How-To

riding with confidence, rider confidence, anne gage, confident horsemanship, psychology of riding

Losing “your nerve” after falling off your horse is quite common - even if you haven’t been hurt. Your mind is a powerful tool that can work for you or against you. Much of what goes on in our minds happens unconsciously. Here are seven quick techniques to help get you back on track:

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Regardless of the size of your horse business or advertising space booked, the same basic advertising criteria have proved essential to a successful campaign. As the saying goes, a bad product is more likely to be bought with a good advertisement; but a good product won’t be bought with a bad advertisement.

Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D., slow-feeding system, equine forage, foundation equine diet, ulcers, colic, behavioural issues, stall vices, gorging, choke, cribbing, laminitis, equine diet, alternative grazer

Forage is the foundation of every equine’s diet and needs to flow steadily through the digestive tract. Gaps without forage can lead to ulcers, colic, behavioural issues, stall vices, gorging, choke, cribbing, and even laminitis. Truly, the only way to avoid these problems is to allow your horse steady access to forage, free-choice, all day and all night.

horse at fence

A common problem that many horse owners have is dealing with a horse that doesn’t want to be caught. This is particularly frustrating when the horse will allow itself to be caught some days, but not others, or will come for the barn manager but not for his owner. The reason a horse does or doesn’t want to be caught is basically about the relationship between the owner and the horse.

horse cool down, Sponging Endurance Horse, horse walk cool down, horse drinking water for cool down, hose down endurance horse

The last ten to fifteen minutes of every ride should consist of walking on a long or loose rein to allow the horse to relax, stretch his muscles, and, if he is winded from the exercise, catch his breath. This may be all the cool-down the average horse requires in order to physically recover from moderate exercise on a cool to warmish day. But intense workouts can strain muscles, ligaments, and tendons, and when coupled with soaring summer temperatures can cause your horse’s body temperature to skyrocket.

How ride shoulder-in loop dressage, horse trainer Andrea Taylor, dressage exercises

Looking for an exercise to help develop your horse's uphill balance, self-carriage, and collected work? Olympic dressage rider and trainer Andrea Taylor suggests an exercise to improve these and other aspects of your horse's movement and training — the Shoulder-in Loop.

horse spring checkup, equine spring checkup, checking horse blanketing, checking horse skin, check for horse parasites, check horse's teeth, Evaluate horse Feeding Program, check horse vaccinations

Do you ride all winter, no matter how deep the snow gets, or do you hang up your saddle at the first cool breeze in autumn? If the winter season has caused any modifications in your horse’s exercise level or feeding plan, you will need to consider the following points as you bring the horse back into work in the spring.

Pepping Up the Lazy Horse

By Lindsay Grice - Riding should not be an aerobic workout like riding an exercise bike. Self-carriage is when a horse maintains his pace, straightness, and frame or outline when you lighten up on your aids. You’re not really riding until you take the training wheels off!

Colostrum for Foals: The Magic Milk

Winter snow may still blanket the ground, but foaling season will be here before we know it. If you have a pregnant mare in your barn, plan ahead to collect and freeze some of her colostrum — that all-important first milk — so you have it on hand if a foal is born without access to this essential liquid.

How to Prepare for Piaffe and Passage, Bonny Bonnello, dressage training pyramid apex, equine collection, equine lateral work, horse half-halt to decreased stride

With Bonny Bonnello - The apex of the dressage training pyramid, collection is of the utmost importance for a dressage horse when it comes to performing expressive flying changes, half-passes, piaffe, and passage. Collection can be described as the shortening of your horse’s frame – not just his neck, but his complete longitudinal frame – and transferring more weight onto the hindquarters. But this shortening should not affect the forward rhythm.

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