A challenge people frequently come across is the lazy horse: the horse that you have to constantly remind to stay forward, the horse that makes your legs feel like they're about to fall off from exertion. These horses, while easy to appreciate for a quiet trail ride, can be frustrating when you want to do [...]
One of our favorite programs to offer is working with different educational organizations, whether they are schools (all grades and undergraduate/graduate university levels) or clubs (like Scouts, 4H, FFA, and USPC to name a few). Religious organizations are also welcome to partake in these programs! For these organizations, we have several offerings that can be [...]
We get a lot of questions about various resources, so here's a compilation! Proceeds purchased through these links will go to furthering our education programs! For newcomers to riding or folks who are coming back and don't have boots or a helmet: Ariat Terrain Boots (love these because they double as work/hiking boots!) Ovation Schooling [...]
We've started offering rider fitness coaching! Often, equestrians need a little extra assistance to keep their muscles balanced. Using a combination of Pilates and other calisthenics-based and free-weight exercises with some assistance from the Pilates exercise chair and wall springs, we can create a fitness regimen customized for you with in-person sessions to help [...]
Longeing is an often-misunderstood tool in the toolbox for training horses. A lot of people struggle with accomplishing what they want, getting rightfully frustrated when their horse races around or slams on the brakes randomly. However, as tricky as this may seem, there are several simple tools that can help you conquer these frustrations and [...]
The previous blog post covered the position of the seat. This is extremely important for developing a balanced seat that allows you to flow with the horse through the various movements. But how do we influence the horse and actually use this seat? After all, a pretty seat that we can't use is not very [...]
The main element that separates classical riding is its core philosophy. All riding disciplines are (or should be) guided by a love for the horse, and all good horsemen/women are guided by that love. However, each discipline has a little different focus in its core values, some valuing grit and others valuing courage as their [...]
One of the fondest memories I have of Karl Mikolka is a car ride taking him back to the Bed and Breakfast after a clinic day. I rode a client stallion that day that was feeling particularly emotional (if you ride stallions, you know what I mean). I told Karl how much I appreciated his [...]
It's something we hear a lot in dressage: "Get your horse on the bit." "He's not round enough; get him more on the bit." But what does this actually mean? For many people, it brings up images of making the horse come into a certain posture to "look" a certain way. This then makes people [...]
