Congress!!

Recently, the U.S. experienced the World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky and the horse world lit up with the news and events. But…

10 Diet Tips to a Healthier You, Tip 2:



Add Fruit to Your Day – Start by adding one more fruit to your day until you reach more than 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day. The adult recommendation from Canada’s Food Guide is 7-10 (7-8 servings for females and 8-10 servings for males) servings. Dried fruit like raisins or prunes contain a lot of nutrients but they won’t fill you up the way fresh fruit will. Fresh fruit contains…

What it Means For YOU to be Naturally Unbridled

By Patti Bartsch, M.A., Ph.D.…

Trust is absolutely crucial when working with horses. You need to trust your horse, and your horse needs to trust you.

Your horse needs to know that you will keep them safe and only ask them to do things that they are capable of. You need to trust that your horse can act like a partner and be…

The timing of this topic is very à propos – I was just at the National Championships of the IALHA (International Andalusian and Lusitano Horse Association) in Dallas Texas. These horses especially need to have saddles to accommodate freedom over the withers to allow their huge moving shoulders to really work. Whereas in Thoroughbreds you often have the paradox of ‘narrow wide trees’ (to accommodate narrow shoulders but big withers) with these Iberian horses you have usually no or small…

The last two weeks I was all excited, I thought I would be able to go back to riding with my favorite bit, the JP Dr. Bristol Hunter D. Last spring, when I last used this type of bit, both mares had been going very well, keeping contact well, with relaxed tongues and lower jaws, and we had fun "talking" back and forth with the bit. So I changed the bits on my bridles and went out full of optimism and hope. Both mares decided that since they were 1) horses, 2)…

It's just as important to do a good free walk with your dressage horse at Training Level as it is to develop your trot and canter work. Many riders lose sight of the fact that they should pay as much attention to the medium walk and free walk as they do to the other two gaits.

First, let me define the free walk. It’s a gait of relaxation. Your dressage horse should lengthen his frame and lower his head and neck so he looks like he’s going to graze. His poll is lower…

10 Diet Tips to a Healthier You: Tip 1

Becoming more fit for your horse has many benefits and will allow you to do more with your horse both on the ground and in the saddle. You will also get the health benefits of reducing your risk of many chronic diseases and cancers.

Becoming more fit involves a good diet and physical activity. These tips will help you get started with a good diet.One new tip will be posted each week until…

Become More Fit for Your Horse

By Lindsey Forkun, RN, PHN, BScN

Have you ever gone to see your horse, and afterward thought “hmmm that could have gone better”?

Have you ever considered how your…

5 Easy Exercises to a Calm and Confident Jumping Horse

There are many reasons why horses might be rushing or refusing fences. To review the most common reasons for horses rushing and refusing fences please read my article 'Rushing and Refusing Fences' by…

I put together this guide for the company I work for,…

Hi Julie,



I've got a question about our five-year-old Paint gelding. My wife swears that he prefers men riders to women riders. I'm almost to conclude the same thing, even though I really am skeptical about that. It seems the women who have ridden him, including my wife, have had him act up consistently, and are fearful of him.…

This summer I decided to try out my Wellep bits and see if this bit really was a new, improved method of bitting. Usually when the weather gets hot the horses start politely refusing contact with my hands, and then I change to one of my bitless systems. My experiment was to see if the horses would voluntarily keep contact with my hands throughout the summer with the Wellep bits. I succeeded in this, I only used a bitless bridle once, when I forgot my regular…