For the longest time I rode in a Wintec Isabella. And most of my students rode in Wintecs. But when I purchased Ahab, my Wintec saddle did not fit him. Ahab is shaped like a pot-bellied pig, but that is another story. This post is about saddles. So I started looking for a new saddle. My trainer and I tried…
No matter what you want to do or how well you ride being an active learners makes all the difference in the world.
Sometimes, judges tell us things we don’t want to hear. Sometimes they tell us things we need to hear. It can be like having a courageous conversation..
When we start riding, we have the tendency to think and ride slow. Our brain tells us that if we ride slow we have more control. We want to be in control and we want to be perfect. This is totally backwards. Like most things involving horseback riding speed is counterintuitive. We have more control when the horse…
A couple weeks ago, Pony Paddock hosted a clinic with Tanya Olson of Centaur Rehab., LLC. Tonya is a physical therapist who specializes in movement of horse and rider together. She is a former rider, which gives her the ability and special insight to help riders improve their performance and harmony within their relationship. Most importantly, she understands…
According to Steven Pressfield, in The Art of War: The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome. He knows there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread free artist. And so, we face the dressage shows. We love…
Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quickens and you start sweating and swearing Normally, we interpret these physical changes as anxiety or signs that we aren’t coping very well with the pressure. And for years we have been thought that stress is not good for our overall health. In fact, for years, stress has been known as…
I hear this a lot. And nothing irritates me more. My grandmother would to say, “can’t never tried”. And I think we should all live the can’t never tried rule. Because, it is so true. If you want to do something you can. you may have to work your ass off. But you can do it. We have…
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