“All told, the only people who will stay are those who want it. Because everyone could make more money and be more comfortable working at a fast food joint.”
“… when I see that a horse never started, instead of being excited that they have no damage from the track, I start to raise an eyebrow and a whole lot of questions.” (more…)
“Conformation photos are hard. But they are also so ridiculously important. Put bluntly, a good conformation photo can sell a horse… But just as easily, a poor conformation photo can cause folks to skip over your horse, your sales, and your farm.” (more…)
“… it is always better to catch the unsteady gait before it fails… But when the horse breaks gait and drops into the lower one, the rider has already missed their moment. At that point resistance is futile … and capitulation becomes a friend.” (more…)
“The process of not capitulating to equine-suggested up transitions is outstandingly awkward but it pays off in the long run.[…] When a rider negotiates (as opposed to accepts) the horse’s request (‘we canter now, right?) with their body, their hands can stay soft and the horse learns to listen to the seat and leg. They also begin to learn that gaits are dynamic…”
“You may have to build up to proper condition in tiny chunks and short hacks… But, riding through the heat and incrementally tackling these temperature challenges sets horse and rider up for success…” (more…)
“[T]he other day a new student came down to see the place and as we stood and chatted, the lovely human kept apologizing for interrupting the ride. Nope. This was helpful — this was a chance for him to just hang out…”
“…perhaps the best, but hardest thing to do: don’t panic. Take a deep breath and stay bungee but effective.” This week’s Thoroughbred Logic focuses on how to slow down… at least when it comes to horses.
“[T]his is a mindset of being flexible and creative — of listening to the horse and trying to figure out solutions … is recognizing that so much of owning or even leasing horses is about constant learning and spending time with them …” (more…)
“The combination of core and confidence make a positive-reinforcing cycle that lead to greater strength, and for lack of a better synonym, greater confidence. Together they allow a rider to sit up, add the necessary leg, take a deep breath and release while staying centered over the horse.” (more…)
“[T]here are the [horses] that might not have the most impressive height, might not have a pedigree with the most known sires, might not have perfectly straight legs, or might not be the easiest ride between the ears … Those are the horses that I find exciting. They’re the diamond in the rough horses.” (more…)
“…if you can get your horse balanced . . . they can collect, they can turn, and they can do all of those things as slow or as quickly as you’d like without the necessity of using speed to balance themselves.” (more…)
“… what I do create here, and what this article is about, is a horse who ties well enough, ground ties well enough, and learns to stay calm and independent whether there is pressure on the other end of their line or not.” (more…)
“Riding a horse who is … not tip top, might require more of a push … to get a horse forward. However, a horse who is behind the leg as they are transitioning from go pony to show pony does not a true ‘kick-ride’ make.” (more…)
“You are never truly ready, and there are always excuses or more training that ought to be done. In my books, do you have semi-OK brakes? Do you have semi-OK forward and semi-OK steering? Fantastic, off to cross country for you. Feeling not ready? Meh, do it anyway.”
“No matter how fast your fingers are at opening and closing — holding and releasing tension — your elbows are nearly always faster and more fluid.” (more…)
“I expect that when asked, my horses would ride towards what they should run away from. The gallop-off-into-the-sunset would be a last resort, albeit a fantastically swift one.” (more…)
“He looked at one puddle-fence combination, but otherwise clicked around his courses, did everything asked and hung out like a seasoned gentleman all day. All it took was some trust under saddle and a better, more tailored-to-the-horse turnout situation.” (more…)
“I think these often-comical personalities exist in each of these horses, but there actually is a recipe to allowing it to flourish: Embrace the chaos but have clear boundaries.” (more…)
“In riding, whether flatting, jumping, executing a dressage test, or smartly blasting around cross country, we all think about rhythm and pace. While we have a lot of terms to get at the quality of a round, I think the idea of ‘flow’ is due an equine resurgence.” (more…)
“The me who raced my redheaded Appendix down dirt roads and knew every stretch of potentially hundreds of miles of local trails, never gave one lick about whether or not he stayed obedient or balanced through his transition to canter. Turns out, I was missing out.”
“… to exclude the good ones because they are a touch too short seems silly and often tells me more about the newness of the buyer to this game than about their ability and desire.” (more…)
“In contrast, when one slows one’s body down, the slow translates from the rider to the horse; steady, soft and balanced in the tack encourages quiet and responsive below the saddle.” (more…)
“Correcting head tilts, therefore, comes in at the point where the horse is pushing from behind and elevating their shoulder (even if they can’t hold this strong position for too long). Then you can start to ask them to straighten out. Easier said than done, of course.” (more…)
“I know that as a good horse gains the hope and the expectations that sneak in, they often get fast tracked. He’ll only go BN this spring if he is ready for it. And I’m having to be careful of my enthusiasm for the seemingly quite talented and sweet redhead.” (more…)
