Eventing

The Psychology of Concussion

Updated:

October 20, 2020

horse rider Psychology, horse rider concussion, overcoming traumatic riding accident, overcoming concussion horse riding

It had been three months since Laura, a junior rider, had sustained a simple concussion during a fall from her horse. Her parents were becoming increasingly concerned that she was not progressing in her recovery. Laura was having difficulty focusing at school, disrupted sleep patterns, and intermittent headaches. Fearful of creating any further escalation in her symptoms, she had not returned to riding or any activity.

Love Your Horse, but Riding Scared?

Updated:

October 8, 2020

Love Your Horse, but Riding Scared?, April Clay, M.Ed., afraid of horse, fearful of your horse, anxious horse riding, overcoming horse riding stress, breaking up with your horse, make up or break up with your horse

If you have been riding for some time, chances are you have come across a mount that challenged you. Or maybe he scared you. Perhaps the horse forced you to face that very difficult question: Is this the wrong horse for me… or is it just me? What can you do when fear cripples your riding experience?

Building Stronger Horses

Updated:

October 4, 2020

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Stability Before Strength - Balanced muscular development cannot happen without first achieving a body that can stay stable throughout movement. In other words, a horse that is wiggling around trying to find balance, or one that has found balance by adopting a crooked posture, cannot develop strength in the ways that lead to better performance. Before a horse can add power to his locomotive muscles, he needs to find joint and limb stability while moving in his basic gaits.

Correcting Crooked Changes

Updated:

August 29, 2020

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“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.

7 Tips for Memorizing Patterns for Riding Courses

Updated:

August 25, 2020

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Each of us memorizes material in a different way. Knowing your learning style is helpful. Try a number of memorization styles in each of these categories and see what works.

Ride Forward, Not Fast

Updated:

August 22, 2020

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With Karen Pavicic - Impulsion is best defined as the channelling and controlled release of the energy in the horse's body which is created by the engagement of the hind legs. A horse that moves with impulsion gives the impression of contained power, with steps that can be described as lively and expressive, while maintaining total relaxation and softness through the body for overall elasticity.

Jumping Your Horse with Contact

Updated:

July 31, 2020

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Contact, to the average rider, seems to refer only to the contact through the rein, but really, contact is communication with your horse and the rein is just one form of that communication. There are a couple of other points of contact, being your hips and seat, your legs through your thigh and calf, and your heel and foot.

Collection for the Jumping Horse

Updated:

March 31, 2020

With Claudia Cojocar - Collection is the state of the horse in which he lightens his forehand and changes posture by engaging his hindquarters. When you have correct collection, you feel generous impulsion contained by your completely accepted hand, a hand that the horse is not afraid of but is totally confident with. The horse feels like two-thirds of his body is in front of you, slightly uphill, light in your hands and ready to go forward immediately when asked.

Routines for a Balanced, Engaged Horse

Updated:

February 27, 2020

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At some point, most riders have wished for something like a magic pill, a solution that will instantly alleviate nagging training issues. Since that is impossible, the next best thing is an arsenal of arena routines whose execution will improve your horse. The exercises in this article will give you a looser, more balanced horse, and will create engagement without excessive effort.

Second Careers for Racehorses

Updated:

February 20, 2020

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Many ex-racehorses are finding second careers once their racing days are over, thanks to the ever increasing awareness of what these multi-talented athletes can do off the track. As a result of this growing movement to retrain the racehorse, Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, and Quarter Horses have successfully been transitioning from the track to a new lifestyle as sport horses, show horses or all-around pleasure mounts.