Below are the qualities that matter most, plus how to tie a halter, attach a lead rope, and where to buy reliable gear. Rope Halters A rope halter’s clarity of feel and overall severity come from a few key features. Rope Stiffness and MaterialA good rope halter should be made from quality rope—such as accessory…

I think that for most of us, when we first start out with horses, we don’t realize how crappy most horses feel in their interactions with people. We assume that because people love horses, most horses must be fairly content and find enjoyment in their jobs. And so, we are impressed with the height a…

Horses show affection quietly. Most of what people call “affection” toward their horses—verbal praise, loud pats, handfuls of treats—mostly makes us feel good, not the horse. Good pony!!!! We like being told “good job” because we speak English. Horses don’t. They aren’t verbal creatures, and aside from the occasional nicker or snort, they almost never use sound…

I get asked this question a lot. It’s a great question that really prompted me to contemplate and differentiate the two in my own mind.  If you think about the request to ask a horse to go, from their back, typically a rider will use their leg in some capacity to communicate the request. The…

This article was originally written in response to the video of an Olympic equestrian athlete coaching a young rider by repeatedly whipping a frantic horse in order to encourage a desired movement.  One of the more disheartening, but not surprising things I heard about the video that has surfaced, is the fact that people in…

This article was originally written in response to the video of an Olympic equestrian athlete coaching a young rider by repeatedly whipping a frantic horse in order to encourage a desired movement.  Humans love sports. We love working hard. We love achieving. We love winning. We love ribbons and trophies and titles. We have timelines…

This article was originally written in response to the video of an Olympic equestrian athlete coaching a young rider by repeatedly whipping a frantic horse in order to encourage a desired movement. This is true and just about every area of competition. Yes, horses jump, but we make them jump higher than they ever would…

This article was originally written in response to the video of an Olympic equestrian athlete coaching a young rider by repeatedly whipping a frantic horse in order to encourage a desired movement. If you watch horses in a herd, they use pressure both implied (at a distance) and directly to communicate as a herd. Mainly,…

This isn’t hypothetical. I’ve kept my ponies at multiple farms where they lived out 24/7 with no shelter—or with shelter most people would call “inadequate.” Maybe a dozen days a year the weather was rough enough that I put a blanket on and tossed extra hay to keep them comfortable. Those days were the exception.…

One of the biggest differences between training methods are the concepts of working with a horse’s mind versus working on their body. I’ve heard it described in multiple ways. Some people say that if you have control of the horses feet, then you have control of the horse. Others talk about biomechanics and chase ideal…