Denice Klinger and Lido competing in a hunter breeding class. Photo courtesy picsofyou.com.It seems like western breeds get all the breaks when it comes to logging show miles at an early age. Endless halter, showmanship and longe line classes...
Young equine athletes seem full of such promise, offering you a chance to finally own your dream horse. Yet somewhere between Intro to Saddle 101 and Advanced Show-Ring Skills the learning curve of a young performance horse can take...
Three basic types of cross-country obstacles—ditches, banks and water—must be carefully and systematically introduced to even the boldest cross-country horse. If you give your horse a good start over these jumps, there’s no reason to ever have a problem....
The trained eye of a horse show judge sees nearly everything. Riders who believe they’ve ridden a perfect round over jumps are often surprised to learn they’ve been marked down for errors. One of the worst problems riders have...
Q. My seasoned jumper is a “been there, done that” kind of horse. But lately he’s been dropping rails, almost always on verticals. At horse shows, the first round or two he jumps clean. After that, I can’t seem...
Q. I have a 4-year-old warmblood that I want to begin jumping. My vet is going to examine him to determine if his bones are mature enough to start jumping, but what is the process that he goes through...
Q: Most of the time my green hunter is very brave at unfamiliar jumps. But every now and then at a show, he’ll suddenly slam on his brakes without warning. Then he makes this big effort from a standstill...
If you board your horse at home or a small local stable, chances are you don’t have a fancy course of jumps on which to practice. The good news is that you can build your own standards with a...
You’re in the midst of a hotly contested hunt seat equitation class. Thankfully, your horse is listening to your aids and you’re zipping along confidently at the posting trot. And then the judge calls for the sitting trot. Gulp....
Although it’s frustrating to have your hunter or jumper excused from the show ring due to refusals, don’t assume you have the right to school your horse over a more inviting jump before exiting. According to U. S. Equestrian...
