“Some of these humans — those who buy, board, ride and compete these horses — are fantastic. Many, well … no so much. In the world of selling/rehoming Thoroughbreds, I have the chance to encounter the fullness of that human spectrum.” (more…)
“[T]he rider needs to determine the metronome beat they want and then become it. Using the post to quietly insist on an even rhythm allows the horse to settle into the other asks …” (more…)
“… in order to get the outside rein to do its job, I often have to ask riders to let go of their inside rein and use it to guide not to direct.” (more…)
“Thoroughbreds, according to the color Karens, can be bay, chestnut, gray, brown and sometimes maybe even true black. The rest? Must be a sham.” (more…)
“Sometimes pure joy & enthusiasm are possible causes of rushing, but often it is a lack of confidence that sends these horses forward faster… there are ways to figure it out, to slow down the feet, slow down the brain, & let the jumps come to you at a more reasonable rate.” (more…)
“The trick to working with both ‘cozy’ spaces and young, never-jumped-before Thoroughbreds is a combination of single fences and a small grid.” (more…)
“There’s the expectation that Thoroughbreds are ‘hot.’ OK, fine… kinda. The thing is, ‘hot’ gets us to one side of the ‘how fast do they move their feet’ spectrum. It doesn’t really tell us anything more than that.” (more…)
“The fear of getting hurt isn’t always something you can just get someone to kick on through, no matter how much you believe they and the horse can do what is being asked.”
The best way to keep a horse warm varies from horse to horse and situation to situation. But here are some helpful tips and general guidelines. (more…)
Round bales sometimes get a bad rap as a feeding option for horses, but with proper management they can be a great option — especially during the colder months.
“[G]o ride, remember why we choose to swing a leg over a 1200lb prey animal, and embrace the passion that makes all of us horse folks a tiny bit (or a damn lot bit) batty…” (more…)
Part of the NFR experience is getting to meet some of the biggest rodeo stars in the sport. While in Las Vegas, we didn’t miss out on this opportunity. (more…)
“I want a hippopotamus for Christmas, Only a hippopotamus will do…” Okay, your OTTB probably doesn’t want a hippopotamus for Christmas, but here are 10 other things it DOES want. (more…)
