As you enter at A, the judge’s steely eyes will be firmly fixed upon you and your horse for the next few nerve-wracking minutes. But what’s going through her mind as she watches you? Is she judging the perfect...
By jennifer gauthier (Own work) , via Wikimedia CommonsQ: I purchased a Haflinger trail horse last year. I only recently (and somewhat accidentally) found out that he is an incredible jumper with perfect jumping form. I’d love to go...
Maintaining a balanced, consistent, and controlled canter on the correct lead presents enough challenges. But what if your horse has trouble holding his canter? If your horse starts off fine but repeatedly breaks to the trot, then you need...
Q: My horse will not halt for more than a few seconds. This is especially irritating when we jump a course that calls for a halt. Even when I keep my body and aids steady, after a few second...
A horse show class can seem like a marathon torture session, especially if you’re aboard a cranky horse or trying to hold your position despite the fact that your body’s going numb. Yet you can’t relax just because the...
Part of the allure of riding western is sitting astride a slow-legged horse as it moseys
along at a jog. Faster than a walk, slower and more relaxed than a lope, the jog is the
gait most favored for covering ground...
Though a few famous show jumpers were known for their exuberant displays after clearing challenging obstacles, bucking and playing after a jump isn’t admirable behavior. Not only can it unseat a rider, but it’s marked as a major fault...
The Pelham is the most popular leverage bit used in hunters and hunt seat equitation competition. It is designed to use two sets of reins along with a curb chain. One rein attaches to the upper ring on the...
Both English and western riders can sometimes be misguided as to how to hold the reins correctly. That diminishes their communication with their horse. When direct rein aids are used, a rein is held in each hand. In this...
Q: When I jump my horse he always takes off way too early, to the point that I’m scared of crashing or falling off. It helps to set placement poles in front of the jumps but as soon as...
