The Foundations Every Rider Should Learn 1. 🐴 Before You Get On ☐ Approach the horse calmly ☐ Safely halter and lead the horse ☐ Understand basic personal space around a horse☐ Groom safely ☐ Pick up and handle the horse's feet with supervision ☐ Understand how to safely saddle and bridle ☐ Check girth/cinch before mounting ☐ Know where to stand when mounting ☐ Check that reins, stirrups, and tack are correctly adjusted 2. Your Position in the Saddle ☐ Head & Eyes Look where

I've watched people fall in love with a horse before they've even put a halter on him. Sometimes it's the color. Sometimes it's the movement. Sometimes it's a video of him sliding to a stop or loping around an arena like he was born to do it. Sometimes it's the story behind the horse that gets us. Maybe he was rescued. Maybe he has an impressive show record. Maybe he's exactly the breed, height, or color we've always wanted. And sometimes, by the time we actually get there to

Years ago, I wanted a dark bay horse. Not just any dark bay. I wanted that particular kind of dark bay that looks almost black from a distance, with a chocolate-colored body contrasted against a black mane, black tail, and four sleek black legs. There was something about that combination that I couldn’t resist. The dark, shiny coat with just the right amount of contrast was my dream. It looked elegant and powerful. It looked like the kind of horse I wanted to be seen riding.

Buckle up, this is a long one! Thinking about turning your love of horses into a business? Maybe you've dreamed about opening a boarding barn. Maybe you want to teach riding lessons from your property. Maybe you want to train horses, start a summer camp, offer trail rides, host clinics, or build a small equestrian program. Or maybe you're already doing some of these things and have discovered something important: Loving horses and running a horse business are two very differe

A Story of Colic with my Endurance Horse I had finally finished filling the trailer with enough supplies to get us through the weekend....

In this video, we demonstrate the first ever lounging of this horse. She is learning how pressure works and that when she moves away from...

I created this video to demonstrate how to properly prepare a horse to be ridden. It covers brushing and hoof cleaning as well as why we...

Many of you have read about Holly's fatal colic and have asked Gypsy's colic episode that she experienced last month. I want to provide...

This sweet girl came to Gypsy Farms from Tejas rodeo. She was loved by her previous owner, but was not working as the calm kids horse...

Before you get out there and saddle up your horse and take off to the nearest open field and settle into a nice canter so you can feel...

Use this diagram as your guide: To ask for a circle to the left in-frame and collected: - The left hand should for a left hand...

The following exercises are based on the below diagram for hand and leg position: For a forward lateral flexion (asking the horse to bend...

Recently I picked up a new 16'3" Appendix bred big stout gelding. I took one look at this boys feet and new he needed some treatment. He...

This is a follow-up to an earlier post on Horse behavior and catching the horse. I recently had a friend who rescued a horse. The horse...

Background Recently, a good friend rescued a horse, Dodger, from a kill pen up in Pennsylvania, she lives in Maryland and had the horse...

Did you know that Alfalfa is an all encompassing food? If a horse had only alfalfa and water, it would be just fine. However, there are...

Today I had the opportunity to meet with a renowned equine dentist who does so much more. She imparted an overwhelming amount of...

I recently wrote about an equine dentist that came to see my horses. She is a wealth of knowledge and is so willing to share. Some...

Haunches In: Haunches-in (travers) is the most advanced way to teach your horse inside bend. For a correct haunches-in, your horse must...

Asking for Correct Lead: Start at a walk and practice positioning before attempting to ask for a canter. This example is asking for the...