This book spent a few years on my wish list on Amazon. I was intrigued by it, but I was shy of spending money on modern works about Dressage. I had already purchased a couple that I found wanting. Still, the approach this book claimed to take was intriguing, so […]
Hang around a Classical riding group for any amount of time and you will learn two things: horsemen of the past were all knowing, and horsemen of today are an abomination to classical riding principles. An exaggeration, perhaps, yet close to what many experience when joining those groups. But is […]
I had the privilege of having as my early coaches two people who were not only top notch horsemen, but also outstanding judges. One was even said, by one of the most respected international judges of the time, to have the best eye for judging a horse’s performance. We would […]
A video recently popped up in my timeline of a lovely horse being ridden roughly around a substantial jump course. My heart went out to the good fellow, who consistently jumped, in spite of his mouth being yanked most of the way, and the rider bouncing on his back most […]
When I recently reviewed a study on how well owners recognized negative emotions in horses, I was pleased to see that most actually did – at least in some equine activities. However, back on Facebook, I find that so many really don’t recognize those negative signs – even when they […]
There are many who seek modern answers to questions that horsemen have been pondering for decades, if not centuries. There are those aspects that we have not fully understood until science had the tools to begin to explore them. Neuroscience is such an area, and a modern book like Horse […]
The girl was eleven years old. She was riding in a group of adults, returning after a long ride down to the creek. They’d just been galloping through corn fields, she bareback on a young Thoroughbred mare, not long off the racetrack; the adults all in saddles. She’d chosen to […]
This review is going to be a little bit different. Instead of a book, I’m offering a review of a study on the human-horse relationship: “Improving the Recognition of Equine Affective States”. Sound exciting? Maybe not? Well, stick with me – I think you may find it interesting. Although the […]
They said she was being so stubbornBut I saw the fear in her eyes They said she was just disobedientYet I knew that she was in pain She told me the horse was just uselessWhile I soothed the welts in his hide They told me that he could not feel […]
As people become more aware of horse cognition and welfare, the question of whether or not we should even ride them comes up. I have friends struggling with that question, and I ponder it myself, now and again. The question as to whether or not you choose to ride horses […]
The Literate Equine 