While at the Midwest Horse Fair this weekend in Madison, Wisconsin, I was asked about correcting a gaited horse who would no longer gait. My first horse was a Paso Fino, and over the years I’ve played with a variety of gaited horses. To me, they are intriguing and fun, playful and energetic, and at [...]

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I’ve written about the importance of bend in previous posts, but I would like to once again emphasize its use, as well as expand upon and explore the benefits of correct bend further.
The bend that I am referring to in the horse, is the from nose to tail. It encompasses the whole of the horse’s [...]

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How do we combine precision with relaxation? How do we inspire it in our horse? It is done first by example, so how do we learn to do it ourselves?
Our mind can help and hinder our goals as riders. At times it seems like a running commentary there to disturb and distract, keep us locked [...]

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In working with our horses, it seems a never-ending goal to ride a light horse and constantly be light with our application of the aids. Lightness, however, has taken on the role of a relative meaning. It has a different image in the mind of each user, it is seen as something solid, tangible, an [...]

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