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“Really, most people out there in the world are good. I’ll always believe that.” Lessons from a Cross-Country Trip on Horseback
When Melissa Chapman was 23 years old, she said goodbye to her happy, loving family, her job, and her boyfriend. Carrying a puppy named Gypsy, she climbed aboard a horse and rode away from everything, heading west. With no cell phone, no GPS, no support team or truck following with supplies, Chapman quickly learned that […]
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Brain Scientist Janet Jones on Unplanned Dismounts, Chatting with Secretariat, and the Horse’s Double Sense of Smell
In June of 2020, TSB released a book that, as lifelong horse people, we feel is a game-changer. In HORSE BRAIN, HUMAN BRAIN, brain scientist and horsewoman Janet Jones uses plain language to explore the differences and similarities between equine and human ways of negotiating the world. Mental abilities—like seeing, learning, fearing, trusting, and focusing—are […]
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New Releases from Jane Savoie and Anne Kursinski
The winter months are ahead and wouldn’t it be FAB if you could train with renowned coach and master of motivation Jane Savoie and Olympian Anne Kursinski, all for less than the cost of a week’s worth of Starbucks lattes? The good news is YOU CAN! JANE SAVOIE’S DRESSAGE BETWEEN THE JUMPS and ANNE KURSINSKI’S […]
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Tune It Out for Better Horse Training
When working with our horses, it is of the utmost importance to find ways to quiet the noise on both the inside and outside and truly focus.
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A Guide to Quarantine…for Your Horse
We of course all know a bit too much about quarantine these days. In fact, I’m pretty sure we’ve had just about enough of it. But if bringing home a new horse–perhaps a rescue, an adoption, or even just a spontaneous purchase from the place just down the road–is a possibility anytime in your future, […]
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More Than a “Good Eye”
Understanding and implementing stride control (being able to adjust the number of strides before and between fences) improves a horse’s rideability and allows the rider to further improve the horse’s technique over an obstacle. Renowned coach Jen Marsden Hamilton has taught countless riders and horses around the world in the striding techniques that brought her […]
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The Horse Can Detect the Weight of Three Grains of Sand–Here’s How That Matters to EVERYTHING
Proprioception. It’s a big word that’s bandied about a lot in equestrian circles. And though it sounds like a massive concept, really it just means your perception or awareness of the position of and movement of your body—and of course as riders and trainers we all know what a huge role that plays when working […]
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Catching the Uncatchable Horse
In her brand new book WHAT HORSES REALLY WANT, horsewoman Lynn Acton explores a number of skills we all would like to bring to the barn, for example: The ability to earn a horse’s trust starting from the moment you meet him. Knowledge of how to discourage unwanted behavior without punishment. Experience turning pressure into a clear […]
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Using Music to Increase Forward Energy in Your Horse
Who hasn’t struggled to get a horse in front of the leg? None of us want to resort to kicking like a kindergartener in a Thelwell cartoon, but sometimes, when the piggy pony comes out… Dressage trainer and exhibition performer Sandra Beaulieu suggests that music can be used to increase forward energy in the sleepiest, […]
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The Olympics Are Postponed, But Your Dreams Don’t Have to Be
I love watching the Olympics—winter and summer. Pick a sport and I’m into it, willing to admire the athletes, agonize over the losses, celebrate the successes, and even puzzle over the “rules of the game” when it comes to contests unfamiliar to me. I grew up an athlete, and I can identify with the ambition, […]
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