Welcome back to Learning How to Canter. In Part II of this series, I am going to walk you through beginning to sit the canter, talk about leads, lead changes and how to ask for the correct lead. SITTING THE CANTER The most common question I hear from new riders that have started to learn the canter is that they struggle to sit the canter. They feel bouncy and cannot figure out how to follow the motion, so if you feel this way, you are not alone. If you read my last post: Learning to Canter – Part I, you will have noticed that I suggest starting new riders off in a more forward seat, with them ..read more

We have all been there, standing at the ingate at a horse show, it is your turn to go in, your trainer clucks and there you go.  Your horse crosses that threshold and you panic, your walking in to do your courtesy circle and your thinking “there are two oxers set next to each other, which one was it that I am  supposed to jump?”  Worst of all, it is a derby round, an equitation round, or a hunter round, and the jumps are not numbered, your screwed.   Or maybe you are a newer rider that’s progressing well, and your starting to do some harder courses and your trainer, wh ..read more

AM I READY TO OWN A HORSE? Horse ownership is a huge responsibility and is life changing.  It is a decision not to be taken lightly and should always be informed by professional advice.  Hopefully, after reading this post, you will be feeling either more confident in purchasing a horse or, maybe even delay getting a horse till your either more knowledgeable, more prepared financially or, have a better horsey support network.  This blog post was inspired by a recent experience I had that left me wondering why?  Why did a genuinely well-intentioned couple end up in such a dan ..read more

Cantering Cantering Rah around the cross country course. After learning the trot, the next gait you will learn to ride is the canter. The canter is a three-beat gait, as opposed to the trot which is a four-beat gait. The canter is a smoother gait that covers more ground than the trot and has a rocking horse like feeling. Before learning to canter, you should have good balance in the saddle, a stable and supportive leg, a stable jumping position, and a basic understanding and command of the aids (hand, seat, leg). In this blog post, I will cover the basics of learning to canter, I will post a ..read more

Your first lesson at a jumping barn is going to depend a lot on what type of program the barn offers. A lot of barns will start lessons off teaching basic horsemanship skill but, a lot will have you riding on your first lesson. When getting ready for your first lesson, ask the trainer what they require you to bring. For your first few lessons shoes with a heel, like hiking boots, and a bicycle helmet should be just fine. A lot of barns have a stash of adjustable helmets or old helmets that do not fit, this is not safe, so just be prepared and bring your own. You should also wear a pair of jea ..read more

First off, congratulations on deciding to start Jumping, you’re going to love it! There are so many different disciplines to choose from in the equestrian world, many of which I have tried, and I must say, there is nothing quite like flying while on the back of a horse; it is truly magical.  To get started, the most important thing you can do is to choose the right trainer and barn. I cannot stress enough how important it is to find the right program for you and, if you have one, your horse. For this blog post, I am going to assume that the audience is totally new to horses, and we will s ..read more

In early November of 2020, Karl Cook, a professional 5* Grand Prix Jumper rider, who is also Kaley Cuoco’s husband, posted two videos to his Instagram series Walking and Talking regarding equitation. I myself am a staunch supporter of good equitation, and spent a number of my junior years chasing points and trying to qualify for indoors/year end finals; and it always ruffles my feathers when I hear people say that there is no point to riding in the equitation. So, when I read the social media feedback about Karls’ videos, I automatically assumed it was going to be a roast on equitati ..read more

Check out the video of me trying four of the tools listed below! https://youtu.be/MMmR_CbBd1U Happy April everyone!  I hope you are all enjoying the spring shedding season and are not to disappointed the 2020 spring (and likely summer) show seasons have been canceled.  I know for those trail blazers out there, depending on where you live, you might have a few more options to get out and enjoy the spring riding season.  If you are safely able to ride out on trail, swing by and share some pictures on the Nahahum Canyon Sport Horse Facebook page. Even though COVID-19 has put a d ..read more

First things first, I am a highly competitive person. I have competed as a Division II athlete, as a junior rider chasing points and invitations to year end finals. and played competitive travel sports throughout my middle school and high school years. As an adult, I appreciate the processes of training the horse more then I did in my younger years but, even for small unrated shows, I still get in that “practice, practice, practice” mode. And next weekend I am taking Chubby and Rah to a small schooling show for the experience. There are no aspirations of ribbons, prize money, coolers, or point ..read more

The posting trot is the most widely accepted form of trotting for most disciplines.  Exceptions include upper level dressage and riding gaited horses.  Although I was unable to find a reputable historical paper or article stating exactly why we post the trot, the consensus on internet horse forums seems to be that it came from back in the cart and buggy days.  When traveling by carriage, there was always a Postilion or post rider, that was in the “post” position. The quickest and most efficient gait to get from point A to B for the horse was the trot, which meant the Postilion r ..read more