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Two Easy Exercises to Make the Rider’s Hands More Sensitive and Effective
“That rider has good hands.” The comment might mean little to those outside the equestrian realm, but within it, we understand it as a compliment. And one of the highest order. As young riders, we try our darnedest for a somewhat light connection with the school horses and tough little ponies we likely learn on.…
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Horsepower: Getting Energy Under Saddle, When and Where You Want It
Horsepower…it’s what revs that Ferrari’s engine and makes the chainsaw growl. The term is said to have been invented by the engineer James Watt who was famous for his work to improve the performance of steam engines. He determined that mine ponies could move a certain amount of coal in a minute and used this to come up…
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The Best Horse Books and DVDs of 2016
Every year as we turn the page on one year and look forward to the next, we glance back through the months prior and the books and DVDs we published. It is always rewarding to review the results of our work and to know that hopefully, there are a few happier, healthier horses out there.…
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The Horse’s Center of Gravity vs. His Center of Energy and Control: An Exercise
As we ride, we hear a lot about getting our horses “off their forehands” or “off their shoulders”—and most of us engage in any number of schooling figures and half-halts with just this goal in mind. But without an inner sense of what it is we are doing for our horses when we shift the…
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The Horselife: Moms Who Made All the Difference
In his book HOW GOOD RIDERS GET GOOD, author Denny Emerson details the success stories of 23 top riders. And it is perhaps no surprise that when asked to name some of the reasons they “got good,” many of these equestrians listed “Mom” way up near the top. “My mom was my first teacher,” says…
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Happy Holidays! Watch the TSB Horses Enjoy Their First Snow in Our Video Short Story
Few out there would deny delighting in the season’s first snowfall. Horses, too, find it an excuse to be young again and enjoy a roll, a buck, a frolic. We wish all of you a joyful holiday season and hope you, like our horses, get a chance to kick up your heels. Click the image…
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“Santa, Please Bring Me a Pony”—6 Ponies-for-Presents Videos from TSB
Who among us doesn’t remember the ache of wanting, wishing, hoping, even believing that THIS year would be the year that Santa persuaded a pony to wait quietly and patiently under the tree until Christmas morning? It is not a wish unique to one girl or boy, or to one particular state or country.…
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The “Faux” Runaway and an Exercise for Getting Your Horse’s Engine in Gear
Early in my riding career, but after I knew a thing or two, I used to ride this hot chestnut mare (I know, if three words were ever meant to string together…). I’d be exhausted after flatting her 15 minutes. I thought it was really all I could do to keep her from plowing down…
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“Looking for the Possibility”–An Easy Transition Exercise for Riders
“The purpose of transitions,” says Beth Baumert in her new book WHEN TWO SPINES ALIGN: DRESSAGE DYNAMICS, “isn’t to get into the gait of choice, but rather to do it with grace, in a way that improves the horse. Transitions can improve the connection and collect him.” Transitions not only make life fun and…
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