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!
Thinking about groundwork? One of the best groundwork exercises I know of is refining how our horse or pony loads. Rather than wait for the next show or trail ride in the mountains, I say, let’s get the bugs out now. For the amount of hauling the average horse has to do nowadays, it’s …
‘Tis the season… Before it gets any warmer out, here are some simple repairs that you can do at home. First, though, a word of warning. There are many things that we can do to keep ourselves safe in the saddle. Some things, which I’ll list throughout the blog, must be seen to by a professional. …
You may be familiar with the term ‘warming up’ but when it comes right down to it, are you comfortable with the how, why, where, what and when of it? Let’s combine lessons learnt from decades spent in the worlds of western horses, driving and dressage. Once we have a warm up goal, we …
Last week, we talked about the nuts ‘n’ bolts of riding sidesaddle… what the art represents… how to find a correct saddle… what makes a good sidesaddle horse? This time, we’ve got our saddle, our trusty steed and our boots are on. We’re ready to ride. So, I’m riding sidesaddle. Now what? One of …
I began riding sidesaddle because of Mr. Paterson. An elderly man and a good friend of our family’s, he observed my sister and I chuffing around on our ponies with little enthusiasm. We were squarely-built girls with pig-tails, ragged fingernails and filthy jeans. Worse, Mr. Paterson was concerned about the practice of letting us ride …
There comes a day, for most of us, where our foot struggles to reach the stirrup. Maybe our heart is trying not to see the end of the road, the place where we will have to make some hard choices. Maybe our hips are hurting so badly after every ride that we can barely swing …
So you want to buy your child a safe horse or pony? Great! If you’re planning to scroll through Kijiji and find your newest family member, wait. Here’s a look at the whys and whens to think on before you make those calls. Who’s gonna pay? Trust me, somebody is going to pay for the …
Don’t fence me in… Ever since the Andrews Sisters sang, “I can’t look at hobbles and I can’t stand fences,” hobbles have gained a lousy reputation. Why is this? Pros ‘n’ Cons Well, in the negative, hobble breaking can be violent. Depending on the horse involved, there may be a long and passionate fight. …
A good part of my riding life has been collecting all manner of books on horsemanship. Not only did I want to be with horses, I wanted to think about them, better understand them, listen to the voices of the past masters… I wanted to soak it all in. Why read? I fear …
Turned out or turnout? There’s a world of difference. I’m in the snug house, watching the horse herd run the quarter mile down from the big hill. Many of them are in their twenties; more than a few of them are gaining ground on thirty. A small Welsh pony, with trademark jauntiness, shows his …