It presents step by-step training programs and showing advice from recognized experts in hunters, jumpers, equitation, dressage, and eventing, along with money- and time-saving ideas on health care and stable management.
A favorite photo of mine in this issue appears below and on page 48. In it, 73-year-old Marilyn Payne is jumping into Kentucky Horse Park’s famed Head of the Lake water complex. This judge, trainer and competitor realized a long-held goal of riding in Kentucky last summer at the 2021 USEA American Eventing Championships. “It was so cool to gallop on the cross-country course,” she said. To me, Marilyn has a fearlessness about life that I’d like to emulate. She’s definitely not sitting on the sidelines or giving in to preconceived notions about what you do or don’t do at a certain age. Instead, she’s charging forward. And maybe, more importantly, she’s doing what she loves. Another lady’s story in this issue also touched me. It’s about Canadian eventer Bruce…
On PracticalHorsemanMag.com and DressageToday.com Keep up with Practical Horseman & Dressage Today on social media How to Ride a Jump on a Mound Olympic eventer Doug Payne shares how to build the skills a horse needs to jump a mound. He then provides step-by-step instructions on how to ride this common cross-country question. practicalhorsemanmag.com A ‘Wholistic’ Way of Training U.S. dressage coach Debbie McDonald explains how to build trust for the horse’s mind and balance for his body. She works with Olympian Adrienne Lyle to demonstrate that when horse and rider are balanced, they can be relaxed. practicalhorsemanmag.com Countdown to the Kentucky Three-Day Event Follow Practical Horseman’s coverage of the 2022 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, April 28–May 1, 2022, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. We’ll share on-site reporting,…
Tyler Murray stood bewildered in the pasture, muck bucket and manure fork in hand. Looking around him incredulously, he turned to the man next to him. “So you’re telling me I have to drag this heavy thing around and pick up poop?” The corrections officer just laughed. “Welcome to horses.” Murray discovered his passion for horses in a rather unorthodox way—in prison. Incarcerated at the Central Maryland Correction Facility after a string of non-violent crimes, Murray was depressed and angry at the world, consumed with guilt and shame. “I was in a dark place emotionally and mentally,” he says. Then a case officer mentioned a program he thought might help: the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) Second Chances Program. It was a suggestion that changed Murray’s life. TRF was founded in…
1 Overall: This is a pleasing picture because of the horse-and-rider turnout and the horse’s style. I’d like to see the rider make a few adjustments to her leg, seat and release. Leg: The stirrup is placed right on the ball of her foot, but she doesn’t have as much weight in her heels as I’d like because she’s pinching with her knees. This pinching draws her heels up and away from the horse. I’d love to see her leg wrapped around this mare and have more contact with the back of her calf. Seat/Hip angle: The pinching of the knee also has made her seat go too far out of the saddle and her hip angle close too much for this fence height. She also is ducking a little.…
This picture shows Laura Oliver riding her 17-year-old horse Brontesaurus. “Bronte,” as she calls him, is a Percheron/Thoroughbred crossbreed, and he looks as if he got the best from both sides. They have been together for 14 years and are showing Third Level. To be with a horse over such a long time builds a strong relationship. You can see in the picture that they trust each other and are focused on their task. What struck me first was how special it is to see such a big horse being ridden by such a light rider, and it looks like Laura is riding with very light aids. In this photo, I can see that the canter is round with good engagement from behind. To be critical, horse’s neck could reach…
Learning to ride is like peeling an onion by hand. You can peel only one thin layer at a time, it will take you a long time to get to the central part… and there will be a lot of tears in between. But the sensation you get when you peel off one more layer and understand for the first time something new about horses and riding is what keeps horsemen coming back for more. And when you get to the essential core? That’s just one horse… now you must start peeling the layers on a new horse, hoping to get to the center of him as well. That means more tears, yes, but more enlightenment as well. It has been a while since we have talked, so I want…
