Depending on the availability of indoor arenas, lights, and safe footing where you live, riding throughout the winter can be a challenge. But peak show and trail riding months are arriving quickly, so it’s time to put a plan...
Whether you’re new to cattle work or want to improve your cattle-driving skills, you’ll need to learn how to influence a cow’s movements. How you and your horse approach, track, and drive a cow influences where it will go...
A recent study has shown that judges tend to favor pudgy ponies over their more-svelte counterparts in the show ring. This is despite the fact that carrying extra weight may predispose these horses and ponies to such health conditions...
Heads up dressage, western dressage and event riders: Are you looking for a way to polish your skills and improve dressage test scores? Do you have a young horse that needs to gain experience before his first show? Do...
It’s no fun to ride a horse that needs to be pushed constantly to stay in a lope. It feels like pedaling a bicycle when you must use your legs in rhythmic cues knowing the horse will break gait...
The following is an excerpt from Winning with Horses, by Adam Snow and Shelley Onderdonk, DVM, about preparing for competition through some self-reflection.Why is the mental state of the human so important to a sport commonly calculated as 80...
Read on for a Q&A with 5-time Olympian and 3-time USEF Equestrian of the Year, Steffen Peters.Sometimes life is pretty good.Like working as a freelance writer and covering the four-day Equine Affaire in MA for Horse Illustrated.And sometimes life...
By using correct visualization techniques, you can improve your riding performance in the show ring without any extra miles under saddle.One of the biggest challenges you can face as a rider is trying to effectively incorporate your practice sessions...
A crucial part of preparing your horse for your goals is to keep in mind that he is an athlete. Each training session is a part of the process of gaining fitness, experience, and skills that will help the...
Whether it’s showmanship, horsemanship, trail, western riding or ranch classes, pattern competition helps show a judge the skills you and your horse have mastered through precision and correctness. If your horse acts antsy in the pattern class, dancing in...
