In their conversation, Jec Ballou and Alicia Harlov talk a lot about horse management - things that might not seem like they have anything to do with hooves. But, of course, everything has to do with hooves and hooves are like canaries in a coal mine. I mean, the wellness of a hoof can tell you a lot about the whole horse, its environment, and its diet. If the hoof is unwell, then something is likely off in the way that horse is being kept, like too much grain or not enough exercise. It’s a really great interview and I hope you enjoy it.

Jec Ballou interviews saddle fitting expert Kristen Vlietstra. The California-based saddler works with horses and riders of all disciplines.

According to folks out there who do risk assessment, riding horses 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.

For those of us who can measure our involvement with horses by decades rather than days or months, showing up at the barn can feel like the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day. With a few minor variations, our days follow a similar routine. And while these routines are generally satisfying, they open the door for burnout. Even when you love your horse or horse training career wildly, this sameness gets dull.

Most riders have heard about the need for a good warm-up before schooling each day. But what makes a warm-up good? Is an active one better than a slow, relaxing one? How long — or short — should it be? Many riders with good intentions hope that a period of moving their horses around either on the lunge line or under saddle prior to their workout counts as suitable preparation. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case.

For years, they sat on one end of our indoor arena — five ground poles anchored by concrete blocks. With unwavering consistency, we worked our horses over them once a week, either ground driving or riding.

Surgeon, researcher and teacher, OVC Health Science Centre at Ontario Veterinary College, discusses her research into methods of evaluating lameness. (Lameness detection equipment kindly donated by the Equine Foundation of Canada).

The search for mastery brings with it the question of specificity. If you are trying to master a particular sport, should you focus on and practice that sport exclusively? Or might cross-training, and using tools from outside that sport, benefit you in some way? Certainly, there is a lot to argue in favour of practicing only your sport in order to get better at it. From a physiological standpoint, there is even more to argue for multi-disciplinary training.

Our barn visitor offered her comments good-naturedly, but still I bristled. She had chuckled at one or another of Corazon’s antics and then called him a male diva. A what? I didn’t share her chuckle, puzzled as I was that anyone could see this leggy Andalusian as anything but majestic and regal, maybe even brawny.

Jec Ballou and Amy Skinner, an accomplished horsewoman who teaches classical dressage and horsemanship for all disciplines, answer a listener question from Lisa, who asks about proper lunging practices. It’s a great back and forth, short and to the point. Or I should say points, because there are several.