In our weekly lesson we are now jumping about 85cm (2'9") which probably doesn't sound like a big deal, but my desire is not to jump as high as possible in as short a time as possible, but rather to excel at going over jumps, raising the bar a bit at a time, and address whatever shortcomings become most obvious as the difficulty increases. My immediate goal, is to ride around in rhythm, to turn to the jump in rhythm, go over the jump in…

My Heels Creep Up Again

In my search for more stability while doing the “rider's push-up” exercise, it occurred to me that my double-offset Prussian sided stirrups might be destabilizing me while I bent my hip joints so I could touch the horse's neck with my chest. So I dug out my pair of regular Prussian sided stirrups, bought another pair of the Super-Comfort stirrup pads, put the new pads on…

Oops!  I ironed a hole right through my dress pants for the second day of judging in Israel.  And my pants from the previous day had a small rip beginning.  No needle and thread…maybe duct tape?  Prayed for the seam to hold as I crawled through fences…gingerly!

I had to take my own advice-when things go wrong in the show ring, never mind and carry…

 I LOVED coaching this group of older teens, each hoping to earn a place on the Israeli AQHA youth world cup team.  The following year each will head to compulsory military service, before pursuing any post-secondary education. 

This must be what contributes to their strong work ethic and…

I Get to See Debbie Riding Bingo

This week at Debbie's stable I got to show her how I “customized” my new Free Jump Collar so I felt comfortable using it on a horse. I used a combination of a Western curb strap, a 1” metal ring and a doubled up stirrup leather attached to the girth to keep the collar down at the base of the horse's neck, I added a pair of “breast-plate Ds” to the breast-plate…

Before my judging assignment in Israel begins, I’m standing in King Herods’s 1^st century “Hippodrome”-the site of ancient horse shows and chariot races Herod built at the time of Jesus Christ-part of his summer palace in Caesarea.

It hit me – Tomorrow, I’ll be standing in a 21^st century…

My judging colleague is from Italy. My ring steward (and wonderful interpreter), Israeli.

Striking, as a “reserved” Canadian, Middle Eastern shows are more…  dramatic!  Enthusiastic applause for every class, down to the final one at 9:00 PM. 

Passionate viewpoints are expressed at the show office, over the walkie talkie and from the sidelines are…

When the Weather Interferes With My Riding

It has been a frustrating week for me as a horseback rider! I missed out on riding Cider last Sunday because the weather forecasters were predicting rain in the morning, so I called Shannon and we canceled my ride. Sunday morning there was no rain and I was miffed, until later in the afternoon when there were…

Have I Found “Another Piece of the Puzzle”?

Ever since I started doing the “rider's push-ups” six weeks ago I have experienced many moments of feeling quite unstable on the horses' backs. I achieved some feeling of stability while doing the “rider's push-ups” on Bingo, a gelding, but I never really got rid of the feeling of teetering in my stirrups while on the mares, Cider and Mia. At first I…

" Aucun homme ne peut rien vous révéler sinon ce qui repose déja à demi endormi dans l'aube de votre connaissance." Kalil Gibran

  My legs ache. All the muscles through my core ache. I can feel each and every one. That can only mean one thing: my riding must have improved.…