This is Penny, aka Princess L’Heureux of A Thoroughbred Family Affair fame performing her special trick–bowing. She’s a diva. But she’s not a diva who is above begging. A good 13 years ago, I taught Penny to bow. I took her favorite treat, a peppermint, and would place it between her front legs up by [...]

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 [...]

One thing I’ve never been properly trained in is how to teach a headset for hunters and jumpers–that nice, round neck with head vertical to the ground that is so pretty (it’s not just pretty, though, it’s functional!). I know how to ask a horse for it who already knows how, but I’ve been at [...]

While I actually watch the big game for the football and not just the funny Superbowl commercials, I am always drawn to the Budweiser Clydesdale commercials. The one where the horses are kicking the football for an extra point has always been one of my favorites. As I was walking with the volunteer coordinator at [...]

My favorite jumping sessions are those centered on gymnastic exercises. They were also some of the most beneficial for improving jump position, balance, centeredness, strength, feel, and more. They’re challenging but really fun, and are essential training exercises for beginners to the most advancer riders. Gymnastic exercises are a series of ground poles and jumps [...]

In a barn session yesterday afternoon, I had to deal with two horses who were acting a little nervous for very different reasons. Louie Louie, a 7-year-old foxtrotter gelding, has pretty much been a one man horse for the past three years. He was fine with me brushing him; after all, I’m the one who [...]