This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.31 – Subscribe today! To ride your horse properly, there should never be a time that you change directions without directing your horse’s leading foot. Every time you take your horse’s nose off the centerline, you need to be in harmony with his feet. Changing directions without […]
Written by Sylvana Smith This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.28 Spring is finally here, and that homebred colt that was born in your pasture is now two years old and ready to do something. He might be a little immature looking, and he still has some growing to do, but you’d […]
With Buck Brannaman This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.27 I learned this exercise by watching people get taken advantage of by horses. This is the exact opposite of what horses typically train you to do; they gradually advance toward you all the time and you end up back pedaling to avoid getting […]
With Buck Brannaman photos by Emily Kitching This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No. 26 Subscribe Today! There are two parts to groundwork; safety and refinement. The safety part is where you are working on having your horse to where he is relaxed enough so that when you get on you can have […]
Written by Martin Black This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.21 Getting a horse to stop isn’t only necessary in most riding disciplines but is also a safety precaution at some point for most all riders if things ever get out of control. If a horse doesn’t understand to stop, it can be difficult […]
This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.16 “I have spent most of my life around horses. When I was growing up, my family farmed. We put our crops in and out with horses. Horses have always been a part of my life,” said Ray Hunt in his opening words to a crowd of […]
Written by Jim Overstreet Photo by Heather Hafleigh This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.13 The Flying D Ranch cowboys were branding calves when Tom Dorrance drove up. Jim Thompson, a teenager at the time, still vividly recalls the day. Tom had visited only briefly when Jack Shell offered up his horse so […]
What I am looking for when I am riding a horse of any level, a green colt or an experienced bridle horse, is for him to stay centered underneath me. When I’m riding, I draw an imaginary rectangle around my horse; there is a line in front of his nose, one on each side of […]
Written by Dr. Max Gahwyler and Bettina Drummond There is no other statement used so often in Dressage riding as the horse should accept the bit, be on the bit, etc. And very often when you go to clinics or shows, it’s the predominant preoccupation of riders, trainers and, unfortunately, often also the judges. It […]