Have you ever wondered what happens to retired racehorses? They usually retire early, most of them by the age of around 7, which is very young for animals which usually live well into their twenties. So what do they do for the next two decades? When...
Megan Lane is this year’s Royal Invitational Dressage Cup winner. The Canadian 2016 Olympics debutant, who hails from Collingwood, Ontario, scooped the top prize of $20,000 during the contest which was held at the Royal Horse Show on Thursday 10th November...
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0154179 Recently, there have been a couple of posts about the stresses caused by the nose bands worn by Olympic dressage horses. A journal article was cited as proving that these 'cran...
The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) features a stable of two dozen horses, primarily warmbloods, and half as many human officers. These horses know how to thrill a crowd, as they’re employed on both street patrols and at high profile events including...
The word 'natural' is popular in the equestrian world. Perhaps this is because most of us realize the significance of taking animals from their natural environment and making artificial demands on them. Maybe we understand, subconsciously at least, the...
Every riding horse is taught to respond to pressure from the rider’s leg. This could be to ask the horse to move forward, change pace or work with more energy; or it could be to ask the horse to move sideways. In dressage, spurs are an artificial aid...
As an experienced dressage judge, I can always spot the horse which has been "schooled" in draw reins. Although they may have some value when employed by a highly experienced and competent rider in the re-schooling of a badly trained horse, they are...
As I sat judging at a dressage competition last weekend, I was almost blinded by the sunlight sparkling off the array of bling worn by riders - and their horses!. Gone are the days when the traditional and approved clothing for competition permitted...
While waiting to judge a local dressage competition yesterday evening, I noticed a lovely horse being worked on the lunge. The horse just floated across the ground and oozed presence. The natural lift and suspension that horse possessed was jaw-dropping...
The television coverage of the equestrian events at the 2012 London Olympic Games and the facility to watch every moment on-line over and over again was wonderful for enthusiasts but also re-awakened concerns that not everyone was playing by the rules...
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