Ah, the corset. Outside of historical reenactment circles, it's viewed as a symbol of female oppression. Most people think of movie scenes where women are getting laced so tightly they can't breathe and ultimately pass out (in fact, it's become a common trope in movies). A sign of female liberation is the woman taking off [...]
The thoracic sling is something of a hot topic in riding right now. But what is it? Why is it even important? The thoracic sling is one element of "good posture" in a horse, much like having our chest open is an element of good posture in humans. The front limb of the horse is [...]
That is the question... on the minds of many equestrians. Some argue that giving treats will ruin the horse, but others argue that treating is the best way to go. Personally, I go with the latter. Yes, even with the stallions. Yes, even with horses that tend to be "mouthy." Why? Because it can help [...]
No, not that kind of TLC (though Tender Loving Care is always great!). This kind of TLC is the kind I go over in almost every first lesson, and it's a TLC we need to remember with every movement in every ride. Tempo, Line, and Contact. The key to all three is to keep them [...]
Warming up is always a challenge in day-to-day riding. It's easy to let it go on for an extremely long time, but then it's hard to know what to do if you have only 10 minutes to warm up for whatever reason. So what does it take to make for an effective warm-up? What Should [...]
There's a phrase in riding, particularly in dressage, which says to "ride every stride." A lot of people think this means to constantly "do" something every stride the horse takes. But is this really what that phrase means? What it really means to ride every stride is to be aware of what the horse is [...]
One lesson type that confuses people when it comes to riding is theory lessons. What kind of theory is there to learn about riding? How could a theory lesson be helpful? Why pay for a theory lesson and take an hour for one when they can pay for a ride? There's actually many benefits to [...]
Learning how to ride is always an interesting journey. Most of the time, people start by jumping into the deep end, getting on a horse and learning the bare bones of communicating with a horse (kick to go, pull on the reins to stop, pull one rein to turn, etc.). Eventually, they'll work on refinement, [...]
Most of the time, when we hear reinforcement and punishment, it gives us ideas of either giving treats or giving lashes with a whip. One seems so positive and wonderful, and the other so awful. But what do these terms actually mean? Reinforcement is somehow rewarding for performing a desired behavior, while punishment is somehow [...]
Half-halt. It's one of those terms we hear a lot in dressage, but how many of us can actually define it? What exactly entails a half-halt, and what does it do for the horse? Many of my students know that for this reason, I am not really a big fan of this term, but it [...]
