Dressage: Cackling at the Canter.
Beach attire for the serious dressage rider. In the 80's, I marched with the Ladies Against...
Listen First, Train Later.
Photo by Patrick McMahan The first time I met him, he was two months old standing...
WPC: Contrasts
Contrasts show the far extremes. They show the difference; an attempt to understand right from wrong through black and white...
Contact: Holding hands with horses.
What is the world’s speed record for learning to ride on happy contact? 18 years? Maybe 23? It’s a joke...
WPC: Between.
Between our heads and their hearts, between our feet and their flanks, between our hands and their mouth, let there...
An Argument Against the Whip.
There is a time-worn adage about whips. Just like bits or spurs, whips are only as cruel or kind as...
Weekly Photo Challenge: Work of Art
This is an odd photo for my blog. It's a work of art, unusual gemstones in a unique pendant, hand...
Getting Happy About What You Don’t Know.
Most of us started as back yard riders. No shame, we were kids, we climbed up and rode. When we...
It’s a Riding Lesson- What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Photo: J.J. Fierro. It starts innocently enough, just like every other thing that happens around horses....
Calming Signals: Are You Listening?
If you are standing next to your horse and he looks away, do you think he's distracted or even disrespectful?...
Training Confidence and Trust.
There's a way that a mare can pin her ears back so hard that they make almond-shaped divots on her...
Dressage on a Rescue: Doing More with Less
Andante, ex-PMU, casts a giant shadow. I have a confession. I shop-lifted when I was in...
Subtle Abuse: When Aids Become Weapons.
My client's mare is lovely; a very well-bred athletic horse. When my client bought her, the previous owner suggested my...
The Art is in the Transition.
When I see kids learning to drive these days in compact cars with automatic transmissions, I wonder where's the challenge?...
Explaining Dressage: the small print.
First of all, the reason Dressage needs some explaining is that the there are some misconceptions about this riding discipline....
Bad Timing Explained
Most of us read the training books and do the best we can to apply them in the saddle. We...
Do You Ride Like Your Mother?
"Oh, Honey. You aren't going to wear that, are you? Could you put some lipstick on, you are so much...
Walking the Walk. Literally.
It starts at the mounting block. Really. If you are still proving your testosterone (yes, you heard me) by ground...
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