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Does anyone else have a ‘go-to’ move they use to regain their horse’s focus when a session isn’t going to plan? As of quite recently, I do, and it works a treat! Over the recent weeks, during lockdown, my focus has been primarily on groundwork with Dee, as opposed to riding. Since her Kissing Spine diagnosis and through her rehab, groundwork has become an invaluable part of our weekly routine and, since lockdown, an even bigger part of it, as well as an opportunity to wor...

I discovered my passion for horses when I was very young and immediately knew I wanted to spend my life with them. I have been riding for 25 years and the trigger occurred at the age of 10 when I discovered the profession of ‘Animal Osteopath’. Since that day, this passion has not left me. 15 years ago, this therapy was not very popular in France but I finally found a 3 year course. After taking this course I wanted to complete my knowledge so I started a 5 year course in osteopathy ...

One of the things that seemed really odd to me when I first lived in the Middle East, was that some of the horses wore a green strip of fabric ribbon around their pastern; a little bracelet. Not too many horses had it – maybe two in a yard of 30 horses. Finally, I tracked down a human who had both the English language AND the Arabic culture to explain. Only the very best horses have it, because it’s to protect them from jealousy and the Evil Eye. The evil eye is fiercely believed and...

Hi there! My name’s Chloe and I’ve just become a contributor for Horsemart. I'm so so excited to be here! My content will mainly consist of discussions and help/advice. I’m 23 years old and live on the outskirts of Birmingham. I’d love to say I’m extremely confident but I’m not! I lost my first pony, Conker, when I was 8 years old, and the 5 year gap between losing Conker and owning my now horse, Poppy, proved to be harder than I thought it would be. It seemed...

William Micklem is an International Coach and Speaker as well as a Fellow of the British Horse Society. He invented the Micklem Bridle which won the BETA Innovation Award in 2008 and was the first comfort bridle on the market that was designed through looking at the horse’s skull, not just the external shape of the head. William was aware how many traditional bridles sat over sensitive nerves in the face and also across the cheek where the protruding upper molar teeth sit due to the upper ...

There are probably only a few words or phrases that really strike fear into an equestrian: “loose horse”, “strangles” and “box rest”. Hopefully, you’ve not encountered the first two but I’m sure the majority of you will have had a period of box rest at one stage. To me, there’s two categories of box rest: 'box rest light' and 'box rest'. 'Box rest light' I’d classify as anything up to about 8 weeks. Not great, but completely doable w...

Hi, I’m really excited to be part of the Horsemart blog team. I’m Clare Guest and here’s a quick rundown of myself, where I’ve been and where I plan on going! Basically, I’m a middle-aged horse-mad woman who is lucky enough to have the most amazing partner in Phil; great chef and DIY extraordinaire. Our household is completed by Paddy the non-event horse, Milton the marvelous mini Shetland, Hamish the collie and two cats, Snuff and McCavity. We live ‘Up Nor...

Hi Everyone. Today, I want to discuss something that is close to my heart, something that I feel people should discuss more. Anxiety. Throughout this article, I will be covering my own journey and feelings, as well as speaking with a few people from different areas and levels of the sport to get their take on it. We will be hearing from people who compete and are involved in Dressage, Eventing and Show Jumping, as well as speaking with a qualified Counsellor and BE/BD Judge to get their thoughts...

Hello Everyone! As a new contributor to Horsemart, I thought I’d tell you a little about me. I coach and train riders in mindset and mental strength, using NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), hypnotherapy and Time Line Therapy®. I’ve worked with equestrians for about 7 years now, but it wasn’t always that way! I’d always been fascinated by the mind and the fact that we never use it to its full potential. It was because I had problems with my own riding nerves th...

Buying a horse is not something to be taken lightly. The choices you make in purchasing a horse, and the subsequent decisions taken regarding its care and management, can pave the way for the success of your equine partnership. Buying a horse is a big commitment and it’s important to take the necessary precautions, and to be as informed as possible when making these decisions.

I’ve always loved horses and had my first lesson booked when I was 4 and a half, but when I turned up the 11hh pony was huge and I was terrified! I didn’t get on and we went home, but the passion and dream didn’t go away and I was back 6 months later to try again. I got on that time and the rest you could say is history. Despite being a proper grown up now, I have never lost my love of just spending time with my horse, constantly learning and always trying to improve. I went...

Research has shown that when an individual engages in vivid and absorbing imagery the brain interprets this as identical to the event happening. In other words, the brain can’t tell the difference between what is real and what is imagined. What this means for us as riders is that we don’t have to ride 10 horses a day, have access to high level school masters or daily coaching to improve our riding. Those 10,000 hours that the experts say we need to do to reach excellence – well...

Anyone involved with horses will have probably encountered 'the lazy horse' at some point in their lives. Whether you’re fairly new to riding or have been an equestrian for years, and whether you take lessons at a riding school or have your own yard full of horses, you will have undoubtedly crossed paths with the lazy horse… and then waited for quite some time whilst it plodded past! Yes, I’m talking about the horse with no “go”, the one that ignores every command ...

We’re nearly three months into the lockdown now and I’m sure for the majority of you, your eagerly planned equestrian summer has ground to a halt, in the same way as it has for us. Of course, we understand the necessity for the current measures but that doesn’t mean it’s always easy! As a horse owner, I live a fairly active life. I’m 21 and just finishing off my second year doing a degree in Equine Science. I live in Cheshire, a fairly horsey county, and have rid...

As we all know, this winter was a little bit on the brutal side! We had a quiet winter in terms of client horses as we have plenty of our own to look after. We thought we’d give you a quick run through of what we got up to! We still had Jazz (17.2 warmblood) with us, he was still a little bit tense and stuffy in the arena, but we changed rider with no massive problems and over time got some improvements. We did lots of work on getting him to open up and be more forward in the arena. We ...

Hi, my name is Laura and I’m an 18 year old equestrian from the East of England. I got my first taste of riding when I was 4 years old and my parents took me to my first riding lesson at a local equestrian centre. From that very first time sat in the saddle, looking at the fluffy set of ears and crazy Shetland mane in front of me, I was hooked! One by one, all the other members of my family began to start taking riding lessons too, so my parents always joke that I’m the reason we hav...

For many riders, a dressage lesson itself is often too boring. Practicing a prelim test over and over again, or trying to get a horse into an outline that may be a little older or stiffer is not fun, it can feel more like torture. And for the instructor, it's also not easy to come up with something that makes the lesson more fun and, in addition, improves rider and horse. And honestly, standing in the middle of the school and repeating the same thing over and over again is just as boring.

Hello, my name is Mariana. I am a BHS accredited coach, originally qualifying as an instructor and judge in Germany and The Czech Republic. I am also a fully qualified and insured Bowen practitioner and have ridden competitive dressage up to IM 1. I love watching horse and rider develop and form a harmonious relationship. I love watching what happens when a rider starts to understand how to get his/her horse listening to aids, how a half halt works, and how and why a good seat is really im...

In this video tutorial our contributor, Jess Colvin, shows us how she washes her horse Memo's tail. The method she uses is particularly good for restoring white tails to their natural white, but it's just as effective for cleaning any other coloured tails too!

Do you set your horse up in a nice rhythm only for him to throw his nose up and run through the last few strides to the fence? Rushing to a jump, or through a combination, is a common problem for many horse and riders. Horses tend to rush at a jump when they misunderstand your aids; the more you take your leg off and try to slow him, the more he rushes. Often this is because the horse is worried that they do not have enough impulsion to clear the jump and rushing is their way of showing you t...