There are some phrases and variations of them I hear way too often among fellow riders. Sure they are only words, but words are powerful. What comes out of your mouth can lower people’s opinions of you, your own self-esteem and change the way you start to think. Let’s work together to put an end to these cringe-worthy said things in the horse world. You are in control of what you say so with a little bit of self-control you can quit saying these eight things right now… 1) “I had an unlucky rail.” – First of all, what…

  Are you tired of looking at your competition pictures only to feel disappointment because your position looks weak? Does your position interfere with your horse’s jumping ability, costing you the occasional rail? All riders strive to perfect their positions but it is difficult to work on your jumping position because it only takes your horse a fraction of a second to jump. Therefore, you have a small time frame to work on your position. Whereas with dressage, you can ride circle after circle, continuously focusing on sitting better. I felt helpless about how I could improve my jumping position;…

  The worst of winter is nearing an end in many parts of the world, meaning that Eventing season is just around the corner. Of course, some eventers have already competed in several competitions this year if they live in the South or are able to flee South for the winter months. But for many eventers, Eventing season is still a few months away. Although the first event of the year may seem like a distant date, it will creep up on you before you know it. Now is the time to start preparing for your 2018 Eventing debut. Follow…

  Everyone, at some point, has had a moment where they thought to themselves: “I’m a bad horse mom.” Perhaps it was as you followed your loose horse around with a halter and leadrope as it tore around the showgrounds in the middle of everyone’s dressage tests. Maybe it was when you missed a deworming. But hey. You are a good horse mom (or dad), and let me tell you why. When your gelding was hurting, you got the saddle reflocked for his sore back. When your horse colicked, you spent thousands to save his life with surgery. When your…

  Eventing requires horses and riders to master dressage, show jumping and cross-country. Each week, we routinely work on our dressage schooling, show jumping, we do our gallop sets and hack but we do not get out to cross-country school on a regular basis.  Many of us train with pure dressage and show jumping coaches and not a pure cross-country coach. So why do you not practice cross-country more frequently? There are the obvious reasons like lack of access to cross-country schooling fields. I know that I am guilty of not regularly cross-country schooling when I had cross-country facilities at my…

  Training green horses can often be a rewarding experience. You don’t have to be the most experienced rider to train a green horse but it is never ideal for a true beginner rider to purchase one. ‘Learning together’ does not work very well when a rider has yet to get the basics down pat. But if you are a solid rider in the saddle with confidence in your abilities, then there is no reason you cannot consider purchasing a green horse. Not every rider has the right mindset to train a green horse and there is nothing wrong with…

  When equestrians think of ‘habits’ they usually think of bad ones such as looking down at the ground while riding. But there are many good habits that you should work on getting into as a rider. Making a conscious effort in your daily life to develop some simple good habits can transform you into a better rider and horseman. It will take a bit of time and commitment on your part to form these habits but you owe it to yourself and your horse(s) to form these habits… 1) Clean your tack. Daily. Not only will you look like…

  WARNING: Uncensored language. But all in fun.   Life is a funny old thing, especially with horses. One minute you’re up, and the next you are really very down indeed. Accident, illness, injury and plain old fashioned rotten bad luck are never far away when you are working hard to achieve any objective. 2018 was-in hindsight-a defining year for me in many ways. There were many wonderful people and horses tangled up in the casserole of madness that is my life, but there were some stark lessons in the mix too. It all started well enough. The downhill slalom…

  10 Reasons why horses make better Valentines than humans Another year, another Valentine’s day spent with your horse and not some potentially annoying and disappointing significant other… These are just a few of the reasons why equestrians have the best Valentines. 10. Your horse doesn’t take any offence to having to sleep in the barn, while you get to stretch out on your king size bed. 9. Preparing a Valentine’s special dinner for your horse does not require a cook book or a stove. 8. Horses will never complain if you buy more horses. They don’t care how big…