Having a good quality canter is important for every discipline, perhaps most for jumping. Therefore, having exercises to improve the strength, quality and adjustability of the canter is important for overall success. While there are many flat exercises that can help to improve your horses canter in this week’s lessons ... Read More »

With the August horse show getting closer, getting the barn looking its best becomes a more pressing necessity for my mom (the barn manager) and me. It is amazing how much work it takes to keep such a big property not only looking good but more importantly how much it takes to keep up with the maintenance that is crucial to ... Read More »

I’ve been coaching an Intercollegiate (IHSA) Team for a while now but this year I’m looking into beginning a high school team. The way that the two associations run horse shows are fairly similar but I’m sure there are some differences. The biggest difference from a coach’s point of view I would ... Read More »

Everyone knows that good hoof care is a crucial part of overall horse care and this weekend I was reminded of it again when my brother, a farrier, was home for a visit. Every time he visits we inevitably end up going through each of my horses and talking about what kind of feet they have. This time when we got to one of my ... Read More »

It takes a lot of practice to become comfortable in the show ring. Inevitably, when you step into the show ring with people watching and critiquing you, the pressure will affect your riding in some way. The way this pressure affects people is different for each person but usually results in nervousness of some degree. To ... Read More »