Greetings friends!



In honour of the symbolic meaning of Easter I would like to invite you on a brief journey down the horse trail less travelled, the amazing and, dare I say “miraculous” journey of equine assisted personal development - EAPD.



I’m very blessed because I enjoy the good fortune of being able to work with thousands of people all over the world, in my own unique way facilitating their ability to become their better selves by becoming more enlightened and…

Not sure where the last month or so has gone but it's gone and past.



Spent one weekend in Toronto helping my best friend at a science fiction/fantasy convention Ad-Astra. The committee needed warm bodies to help run the Green Room where the guests of honour hang out away from the masses and the media. While I do read sci-fi/fantasty at times it was interesting to see the many genres and how other people get as into a topic as I do horses. Got to attend a Writer's Workshop and can…

Every April in the UK the world stops for The Grand National Steeplechase at Aintree. It is the richest race of the year with the incredible prize money of £900.000. The winner immediately becomes front page news on every national newspaper and will still feature in quiz questions round the country twenty years afterwards!



I was brought up with the history of the Grand National and those famous Aintree fences, Beechers Brook, The Chair and The Canal Turn…..1954 The Queen’s horse…

Jumping a Single Fence



How many times have you seen a rider approach a single fence in canter, hold the horse back and then suddenly release it and send it forward when they think they see a stride? And what happens? The horse accelerates at the last moment over the jump, lands on his forehand, runs on from the jump and has to be pulled back! Worse still they learn to rush their fences, standing off a long way and jumping flat.



Up to intermediate level,…

Hi Guys,



Riding with soft hands is an awesome goal, and your horse will thank you for it. In this training tip, I'm going to give you both some simple physical exercises and also some fun mental exercises to help you achieve this goal.



Here are 2 physical exercises:



1. Tie two reins or ropes or even two pieces of baling twine to a sturdy fence. Hold the ropes as if they are reins. Take up a contact of at least 10 pounds in each…

As spring unfolds, the wonders of nature seem to be everywhere. You don't need to be in a wilderness, because the beauties of spring can be found in any backyard, neighborhood park, or even sprouting through the cracks of a neglected sidewalk. Where ever you happen to be today, take a moment to soak in some of the wonders of nature!



This week's free To Do List features one of my all time favorite paintings, "Mystic Meadows." An…

Over the last two days Sahara has opened up and shown me whole heap of itchy spots. Scratching your horse may not seem like much, but, don't underestimate the power of spending undemanding time with your horse. Just hanging out, giving scratches, finding itchy places. Just because you are not going any where and doing what seems like nothing can be so important for your horse! I have always known that spending undemanding time with your horse was important. But Sahara has highlighted that…

"To many, the words love, hope and dreams are synonymous with horses."
~ Author Unknown

Hi,

The rider who submitted her photo and question for this weeks' blog has asked about a common issue I see quite a bit when doing clinics: getting a straighter back.



Depending on your physiology and your body's compensating patterns, your version of this problem might be completely different from your friends'. Even two people that look like they have the same posture in the saddle, might be that way for slightly different reasons. Of course, mounted posture takes into…

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world and all there ever will be to know and understand."
Albet Einstein

Love horses, love life!

SPANA (Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad) is one of the world’s oldest international veterinary charities, providing practical care for around 380,000 working animals a year in 8 countries in Africa and the Middle East.

Millions of people around the world still get their income from a working animal, be it a donkey, mule, horse or camel. For thousands of years they have been the only truck and taxi that millions of…

For anyone that is opposed to horse slaughter, I have just received some very good news from the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition.



I am copying it here for those who want to read



Great News for Horses!



Natural Meat Company Shuts Down



We are pleased to inform you that Natural Meat Company (formerly Natural Valley Farms) in Neudorf, Saskatchewan, closed its doors in mid-February. No more horses are being slaughtered in that facility!…

April 4-5: Chance and I completed our third NAJYRC qualifer and came out with a 65% average! He was very well behaved and had two very steady tests. We also performed our freestyle for the first time and earned a 67%. This was Chance's first freestyle ever and he wasn't quite sure what to do but he listened to me and performed a clean test. I am very proud of my boy! This show leaves us with a 63.9% average for the team. In three weeks we are going to the Del Mar National Horse Show and if…

Laura Connor's 13th summer suddenly switches from boring to magical flying

mayhem when her favourite Pegasus model, Flash, comes to life during a

violent thunderstorm. Follow their adventures as fantasy collides with

reality and Laura tries to keep her two-hand-high, walking, talking, flying

equine a secret from the rest of the world!





Laura Connor had long ago accepted that horse ownership was out of the question for her, but she did have one…

Laminitis. What a horrible thing. Just 4 months ago I had heard of it but had never given it much thought as it didn’t affect me since I owned a large Clydesdale mare, it is just a pony thing isn’t it?



I’m sure the last thing you want to hear is another sob story about a wonderful horse that has been put down for some reason or another. It’s sweet to read all these articles about wonderful horses who were amazing and special and had quirky personalities that made them unique.…

Following up from last week, once the horse is giving you a nice rounded stride over the second plank of our simple combination, by adding a second jump you will start to train your horse to make the link from trot to canter.



Placing the second jump is quite important — the length of one canter stride for the average horse is 12 feet or 3.6 metres. But, I want it to be a little closer on take-off to the second part.



Remember the aim is to turn a galloping machine into a…

Hi Guys,



One of the biggest mistakes riders make when we're trying to overcome horseback riding fears is that we direct our efforts toward the conscious mind. You know--willpower, iron-jawed determination. The problem with that strategy is that you can only make short-term, temporary changes when you direct your efforts to your conscious mind. To make permanent changes, direct your efforts to the part of your brain that truly determines your actions--your subconscious…

There is no doubt about it...we need to put our top equestrian brains together and come up with a new design for the horse's head with six main aims:



THE DESIGN BRIEF



1 We need to desensitise the area around the poll.

2 Make the top jaw narrower or the bottom jaw wider so they are both the same width.

3 Move the exit point for the motor and sensory nerves that is just under the cavesson noseband.

4 Fuse and strengthen the delicate ends of the bones at the…

This week's quote from Theodore Roosevelt is about character.

How do you define character?

Click here to print the quote and painting to do list for March 5-11.

Hello,

This weeks' participating rider sent in a very technical description of her question. You can see her description in the comments section of last weeks' blog. She gave me some excellent and specific information, but I wanted to hasten to encourage you that you don't have to be as technical. Just a description of what's happening when you ride that you'd like addressed with some unmounted suggestions, and a few photos suffices..even if you don't have a photo, we can still work…