Check
Rider and writer Melinda Folse is just like most of us: juggling work, family, and horses is standard procedure, and with all that she’s trying…
6 months ago
Hunter/Jumper
Few of us want to experience a fall from our horses, but some equestrian activities put us more at risk of biting the arena dust…
6 months ago
Books and Film
Is Spooking Really a Natural Reaction?
From our earliest interactions with horses, from our very first riding lessons, we learn about equine reactivity, about prey mentality, and we’re warned of the…
7 months ago
Horsemanship
Boosting the Horse Industry’s Bottom Line
In 2013, Harvard Business Review published an article by Bronwyn Fryer entitled “The Rise of Compassionate Management (Finally).” The piece formally announces the growing acceptance,…
7 months ago
Books and Film
Why the Rush?
There are many in-saddle scenarios where a horse may “rush”: during transitions, before fences, or whenever you pick up the trot or canter or ask…
7 months ago
Books and Film
DIY: Find the Source of Pain
In the past decade chiropractic work—for human, horse, and other animals—has been increasingly accepted by the mainstream as a viable means of easing or, in…
8 months ago
Books and Film
The Fine Line Between Kind and Firm
Admit it: it is one of the trickiest lines to walk as a horse owner and rider. Most of us want our horses to be…
8 months ago
Books and Film
The Smallest Pirouette You’ve Ever Seen
Miniature Horses and small ponies can be just as athletic as their full-sized counterparts. We often see them driven or performing tricks, but believe it…
9 months ago
Books and Film
Dressage Is Not Brain Surgery
That’s right. As FEI/USEF dressage judge Janet Foy says in her book Dressage for the Not-So-Perfect Horse, “No one will die if you make a…
9 months ago
Books and Film
Why Are You Yelling?! A Better Way to Talk to Your Horse
Most of us recognize that horses communicate with each other via body language, but did you know that you can learn his “words” and “phrases”…