Training
AQHA World Show Champion Open Western Dressage & Dressage
I Can Can I. That is the name that I gave my little 14 hand horse…who keeps proving that she certainly CAN. Willow (that’s her barn name) and I drove 16 hours to Oklahoma City to the American Quarter Horse Association World show to compete in both traditional and western dressage. ?AQHA World Show Champion…
Read MoreWhy do horses swish or wring or use their tails? With and without riders…
I know I am opening a huge can of worms here….but lets talk about horses using their tails. I am talking about tail swishing, tail wringing, etc. Here are some questions for you…(my answer follows the question.) Do horses ever use their tails because of the rider? Yes Do horses ever use their tails because…
Read MoreCooling and drying horses after winter rides
Hair dry in the barn… Do you ever ride in the winter, put a cooler on your horse, and find that an hour later they are cool but still have damp spots? I do. Sometimes they dry right up and sometimes…nope. My solution: keep a hair dryer in the barn. Not only can the dryer…
Read MoreProblems with teaching a horse to Bow
Hi Stacy, I watched your video on how to teach your horse to bow and I finally got my horse, Espresso, to bow. Although now that she know’s how to bow every time the farrier comes to do her feet she bows. What is your suggestion? thanks Haley Lol. That can happen! This issue should…
Read MoreThree reasons to show at home (virtual horse shows)!
Three reasons to show at home: 1) you’ll prep your riding area 2) you’ll act weird 3) you’ll learn something Have you entered a ‘virtual’ horse show? The Western Dressage World show is my first record-at-home horse show…and it has been quite a learning curve! My initial thought was that I would have two main…
Read MorePresto’s first trail ride
For Presto’s first trail ride, I asked my husband, Jesse, to ride my mare Willow ahead of Presto. I’ve ‘ponied’ Presto from Willow before so they are both comfortable with being close to each other. Willow was both a calm influence and in case of emergency I could have used her as a wall to…
Read MoreTeaching a horse to handle stress. Episode 4: The Trail to the World Show
The world can be a stressful place if you don’t know how to recover from challenges. This is true with humans and it is true with horses. There are two primary ways we can address stressful situations with horses. We can try to avoid stress We can teach the horse how to handle stress Those…
Read More9 Reasons Western Dressage is Growing in Popularity
Western dressage is growing quickly…but why? Here are some of the reasons I discovered when I was getting started. Reason #1 You can use the horse and the tack you already own. Most western saddles and many western bridles are allowed. For the most up to date rules, you should always check the rulebook which you…
Read MoreQuickly Evaluating Problems with Horses and Riders
Have you ever felt stuck when evaluating a problem with your horse? I found myself drawing this chart over and over again in my journals and explaining it to friends. It is my simple evaluation tool that I use to analyzing problems or answer questions about horses and riders. The problem. When someone poses a problem…
Read MoreDoes your horse find you predictable AND interesting?
When we train, we train using patterns. Patterns of behavior that create habits. Lead to the saddling area. Ground-tie. Brush. Saddle. Mount. Warm up. Work period. Rest period. Work period. On the surface it may look to an outside observer that we are teaching the horse to perform a pattern, like a trick, however, we…
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