Due to its effectiveness in helping the horse carry his body with good form, the longe cavesson is arguably one of the most useful pieces of equipment to own. Yet, only a surprisingly small number of riders who know about it. While early depictions from the 16th century refer mostly to its value in lateral poll flexion, its benefits for groundwork extend to a horse’s entire body. For anyone who performs groundwork it is an indispensable tool, as I will explain. Common misalignments of horses during groundwork include a twisted poll that comes from a handler using a line attached under the chin, or one-sided pressure on the bit when using a bridle. The alignment and state of positive — or negative — tension in the poll directly affects the rest of the body.

Source: Best Horse Practices with Jec Ballou | Here, Jec and Dr. Stacie Boswell discuss horse stress: How does stress manifest in horses? How can we help them?

While it might often be spoken about in artistic, aesthetic, or even philosophical ways, lightness — both of movement and also of communication with horses — is more than an abstract ideal. In many ways, it measures a horse’s current physiological capabilities.

Simple Exercises and Routines to Reprogram Dysfunctional Movement - As tempting as it is to use our riding skills and training expertise when teaching a horse to carry his body differently or when rehabbing post-layoff, this actually slows the process down. Somehow, many of us equestrians missed this crucial fact during our educations.

Source: Best Horse Practices with Jec Ballou | On The Fence: Adult Learning

According to folks out there who do risk assessment, riding is risky -- about as risky as riding is fun, safe, rewarding, and something we feel deeply passionate about. Rider fear for many of us might be one element that’s part of a greater calculus. We hope it’s down there with the paper clips, you know, tiny bits in the big cluttered drawer that is how we feel about horses. For some folks, though, we know it can be all-consuming.

Podcast host Jec Ballou (bio below) and Ben Longwell of True West Horsemanship respond to a listener question about bitless options: my question is about ‘bitless’ bridles, side pulls, or the bosals or any other type of ‘bitless’ bridle that you may have had experience with. Which would be most suitable for what horse, temperament, type of exercise or work. I am in the process of starting a horse. We are in first rides with rope halter and rather than bit him for our first rides, I thought maybe I could just train him to a more subtle bridle.

When it comes to cantering, riders seem to divide in two camps. In one camp are those who favour it above all else, while the other camp includes those who find it scary or unpleasant. I would like to add a third camp: riders who understand the unparalleled physiological benefits of cantering their horses. Beyond the obvious cardiovascular conditioning, cantering can improve muscle tone, symmetry, and flexibility more than other gaits. Let me explain this further, in addition to offering some tips and guidelines.

In this episode, Ann Firestone of Save Your Ass Long Eared Rescue joins Jec in California-to-New Hampshire phone conversation. Ann has been ardently devoted to this mule and donkey non profit for years.