When you’re focusing on your horse, it’s easy to forget about your position in the saddle. Adjust your stirrups to a length that hits your ankle bone or slightly above when your foot is...
Perhaps you want to try cross-country jumping or would like to enter an eventing show. Many areas of the country are far from schooling courses, making it difficult to test your horse's jumping skills in the great wide open....
The inaugural Express Eventing competition in Cardiff, England, was designed to attract new fans to the sport of eventing. However, the crowd of 13,000 spectators inside Millennium Stadium on Nov. 30, 2008, was struck silent as British Olympian Mary...
Three basic types of cross-country obstacles—ditches, banks and water—must be carefully and systematically introduced to even the boldest cross-country horse. If you give your horse a good start over these jumps, there’s no reason to ever have a problem....
The shoulder-in is one of the best exercises for suppling a horse, building his strength, and increasing his freedom in the shoulder. But the precursor to the shoulder-in is the shoulder-fore, which is also an excellent movement to help with...
Q. I’m just getting started in the lower levels of eventing and am wondering about the best saddle to buy for the sport. Do I really need two or three different saddles, or can I get by with one...
Decorative markings brushed into the horse’s coat--quarter marks--enhance the conformation of a well-muscled hip and croup, and draw attention to the cleanliness and shine of a well-conditioned show horse. Quarter marks not only highlight a horse’s conformation and give...
Ever wonder why sometimes you and your horse can’t quite put in a great round over jumps? Maybe the problem isn’t the jumps themselves, but rather your approaches to them. You can improve your ride to the jump by...
Q. My 5-year-old gelding holds a quiet, steady rhythm to his jumps, but he tends to land on his forehand and gets strung out after the fences. What can I do about this?A. Your problem is not unusual. Although...
