Hunter Jumper

Breathe Right For Better Riding

Posted:

July 15, 2018

We breathe more than 20,000 times a day. Most of the time, we don’t give it much thought, since we do it automatically and all seems to go well… except when it doesn’t.

How to Walk a Jump Course

Posted:

July 14, 2018

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Preparation is the key to success in every sport. One of the best ways to prepare to jump your course at a horse show is by walking it first.

Spring Conditioning Your Horse

Posted:

June 23, 2018

spring conditioning horse, spring horse exercises, prepping your horse for show, exercising horse, jec ballou, equine groundwork, horse, dressage horse exercises, jumper horse exercises, western horse exercises, hunter horse exercises

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.

Head First

Posted:

May 22, 2018

Head injuries are the most common reason for admission to hospital or death among riders. Sobering statistics reveal the high percentage of equine-related accidents resulting in traumatic brain injury, and helmets have been associated with reducing the risk of traumatic brain injury by as much as 50 percent. Yet many riders still do not wear a helmet.

Schleese Saddlery Introduces Revolutionary Eventing Saddle

Posted:

March 22, 2018

World-renowned saddle manufacturer Schleese has done it again! Together with former eventer and new General Manager of the company, Miriam Boutros Dale, the Schleese team has designed and made an incredibly light and comfortable new jumping saddle. The new “LightFlight” has been tested by Canadian Olympian Edie Tarves, who said, “this saddle affords me the closest contact I have ever felt and lets my horse move with wonderful freedom!“

9 Best Cavalletti Exercises

Posted:

December 23, 2017

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Each of the horse’s gaits offers a unique tool when conditioning for performance and, used correctly, can accomplish results that might otherwise be missed. Optimally, horses should spent equal time in all three gaits during training sessions in order to achieve both looseness and strength. Certain conditioning phases, though, sometimes necessitate prioritizing one gait over another. This article will clarify how and when individual gaits can serve the equine athlete, especially the way he uses his back, and how cavalletti routines can help.

The Psychology of Concussion

Posted:

December 13, 2017

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.