equine pemf therapy, massage & mindful horsemanship
“If your arms are tired, you’re riding wrong.” Saying or hearing that phrase can be how you make enemies at the barn, but there are better ways of controlling speed than by pulling. It may seem like the only solution at the time, but whether your horse is constantly pulling against you to drag his nose in the dirt, or you are pulling on them to slow them down, once you fall into the trap of tugging, it can be a difficult habit to break – for us. For a horse? They tend to
Being able to take your horse out on the road might be the only way to get to that trail up the road, or it can be a great way to stretch their legs with a nice hack. No matter the reason, being able to do so safely is, obviously, the ultimate goal. It is …
Movement to a horse is language. It is also freedom, comfort, and safety. When you “talk” to your horse (and from now on “talk” means communicating with your body and gestures), you have the power to influence even the most flamboyant gestures from your horse by the most subtle of body angles, curves, and, when applicable, subtle gestures with your arms.
Especially now that the “winter blahs” are taking hold, it’s so important to keep things fun and fresh for your four-legged friend! When the snow and ice make it too dangerous to ride outside, it becomes extra important to make sure that the inside of the arena doesn’t become the chamber of monotony. Here are …
Whether your dressage partner is a schoolmaster or a greenie, this book is an awesome reference to keep variety in your schooling sessions. After a brief introduction, Kohl takes you right into easy-to-follow, progressive schooling routines that each target specific goals – transitions, bending, use of corners, impulsion, etc – to develop your horse naturally, …
There are few things as entrancing as watching a Grand Prix ride where the horse and rider seem to move as one. Cues are virtually imperceptible, even to a trained eye, and yet the horse’s motions are fluid and deliberate. While the technical skills are a journey in themselves, the foundation for the communication is attainable – and should…
If you ride a mare you might not be familiar with the tell-tale sounds of the stiff-backed gelding. That is, of course, of the squeaky sheath. While at first it’s easy to blame a dirty sheath for the noise, most gelding owners can assure you that that is not the issue, but rather: When a gelding …
In this eloquently written manual, de Kunffy encourages as much the individuality of the horse as he does the athletic development for a fully-fleshed, evolved, and liberating approach to training. He begins in genuine fashion of the Classical schools looking at rider education, and emphasizing the good that comes from accepting the horse’s individuality and sometimes-unique …
When I started this blog around the same time I started playing with a new “project” horse, in the beginning I ended up not writing nearly as much as I thought I would. It wasn’t out of laziness or procrastination (as is all too easy with writing), but mostly because a) I wasn’t sure if …
First let me clarify that I will be discussing over-flexion and not looking at or critiquing rollkur, the latter being something worthy of a blog post all its own, but I digress. Over-flexion is occasionally a soft-mouthed horse’s method of evading the bit, or a developed habit from a heavy-handed rider. Despite the “aesthetics” of all of those …