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: Sports
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 …
Adventures in Disney World
I am a little delayed in posting about my trip to Disney World! I came home last Monday, and was promptly stricken with a nasty cold. But better late than never! Like I said in my last post, "Disney World Here I Come!" I was there for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon on Saturday night, and other …
Disney World Here I Come!
"Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever."-Walt Disney I am off to the most magical place on earth bright and early tomorrow morning! Saturday night, I will be running in the Wine and Dine Half Marathon! It will be my first half marathon, so I am a little nervous. My …
Still Crazy
I posted a while ago that I was having trouble coming up with things to write about because I am often more inspired by the tough times of my riding life in "A Simple Ride and Writer's Block." While Chance has still been pretty good lately, today he reminded me that he is still a little crazy. Everything …
Grand Slam
This past Saturday at Keeneland, one very special horse made history yet again. In his final race, American Pharoah became the first horse to win the Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup Classic one and quarter mile race, or the "Grand Slam." Like his other races, it was incredible to watch. He smoked everyone else. …
Riding in the Rain
With fall comes rain, at least in Texas. Actually, the past couple of days have not felt much like fall at all. This morning, it was warm and humid; and rainy. Chance was not too thrilled about working in the "inclement" conditions today. He wasn't terrible, but wasn't great either. He was a little lazy, …
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 