A soft, light hand is essential in riding and training horses. The lighter the hand a horse is trained with, the lighter and softer the horse will be throughout its life and career. I have found that more often than not, horses prefer a their riders to be light on their mouths. Some horses like …
Category: Equestrian
Springtime in December
Happy Friday everyone!! The weather has been beautiful here in Texas! Warm and sunny - as if spring has sprung. I know that it won't last long, but it certainly is nice. This week has been relatively uneventful. I have been fighting a nasty chest cold, and begun the week riding pretty terribly. After a …
Dangerous Situations
Whether or not a horse is “dangerous” is relative, in my opinion. What may be dangerous for one rider may not be for another. It is the situations that can be dangerous.
Hanging On
He bucked, reared and bucked at the same time, then started to spin once we came back to earth.
Missing Distances
I once had a trainer who would say, "if you know you are going to miss, make it look like you did it on purpose." I have found that advice to be very valuable throughout my riding career because, well, sometimes I just don't see anything. Or sometimes I see a long spot; or a deep spot. Not …
Thanksgiving
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”- 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a big fan of Thanksgiving. For one, I have been a vegetarian for nearly a decade so a holiday centered around eating a poor bird just …
Trust and Telepathy
I had a really cool moment while riding Chance the other day. We were cantering toward a small jump, I did not know where we were so I was prepared to sit still, hold, and add a step. Yet, Chance new exactly where we were; and more than that, I knew that he knew. I …
Seeing Beauty
This morning, I went for an early run and on my way out I saw steam rising from our pond, and our property had this lovely yet eerie morning glow. Fall mornings are always a little haunting, with fog, falling leaves, and sharp chill in the air. I ran a couple of miles through my little town. …
Love It As An Art
"Think of riding as a science, but love it as an art." - George Morris There are many technical details to think about while on a horse, especially in the hunter ring. Creating a good ride often involves breaking down and analyzing each detail about the course and how the horse will react to it. However, …
Laurel Ashton Equestrian 