On being a partner

One of my students recently audited a day of a Harry Whitney clinic. Harry is unique in the world of horsemanship clinicians in that the core message for every single rider is the same question, is your horse feeling OK inside? If you attend a clinic with Harry you will discover that your horse very much wants to be OK and can be OK when clarity is present. If you are lucky you will see Harry work with your horse...

Working Equitation: A practical application of dressage principles

I love watching these horses and riders. Dressage should make the horse more beautiful. But if it isn’t also making the horse more RIDEABLE then there is definitely something amiss with the training program. Here’s an example of an advanced horse and rider team in the increasingly popular sport of Working Equitation which consists of three phases, Obedience, Versatility, and Speed. This is, in fact,...