I Introduce Bingo to the Double Bridle

My French-link Egg-butt Bradoon bits finally arrived on Monday. Yeah! I got out my cob size bradoon hanger, found my longest Micklem bit straps and my new reins. My Hinterland notched reins stayed on my Wellep double-jointed snaffle since I really did not expect for Debbie to tell me to go ahead and use my made-up double bridle, but I went ahead and put my…

There is a lot of curiosity around how Reiki healing works but once people are open to it and can experience what a treatment feels like they realise how healing the practice can be. Distant healings is something else that people find hard to grasp, so I have put together an article dispelling some of the myths about reiki…

Bingo Slowly Improves

The shedding season is in full force and the bug season is just about to start down here. Bingo hair is all over my saddle pad, my girth, my riding clothes, and tracked into my mini-van and house, Bingo hair is taking over my universe (with some help from Cider.) You'd think after weeks of weekly thorough groomings that the quantity would decrease, that his coat would look…

Horse riding is a kind of sport that demands the skill of riding driving or vaulting with horses. With having such skill of this kind of a sport one can use horses for many practical purposes such as transportation, competitive sport of horse riding or recreational activities along with many cultural horse-related programs.

A General overview regarding the utility of horse riding…

Learning How to Use My Upper Thigh

Several weeks ago I had run into a quote from Stephen Peters that said that the lower legs do the driving aids and that the thighs do the collecting aids. From what Debbie has told me about how she gives her halting aids I knew that Debbie had already figured this out long ago, even it she had not put the idea forth in a pithy statement. After discussing this…

Horses are majestic and large animals, and they require a great deal of responsibility. For first-time horse owners and experienced horse owners alike, you’ll need a comprehensive list of horse care products to properly care for your horse. Here, we provide you a handy list…

Bingo's Selective Memory

Due to Debbie's endless list of tasks to get her stable ready for a show today I had to take my lesson on Thursday. I'm just glad that Debbie was able to fit me in!

When I got to the stable I noticed a sign in the wash stall, to NOT shed the horses out in the wash stall because all the hair had…

Horse riding is a fun-filled exercise. You get to experience adventure while embracing mother nature in its pristine form. One can spend an entire day in the English countryside while enjoying and admiring some breathtaking natural beauty.…

Bingo's Vacation Ends

Bingo had a 8 month long vacation with nobody riding him at all. He's been fed, his hooves trimmed, and blanketed when needed (he lives outside), more than enough time for his body to heal from any little undetectable injuries. Debbie had started grooming out his winter coat the week before my lesson, getting a lot of hair off outside the barn.…

I Will Be Changing My Lesson Horse

My lesson on Wednesday was the usual. Cinnabar, came in with his usual “you again” sour expression, he did not particularly enjoy the grooming (mostly Debbie), and the overall impression I got from him was that he thinks he is overworked and “underpaid” (he gets fed plenty and has lots of turn-out with his buddies.)…

Riding in the Drizzle

This week I had a choice, I could ride in the drizzle or take my lesson on frozen footing.

I decided that getting damp was better than risking a wrenched fetlock joint.

Sunday I was really hoping that the precipitation would hold off…

At Least I Had a Lesson This Week

I only got to ride on Wednesday this week, at least I got a lesson in!

Cinnabar was my lesson horse again. It was so warm I did not have to use any of my butt blankets. I think I felt a lesser degree of the muscles in his butt moving smoothly because we did not have the BOT butt blanket on.…

Another Week of Not Riding

The weather has been most uncooperative! Last Sunday Shannon's grass ring was just too wet, even for just walking around.

Wednesday I nervously watched the weather radar before my lesson. It showed rain in several places but not over the stable. Debbie called, I told her this, and we agreed to try…

   We did a dressage competition at the Royal Canadian Riding Academy last Saturday. We were riding the 2019 USEF Training Level Test 2. For the first time, a test result that came back and I'm quite happy with everything on it. The judge, I was told afterwards, judges FEI competitions, and has a reputation for marking hard and being picky, so it…

Have you ever wondered why you like horses? 

Hmm. “Like” is a very weak word to describe the connection 99% of horse lovers feel to horses.

Statements, such as horses are in your blood, and born to ride are common among horse people and understood at a core level.

Which begs the question are horses in our DNA?  Are we (some of us) hard wired to carry the horse lover gene?

Artist /…

We have all heard of the fantastic prices some pieces of art fetch at auction especially when created by some famous painter like Monet or Salvador Dali

The style of these two painters are polar opposite, however they have one very important thing in common  - they both were the originators of a particular style of art. 

Way back in 1860 Claude Monet was one of the first artists to paint in the “Impressionist” style, he was…

Two Creaky Old Ladies

Yesterday I got to ride Mia. When I got to the stable the stable hands told me the Mia had hung around the barn UNTIL someone asked if I, Jackie, was coming. Mia immediately headed out to the furthest part of the pen she was in, out to the other side of the riding ring. Then they told me she had done the same thing earlier, hanging around the barn until someone mentions my…

I Feel Secure While Trotting

I know that this is an unusual new event for a rider with 45 years of riding. When I learned to post the trot at age 6 I had no problems and until my MS ruined my balance, proprioceptive sense, coordination, etc., I always felt secure trotting. However, for the last 5 years or so I started to feel like my breeches had a surface of slick glass as I started shifting…

Horses are far from your average pet. In fact, they are beautiful, majestic creatures. Owning a horse can be very exciting but at the same time, owning a horse also comes with a great deal of responsibility.

It’s important that you know all there is to know about how to care for a horse, observing what good horse health looks like, and when you need to call a veterinarian.

What You Need To Know…

Some Added Security in the Saddle

This week I tried something new.

Several weeks ago, on the COTH Forum, when I asked about hip protection, another rider recommended a new product, rubbery pads that self-stick onto the saddle.

Ever since I started riding…