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There are generally considered to be two main types of riding style – Western and English. Western riding includes the disciplines of roping, reining, trail riding and barrel racing. English riding generally refers to the more familiar UK disciplines of dressage, show jumping, eventing and endurance. Each riding style has a different saddle design, which is then modified further to meet the demands of the individual disciplines.

Running a livery yard can be deceiving. To many, those who have the ‘luxury’ of owning stables and grazing look like they are somewhat affluent, but for most yard owners this could not be further from the truth! Running a livery yard is one of the least profitable sectors of the equine industry and the price of livery services have barely changed over the last 20 years. Whilst the cost of livery services is at the forefront of horse owners’ minds when choosing a new yard, it can be hard...

It’s a never-ending discussion: Draw reins... Should we use them or not? In Gerhard Kapitzky’s book, “The Horse from A to Z”, he says that horses with weak, stiff or anatomically unsuitable muscles of the back and neck are helped, without force, to stretch forward and down. This stabilises the arch starting at the back of the horse and ending at the chewing mouth. The slightly stronger action of the draw reins has to be counteracted by more engagement and collection of the back end. T...

Whether you should buy a horse unseen is a controversial topic that is often raised in equestrian discussion groups and is one that usually produces strong opinions either way. What with the current changes to the world and the restrictions in place due to COVID-19, it got me thinking about what can be done to increase the chances of such a purchase being successful. Before lockdown number 3, I was a phone call away from buying a horse without actually seeing it. I had found, on paper at leas...

Buying a secondhand saddle online can be a scary process if it is your first time. You may be wondering... How do I buy online safely? How do I know if it will fit my horse? What if the saddle is damaged? What if the person is a scammer and takes my money and doesn’t send me the saddle? Where do I stand when things go wrong? With The Saddle Bank’s 5 must know top tips for buying a saddle online, you can safeguard yourself and your hard earned money from being lost on a broken saddle,...

Now, I will start by saying that I firmly believe that the rehab is categorically the most important part of the Kissing Spine journey and the pivotal point between successful or unsuccessful recovery. I did A LOT of research and reading into the rehab stages before Dee’s treatment and there are so many varying opinions, options and directions in what is right, wrong or otherwise. So much so that I actually felt totally overwhelmed, confused and anxious about what the right thing to do was. Ho...