Channel Archives: Learn

It’s normal to get butterflies before a jump lesson, or feel tingly and nervous setting out on the cross country course. It’s even normal to be a bit anxious in...

Grass or Alfalfa? Timothy or Orchard? Grain hays? Is Bermuda safe? It might seem simple enough, but there is plenty of room for confusion in selecting a hay. Legume hays,...

Each year, the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale becomes the epicenter of the global thoroughbred industry. Pedigree analysts pore over thousands of pages as conformation experts dutifully examine every inch and...

Here is a common misconception about mistakes: they are nasty. Not true. What would you miss without them? How about learning, growth, and risk experience. If your mistake formula is mistakes...

It doesn't take an expert to know that horses are fragile creatures. No matter how much time you spend with them or how many preventative measures you take, horses can still...

Elisa Wallace knows a good horse when she sees one. Problem is, she's capable of bringing out the good in every horse she encounters. So it was no surprise to find Wallace...

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...

Can changing the way you think change the way you ride? In a word, YES. When you train mentally, you are engaging the newest part of your brain, the frontal...

Anyone who has been fortunate enough to get a glimpse at the inner workings of Millar Brooke Farm knows that the devil is in the details. But here’s a little...

This week, more than 500 of the top national and international horses and riders in the world are coming together in Washington, D.C. for the 58th annual Washington International Horse Show...

The elephants lumber toward us up the hill. They come ever so slowly, swinging their heads from side to side, their ears flapping occasionally at flies. Behind them, their mahouts...

Instant society encourages instant results. But that is not how we or our horses operate. Going anywhere requires steps, landmarks along the way to define process. How can you apply...

Weanlings have intensive nutritional needs and you shouldn’t start feeding them like a smaller version of an adult. Nutrient dense diets are those that have high levels of protein/amino acids...

How often have you gone through the motions of your ride, kind of touching on things you really need to work on, but only settling for a '7 out of...

You have your regular coach, then there’s the other one. The inside one. We all have this little guy (or gal) in our heads who is running the show. Giving...

Walk into any major hunter/jumper show on the East Coast and there's one name you're likely to find at least once, but maybe two or three times, at the top...

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...

Video can be a very useful tool in the training of horses and riders. As the saying goes, "There is often a difference between what we feel, and what is...

The advantage of a horse’s powerful hindquarters is that one lightning-fast hoof strike can end an argument with a mountain lion. Instantly. The drawback of that fact is that when...

Beezie Madden, Ian Millar, Scott Brash—some riders seem to thrive under pressure. The higher the stakes, the better their performance. For less accomplished riders, the pressure cooker of the show ring can cause a plan to...