Rein Position
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.64 Why can one rider have trouble getting a horse to respond and another rider take the same horse and get along great? …
Empirical Insight
A Bit About Bits
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.55 People often ask what kind of bit they should use or what kind of bit I would use for a particular situation. …
Think Outside the Boxing
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.54 After returning from The World’s Greatest Horseman competition, I found it interesting how the contestants handled their cattle in the fence work. …
Turnarounds
This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.16 Riders usually get their horses turned around one way or another, but few really get things worked out to where the horse stays balanced and really …
Spring Checkup
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.52 This time of year, when a person starts riding a horse that has been laid off for the winter—or at any other time—and …
Flagging From Your Horse
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.51 When I was a boy, the older buckaroos would say ”Don’t do anything on foot that you can do on horseback.” I …
Thoughts on Using a Flag
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.50 There are probably as many ways to use a flag on a horse as there are different types, shapes and sizes of …
Can Your Horse Survive a Fire Drill
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.49 Many things have changed since I was in grade school, but one thing I remember the teachers doing was testing us with …
To Spur or Not to Spur?
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.48 People often ask about spurs—when or if they should use them. I think it depends on the individual and “when or if” …
Why Do You Change Bits?
Written by Martin Black Why do we change from one bit to another on our horses? This can tell us something about our horsemanship and ourselves. Sounds like one of those dreaded self-evaluations? — “It’s …
