Author Archives: Rebecca Didier

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 into the doldrums by circles...

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 under stress, and comforted when...

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 horse. At five it’s pretty...

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 this might be neither the...

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 change in his physical and...

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 belt in Yoshinkan aikido, he...

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 field before racing each other...

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 to balance in her life,...

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 than others. The thrill of...

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 likelihood of the “spook.” So...

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, and indeed, preference, for compassion...

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 for the rein-back. The rhythm...

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 some cases, eradicating pain or...

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 happy, comfortable, and love us...

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 or not, they can also...

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 mistake. No one has had...

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” and use them with horses...

When aren’t we seeking a breakthrough? That “aha!” moment when the lesson clicks and we and/or our horses not only get it but can do it (whatever “it” might be—square halt,...

We all blame “habits” for our behavior, both good and bad. And most of us understand that the more we do a certain behavior or think a particular thought, the...

Most of us hold tension in some part of our bodies—our shoulders, our lower backs, our jaws maybe. It might begin as just a little tweak (say, on Monday) and...