When APHA judge and educator David Denniston of Mead, Colo., isn’t judging horse shows, he’s busy developing horse show patterns for other judges and exhibitors. Here, he provides step-by-step advice on how to ride one of his horsemanship patterns....
The purpose of the showmanship class is for exhibitors to demonstrate their ability to show their horses, rather than showcasing the horse himself. In showmanship, the horse’s conformation is not judged. However, how the horse is turned out is...
Teaching your horse to lope off on the correct lead can be achieved in three simple steps: the set-up, the cue and the release. World-champion reining trainer Casey Deary, of Deary Performance Horses in Weatherford, Texas, explains how.
Step 1:...
Performing in trail classes sounds so easy — after all, you aren't actually out on the trails battling wild creatures and dangerous ditches or fallen trees. You're riding in a nice, safe arena, on soft footing and around contrived...
If you wish you could just saddle up Old Paint and trot off into the wilderness for a few days, but come up short because you don’t have an extra horse to handle all your gear, you’ll love ultralight...
We've all heard it, maybe even said it ourselves: "If I could afford a $20,000 horse who moved like that I could win, too!" And to be perfectly honest, perhaps that's even partly true for some events, where championship...
Photo: Des Blenkinsopp/CC BY SA 2.0A trail ride with friends is one of the most relaxing activities you can do on horseback. But that is only if you and your friends observe good trail manners while you are out...
We’ve all heard the jokes and the ridicule. We’ve heard western pleasure horses called peanut rollers, zombies and creepers. It’s been claimed that time-elapsed photography is the best way to determine if they are actually moving around the arena,...
The 4-D format has become quite popular in barrel racing, thanks in large part to the National Barrel Racing Association (NBHA), but if you’re new to the sport or haven’t shown using the 4-D format, here’s how it works:All...
If riding in wet or muddy conditions, deep sand, foxtails or burrs, Michigan State University’s Department of Animal Science recommends leaving your horse’s boots behind. Debris-filled boots can rub and scrape, leaving your horse’s legs vulnerable to bacterial and...
