Indholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2025 i Practical Horseman

I tend to overthink things, and that can carry over into my riding. With my disposition, it was nice to hear the message from this issue’s experts that sometimes less is more when it comes to riding and training horses. For example, show jumper Margie Engle shares two ground-rail exercises that are simple yet effective when it comes to helping riders develop their jumping skills while limiting the wear and tear on their horses’ legs (page 14). John Michael Durr, a hunter, jumper and eventing trainer, notes that he often sees riders doing too much with their aids, thus giving their horses conflicting messages. He explains how to use an adaptable jumping exercise to get riders to practice sticking to a plan and communicating with their horses using subtle aids…

I teach clinics across the country, and what I notice again and again are riders who are too busy with their aids and try to push too many buttons at the same time. These conflicting messages are like white noise to horses and prevent them from hearing what the riders are asking. I think the solution is to do less, or as I call it, the art of subtraction. The exercise I’ll describe in this article will help you learn to do just that. Instead of using strong and sometimes conflicting aids to ride it, you’ll work on communicating with your horse using subtle aids and riding softly. You want to be more like your horse’s dance partner and less like his drill sergeant. This exercise will help you find…

If Tamie Smith could relive one ride from her long and notable career in eventing, it would unquestionably be her show-jumping round at the 2023 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event aboard her beloved, longtime partner Mai Baum. After she and the now 19-year-old German Sport Horse gelding delivered a double clear show-jumping round, the pair secured their historic victory as the first U.S. combination to win the event in 15 years. “So often in our sport, you mess up or have bad luck or the wind blows the wrong way. There are so many things out of your control,” she said. “For everything to go right and hearing the crowd screaming after that last jump was just a magical feeling.” Yet, even at the pinnacle of her career, Smith finds…

The photo is of Amber Gipp and her horse Furst Yogi. Here is what Amber had to say: “Furst Yogi is a 7-year-old, 17.2-hand gelding who is a mellow and happy horse, but he needs to stay engaged behind while under saddle. I am his trainer, and he is confirmed at Third Level and schooling Prix St. Georges.” My first impression after seeing this photo was: What a great picture catching this colorful and powerful moment! It’s one of those pictures you would hang inside your barn to advertise your training. Furst Yogi is trotting with engaged hind legs, good lift of the shoulders and nice self-carriage. He looks like he’s concentrating, his mouth is closed (with the curb bit at the correct angle) and he looks like he’s in…

All horse owners should know how to take their horses’ vital signs to assess their horse’s well-being. Vital signs measure the basic body functions of a horse, including temperature, pulse and respiration as well as other indicators such as mucous membranes, capillary refill time and gut sounds. These vital signs have a normal range for a healthy horse at rest. Unusual fluctuations in these values can be an indication of illness, infection or other problems. Being familiar with what’s normal for your horse can alert you to any potential issues and prompt you to contact your veterinarian to evaluate your horse’s health. To check your horse’s vital signs, you will need a thermometer and a watch or mobile phone to track time. A stethoscope is also a helpful tool to…

My main goal is always to try to keep my horses happy, healthy and sound. I do just enough work to keep them physically fit so they stay fresh. I’ve found if you do the same type of work in the same ring day after day, the horses become bored and sour. So, I incorporate cross-training with dressage, trail riding and working on different terrain and surfaces to help my horses build strength and to keep them looking forward to their work. And when it comes to jumping, I believe less is more. You can easily replicate any jumping exercise with simple ground rails or cavalletti, which helps limit wear and tear on your horse’s legs. In this article, I’ll explain how I warm up on the flat and share…

Forage is the most natural equine feed and should be the foundation of every horse’s diet. But sporthorses who participate in more demanding disciplines or those who have heavy competition schedules may have different needs when it comes to balancing their diet. Shannon Pratt Phillips, M.S., Ph.D., PAS, DPL-ACAS Nutrition, Professor of Animal Science, Equine Nutrition and Physiology, North Carolina State University, explains that forages include long-stemmed plant material such as pasture and hay, as well as haylage, hay cubes, chopped hay and more. “Forages are the most important part of a horse’s diet because they provide the bulk of necessary nutrition,” she said. “It takes horses awhile to eat the long-stemmed plant material in hay, pasture or haylage, which is good for their well-being and behavior; they don’t get…