In every issue of Horse & Rider you'll find articles on training by the country's leading experts, the latest on equine health care from top veterinarians, trail riding tips from savvy back country riders, and much more!
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF TRAINING, steering is important—it’s right up there with stopping in terms of being an essential element of control. The pivot maneuver builds on the concept of steering, because cueing your horse to pivot is asking him to move left or right by steering. In the show pen, a good pivot will line you up for the rest of your pattern. A bad pivot can set off a chain reaction for further mistakes—missed markers or crooked departures that take away from the rest of your pattern—resulting in a poor score. Here I’ll explain what a correct pivot looks like, the steps to get there, and troubleshooting tips in case you encounter roadblocks in your pivot training. What to Look For A correct turn on the haunches…
CREATING AND CARING FOR a good riding surface are among the most challenging tasks of horse ownership. If you’re planning a new arena or refurbishing your existing one, the essential first step is to consult with experts (see box). They can tell you what types of footing are available, affordable, and recommended in your locale for the type of riding you do. Also ask about your arena’s base. The best footing in the world won’t last or perform well if it’s not atop a firm, properly graded base that allows for drainage as necessary. Figure on 4 to 6 inches of base—stone dust, decomposed granite, or similar material that compacts under machine pressure. For the footing, 2 to 4 inches atop the base is fairly standard. For the most active…
Did you know that over a million seabirds and 100,000 sea mammals are killed by pollution every year? And that 46 percent of lakes in America are too polluted for aquatic life to survive? It’s not only fish and wildlife that suffer the ill effects of pollution; worldwide, over 5,000 people die every day due to dirty drinking water. Agriculture, which includes horsekeeping, is one of the most significant contributors to both pollution and habitat destruction. That’s right: How you keep your horses can affect not only the wildlife around you, but also can be a significant contributor to environmental hazards. And these hazards have wide-reaching effects. Can you make a difference? Absolutely. In 2010, recycling and composting alone prevented 85 million tons of material from being disposed of in…
The sun is shining as I pull into the driveway of a spacious, well-kept, vet-friendly barn. The electric gate at the end of the paved, tree-lined drive opens automatically and, after backing into the convenient, covered “vet area” (specially designated at the corner of the barn), I’m greeted by the owner, who smiles and offers me a steaming cup of coffee. “Ah,” I think, “being a horse vet is a glorious occupation.” Just as I’m preparing to examine the horse—presented in an immaculate, well-lit room—I’m awakened from this lovely dream by the rude screeching of my pager. A client needs me—“now”—for a nasty laceration on her yearling’s left hind leg. Groaning, I roll out of bed and pull on my jeans—remembering as I do that this particular client, though extremely…
