Horse show season is in full swing, but capturing great photos of friends at a show is a challenge. These tips can help you take great photos of horses and riders in a show setting.

Get Space Ringside Early

Just where you position yourself in relation to the competition ring will have a big effect on how your photos come out.…

Are you planning to include a grooming stall in your barn? Grooming stalls are great to have, since they can keep horses out of busy barn aisles, but a grooming stall is only as good as the planning that goes into it. Consider the following when planning your grooming stall.

Find the Right Location

If possible, try to locate the grooming…

We've all seen them – horses being offered up as free to a good home. It can be so tempting to bring them home to the barn, but oftentimes free horses are actually quite expensive. Here's why.

Underlying Issues

Oftentimes horses which are being given away for free have significant physical or behavioral issues. If the owner is…

There is nothing I enjoy mmore than watching a jumping competition on TV. When Daniel Deusser or Scott Brash(1&2 top jumpers in the world) clear those jumps its breathtaking. I recently watched a jumping competition with a young, new rider. His time was poor and his riding not much better. I cringed watching him jump and knew he wouldn't be in the jump off. Here is what I saw.....

Going into the…

Because a person doesn’t turn 50 everyday…

I wanted to do something special on my special day.  I didn’t tell anybody, just in case I changed my mind.  The conditions had to be right.  It needed to be quiet at the barn, MerryLegs had to be in the right frame of mind and my gut had to say it was right.

I saddled and bridled the little guy and…

Summer weather has arrived down here in NC with a vengeance.  Highs in the upper 90’s F, lows in the mid 70’s F, the sweat pours off of me, the horses come in from the paddocks with sweat matted coats, the insects are super active, the cows in the neighboring pasture congregate in the pond, and we appreciate any breeze.  We wish for cooler weather in vain, the coolest high for the next ten days will be 93 F, and we may get several days at 100 F or higher.  It is far too hot for…

Midges. These tiny little biting flies are pests to both human and horse in the spring, summer, and early fall. But these flies can be more than just pesky – they are actually the source of an equine condition called Sweet Itch.

What Is Sweet Itch?

Sweet Itch is an overreaction of your horse’s immune system to the…

Does your normally relaxed, sane and rhythmic horse turn into his version of a racehorse each time he rounds a corner and spots anything that resembles a jump when you are riding?  Your quiet calm ride turns into a flat out gallop, resembling the rush for the finish post on the final furlong of Aintree...  (minus the cheering crowds!)

Unfortunately horses rushing or racing over fences is a common problem for riders and one that, once all pain or discomfort has been ruled out as the…

Summer will officially begin in three days, on Father's Day actually. In the state of Michigan the seasons change each week and we just go with the flow. While summer begins in three days the heat began on June first. Yesterday was in the eighties but a steady down pour of rain cooled us down. The day before was also in the eighties with no…

Last night, Kevin and I were finally able to cross the river in at least a week.  Both horses seemed excited to be doing something other than going up and down the hill.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get very far before we were blocked by a tree across the trail.  Dejectedly, we rode back.  When we were nearly about to cross the river to go home, Kevin suggested turning around and doing it again. 

At first, both horses didn’t want to go away from home, but with a little kick,…

We all know that horseback riding takes hard work, dedication, and many hours in the saddle, but these simple quick fixes can help to make you a better rider. Try these solutions to common riding problems and see how they work for you.

Hold a Crop Across Your Hands

If you have a…

Trail riding or hacking is a fantastic way for both you and your horse to experience the world outside the gates of the arena.

However many riders look at riding on the trail as merely a way to relax and unwind.  And while they are not wrong, riding along a bridle path is a fantastic way at boosting the connection between you and your horse, it is often an overlooked opportunity for schooling and working through different exercises and movement, with the advantage of doing so in a…

A reader from England describes her Welsh gelding as “way more whoa than go.” She writes, “I want to do as much as possible at liberty with him and build a bond and incentive for him to want to be with me.” That’s the good news!

The trouble is: “When I have got on him I always struggle to get him to move, I have to resort to moving his hindquarters over and then…

Paradise Returns

Mrs. Shoes replied to my email.  As I expected, MerryLegs was never a barn sour horse at his Canadian home.  She described how she gentled him by touching him all over with the whip and the rope.  This was excellent news.  Since I planned to do it, too, it would just be a review of something he already knew.  Evidently, everything I was experiencing was a new behavior, my theory was probably correct—and the good news—it isn’t very ingrained in his head. …

Trouble in Paradise

I have been having some trouble with MerryLegs.  It all started when he didn’t want to walk out to the loop.  I don’t know what caused him to feel that way, but I couldn’t get him budged without a struggle.  That was the beginning.  It began to spread.  Soon, he didn’t want to walk away from the barn, down the driveway, down the street and eventually, he didn’t want to go out the barn door.  At one point, he didn’t want to go in the barn, either.  Ellen…

If you’re planning on building a horse barn, then you want to make sure that you do it right. Before you start building your barn, take a look at these common barn building mistakes so that you can be sure to avoid them.

Opting for Cheaper Stalls

In an attempt to save money, barn owners may choose to buy cheaper, lesser quality stalls to put into their…

A sneak peak of the making off: 

http://www.dressagehafl.com/2015/06/sneak-peak-making-off-freestyle-2015.html

It is almost summer, and down here in the sunny South the hot, muggy, and insect infested summer weather has arrived.  On Wednesday it was cool enough to wear my Fits Techtread summer weight breeches and my Ovation Cool Rider long sleeve shirt and I handled the heat fine, but on Friday it was a few degrees warmer and a lot more humid so I put my coolest clothes on, my Kerrits Flow Rise Performance tights and FITS Fanfaire long sleeve shirt, and I still sweated a…

There's a buzz in the horse community....

Just published by Friesen Press a compelling book of short poems... "Horse Daze" portrays the everyday encounters people and horses experience together and on occasion apart.

Horse Daze comes with exceptional acknowledgements from Dr.M.E.Southern, Co-Founder Spruce Meadows and Mr.C.H.Riddell owner of Clayborne…