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We’re About to Blow Your Mind: Working with Horses Is Like Flying Helicopters
“Softness” is about having the sensitivity we need in order to feel when and if the horse tries to “give.” It is about developing the kind of awareness and feel it takes to know when we are working against our horses, rather than with them. In his book JOURNEY TO SOFTNESS, renowned horseman and storyteller […]
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Love vs. Limits: How Do You Establish Boundaries While Still Being Your Horse’s Friend?
I think it is Buck Brannaman who has often likened working with horses to parenthood. And, as a horse person and a mom, I concur it is strikingly similar. Loving someone and yet setting limits and saying “No” can be an exhausting act of balance. You don’t want to err too soft or too hard…and […]
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10 Things I Learned from Jack Le Goff’s Autobiography
Before we published HORSES CAME FIRST, SECOND, AND LAST, I knew of Jack Le Goff. I knew of him the way any once-young-and-aspiring eventer would: through stories shared by the trainers I rode with through the years, as well as those very fine horsemen and women I’ve had the honor of working with during my […]
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The Principles of Riding: Still Solid After All These Years
THE PRINCIPLES OF RIDING by the German Equestrian Federation (FN) was first published more than 50 years ago and now has 28 editions to date. Over 400,000 have been sold, translated into 11 languages. The ideas expressed in THE PRINCIPLES OF RIDING are based on “classical riding,” which is defined by the FN as: “A […]
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The Truth About Transitions
In Jessica Black’s book COWBOY DRESSAGE, she explains Eitan Beth-Halachmy’s riding and training philosophy. One point they do an excellent job clarifying involves transitions: what they are, how to prepare for them, and how to make them good. Anytime the horse changes his gait or frame, he performs a transition. Going from the walk to […]
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Training the Shy Ones: Insight from Ingrid Klimke
In her new book TRAINING HORSES THE INGRID KLIMKE WAY, gold-medal Olympian and champion eventer Ingrid Klimke shares intimate profiles of 10 of her horses. We are invited into her barn where she explains their personality quirks, their strengths and their challenges. Klimke outlines each horse’s training plan, highlighting why certain accommodations are made for […]
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Going Back in Order to Go Forward: A Lesson from Alois Podhajsky
Colonel Alois Podhajsky was an Olympian and Director of the the Spanish Riding School in Vienna for 26 years. Podhajsky was known to bring out the best in each horse he rode, and to rely on patience, understanding, and affection in the training process. Podhajsky detailed his riding, training, and competitive experiences in the […]
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Mounting Anxiety?
How do you think your horse feels about being mounted? Does he fidget? Throw his head up? Drop his back? Root at the bit? It is easy to unbalance your horse when you mount him, and you can also unbalance him when you dismount. Learning to take your time in the process of mounting and dismounting […]