As we age, horsemanship can involve facing fear after illness or injury. It's about honouring old dreams and being open to new realities. My mantra is living well and riding better. Hi, I'm Lee... I invite you to saddle up and ride!
One of the key aspects to improving our riding is understanding body control… or, to be more specific, in isolating our body parts. Trained dancers and gymnasts are quick to pick up on this, even if they’re beginning riders, because their bodies are literally used to following instructions. Knowing that the beauty of the whole …
A reader writes: “HOW DO YOU CHOOSE YOUR NEW PROJECTS? Horses or ponies, what do you look for and what do you absolutely avoid?” Before I begin, here’s the disclaimer. You need to know that I still buy mistakes. I’m coming at horse-buying a little differently than many …
Oh, my darlings. So many heartfelt messages have winged their way to me, so that you might share the burdens of fear and pain. I’ve read them all. I understand. At the end of this blog, I’m going to ask if any one of you has the courage to openly share and comment here …
One of the basic tenets in my program is to teach the horses and ponies, whether ridden or driven, to stand still. This is a skill that once put on the front burner, really put at the top of a training agenda, will quickly improve. The very first thing I notice with horses that won’t …
It surprises some folks to find that I’m still in weekly lessons. Yes, even at my age! Even though I don’t show. This happy state comes and goes, always dependent on the health of my finances. I’m a firm believer in lifelong learning, as one never knows it all. There are things we can …
I have never considered myself a teacher. Every single lesson, I am sleepless the night before, worrying about all the ‘what ifs’. What if the student is disappointed? What is something terrible happens? What if I forget to say all the important things? What if I teach something that is flat-out wrong? What if I’m …
I’ve long been an advocate for writing it all down. Learning comes to us in different ways but for most of us, hearing and seeing, then doing… all become a part of our thinking when we actually put it into words. I’ve kept my riding journals since the age of eight. They are among …
I’m going to share this with you. It is my personal mantra, one that I tell myself when there is so much jangling noise going on inside my head that I am no longer present. Not for my horses, or for my self, or for our mutual safety. It is simple, it is …
A word on back cinches. If your stock saddle is double-rigged, I will go so far as to say you shouldn’t remove that rear cinch. Why? Because it’s there for a reason. Actually, it’s there for several reasons, so let’s take a closer look. First of all, stock saddles are built on what we …
Broke means something different to each of us. In my world, broke means a horse that can handle a cow or trail ride and give me a good time at an open show. In real speak, 50% of his saddle time will be climbing hills and riding out; the other 50% is schooling in the …