My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Who knew electric spurs — which deliver a zap to the horse when a rider pushes a button — were even something you could buy? A while back I posted about “electric jockeys” who use “buzzers” or “machines” to shock their mounts. Now, American show jumper Andy Kocher is accused of using shock spurs on […]
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Alex Titan, who is pursuing his Masters Degree at Catholic University of Brasilia, is seeing to answer the question, does being an equestrian makes you a better person. He is surveying horse lovers about whether engaging in equestrian sport develop, beyond physical qualities, the athletes’ moral qualities? The project is based on two educational theories […]
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Setting the right ground pole distances can be tricky. You want to start with your horse’s typical stride and then adjust the distances depending on what you want to accomplish in terms of shortening or lengthening your horse’s stride. When integrated into your schooling sessions, working over ground poles and cavalleti will increase your horse’s […]
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One of the moves Zelda and I have been practicing is the rein back. It seems pretty simple, right? Just take a few steps back instead of forward. But it can look pretty sticky if you don’t practice it and if you do it right, the benefits are significant. It helps to raise the horse’s […]
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‘Tis the season when turtles are leaving the comfort of their watery homes to set off cross country to find the ideal place to bury their eggs. For several of them, it appears that place is the grass ring where I ride or the field next to it, where I also ride. It amazes me […]
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One of my readers sent me some poetry to consider for Equine Ink. I really like this one, which takes a light hearted view of the differences between US and Australian equestrians. But, it also underscores how much we all have in common. In today’s world, I think it’s important to recognize how our shared […]
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The stands at Belmont might have been eerily empty today, but it didn’t stop Tiz the Law from laying down a spectacular run in the the 152nd Belmont Stakes. Sure, the race was shorter than usual, but Tiz the Law’s trainer, Barclay Tagg, was not one of the trainers who asked for that. His colt […]
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With the Belmont Stakes being run on Saturday, horse racing is again in the public eye. The use of whips has long been controversial. Now, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission approved new rules that limit the use of the whip, five days after the California Horse Racing Board adopted the most stringent whip-use regulations in […]
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