Hills on your property can be a great training and conditioning tool, and there are various ways to use hills to your advantage when riding and conditioning your horse. Here are a few tips so that you can put hills to work for you.

Keep Safety First

Hills help to condition your horse and develop his muscles in strength, but they are only…

Does your horse get nervous and stressed at shows? A stressed horse will likely put in a subpar performance, and stress can result in a distracted and nervous horse. You can help to keep your horse calm at horse shows in a number of different ways. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Be Well-Prepared

The better prepared you and your horse…

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",…

It's time to lighten up and take a load off!  Dive deeper into the magic of horses and truly embrace the depth of the equine heart and intuition.  Discover YOUR intuition.  Let us take you to that peaceful inner knowing and help you find the wisdom within you through play with the horses and yoga for your body and soul.  You don't need to be Gumby or have the six pack abs of a Cirque de Soleil acrobat to join this party.  Bring your body exactly as it is and get to know yourself and horses…

Ponying a horse can be a great tool, whether used as a training method for a younger horse or as a way to exercise two horses at the same time. But ponying a horse can get tricky; you’ll be handling two horses at once from the saddle. If you plan to pony a horse, make sure that you can do so correctly and safely.

Pick Your Lead Pony Carefully

The horse that…

If you’ve ever been on a runaway horse, you know how frightening that can be. And if you haven’t been on one yet, then we hope you never have that experience! True, out-of-control runaways are highly dangerous, and stopping them can be a challenge. The one-rein emergency stop is the go-to trick for stopping a runaway horse, but it can be dangerous. Is there a better way?

The…

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,…

Horses are always the highlight of parades. With parade season starting up, are you planning to try out a new horse in a parade? It can be great fun to have a parade horse, but before you plan to bring along your horse, you’ll want to make sure that he’s really ready to be part of a parade.

The Challenges of Parades

Parades are one of the most…

I let my friend R.M. have her first real horse ride on Oakley. It was a thrill and a pleasure for us both. Firstly, because, for years, we've had an ongoing argument:

"I know how to ride."

"No, you don't."

"But I've been on lots of trail…

It's difficult to know what to do with a foal or young horse. 

In this post you will learn: 

• How to put a halter on the first time
• What to do once you get the halter on
• basic prep work when working to gain respect and trust from a young horse

http://www.clinichorsemanship.com/young-horse-exercises-pt1-cc2/…

As the weather continues to get warmer, you may be itching to get your horse out on the trails again. But if your horse has been out of work over the winter or if it’s been a while since you’ve been on the trails, you might be in for an interesting ride. Brush up on these important skills before hitting the trails to help make the trail ride more enjoyable for both you and your horse.…