Eventing

horse bits, contact with horse, dull mouth horse, bit evasion, how to get a light mouthed horse, lindsay grice

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.

horse saddle fit, properly fitting saddle, how to tell if my saddle fits, does my saddle fit correctly? schleese, saddlefit4life

Q: I ride a Thoroughbred with a moderately roached (convex or round) back. How should I determine if my saddle fits correctly? A: The nine main points of saddle fit are absolutely common to all saddles and all horses – if you want to determine whether and how well your saddle fits, these points should be considered, and each of these points has video instruction on our website at www.saddlesforwomen.com.

gymnastic horse jumping, adjust horse's stride, horse jumping, horse jumping exercises, brian mortan, show jumping, shorten horse's stride, lengthen horse's stride, horse impulsion, horse engagement

Accomplished show jumper, horse trainer, and resident rider at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alberta, Brian Morton’s defines collection as "the shortening of the horse's outline and stride, with increased impulsion and engagement from the hind end." He emphasizes that "If you are not able to shorten your horse’s stride, you will never be able to get a horse to fit a stride into a line that is set short. And, if you lose the impulsion when you shorten the stride, you will never be able to produce a powerful round jumping effort off a short distance.”

winter horse, riding in winter, training in winter, conditioning horse, keep horse fit winter, horse stretches, carrot stretch

Time off is an inevitable part of a horse's life, whether due to bad weather, personal schedules, or other factors. However, how horse owners manage these breaks can significantly affect their horse’s health, soundness, and performance over time. Research by veterinary colleges and experts on movement science reveals that large fluctuations in fitness can harm a horse’s well-being, especially for those beyond the middle of their teens. Extended periods of low activity—especially those spanning a month or more-can weaken supportive tissues and muscles crucial to posture. When training resumes, horses may use improper substitutive muscles and positions, leading to poor performance, injury, or a lack of training progress. To help you optimize downtime and keep your horse on track, here are three essential guidelines to coordinate breaks effectively and even use them to enhance your horse's training.

schooling horses, lindsay grice, how to practice for horse show, beginners exercises horse, side pass horse, trail obstacles horses, horsemanship, riding coach

Do you sometimes yourself leaving the mounting block, fixing your stirrups, and unsure of what to focus on in your next training session? When your coach asks about your progress since your last lesson, do you often admit that you’ve mostly just been riding without a clear goal in mind?

cavaletti walk, cavaletti canter, cavaletti trot, jec aristotle ballou, cavalletti exercises, horse cavalletti, training a horse, horse gait, equine gait, equine conditioning a horse

Your horse's three primary gaits-walk, trot, and canter-each provide distinct advantages for conditioning aimed at enhancing performance. When utilized effectively, these gaits can achieve outcomes that might otherwise be overlooked. Ideally, training sessions should incorporate equal time spent in each of the three primary gaits to promote both flexibility and strength. However, specific conditioning phases may require an emphasis on one gait over the others. This article will explore how each gait benefits the equine athlete, particularly in relation to back usage, and will highlight the role of cavalletti routines in training.

five rein aids horses, bearing rein aid, , opening rein aid, pulley rein aid, indirect rein aid, direct rein aid, riding horses rein aids, sarah mellings, ec certified coaches

Whenever I coach a new group of riders at a clinic or in a lesson, I am always surprised at how few people can tell me the five different rein aids and the purpose of each. Therefore, it is always a question I like to throw out to the group. I usually see people looking down and moving their hands around, some vague stares, and the occasional rider being able to describe at least one or two of the five.

evolution of ponies, riding ponies, training ponies, children and ponies, nikki alvin smith, what to look for in a pony, my pony bites

Sadly, ponies get a lot of bad press. Even so, their reputation as being lazy, stubborn, and difficult to train, plus their seemingly inherent displays of poor behaviour, have less to do with their innate nature and more to do with a lack of training.

Kendal lehari three-day eventing rider, how to succeed as a horse rider, Canadian equestrian athletes, successful Canadian horse riders, tracy vollman Canada's world equestrian games endurance team, jim greendyk performance horses

Canada is a massive country, with large distances between equine competitions and a relatively small number of upper-level equestrians. Hence, Canadian riders who want to be competitive at upper levels struggle to find enough higher-level competitions to advance their riding careers. Canada also has winter weather that precludes many riders from training outside for half the year. This can limit advancement and horse fitness. For example, three-day event riders can’t school cross-country jumps or get their gallop training in when fields are drifted with snow, nor can endurance riders do long rides on varied terrain.

canter lead, correct canter lead, horse picks up wrong lead, lindsay grice horse trainer, my horse doesn't canter right, exercises to improve canter

Every Time, Everywhere - Wrong lead! It’s one of the earliest alerts a young rider hears from her coach. One’s heart sinks to hear that same alert from the coach calling over the show ring rail. The novice rider learns the outside leg back and kiss cue to canter but I’ve found that riders are often unsure why they should use this cue. Let’s break it down. We’ll review the phonics of teaching your horse to pick up the correct lead and some hints to help the rider recognize it.

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