Using ground poles effectively: A lesson remembered

About 20 years ago I was fortunate enough to take several lessons with the great horseman Ronnie Mutch. Obviously, he made a great impression on me because I can still play back those lessons in my mind. One of the real “light bulb” concepts that he introduced to me was how effectively you could use […]

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Lessons remembered: Posting the Canter

Does your horse’s canter need better rhythm? Try posting! That’s right, posting to the canter can help your horse relax his back, open up his stride and regulate his speed, all without touching his mouth. I use it sometimes with Freedom to open up his stride without having him get quick. For the rider, posting […]

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Pool noodle not included

Here’s a product that when I read about I couldn’t decide whether to laugh myself silly or kick myself for not coming up with the idea myself. Is it so simple that it’s just another  ridiculous way to part aspiring DQs from their money? Or simply an amazing way to convey the basic concepts of […]

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Last workout for Zenyatta before the Breeder’s cup

Nice workout for Zenyatta yesterday in her last workout before the Breeder’s cup. She looks very fit and fluid. Make sure you listen to the commentary after the workout as it’s very educational. To keep her attention for the workout, Zenyatta raced two of her stablemates, Sarbonne and El Vino, but neither one of them […]

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FEI rules Rollkur is Okay but only for 10 minutes

According to an article in http://www.horsetalk.co.nz, the FEI has issued a 10 minute limit for training a horse using Rollkur. Riders warming-up at shows are not allowed to keep their horses’ head and neck carriage in a sustained or fixed position for more than 10 minutes, under new guidelines approved by the FEI this week. […]

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Anky’s training methods in her own words

Anky van Grunsven is considered the queen of Rollkur by many. She calls her system Low, Deep and Round (LDR). In these three videos, Anky talks about her system of LDR in a clinic while demonstrating the techniques on her horse Nelson. While I’m not a fan of Rollkur (and yes, these videos are meant […]

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Update on Quality Road and his roadtrip back East.

Quality Road, the colt that broke through the starting gate at the Breeders Cup ended up with quite a set of scrapes and bruises including stitches, a laceration and big bruise over one eye, and a large hemotoma on his leg. He also almost knocked out one of his teeth. Read more.

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Riding your plan

I try to have a plan for each ride when I start out. Sometimes the plan changes, but I try to set my goals — or my limits — before I ride. It’s the times when I’ve tried to do more than my plan that I’ve gotten into trouble. You know, the time you just […]

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