When you are jumping a horse, your leg is your foundation. If you don’t have a strong solid leg in the right position, you are going to be in trouble. And if you have good form and have built up good length strength, you should be able to do this:

I’ll admit, this rider is pretty [...]

Posted in Horsin' Around, Jackie's Thoughts, Riding and showing 5 Comments »

Most people who know me now would never believe what a wimp I was when I first started riding. I was scared to try anything out of my comfort zone. I mean anything. Horses acting up made me nervous. The simple thought of cantering made me nervous. Putting a halter on made me nervous. Leading [...]

Posted in Jackie's Thoughts, Riding and showing, Women and Horses 7 Comments »

The unfortunate accident that befell former Olympian and three day eventer Darren Chiacchia serves as a reminder that riding horses is a dangerous activity, no matter how experienced or talented you are–or how reliable your horse is.
This weekend, Darren was competing at the Red Hills Horse Trials three day event in northern Florida, when his [...]

Posted in Horse News, Jackie's Thoughts, Riding and showing 6 Comments »

Therapeutic riding lessons were canceled at Pegasus last night due to the weather, so I decided to go ride since I was already bundled up for the cold.
Marahute, usually second in the herd pecking order, is typically easy to work with, enjoys grooming, and is a generally friendly horse. She likes to test, but isn’t [...]

Posted in Jackie's Thoughts, Riding and showing 3 Comments »

I’ve always thought that part of what makes riding bareback so much fun is the higher level of bonding it creates with your horse, and I was reminded of this yesterday.
It’s been cold, so I’ve been riding Marahute bareback for the added warmth.  (In reality, I’ve just been too lazy to drag my saddle and [...]

Posted in Jackie's Thoughts, Riding and showing No Comments »

I’m still working on catching up on Practical Horseman reading, and the October 2007 issue ends with a hilarious glossary of judging acronyms. Kim Ablon Whitney explains that using shorthand is an essential skill for judges watching horses and their riders tackle the same course all day. She says…
“the trick is to come up [...]

Posted in Horsin' Around, Riding and showing 5 Comments »

The clinicians at Equine Affaire really can make or break the experience. People who are excellent riders, even good trainers, aren’t always the best teachers — at least in a public setting. The first year my mom and I went to Equine Affaire in Columbus, OH, the hunter/jumper clinics were taught by R. Scott Evans [...]

Posted in Riding and showing, Training 1 Comment »