Articles
Similar to the multitudes of Netflix viewers last year I, too, fell into the “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo” frenzy after watching the hit reality show with the Japanese tidying “expert.” I will confess to having purchased her book a...
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At any given point in your ride, is your horse relaxed? Or is he tense and anxious? If this isn't something you evaluate consistently throughout your training sessions, our latest Masterclass instructor, horse behavior expert, and upper level event rider...
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A life with horses is a never-ending journey of education. No matter how many hours logged in the saddle or how many ribbons won, horses have a way of bringing us back down to earth, humbling us, teaching us, forcing...
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Sports are inherently mental; the mind controls every movement and reaction of even the most well-prepared body. Horse sports are unique in many ways, but particularly when it comes to the power of the mind. It’s a game of skill as much as power, of calculated risk as much as athleticism.
It’s also nerve-wracking as all hell. And not just for the riders.
Riders who are working on their mental game can often be found visualizing their tests and courses, meditating, and working with sports psychologists. But what about their four-legged counterparts? Although the elite horses of international competition may seem invincible, some are surprisingly sensitive - including Laura Graves’ indomitable Verdades.
When polite suggestions, cajoling, and outright demands aren’t doing the trick, sometimes an instructor has no choice but to get creative. Some trainers will pull out all the stops to get their point across because let’s face it, those grasshopper...
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