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Help! It’s Almost September, and I Wanted to Try Fox Hunting This Fall
So, you have been seduced by the misty allure of sporting scenes from Downton Abbey and aspire to follow hounds this fall? Perhaps you’re a literary type, and the romance of galloping the moors with...
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Dealing With Lower Leg Problems
It’s difficult enough to support the mass of a horse on a tiny column like the leg if it is a rigid structure. When it also has a moving part (the fetlock), the problem becomes much more complicated....
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Palio di Siena: The World’s Oldest, Wildest Horse Race
Imagine if the Kentucky Derby was more like a Roller Derby…staged in Times Square…it might look something like the Palio di Siena. “Il Palio” is a bi-annual cultural extravaganza in the picturesque...
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Simple Exercise to Nail the Adjustable Canter
I never canter randomly. Whether on an event horse or a Morgan, in a jumping saddle or dressage saddle, I constantly work to improve my eye for a distance. I’ll see a hoofprint, a leaf, a dandelion out...
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An Olympic Sized Lesson: Keep Your Mind in Your Own Lane
Michael Phelps’ victory over Chad Le Clos in the 200m butterfly at the Rio Olympics was truly something to witness. First, we got a glimpse behind the scenes in the ready room. Swimmers engaged in...
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The Easy Pre-Ride Exercise All Riders Should Be Doing
Let’s be honest…how many of us truly treat our riding selves as athletes? You know, with warmups and cooldowns and consideration of the physical assets that could be improved (gulp) out of the saddle...
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What Can Numbers Teach Us About Elite Show Jumping? The Answer May Surprise You.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I love numbers. They allow us to quantify performance and search for patterns within sport that may not be otherwise apparent. For this article, I wanted to look at...
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Warm Me Up Before You Go-Go
When we work horses, especially young ones, we ask them to give us not only their total focus but also a very high degree of physical exertion. As with human athletes, our equine partners require some...
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5 Tricks Course Designers Use to Make a Jump More Challenging
Course designers have a number of tools at their disposal when building a course. They play with the types of jumps and the elements they’re built with. They tweak the distance between lines and factor...
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What Makes a Jumping Horse “Careful”?
The most important aspect of show jumping performance is the ability of the horse to keep all of the rails in the cups. Horses that have a relatively low percentage of rails knocked down are termed...
View ArticleDon’t Let Embarrassing Helmet Flyaways Happen to You
You’re late for your class. You’re racing to tack your horse, learn your course, and oh yeah, get your long hair up and under your helmet with some semblance of proficiency. You think you’ve nailed it,...
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Try This Easy Exercise For Better Balance in the Saddle
If you’re like me, you look at your first-pony photos (it’s all about nostalgia these days) and cringe a bit at the position of your leg—no doubt, stuck a little (or a lot!) too far forward. I can even...
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Eight Second Lessons in Mental Preparation
Picture this: human and animal moving in unison, coming together for a brief connection. Those who witness are left holding their breath in complete wonderment of what the rider must possess in order...
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Remembering Henry Bergh, “Friend of Every Bird and Beast”
When you think of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), your first thought is probably the organization’s extensive work on behalf of homeless dogs and cats—and for...
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The 6 Habits of Highly Successful Olympic Athletes
Sure, I had my focus on the athletes that I coached throughout the Olympic Games. But Rio was also a great case study for the habits of highly successful athletes that ever competitor can use. 1....
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Here’s Why Riding’s Brightest Stars Are Supporting the ASPCA’s Work to...
Star power can do a lot to generate support for a good cause. And there’s a reason why some of equestrian sport’s brightest stars never fail to support the ASPCA’s work to protect horses through...
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Brain Lunging?
Do you ever wish you could lunge your brain to make it quieter and more cooperative? Good news: there is a way. Sport and life come with emotions and sometimes they are strong and interfering. So we...
View ArticleHere’s What a Perfect Hunter Round Looks Like at the Capital Challenge
For most of us, especially in the hunter ring, perfection is something that we absolutely aspire to. At the end of the day, though, if we’ve stayed on, jumped all the jumps in order and the lines in...
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Stay Ahead of Fall Laminitis
There are many possible causes of laminitis but the vast majority of cases have a hormonal/endocrine root. There is a peak in the spring, related to grazing young, high sugar growths of grass. A second...
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What’s the “Right” Amount of Time to Warm-Up Before a Jumping Competition?
Whenever I am at a competition, I spend more time watching the warm-up ring than the competition ring, itself. Much can be learned by watching the horses warm-up and hearing the discussions that go on...
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