Have I FINALLY Found the Key to “Unlocking” My Hips?

This had been a wonderful week for my riding! Last Wednesday I started doing the “rider's push-up” exercise and I had mad and wild fantasies about jumping again, so I did not immediately notice all the other good things that this exercise is doing for my seat on horseback. The “rider's push-up” is very simple and it does not cost a penny for…

Bingo Did Not Like the Change in His Routine

When I arrived at the stable on Wednesday for my lesson, Debbie had to go and search the stalls for Bingo. When she brought him out Bingo was obviously in a high dudgeon over something, it turned out that Bingo was not put in his regular feeding stall, and he WAS NOT HAPPY. Ignoring the hay in front of him Bingo fussed over everything, so Debbie gave…

Pigs, Buzz-Bombers, Heat, Humidity, Oh My!

I had an interesting ride on Cider last Sunday at Shannon's farm. As Shannon saddled Cider I say my first buzz-bomber fly of the year, upsetting Cider, but she calmed down when Shannon put more fly spray on her and then put on her Amigo Fly-Rider exercise sheet and neck covering.…

Jim Wofford wrote an insightful piece a while ago in Practical Horseman on the “mindless application of equipment, regardless of whether it is suitable for this horse at this stage of training.”

What do you think?

He said, “Nosebands are one of my many irritants when coaching.  Almost every horse I see [dressage,…

My Base of Support Improves

This week, as I walked and trotted around the riding rings, I had to spend a LOT of time up in two-point at Debbie's stable because both Bingo's and Mia's backs were sorer than usual. Bingo had been used in a beginner lesson the day before, he is ALWAYS stiffer after someone else rides him, and Debbie had changed Mia's arthritis supplement because Mia had…

On a Nova Scotia horse judging trip, how cool to detour for some whale watching with my son and his friend!

As horse gals we pondered what it would be like to ride 'em!

We could almost touch them-hmmm...could they have been trained to come so close??…

Cleaning and Conditioning Some Saddles

First, my rides. Last Sunday it was BEAUTIFUL, it was relatively cool, it was not very humid, the sun was shining through gorgeous white fluffy clouds, and I was so glad that I got to ride Cider! Not that Cider is any happier with my riding, she still points out how my balance is just too horrible to expect any straightness from her, so I have to…

Mystical, humorous or deliberately elusive – the terms we use in the horse business can leave a rider scratching her head.  I was a coach’s worst nightmare - “What do you mean by that?” I’d ask . I rarely got a meaningful answer.

When coaching ,I’ll often press a rider to explain a term they’ve used. If they struggle to put it into words, we’ll unpack the idea…

It Takes a Great Amount of Time

Instead of another boring tale of another boring ride on Bingo, this week I will describe WHY Bingo's rehabilitation takes so much time. When I started riding Bingo on April 6, 2016, my first impression of Bingo's conformation was that he was a total disaster as far as suitability for a fine riding horse. Bingo had a VERY high croup, his back definitely sloped…

Heading off to a show this weekend?.

(condensed from hunter judge, Laura Kelland ‘s May17 blog)

DON’T go to the show  if:

•  you aren’t getting excellent rides at home, …

Let's see...

I spent April travelling in Europe. I worked out a tour of sites I've long wanted to visit, for a variety of reasons. Of course horse-history is a big part of that, so I thoroughly enjoyed going to museums full of horse-armour and getting a definitive answer to a question that has bugged me for a long while, about the size of horses in the middle ages. It turns…

Rebel Without a Cause

This week we are having a heat wave down here in NC, hot and humid, the type of weather where sweat drips off of my face. Today I did not ride Mia because the dew point was 75° F, and it is supposed to get up to 97° F in the shade. All week I had been…

Bingo Obviously NEEDS his BOT Exercise Sheet

This year North Carolina is having a true Southern Summer. Hot, humid, highs in the low 90s F, heat indexes going up over 100 F. Yesterday it was already 74 F at 6:00 AM, and as the sun rose the temperature quickly increased. I rode Mia for just 25 min. and I was hot and sweaty. We only walked so Mia did not overtly sweat, but her coat was definitely…

Bingo Behaved During the Summer Horse Camp!

Two weeks ago Debbie had her Summer Camp for kids. This is the second year Bingo was used in the camp, before the first one I had been riding Bingo for 3 months, and he was not a good boy—he inverted and ran away with his little rider, who then fell off. He was wearing a soft rubber D-ring single jointed snaffle that year. Debbie did not use him the…

Cider Likes Her New “Hat”

Last week I only got to ride once since Debbie had summer camp. Fortunately I have something new to report about my relationship with Cider!

Cider, an Arab/Welsh pony mare in her twenties, and I had been in a sort of frustrating round of identical rides week after week. With the help of my Kerrits…

It's almost the middle of show season and after months of preparation, training and schooling, horses are expected to be at their best and perform unconditionally.  Many horse owners are quick (and excited!) to purchase new tack and equipment, new show clothing, take extra lessons and even switch up their feeds to get the extra edge.  However, no matter how good you…

An Arabian Mare Can Touch My Soul

Summer has arrived down here in North Carolina, and so far this is the type of summer I remember from decades ago, HOT, MUGGY, and with many afternoon thunderstorms. Within a minute of stepping outside the sweat starts, and unless there is a breeze the modern summer tech fabric shirts and tights do not work very well. At least we are not in a drought this year,…

Both Bingo and I Were Under Par on Wednesday

When I arrived at the barn on Wednesday I was already tired. On Monday we had driven a long distance to see my son and grandson up in Asheboro, NC for dinner. Then on Tuesday I had to go a long distance to see the periodontist, go by the tack store, then to Charlotte for several hours. I told Debbie I would not be able to do much. Well, guess what,…

Instead of donning a red tail ribbon, train towards and attitude adjustment.

1. Set the boundaries. When your horse snarks at another horse, re-establish the boundary through which he snarked . For instance, if he kicks out, move his haunches sideways from the leg on the side he kicked.  If he lunges his head toward his neighbor, back him up. Don’t respond…