Schooling

The Case for Lightness with Horses

Updated:

August 14, 2026

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While it might often be spoken about in artistic, aesthetic, or even philosophical ways, lightness — both of movement and also of communication with horses — is more than an abstract ideal. In many ways, it measures a horse’s current physiological capabilities.

Yielding to Pressure - Better Horse Training Through Wisdom and Timing

Updated:

July 23, 2026

Horse yielding to neck rein pressure during western riding

One could say that to work with horses is to work under pressure: the physical pressure we employ in communicating to our horses, time pressure, and even peer pressure. A wise horseperson has a sense of timing and knows when it’s fitting to yield or resist.

Is Desensitizating Your Horse Helpful?

Updated:

July 10, 2026

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A closer look at the troubling physiology behind this common practice and how to support curiosity and courage in our horses instead.

Navigating the Gate with Your Horse

Updated:

June 25, 2026

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Essentially, a gate is a transition from here to there. It’s a transition from one pasture to another, replicated in competition. Learning to work a gate can be part of your horse’s training transition into a more attentive, patient, and handy partner.

When the Rider is Hot, the Horse is Hotter

Updated:

June 19, 2026

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A hot humid day. One rider. One horse. Both are exercising at a moderate level. Who is more likely to overheat? It might surprise you to learn that your horse gets hotter much faster than you and is more susceptible to the negative effects of heat stress. Prof. Michael Lindinger, an animal and exercise physiologist at the University of Guelph, explains: “It only takes 17 minutes of moderate intensity exercise in hot, humid weather to raise a horse’s temperature to dangerous levels. That’s three to ten times faster than in humans. Horses feel the heat much worse than we do.”

Riding RooElla: The Ultimate Dressage Schooling Horse

Updated:

June 18, 2026

Rider using Equisk resistance bands on RooElla horse simulator to improve stability, posture, and equestrian biomechanics.

RooElla, the interactive horse simulator owned by Susan Cruickshank of Oakwood, Ontario, is a perfectly schooled mechanical dressage horse that is highly sensitive to its riders’ aids. During a session with Cruickshank and RooElla, riders gain instant feedback about leg pressure, seat position, and rein contact. It is the ultimate tool for helping riders be the best they can be for their horses.

Fitness for Senior Horses

Updated:

June 17, 2026

Senior horse under saddle demonstrating the benefits of consistent exercise for maintaining fitness, mobility, and soundness.

A daily anxiety for many owners of senior horses is that there may be little time left for the riding and activities they have enjoyed until now. As a horse approaches and then passes the age of 20, good rides start to feel numbered. The swayback, gait irregularities, lack of energy… these outcomes seem to be only a matter of time. And without clear reason to do so, many owners start backing off, easing the horse into retirement. Ironically, this approach usually hastens a horse’s decline instead of delaying it.

Creative Techniques for Productive Lunging

Updated:

June 3, 2026

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To lunge or not to lunge? Numerous riders grapple with this question, weighing the potential deleterious physical impacts with the exercise value for non-ridden horses. Whether lunging is good or bad turns out to have a nuanced answer. A more practical inquiry might not be whether to lunge, but how and when to lunge.

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.

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?