Over the years, I have had many conversations pertaining to bit use and misuse and the choice several horse owners have made to go with one bit option or another or to forego the use of a bit entirely. These discussions have ranged from horror at how one trainer abuses the mouths of the horses…

Our horses see the world very differently from us in many ways. These differences, due to the structure and placement of their eyes, have profound influences on how they react to visual stimuli and should be thoughtfully considered during their training and indeed in all aspects of horsemanship. These differences include the field of view,…

What should our goals be when training a horse?  What is most important and what are we willing to sacrifice to achieve it? To some, it is the immediacy of the horse’s response that is most important, for others it is the level of power and athleticism the horse displays that is of primary importance….

“However, the art of riding must not raise a slave. The means of dressage must not become a chain that the horse tries to break, wasting all of his energy. On the other hand, dressage should not put the horse to sleep and make it into a machine. What can the rider expect from such…

I was having a discussion about horse training with a buddy of mine the other day about how people should pick the trainer that is right for them. At one point I started drawing parallels between how some people almost religiously follow the dogma of one style of training or riding without really putting much…