How-To

Improve Your Riding Posture: Build a Better Seat in the Saddle

Updated:

April 7, 2025

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When you create clear, realistic riding goals and take steady steps toward them, you’re far more likely to see results. Putting those goals in writing helps make them stick—it’s a promise you make to yourself. This season, consider focusing on your body position to become a more balanced, effective rider.

Essential Tack Room Organization Tips for a Clutter-Free, Safe Space

Updated:

March 25, 2025

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After a long day at work, you finally arrive at the barn, eager to unwind and spend time with your horse. But as soon as you enter the tack room, you’re greeted with chaos. Fallen off its bar is your saddle pad from yesterday, still moist and now dirty from the floor. One of your gloves is missing, everything has a layer of horse hair, and the dust is causing your allergies to kick in. A disorderly tack room can quickly kill the mood and derail your ride before it even begins.

Caring for the Senior Horse

Updated:

March 21, 2025

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When is a horse considered old? The answer depends on the individual. Some horses show signs of age as early as 15, while others remain active and healthy well into their 20s. Just like people, factors such as overall health, workload, management, body structure, and genetics all play a role in how a horse ages.

Building Confident, Versatile Horses

Updated:

February 17, 2025

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Each year, I host a unique and transformative event with one simple idea: variety creates purpose. Purpose camp at James Creek Ranch introduces diverse experiences into our horses’ training keeps them engaged, confident, and willing to learn. Repetitive drills can lead to sour attitudes, but when exercises have meaning, both horse and rider benefit.

Why Won't My Horse Load into a Trailer?

Updated:

February 9, 2025

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Helping horses load into a trailer with confidence is a common challenge, and I am often called upon to assist with both young horses learning to load and those struggling with trailer anxiety. Over the years, I’ve shared insights on horse trailer training, covering why it’s essential and how to approach it with the right techniques. However, this time, I want to shift the focus away from technique and explore the underlying factors that influence a horse’s willingness (or refusal) to load.

Struggling to Plan Your Horse’s Training Sessions? Here’s How to Improve

Updated:

January 15, 2025

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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?

7 Steps to Making an Equine Insurance Claim

Updated:

January 11, 2025

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Horses are masters at becoming injured, which is why many owners choose to purchase insurance. But working through an insurance claim while already dealing with an injured horse — or worse — can be highly stressful. So, I asked Mike King to provide some tips on making an insurance claim. He’s a partner at Acera Insurance and the national lead for equine insurance and risk management programs, so he oversees claims across the country.

Navigating the Gate with Your Horse

Updated:

January 3, 2025

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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.

A Guide to Your Mare’s Smooth and Successful Foaling Experience

Updated:

January 1, 2025

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Caring for a newborn foal requires a thorough understanding of what to expect before, during, and after birth. Knowing what is normal and abnormal during this crucial time helps ensure a healthy start to life for your foal.

Healthy Hooves Hoof Care Guide

Updated:

December 4, 2024

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Unhealthy hooves in horses are often not due to genetic weakness, but rather preventable lifestyle factors. While it’s hard to admit, many common horsekeeping practices contribute to sore feet in horses. Key causes of weakened hooves in modern horses include limited movement, inappropriate ground surfaces, improper diet and supplements, and early development practices such as weaning.