One of the things about being a 40-something re-rider that is the source of much insecurity for many of us is our equitation. Some people are blessed with graceful, athletic bodies that are able to have just the right angles for doing everything that is needed for a perfect riding seat, but the majority of…
Tag: Dressage
Fall in Summer
As horse people, we never want it to happen. We hope and pray that it won’t happen. But, inevitably, even in the best of circumstances, it happens. I’m talking about falling off. Every experienced horse person will tell you that falling off is part of riding. And it’s usually when you’re starting to feel really…
A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That
Anyone who has worked with or owned horses understands that horses don’t give a flying F about your plans, even if those plans are supposed to be beneficial to them. My barn owner, Kate, her husband, Lee, and I had plans to get Kiss trailered to a clinic at my trainer, Deanna’s on Friday afternoon….
It’s Spring and The Kiss-anthemums Are Blossoming
It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but everything is good! Updates on my riding and training progress with Kiss.
Everybody’s Doing It, Sooo…
There are so many things in the traditional horse world that most riders accept as conventional wisdom but is actually, at best, not doing the horse any favors, and at worst can be harmful. For example, the flash noseband is rampantly used to keep a horse’s mouth shut, especially in the dressage world. Nevermind that…
Two Steps Forward, But Then…
They say time flies when you’re having fun, but time streaks at light speed when you’re having stress. I was making pretty good progress with my new rescue dog, Jake’s anxiety at being left by himself. By the first week of September, I was able to leave him for up to an hour by himself…
Girl, You’re Gonna Carry That Weight
I think it’s part of the human condition to make horrible decisions in traumatic times. For me, going through a divorce, I decided to rescue a dog. Oh, but not only rescue a dog, I rescued a dog who wasn’t housebroken, had heartworms, and wasn’t neutered. Oh, AND, come to find out, he has some…
Mocking Bird Moves
As I’ve mentioned many times before, dressage is hard. You know how I know it’s hard? Because a large number of people who train in the sport seek out shortcuts. What do I mean by shortcuts? Shortcuts can be a number of things, but most frequently it’s the use of training aids, as well as…
Dynamic Training
I talked about burnout last week and how those little flickers of success can be enough to keep you going through the grind. Last week, we finally had a significant breakthrough, where Kiss really started to get more balanced and relaxed into the work. She really gets into the work and enjoys it, once you…
Connect, Flicker, Hope
I guess I’m the type of person who can burn out easily, in that, I don’t like to hammer and hammer on a project or a challenge and never see any progress. I like to see the fruits of my labor at some point. I’d say I’m above average when it comes to patience, but…
Equicurious 