“In a straight horse, the hind hoof steps into or over the track of the front hoof on the same side, whether on a straight line, circle, or curve,” says dressage trainer, coach, and FEI rider Sandra Verda-Zanatta. “The shoulders of the horse should be in line with his hips.

The Quarter Horse is renowned for its agility, speed over short distances, and calm disposition. Not only are they enormously valued as working animals on ranches and farms, Quarter Horses excel in competition where their nimbleness and responsiveness are the skills that put them on top, especially in events like reining, cutting, barrel racing, and calf roping. So where do these skills come from?

Does It Make Sense for You This Year? Accurate laboratory analysis is the backbone of efficient ration planning for many horse owners today. Whether you have an elite competition horse or a senior who is essentially a pet, horse owners are becoming increasingly aware that informed forage buying decisions can make a significant difference in the health and performance of their horse.

The International Equestrian Federation (Fédération Equestre Internationale or FEI) made a formal statement regarding its viewpoint on the controversial training technique of rollkur or hyperflexion of the neck. This issue was debated at the FEI round-table conference at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Headquarters and the consensus of the group was that any head and neck position achieved through aggressive force is not acceptable

Finding and Owning the Equestrian Athlete Identity - At its core, equestrian sport is a partnership between horse and human. This relationship is unique, and it affects both the culture of the sport and our identity as athletes. Today, we are going to look closely at our equestrian athlete identity.

There you are, standing at the in-gate, trying to present a picture of poise and confidence. But the reality is that there are butterflies slam-dancing against the walls of your stomach. Right now you want nothing more than to just get this over with so you don’t have to feel this way ever again. Then some well-meaning bystander offers you a granule of wisdom. “Just relax!” she chirps. Don’t you just hate those two little words?

Desmond Sanford “Sandy” Hawley was born in April 1949 in Oshawa, Ontario. While hot-walking horses at a Toronto racetrack when he was just 17 years old, the future Hall of Fame jockey decided to abandon thoughts of being a plumber and follow a career as a jockey. According to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame website, Hawley was employed as a groom and hot walker for trainer Duke Campbell who coached him along carefully. Sandy still credits Campbell as one of his greatest sporting influences. In those days he earned just $73 a week. In just a few years he would be earning $250,000 a year.

Six-time Olympian and longtime member of Canada’s dressage team, Christilot Boylen of Schomberg, Ontario, announced her retirement from international team dressage competition on July 8, 2020. Christilot Boylen was born in 1947 in Djakarta, Indonesia, and, with her family, moved to Toronto in 1951. According to the Eurodressage website, she bought her first horse at age 10 with savings she earned acting on the children’s TV series The Howdy Doody Show. She trained her first Olympic mount, Bonheur, and at just 17 years of age she received special permission to compete for Canada in the 1964 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Chances are very good that anyone who keeps horses for several years will encounter colic at some time. Mild episodes may resolve on their own before a veterinarian can arrive and more serious equine abdominal discomfort can often be managed with medication.