Hi All,…

The “Collecting” Leg

When we got to Shannon's place last Sunday she had already groomed Cider completely and was ready to tack up (I use my own saddle.) As she put the saddle on Cider's back she told me she was going to try placing the saddle an inch or so further back to see if that would take some of the weight off of Cider's front legs, which have been flinching every downhill step for…

Sometimes Bingo Uses ANY Excuse to Ignore Me

Since Debbie was putting on a horse show on July 4 I had my lesson on Tuesday. Debbie decided that she needed to give her problem child, the Arab gelding Tercel, a ride, and my lesson was the only chance she would have this week. Years ago when she got Tercel I told her I did not mind her riding him during my lessons since Debbie is quite capable of…

This Summer Starts off Hot and Muggy

We are not getting a break from these conditions, the lows are in the mid-upper 70'sF and when the sun rises it rapidly gets worse. I am so very grateful that the ladies I ride with are OK with me starting at 8:00 AM, the humidity is high but at least the sun has yet to heat the ground up.…

Working on My Riding Muscles at Home

This week I could not ride at Debbie's because she had her first summer riding camp. I could have ridden after the kids went home, but with highs above 90°F this was not possible for me (oh I miss the days when I could ride in the 90's!) Thinking back to past summers I remembered…

Working on Tiny Details

This was a good week, I got to ride all three horses.

It has gotten into meteorological summer down here. Shannon now picks me up at 8:00 AM in an attempt to spare me (and her horse) the icky sweaty super humid weather that gets the sweat pouring down into my eyes. I am still riding at 9:00 AM at…

I love this thought from Clinician, Chris Sorensen at the recent EC Convention (Can. Equestrian Team) “One of the most amazing things that you learn as you train with top people around the world is that almost all of them practice basics every day. We all think that these famous riders are going to teach us magical tricks that are eluding us, but the fact of the…

As I Become Stronger

In one way the last two weeks have been frustrating, the horses are STILL NQR. Debbie has me ride Bingo while he wears his BOT exercise boots, then after the ride she applies DMSO and wraps his leg, all in the hopes that his new wind puff improves. I mostly walked with him, and when Debbie asked me to trot him so she could check and see if his croup was even, I stayed up in…

On the benefits of installing lateral “buttons “ on competitive horses, while “jumping as little as possible.”

“I do lots of flat work. A work a lot of poles on the ground to replicate the same kind of training that’s required for the course, but over a rail on the ground instead of having a jumping effort. It just minimizes the impact on the horse. I have a…

When you really think about it, whipping an animal is cruel. Yet many horse riding methods and those which proclaim themselves to practice 'natural horsemanship' whip horses and use whips in all of their routines. It is surprising when we consider that horses are adored for their intelligence, memories, beauty and sensitivity. Why would anyone teach to whip and cause pain to such an extraordinary animal?

True Natural Horsemanship has done away with the whip and instruments of pain…

Humility - The professional horse trainer who joins in to help set the trail course. The champion who uses his moment in the spotlight to share his own life challenges as encouragement. The clinician who includes the novice riders along with the experienced. The judge who smiles. The winning rider who claps for everyone – even when in 2^nd place. The rider…

What does Joy look like?

My name is Linda Finstad and for the past 15 years I have earned my living as an equine photographer and artist.  My my art work is very distinctive - always bright and colourful with a child like innocence.  However there is a deeper meaning behind why I paint the way I paint.

Everyone know that for a painting to be considered “Art” it has to stir an emotional response within whoever looks at it.  “My goal as an artist was to…

A Week of Walking

I am still recovering from my trip up North, the weather has become muggier, I am trying to save my limited energy to go to my grandson's birthday party tomorrow, and, then, it turned out that all three horses were not quite right when moving. With Cider it has happened during the last few months (possible arthritis? Shannon will get her a supplement.) Mia had been trimmed the…

Our prime minister set off a national conversation about showing more "swagger" as entrepreneurs in business. So as a riding coach I was thinking - what's the role for swagger in the horse world? Is riding different than in other sports?  Some describe it as an expectation of success. Others, cockiness. Does  an "Own the Podium" attitude, get in the way of some riding…

Boredom Relief—I Try a Different Bit

Since I am still recovering from my trip up to Maryland two weeks ago I have not done much in the ring other than walk. This week Debbie was glad for me to just walk during my lesson since the ring was wet, wet, wet. For a while there I had been afraid that we were entering another drought, but for the past week the heavens have opened up, the crops are…

The Nineties Have Arrived

Yes, four days of 90ºF+ in a row. Summertime temperatures and it isn't even the middle of May. I guess it makes up for all those lows in the 20's this year.

So after months of…

I Finally Get Back to North Fork School of Equitation!!!

It had been almost four and a half years, between my appendectomy, several exacerbations of my MS, and problems with doctors and insurance I could not get up there, but I FINALLY felt well enough to make the very long trip up to North Fork. When I called Karen Fenwick to set up my lesson she sounded glad that I was returning, and I…

Just thinking through what it’s like to be a horse is bound to make us better riders and appreciate our equine partners!

“Consider, for example, a horse and rider preparing to jump a four-foot wall. Jumping serves the rider’s interests—recognition and a ribbon! The horse, however, takes a risk by jumping, and given a choice most…

Trying to Bring it All Together

The past few months have been a time of discovery for me, discovering just how badly my multiple handicaps affect my position, seat and aids when I ride horses. Between my Pegasus Butterfly saddle, the “rider's push-ups”, the Equicube getting my shoulders right, the Rainbow reins, and the old type Wellep snaffle bit, I discovered how abysmal my riding was and,…

Standard equipment in English disciplines. Training equipment in western.  While nosebands are designed to prevent bit evasion, in the horse business, we’re inclined to default into thinking “If a little is good, more is better! Are we masking bit evasion without asking WHY the horse might be resisting?

The International Society of Equitation Science…