We have had some very good discussions at La Mancha about stiffness and suppleness and how to help a horse develop towards being able to bend evenly going both directions by gently straightening and suppling him. 



For Manolo, suppling is not achieved by asking the horse for more bend on his stiff side then his soft side while riding or working in-hand and making him work in smaller circles and figures to "make" his stiff side "give",…

I was in the tub last night, reading my dressage Today, like I sometimes do, and the article was on the half halt.  I had to chuckle.  I don't know of any other sport that has one element in it that no one can agree on, like the half halt.  It's with the seat, it's with the hand, drive, hold, inside, outside...

What I find most chuckle-inducing is that the best in the world can't tell you what they do, what it is.  They just do it.  It's one of those things that is best done by feel. …

Last month we featured a blog post on how to handle a rider who’s been in a serious fall. In some cases, it will be plainly evident that a rider is injured – they’re knocked unconscious or they have broken a bone. In other cases, though, the injuries might not be quite so apparent.

Concussions are serious injuries that are dangerous if they go…

There is a statement

that is often used,

"See the Forest for the Trees".

 If you look up the

exact meaning,

it is, "To be overwhelmed

by detail

to the point where it…

A rearing horse is dangerous and frightening for any rider. If the horse you're riding unexpectedly rears, then knowing how to handle the situation can help to keep you and your horse safe. While we hope you never have to deal with a rear, it’s best to be prepared just in case.

Lean Forward

If you feel your horse start to go upwards,…

In May of 1943, the first ever Royal Windsor Horse Show was held, beginning an annual tradition still in effect today. Founded by Geoffrey Cross and Count Robert Orssich, the first Royal Windsor Horse Show was part of the “Wings for Victory” effort to raise money to purchase war bombers for use…

Ah, little Mo.  She's really quite a cute thing.  I flew home on Thursday night, Friday morning, I worked the boys, then it was time (well, two hours past where I wanted to be), to take Mo over to the show and school.  Tack box in the trailer, Mo walked up and tested me... are you going to try and pull me into the trailer?  Not a chance Missy.  Slack lead rope the whole time,…

There's a discussion currently going on via Facebook around horse shows, and there are two issues:  lack of horse shows and footing.  The contention being that footing will drive attendance at a given show.  We all have different opinions about what constitutes good footing.  The place that the two big shows in the province are held has footing great for jumping, but, in MY opinion, it is too sticky for dressage, and can be really tough on a young horse.  It's also quite expensive to get the…

Well, little Miss Mo went to a little dressage show last weekend.  We schooled at home on Friday and she was awesome, so, it was a good way to start the venture!  She loads like a pro and doesn't get bothered by different stalls, different arenas, people on other horses wandering around...

So, our first test had a bit of speedy bit going on, back to back canter tours just melt her little brain.  Now, we have never stood in a corner to wait for our next test, but she was great about…

by Anna Blake

I have associated Classical music with riding, ever since my first teacher used to play records during classes to help illustrate and teach rhythm.

What I've found is that horses also enjoy music, particularly classical European music, but really anything that has a good, lively melody; music without too heavy a beat, with a pleasant melody, and with a consistent tone, i.e. no changes between very quiet parts and very loud parts, works well, no matter what genre. Very quiet music…

When I first mounted a pony in Chile  57 years ago I was NEVER invited to consider the horse.  At most there was a small consideration for the horse’s mouth, but in 99.999% of the cases it was assumed that the horse had earned whatever abuse it had to suffer.  I also ran into the same assumptions in Uruguay, and in the USA when I returned to this country in 1963.  I found this assumption in riders, riding stables, instructors and trainers, both in person and from books and…

Think of riding as a conversation.

The first challenge is that we don’t all speak English. And it isn’t only the horse I’m referring to. Humans use language, but we define words differently, and sometimes, we may not be perfectly honest, even with ourselves. (I know, hard to believe.) We might say yes when we mean no. Insecurity might create a mood swing…

In life, we are given three choices. Give up, give in, or give it our all.

I gave up.

At 20 years old, I am fighting depression, my physical health, and desperate to find a path to my future. When I was 17, I was forced to sell the Thoroughbred that was my ticket to…

Dressage show being held by Reiss's Stables in Powassan, Ontario. This is an EC sanctioned bronze and silver dressage show. Judge will be Joanne Bouwhuise EC M level judge. The show will be held October 5th, 2013 and the following day Joanne will be doing a clinic for anyone interested. More information and prize list can be found at http://knowltonridgeequestrian.com/events/dressage-shows/

Sometimes, you just have to.....

Pause......

One of the toughest lessons

in great horsemanship is to just....

simply.....

pause.

Every great horsemanship professional uses The Pause in training.

Western horsemanship trainers call it "soaking", my mentor called it "taking a break". Whatever you want to call it, it's all about…

I’ve let loose a few decent rants about groundwork lately. I should apologize about the goose-shrill tone in my voice, but I’m not sorry for the sentiment. Groundwork is so crucial to good horsemanship and too many of us tolerate bad ground manners, in our horses and in ourselves.

It’s our fault. We’re always busy, always late, always distracted. We have a slam-bam-thank-you-‘Mam approach: Grab them, toss the halter on, pull them out of…