So what’s with bits these days? Back in my pony clubbing days in upstate NY we had the snaffle. When you got to more advanced work in dressage there was the double bridle and if four reins were just a little too tough to handle, you could always cheat and use a Pelham bit with a “rounding” to join the curb and snaffle reins into one, thus giving you only two reins to work with.
Horses are magnificent and majestic animals. Who isn’t awed when they see a horse running freely in pasture, neck arched, tail held high and an elevated step that makes her look as if she is floating effortlessly across the ground? When we ride our horses our goal is to capture that beauty, that effortless floating [...]
Some basic advice for future horse owners and a reminder to those of us who do own horses about the inherent dangers and the mental and physical needs of the horse. A great link to an interesting blog – Fugly Horse of The Day.
We make mistakes when we work with our horses. I’ve had my fair share. Fortunately the horse is a forgiving creature and hopefully we learn from our mistakes. Discover my initial mistake with Tessla, a beautiful 3 y.o. Friesian filly and our first four rides together.
A very talented trainer once said to me “When I go to get my horse, I want him to think ‘Alright! Here he comes again!!’ and not ‘Oh crap, it’s him again’.” I took this to heart and have spent many years pondering what makes a horse happy and how my horse might come to [...]
