If you are interested in teaching your inexperienced or young (at least 4 years old) horse to jump, low obstacles should be well within his ability as long as he is sound, physically mature and fit.Teaching a horse...
Q: I ride a 10-year-old gelding in my riding lessons. He always seems to pull towards the right. I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong, or if it’s him, but my instructor hasn’t noticed, so maybe it’s all...
From April 26-30, 2012 the Kentucky Horse Park was host to the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, the only four-star eventing competition in North America. After the success of last year's Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup and Freestyle Reining World Championship,...
Stacy Westfall and Whizzard's Baby Doll performed bareback and bridleless during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Photo: Leslie PotterPatience in Training Horses
When working with horses, we all know it’s important to have patience,...
Many people have difficulty in sitting the lope. Frequently this is caused by the rider’s lack of experience, although it can also be caused by fear or riding a new horse.
First, go back to the trot. Most riders...
Two common mistakes that I see in the back-up are poor timing of the release and asking the horse to go forward too soon afterward.
Proper timing involves releasing the pressure on the horse’s mouth while he is still...
When improving your horse’s stop, it is important to have more than one way to ask for it. I have three individual cues: saying the word “whoa,” pulling on the reins, or “releasing” my legs. Each of these cues...
When working with horses, we all know it’s important to have patience, but sometimes it can feel like a struggle. In most cases, you will find one of two causes for running out of patience: a lack of knowledge...
I’ve been busy. Horse show season has begun, and that means that I’m spending at least one weekend a month judging. I had a break during my last judging assignment while the jumping course was adjusted for the pony...
Showmanship competition reflects how a well-trained horse should behave on the ground. Every horse should be easy to handle, work effortlessly off his handler’s cues, allow others to approach and move around him without concern, and stand still when...
