Tag Archives: Trafalgar Square Books

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...

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...

Horse people know the kind of body language horses use to mean “Go away!” A pinned ear, a lifted head, a shift of the hip or a hind leg lifted...

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...

Ah, the corners of the riding arena…so often haunted by bogeymen and other mysterious “somethings” certain to cause a scoot or a spook. By a year or so into your...

If you’re like me, you look at your first-pony photos (it’s all about nostalgia these days) and cringe a bit at the position of your leg—no doubt, stuck a little...

It is so easy to get stuck in a rut when working with horses. We get good at what we know and then so many of us rely on the...

Sparkling white lines and broad swathes of color denoting bike lanes and crosswalks—to us, they are provided to ensure our safety, but so often our horses perceive them as terrifying...

Gripes? Gosh, I’ve got them. Let’s begin with people not picking up after their dogs and end with partners not cleaning out the lint filter on the dryer…and you can...

We’ve all known one—an insecure horse, that is. He’s the gelding that doesn’t like being by himself in the ring; she’s the mare with the serious FOMO, “screaming” and carrying...