The Gallop
Horse Training…from Both Sides, Now
Who didn’t learn it that way? One of the very first lesson we all absorb as tiny horse-crazy tots is to approach and handle the horse from the left side....
Lessons in True Collection from a Cowboy
Art by Beth Preston from It’s Not Just About the Ribbons by Jane Savoie. Collection—what it is and what it isn’t—is regularly debated in most horsey circles. While there is...
Eventer and Coach Eric Smiley Tells Us Which Breed of Horse Is Bright Enough to Build a Boat…and Admits Two Surprising Fears
Photo by Venkat Naryanan Having coffee with equestrian coach Eric Smiley is a delightful occurrence worth repeating. Certainly, a clinic with him has a similar effect. A former international event rider...
Food for Thought: A Scientific Argument Against Using Treats in Horse Training
Sugar cubes. Peppermints. Carrots. Carefully sliced pieces of apple. “Cookies.” Admit it: We all have one. A favorite treat. When your horse comes trotting up in the pasture, it feels good, right? When...
Yoga, Nutella, and Passier Saddles: Getting to the Core of It with Horseman Simon Cocozza
Photo by Jaana Maari Partanen. Equine core muscles are very difficult to isolate with the traditional training techniques common to horse sports. However, by examining what we do with the human body when faced...
“His Confidence Was a Bit Like Porcelain: Easy to Crack.” Jonathan Field and His Horse Hal to Perform at Breyerfest 2019
Are you packed and ready to head to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of BreyerFest? That’s right, July 12-14, 2019, marks 30 years that Breyer Animal Creations...
Summer Craft for Horse Kids: Horse Shoe Picture Frame and “Luck Catcher”
Do you know kids who dream of having a horse of their own? A four-legged friend who comes when they call and nickers when they’re nearby? Who doesn’t judge or...
Fathers, Fatherhood, and Horses
Dads. What a marvelous invention. My own repaired fence, stacked hay, held horses, and drove the antique trailer he’d found for next to nothing to countless 4-H shows, all so...
How Horses Save Humans: The Miraculous World of Equine-Partnered Therapy
Survivors of trauma, loss, illness, abuse, stress, and depression can face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. But today, a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that horses play a crucial role in therapy...
To Get a Good Walk…Work on Your Trot and Canter
Whether it was the dawdling pony, ignoring our short, five-year-old legs ricocheting off his sides, or the experienced schoolmaster who knew enough to make us earn a forward ride, we have...
So a Rider Walked into a Bar…
Photo by Charles Hilton. Apparently, equestrians played a key role in popular bar design. Never mind the obvious (sometimes a horse girl needs a drink)—theory has it, back pain, likely...
Take a Tour of Possible Paths to “Real Dressage”
In the 1970s, the sport of dressage was still in its infancy in the United States. Unlike the countries of Europe, there was neither an established tradition nor a written...