The Gallop
Improve Your Horse’s Walk-to-Canter Transition with This Easy (but Meaningful) Exercise
Who hasn’t struggled with walk-to-canter transitions sometime in his or her riding life? While our earliest engagements with walk-to-faster-FASTER-FASTER trots can be owed to short legs, lack of riding experience, and...
Writing, Riding, and Ranching at 70: 24 Hours in the Life of Heather Smith Thomas
If we are lucky, we find a way to construct our lives around the things we love most, and if we’re blessed, we get to do those things for many,...
Prevent-a-Buck: Two Rules to Live (and Stay in the Saddle) By
Doug Payne helps solve the bucking habit and keep us safely in the saddle in THE RIDING HORSE REPAIR MANUAL. Photo by Amy Dragoo. Doug Payne has made a...
“Instead” Horsemanship
TSB author Melinda Folse chooses horses INSTEAD. QUICK! Take this short quiz: 1 Do you often hear yourself saying: “My best riding years are behind me,” or “I missed my...
24 Hours in the Life of WonderHorseWoman Lynn Palm
Ever wonder what it’s like to be a top rider, trainer, judge, or clinician? Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com) is tracking down its top authors and asking them to pull back...
“Stretching” the Horse’s Comfort Zone–The Story of a Tourist in a Foreign Land
When “stretching” a horse’s comfort zone, introduce new or scary objects gradually. When training your horse to become comfortable with new objects and in new places and situations, the goal,...
TSB Author Anne Gribbons Talks About Her Career, Its Rewards and Her Regrets, and 8 Things to Remember When Trying to “Make It” in the Horse Business
“I do not believe in ‘singing with the choir’ to be popular or stay in the game,” says FEI/USEF Dressage Judge and former Technical Advisor to the US Dressage Team...
Soften Your Jaw to Improve Your Rein Contact
Softening your jaw can improve your rein contact, and your horse’s forwardness and suppleness. I’m a tooth grinder, a jaw clencher, a cheek-chewer—my masseters are where anxiety and pressure get together and...
What Moves and What Shouldn’t Move Much in the Saddle
Dr. Beth Glosten is the author of THE RIDING DOCTOR. Dr. Beth Glosten no longer practices medicine but has turned her attention and precise knowledge of anatomy to riding (she’s...
On “Feeling the Spark,” “Having Faith,” and Anthropomorphism with Horses
“At the outset of any new relationship, there is the joy of getting to know someone and of doing things together. A horse develops his interest partly because he...
24 Hours in the Life of Leading Equestrian Sport Psychologist Daniel Stewart
International trainer and riding instructor Daniel Stewart is widely considered one of the world’s leading experts on equestrian sport psychology, biomechanics, and athletics. He teaches clinics and seminars to thousands...
Staying Safe on the Trail: 4 Defensive Tactics for Riders
The last thing that ever crossed my mind when I was a kid riding my horse alone on the vast network of back roads and trails in central Vermont was...