Riding is a selfish act – there is really no getting around that fact. Horses do not ask to participate in the activity, they are conditioned for it. That said, I have over forty years of experience that horses can, if treated right, come to enjoy the activities they engage in with their rider. With … More Why do you ride?
If you hang around the classical Dressage crowd for any length of time, you will hear someone say something to this effect: “Horses already know how to do the movements, in the field; training only consists of teaching them to do them with a rider added.” It might also be slightly modified to include “on … More What is the goal of training?
Your horse still trundles along, heavy footed and maybe also heavy in your hand. Or, your horse is constantly in danger of putting you on the fast track to front tooth implants, with his head always in your face. Perhaps your horse travels in a decent frame, but steering or transitions are problems. It can … More It’s All About You!
We interrupt your regularly scheduled program … I promised that my next post would be more information on sculpting the equine body, but I confess that time has not been in abundance this week, so that is still in draft. However, having just spent a lovely day listening to Christoph Ackermann teach, I wanted to … More A Day With Christoph Ackermann
One of the aspects of classically based Dressage training is the way in which it changes the horse’s physique. It is true that any equine activity that involves a level of conditioning will tone muscles, and should make the horse more attractive. I say “should” because there are definitely activities that condition a horse but … More Sculpting the Equine Body, Pt 1
A Facebook friend recently posed the question as to why so many people enjoy watching today’s competition, and don’t see the ugliness and the damage done by the training methods being used. Why do they not seek the beauty that many of us in the 50-plus age group grew up with? The answer is simply … More Eye of the Beholder
Horse Crazy Once Again 