In every western riding discipline, from western pleasure and roping to cutting, reining and working cow horse events, spurs can be found among the rider’s repertoire of equipment. It’s rare to see a cowboy or cowgirl riding without them. If a...
Spurs come in a variety of types and styles. How mild or severe they are depends on the type of rowel, which is the wheel on the end of the shank. Here is how spurs rank, from one to...
If you follow the international equestrian scene at all, or if you read the news here on HorseChannel, then you are no doubt familiar with Dutch dressage rider Edward Gal and his remarkable mount, Moorlands Totilas. The pair made...
If you’ve studied dressage in the past, you may have learned the training scale, a six-level pyramid of increasingly advanced concepts. The first three levels are the building blocks to connection, or getting your horse on the bit.RHYTHM: The...
Before you can get a true connection and ride your horse on the bit, he needs to be supple. The following exercises can be used to loosen or "unlock” your horse:POLL: Alternate flexing your horse’s poll 1 inch...
Getting your horse on the bit is considered the Holy Grail of dressage. It may seem mysterious and hard to grasp, but the good news is anyone can learn what to do, and then do it!You have probably...
Riding a bad transition is like riding a pile driver. It’s bumpy and can cause you to lose your seat and your patience. You’ve seen your horse move smoothly from trot to canter and back to trot in the...
For a fast and safe run, it’s imperative that your barrel horse change leads between the first and second barrel. "It’s actually scary for a horse to turn on the wrong lead because he’s in a position where he...
Even if your western horse came equipped with power steering, you can still run into problems if you’re not correctly asking him to neck rein. Little details in how you hold the reins or position your hand will influence...
