Tabla de contenidos para Spring 2022 en Practical Horseman

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.…

Herber City, Utah, is a beautiful Western town with stunning views of the Wasatch Mountains. You might think it’s more about skiing than dressage, but last fall, Olympic team silver medalist Adrienne Lyle was on-hand at Jim and Donnette Hicks’ Sage Creek Equestrian Center. Genevieve Rohner, a Grade IV para rider, won Dressage Today’s Win A Day clinic with Lyle that was sponsored by Vita Flex Pro. The contest originally took place in 2019 but was delayed by COVID-19, and then Lyle competed in the Tokyo Olympics. Finally, almost two years after Rohner knew she had won, the clinic took place. And as she said, it was worth the wait. Rohner rode two horses on the day, and the other participants rode different types of horses: a Friesian that tended…

We’ve all seen those hunter/jumpers who really “snap” their knees over fences. And how about those dressage horses whose extravagant knee action prompts a collective gasp from spectators? Good or bad, function or fad, a sporthorse’s athleticism is defined in some measure by how these joints perform. As they bend, extend and compress—supporting considerable weight and enduring repeated concussion—strong, flexible knees help ensure a clean jump, a ground-covering stride and eye-catching movement—until they don’t. Trauma to the knee can occur in a number of ways in any type of horse and at any age. Faulty conformation can be a factor, with offset joints (“bench” knees) or outside, forward or backward deviations carrying an increased risk of injury and lameness. However, regardless of build, the more a sporthorse is campaigned, the…

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…

Out of bed at 5 a.m., Marilyn Payne heads straight to the barn, making sure everything is in order. Then she cleans seven stalls before starting to give lessons that can run as late as 8 p.m. For decades, that structured regimen has been the same whenever she’s at her Applewood Farm in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Explaining why she is so dedicated to the early morning part of her process, Payne explained, “It’s an automatic routine. You get all that done and you feel really good. You accomplished something already.” Even at age 73, this grandmother’s energy and fascination with horses has never dimmed. She and her husband, Dick, have passed that on to the next generation. Their son, Doug Payne, was the highest-placed U.S. eventer at the Olympics…

Want to learn even more wherever you want, whenever you want? Subscribe to one of our video-on-demand services. We cover all disciplines—dressage at Dressage Today OnDemand and hunters, jumpers, equitation and eventing at Practical Horseman OnDemand. All levels, all breeds and a huge variety of exercises from the best riders and trainers are at your fingertips. We’re adding new video collections every week. Here’s a look at what’s available now. CAVALLETTI EXERCISES with Michele Wellman USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist and USEA ICP Level 2 Certified Instructor Michele Wellman works with riders over a series of cavalletti exercises for beginners and advanced riders including trotting over figure-eight patterns and spiraling in and out around a cavalletti grid. This is great crosstraining regardless of your discipline. ondemand.dressagetoday.com SEEING A DISTANCE with…

Imagine it to be like a brush to the paper of a Japanese calligrapher. The artist allows more or less pressure, but the brush never fully leaves the page during the stroke. Jane Karol is a U.S. Dressage Federation bronze, silver and gold medalist. She has trained 10 horses to Grand Prix and currently has a few young horses that are moving up the levels. She works with Germany’s Christoph Koschel and is based at her Bear Spot Farm in Concord, Massachusetts.…

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…

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…

Standing in a field, Larissa didn’t give the impression of a future Olympic horse. Bred and owned by Franz and Elke Hollenbach, the chestnut Trakehner mare had a long, periscope-like neck, a back curved by scoliosis and a club foot that seemed to repel shoes. With a body shaped like a greyhound, Larissa had long, lanky limbs that she used to her advantage. With head held high—often at a different altitude than her human counterparts—the whites of her eyes flickered as she analyzed the world around her. But the mare was not to be underestimated. What you couldn’t see on the outside was that, at her core, Larissa was made of iron—with solid bones and an invincible will. And in the right hands, she was remarkable. With rare presence, strength…

I never planned on owning a horse, but the little fiery red mare had a heart full of passion and curiosity. I was drawn to Charlie like a magnet. Every time I showed up for a lesson and was assigned a different horse to ride, I felt bitter disappointment welling up inside me. The thought of somebody else owning her broke my heart. And that’s how I found myself purchasing a cob-sized bridle to fit her dainty head and calling my trainer to put in an off er to buy Charlie. After the sale was finalized, I scoured the internet, hungry for any information on my new partner. I found old races and watched the videos of “Charlotte’s Hope” — my Charlie. I traced back contacts and was able to…

One of the best stable management habits you can develop is cleaning your horse’s bridle after every ride. By removing dirt and sweat before they have a chance to accumulate and conditioning the leather exactly when it needs it, you can maximize the bridle’s longevity while minimizing the chance of irritating your horse’s skin. Even more importantly, daily inspections help you identify loose stitching or any other potential safety issues before they become a problem. My system is simple, and it leaves bridles looking beautiful and feeling smooth—not sticky. I always use ammonia for the first step of this daily routine because it is the most effective way to cut through dirt and built-up saddle soap, leaving the leather truly clean. Start by filling your bucket halfway with warm water…