It’s More Than Horse Shows
An opportunity to study and teach equine behaviour and research in the classroom provided more insights into the way horses think and learn.
Behind the Bit
Once a horse discovers how to escape a rider’s noisy or inconsistent hands, he may auto-hide behind the bit, even with a rider of educated hands. … He’s found an escape route that works and behind-the-bit becomes his default whether or not the threat is still present.
“Hurt me once, shame on you. Hurt me twice shame on me”. So the saying goes. Like horses, people protect themselves from further hurt by avoiding confrontation, love or risk.
Three equitation riding seats. Three unique roles.
Three riding positions supplying you with a variety of tools in your horse training tool box.
Judging “crooked” – in horse shows and in our human hearts
As horse show judges we’re trained to identify crooked by first recognizing what is straight. A horse’s limb. A rider’s approach to a fence….In this world, so bent out of shape, there’s a sense of how things OUGHT to be in every human heart.
Worry and horses
Worry. It’s the misuse of imagination according to renowned motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar. “What if..?” scenarios of doom, leave us sleepless the night before a horse show. “What ifs” leave us tongue tied in a difficult conversation with our coach. Or gripping the reins, white knuckles, prepared for a blow-up. “In riding, there’s a fine … Read more Worry and horses
Hell hath no fury like a Horse Show Mom scorned
I’m cautiously following my glowing Mother’s Day post in praise of horse show moms (and in praise of my own horse mom and cheerleader) with the other kind of horse show mother. Sharing the same breed characteristics as the intense hockey dad, this mom advocates fiercely for and rides vicariously through her young equestrian. As … Read more Hell hath no fury like a Horse Show Mom scorned
On lengthening a horse’s natural stride – what’s realistic? An equine expert weighs in.
A rider with a smaller horse asks “Can you really lengthen a horse’s natural stride?” According to Dr. Hilary Clayton, the leading equine expert in equine gait biomechanics and Sport Horse science … to an extent, yes. Some excerpts from the author’s article: I rejected one horse trainer’s recommendation to inject everything from my horse’s … Read more On lengthening a horse’s natural stride – what’s realistic? An equine expert weighs in.
Horse mom
My mom – such a good sport. Wincing, no doubt, as my first horse and I “learned together”. In the days before baled horse shavings, it was Mom who stoically held the garbage bag while I climbed into the sawdust bin at the local lumber yard and scooped. The dust poofed into her face, coating … Read more Horse mom
Whose voices am I listening to? Life lessons learned from horses.
I was speaking to a group of high school students earlier this year about the influence of our media choices, using Life Lessons Learned from Horses. Whose voices are you listening to? I shared the story of a speed event horse, so distracted in the horse show ring by the calls of his stable mates … Read more Whose voices am I listening to? Life lessons learned from horses.
“When things get back to normal…” Returning to the mounting block.
In the middle of our I DON’T KNOW, we long for the familiar rhythms of life. But was life really normal? I mean, life as it ought to be? Like a horse “progressing” away from the mounting block while its rider is still adjusting her stirrups, if we’re honest, much of our culture seemed to … Read more “When things get back to normal…” Returning to the mounting block.
Skipping the reset – what might we miss?
In the middle of the horse show class, a reining rider pauses to reset after 4 spins… to think…to plan for the canter departure ahead. So, what ‘ll I do with the free space left from cancelled horse activities, horse shows and daily appointments? Slow work or no work? Though voices from our screens call … Read more Skipping the reset – what might we miss?