I love leg yields. They are the most basic lateral movement, and for that reason, an incredible tool for green horses and riders new to dressage. To do a leg yield is not real hard, but does require an understanding of a few somewhat complicated concepts. Most people can relatively easily understand the concepts and …
I love the fact that I’m seeing these bridles get more popular, I’m taking that to be a sign that more riders are choosing tack with their horse’s comfort in mind. The Micklem bridle was designed to avoid facial nerves and pressure points on the horse’s face, and to fit comfortably by leaving room around …
How your saddle sits on your horse influences how you sit in your saddle. Once you become aware of this relatively simple fact, you’ll never not notice it again. But I see people riding in improperly balanced saddles all the time, and they are usually struggling to maintain their own position and balance, which of …
There are so many ideas about what dressage is, and so many people doing things with horses claiming it’s “dressage”, so how do we know if they/we are really doing it? If you’re new to the sport, it can be really hard to tell! To make it easier, we can start with 5 things dressage …
I’m the curious sort. I love to take things apart and see how they work. I love my Wintec and Bates Isabell saddles. They are so adjustable, and I can open them up and change the gullet plates and add shims to fit my horse, and change it as often as I need to. I …
As we ride, we are constantly asking our horses to do things. Faster, slower, turn, and stop. The stream of requests is nearly endless for the duration of the ride. For the most part, horses are pretty willing to go along with this program. It’s easy to imagine how praising your horse could make this …
When we look at a horse, one of the first things we usually notice is the horse’s conformation, or the way he’s put together. Different breeds produce different types of builds, and each discipline has a type that tends to do the work most easily. There are conformation flaws that can lead to soundness problems, …