It presents step by-step training programs and showing advice from recognized experts in hunters, jumpers, equitation, dressage, and eventing, along with money- and time-saving ideas on health care and stable management.
He’s taught me lessons like how to meet a horse in the middle, and how when you believe in a horse, he does his best for you. Sure, you have to give in a little bit to his quirky personality, but he tries for me. I’d much rather have a horse that does it their own way, but gives you what he has, than a horse that is super talented, but always finds a way to knock a jump down. He’s straight, and aside from the ring, I just really like him. He’s probably the last horse I’ll ride in the championships that my dad trained, so he’s special to me in that way, too. Olympic Gold Medalist, Show Jumping Platinum Performance® Client since 2003…
Ihave an odd confession, especially for a person in her 40s: I love equitation. This has not always been the case. When I was in my teens, I hated it. I started competing in the equitation divisions when I was about 14 and wasn’t very good. I much preferred riding in jumper classes where I could just go fast or hunter courses where I didn’t have to worry about my position. Or so I thought. The other thing I really disliked about equitation was that the horse had to be in a frame. Early on, my idea of getting horses round was to pull in their heads, which they didn’t much like. But after I aged out of the junior equitation classes, I started to figure out that equitation matters…
Trusting Your Instincts I just finished reading “Try It, You’ll Like It,” Jim Wofford’s article in the May 2015 issue, and it couldn’t have come at a better time! I currently take lessons with two different instructors with two totally different backgrounds. One is Parelli/Natural Horsemanship-based and the other is traditional dressagebased. Both are wonderful instructors and have recently started helping me with my horse’s tendency to brace against the leg and bridle. Both have given me totally opposite things to try, stating that what I was previously doing, which was what the other instructor told me to do, was wrong. Both ways kind of worked and, at the same time, kind of didn’t. I was starting to get confused and frustrated until I thought to myself, “Hey, you know…
I’ve owned a hot, sensitive Thoroughbred/warmblood-cross mare for 8 years. Doing flatwork is like riding a ticking time bomb because she can handle only so much. I always incorporate serpentines into my flatwork because it keeps her brain busy and helps her stay soft and relaxed. I am a show jumper but have done eventing and once worked with a great dressage trainer who taught me to give with my hand by scratching my mare’s neck as I released my contact. My mare enjoys the reward, and plus it helps keep her supple and relaxed. One thing you’ll never see me do is stay on the rail. Instead, I’ll ride serpentines and circles or weave around jumps. Ashley Pollock, Arizona I love serpentines. I feel most riders just go around…
For equitation or hunter classes, no matter how small the show or low the jumps, the horse’s mane and forelock should be braided. 1 Our first rider’s leg has slipped back over this low fence. As a consequence, her heel has come up and she has lost her security. When this happens, the leg can inadvertently become a strong aid telling the horse to go forward when that might not be what the rider wants. From this rider’s expression, I can see that she is a little apprehensive. To fix her leg—and her security—she needs to return to crossrails, riding 10 to 15 in a row, and focus on keeping her heel down and leg stabilized. Despite her leg problems, this rider’s base of support is excellent. Her seat is…
Whether judging a model class, evaluating a prospect for a client or sizing up the yearlings at home, I first stand back and look at the horse for an overall impression of balance and symmetry. My ideal horse “fits” in a square box. By that, I mean he has matching and equal parts, both from front to back and side to side. This allows for athletic ability, soundness, trainability and longevity in the job. A horse who fits in a box will have a body made up of one-third shoulder, one-third back and one-third hindquarters. I like to see the withers and point of croup at the same level. The horse’s stance, from point of shoulder to buttock, should equal the distance from the height of the withers to the…
