Dressage

Resolving Bit Resistance in Your Horse

Updated:

May 15, 2026

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Not long ago, I toured a Western art museum and found myself absorbed in the works of Russell and Remington. Their paintings, alive with movement, depicted the unforgiving life of the cowboy — scenes filled with dust, tension, and the raw energy of untamed horses. These animals, used for transport and survival, stood in stark contrast to the roles horses now occupy in our world — companions in leisure, competitors in sport, and trusted partners in training. But one detail in every piece caught my attention and left me uneasy: riders with rigid hands pulling back, and horses resisting, mouths wide in distress.

Developing a Horseman’s Eye: What Judges Look for in Horses

Updated:

May 8, 2026

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I’ve been watching horses for years, first wistfully as a horse-crazy girl from the spectator seating at the Royal Winter Fair, and later making my living watching horses as a horse trainer, riding coach, and judge. As a trainer, I’ve studied horses circling around me on the end of a lunge line, recognizing signs of tension, relaxation, or hints of gait irregularities.

How to Use Hills for Horse Training

Updated:

May 3, 2026

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Define your goals to develop a training plan - While hill training is widely accepted as important for building strength, its actual benefits rely on answering the question: What is the goal for this individual horse?

Tight Nosebands Compromise Equine Welfare and Affect Movement

Updated:

April 10, 2026

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A recent study confirms that tightening a horse’s noseband may do more than change appearance or control the mouth — it may also affect the horse’s movement.

Ontario Equine Expo Grows in Second Year

Updated:

March 31, 2026

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With only nine weeks to prepare, Miranda and Ryan Kent, owners of RMK Trailer Sales, recognized a need for an equine educational exposition and decided to make it happen. Although they had no experience running an event of this kind, they brought together horse-related vendors, clinicians, and associations, sold tickets, and opened the doors to the first Ontario Equine Expo at the Markham Fairgrounds in March 2025. By focusing on educational clinics that appealed to a wide range of equestrian enthusiasts, they created a learning environment for guests while discovering what worked and what did not.

Dressage Pioneer Sheila Skene – A Grand Prix Person

Updated:

March 12, 2026

Dressage pioneer Sheila Skene’s lifelong dedication helped shape the sport in Canada through riding, judging, mentoring, and volunteer leadership.

To describe the qualities of dressage in romantic terms is to speak of patience made visible, strength softened by grace, and discipline guided by empathy. In this artful discipline, every step is a promise kept, every transition a whispered conversation, and every moment a reflection of harmony and partnership born from time, devotion, and love — qualities that become unmistakably evident when speaking with Sheila Skene, who so beautifully embodies them all.

Spring Conditioning Your Horse

Updated:

March 2, 2026

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Where Should You Start? By Jec A. Ballou. When spring finally arrives, the sunny riding season ahead can greet riders with both excitement and anxiety. Where do I start, you might wonder as you calculate how unfit your horse has become from a winter of being off work. How long will it take to ease him back to fitness? What sorts of exercises and timelines should I use? In this article, I’ll answer these questions plus offer a simple schedule in addition to some rules you never want to break.

Turn Pushy Horses Around with Three Simple Lessons

Updated:

February 14, 2026

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You are who your friends are. That adage can apply to horses, too. How we treat them will often be reflected right back at us - for good or bad. Sometimes the difference between a harsh cue and an appropriate one can be subtle. Pressure can be effective, but intensity and timing can make all the difference.

Dressage for Gaited Horses: Unlocking natural movement

Updated:

January 16, 2026

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After many years as a dressage instructor and trainer, I received a phone call requesting help for an unlikely candidate — an Icelandic mare whose natural gait had disappeared, replaced by a shuffling amble-like movement. Little did I realize how many other gaited horses — from Foxtrotters to Tennessee Walkers — would soon follow.

Does Your Horse Need a Lot of Leg?

Updated:

December 19, 2025

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Who doesn’t love a horse with a laid-back disposition, the unflappable sort, unfazed by snow skidding off the arena roof? The downside of that laid-back horse is that he’s liable to be laid-back about his rider’s aids, too.