The Performance Demands of Backcountry Riding As a trail rider you are a high performance rider, and your horse or mule is your high performance partner. By “high performance” I’m not only referring to the various extreme trail riding events we often see. Even away from judges, spectators, crowds and … Read More
Strategies to Help Make Every Ride Count When training a horse, there are so many things to take into consideration that it can become a bit overwhelming. One article says this, a video says that and another clinician said something different. How does a person know what to believe? It … Read More
Applying Observations of Balance to Under Saddle Work Alice riding with a garrocha poleLast month we observed balance primarily from the ground. I asked you to watch balance shifts within movements along with rhythm, carriage, and overall structure of the horse. We looked at some specific maneuvers and attempted to … Read More
Part 3: The Round Pen by Allison Trimble I use the round pen for a multitude of situations, from foundation training, to confidence building in riders, to re-training horses. It is an extremely valuable tool that I often see misused. For instance, it is a critical mistake to use … Read More
Jackpots, Draw Pots and Finding Your Level of Competition by Roger Braa and Catherine Madera Every equine sport has levels of competition and ranch sorting is no different. This month we asked Roger Braa to explain the nuts and bolts of competing: how and where to start out as … Read More
College-bound and With Blazers on Her Mind Abbigail Reno of Kuna, Idaho is going places. The University of Idaho freshman is studying pre-veterinary medicine, the first step to becoming an equine veterinarian. Just six short years ago, her future with horses looked much different than it does today. After … Read More
How this Sport Influences the owner of Mission Farrier School Mark Plumlee, current president of the Western Washington Mounted Shooters, is also the owner of Mission Farrier School, in Snohomish, WA. Mark is one of a very few farrier school owners/instructors that actually rides and competes in a high … Read More
Using Gifts as Motivation to Push Past Fear by Laura Daly How do you find the one thing that can keep you going even when the task seems impossible? When dealing with large-scale fears, you need an equally large reason to motivate you to continue on the journey of … Read More
Expect the Unexpected at National Level Competition by Sally Sutherland WRHA member Sally Sutherland shares her experience and insight in preparing for national level competition. Sally recently competed in the AQHA Select World Show where she was Top 10 in Amateur Select Reining and a finalist in Amateur Select … Read More
New Study Shows the Positive Impact of Equine Therapy for Dementia Article courtesy of Ohio State University In the first study of its kind, researchers have determined that spending time with horses eases symptoms of Alzheimer’s dementia. A collaboration between The Ohio State University, an equine therapy center and … Read More
