In every issue of Horse & Rider you'll find articles on training by the country's leading experts, the latest on equine health care from top veterinarians, trail riding tips from savvy back country riders, and much more!
TRAIN/HEALTH No More Wrong Leads! IF YOUR REASONABLY WELL-BROKE HORSE won’t pick up the correct lead when you ask him to (and assuming there’s no physical reason for his reluctance), then you’re probably not cueing him properly. My guess is you’re making the common mistake of trying to “tip and drag” your horse onto the correct lead. It generally doesn’t work, and when it does happen to work, it’s ugly. I’m going to explain how to position yourself and your horse properly for a balanced, beautiful strike-off at the lope—on the correct lead. With diagrams, I’ll show you the right and wrong ways to set your horse up for the lope transition. With photos, I’ll demonstrate the mistakes you’re probably making, then show you the correct way. To make use…
YOU KNOW HER AS H&R’S CONSULTING VETER-INARIAN, the one who provides expert, easy-to-read information and advice about your horse’s health. (To see what I mean, just search “Barb Crabbe, DVM” here at HorseandRider.com and watch what comes up. You’re welcome.) But did you know she’s also a highly accomplished rider, with multiple awards and regional year-end championships in dressage, the discipline of her choice? It’s true. And because of that, I decided it might be fun to ask her what key insights she’s gained from her nearly 30+ years as an equine vet who rides. Here are two key things she told me. 1. ‘Horses are phenomenally generous creatures.’ The point of this, says the good doctor, is that we need to remember it whenever things go wrong. “If your…
1. Step-ups are an exercise you can easily do at home or at the barn to help strengthen your legs—all you need is a mounting block! Every horse-and-rider duo is a work in progress. That’s what makes the journey so fulfilling—there are always areas to improve. Sometimes a recurring issue can cause frustration, though. If you continue to struggle with a particular maneuver and feel like you’ve tried everything, you might turn to a trusted friend or trainer to get their advice. Perhaps it’s then that you realize that you can’t get your horse to do what your friend or trainer can. And while this may be disappointing, it’s also empowering. If it’s not your horse, this means that your riding challenge might be something you’re doing. This means that…
You warm up your horse before a training session or a show class. You probably ease into your own workouts at the gym. But do you use warm-up exercises to get yourself into horsemanship position in the saddle? Here, I’ll outline exercises my riders use to both build strength to improve their horsemanship position at home and to get themselves ready before a class. Hold the positions as long as you can, take a short break, and resume the exercise. Work through each gait, progressing from walk to jog to lope as you build strength and confidence. 1 Let’s begin by discussing what the optimal horsemanship position looks like. A strong leg is a necessity to maintain the position that aligns your ear, shoulder, hip, and heel. I prefer to…
