Category Archives: bitless riding

Straight from the heart…what do horses tell us?

Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to talk about what we think of “love” between ourselves and our horses. We don’t really need studies to tell us what we feel about our horses and probably we have a good sense of how our horses feel about us. So much of what we feel would be considered “anecdotal evidence,” yet it is powerful and real. But there have been pilot studies done on the relationships between people and their horses, with some surprising, validating results.

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10 tips to riding horseback for the rest of your life

(Okay, if you really want to, you can get off to sleep and for meals, if you think it’s necessary.) DSC_0480 Continue reading 10 tips to riding horseback for the rest of your life

A child with horses

When I was four my parents took me on picnics in England (where I was born) to the country, and the highlight of my day was getting to see an old farm horse who would come to the fence in search of treats and a pet. I knew nothing then, only that my heart was so drawn to that horse that I carried him home with me in the car, everywhere I went from thereon, in my imagination, in my heart, in my soul.

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Best Body Language blogs of 2013

I decided to go through and pick out what readers had deemed the best Body Language blogs of 2013.

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Working with the liberty rein over cavaletti

This week I posted a video of Jazzmine going over cavaletti using only the liberty rein. In the past, I have taken her over cavaletti at liberty with just a halter, to guide her if she loses her connection with me. This is our first exercise with the liberty rein.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dEkR5PHAX0&w=560&h=315]

Continue reading Working with the liberty rein over cavaletti

To saddle or not to saddle?

Recently there has been a lot of attention in the horse press given to whether it’s best to ride a horse with a saddle or not, or even whether to ride horses. This query also extends to whether we should all ride our horses in a neck rein or bitless bridle, are all bits cruel, etc.?

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Just got my horse back from the trainer and…

You fill in the blanks. Several things could have happened here. In a perfect world, the horse is doing great. You have great energy and your horse and you are a real team. Best case, your trainer has also worked with you and your new horse to know what the trainer is doing so that you can all work on “the same page.”

Kaiden is one of the youngest horse trainers I know - creating curiosity
Kaiden is one of the youngest horse trainers I know – creating curiosity in the horse

Continue reading Just got my horse back from the trainer and…