My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Here’s an interesting article about an owner who went the barefoot route after her horse developed severe White Line disease. Competing on a barefoot horse is almost unheard of for a show hunter. However, given that they are almost always on groomed footing, I would think that more people might follow suit.
Read MoreOkay, for all of those who enjoyed the bareback Puissance class, take a look at this video! I sure hope this fellow doesn’t want to have children. That ride may have made it a moot point. To watch this video you have to be a member of Facebook. Update: someone who speaks French fluently enough […]
Read MoreOne fastest growing sports in Europe is rabbit hopping . . . coaxing bunnies to jump the equivalent of stadium jumps. When I was a kid I did similar courses with my dog, a standard poodle. While I was impressed with his athletic abilities (standard poodles are amazing athletes), these rabbits put him (and Freedom) […]
Read MoreRecently I was listening to a trainer talk about how to prepare a horse for a jump. As she discussed the mechanics of the stride, it reminded me of a talk another trainer had given me several decades ago (let’s not get specific!). He asked me to imagine that my horse was made of rubber. […]
Read MoreOne of the coolest things on the Internet is the wealth of educational materials. I’m not going to be heading to England any time soon to ride with (or audit) a training session with show jumping great Geoff Billington, but I don’t have to. Horse and Country TV brings it right to my laptop. I […]
Read MoreApparently this was part of a competition where polo riders and jumper riders switch mounts. I can’t believe that anyone would let their jumper be abused in quite this way — the horse deserves a medal for continuing to jump. However, I have never seen anyone get so much air over a jump and still […]
Read MoreYouTube has shown me that I am not the only person who trained various pets to jump. My childhood dog, a Standard Poodle named Yankee, was remarkably patient as he jumped the courses that I set up, and pulled wagons and sleds. Little did I realize that this was actually called agility training. And that […]
Read MoreThis photographer at the Winter Equine Festival in Wellington, Fla., learned that the most dangerous place to be during a jumper class was not on the horse, but rather on the ground! Luckily it appears that horse, rider and photographer all escaped unscathed.
Read More