Kathy Farrokhzad

But it's good to know when there's a conformation factor, because then you can understand and address the root cause. When there is little reach of the hind legs underneath the horse's body, there is little he can do to maintain his own balance, never mind the balance of his rider's weight too. The aids are the rider's way of helping communicating with the horse and helping him maintain his balance even while doing movements that require him to change balance all the time. So much of dressage training is rooted in the concept of developing a "good" seat, one that allows the horse's back to rise and fall, allows energy "through" the horse's body, and actually encourages the horse to work more from the hind end.

In fact, we're rated lucky #13 in the top equestrian blogs and #9 in the top dressage blogs of 2019 by Feedspot.com, a website that keeps track of all the favorite blogs and websites in one spot. I'm so happy to receive this recognition among the thousands of equestrian blogs on the Internet, Horselistening.com has been around now since 2011, when blogs were just becoming a new website sensation, and when equestrians all over the globe were beginning to add their voice - whether through stories, sharing their personal journeys, or like me, creating a resource for others that they could access time and again. To date, we have over 450+ published articles on our site, plus many more shared on various other sites all over the Internet, and in equestrian association newsletters and journals around the world.

You'll probably never know everything there is to know about tack, but you should learn enough so that when you're on your own and having to make choices, you can make informed decisions, even if the tack is new to you. You'll learn how to make and combine the feed, give specific feed for particular needs, and how to time everything so that it's best for the horse. If you get a chance to handle a variety of horses, you'll learn about the importance of ground work, and the necessity of good manners in horses. We don't all learn to be professional groomers (that's yet another art) but basic grooming skills can help you learn a lot about a horse - and give the horse a good shine while you're at it!

Really, it's all about management, but there's so much that needs to be taken into account when you're thinking about everything that needs to be "just so" in order to create the perfect set-up for the benefit of your equine friend. And all animals, just like us, thrive on attention, especially when it's positive. If you can get the horse to move comfortably (= in balance) AND ride in a way that encourages the horse's best movements while also harmonizing yourself to his movements... And if you want more details on how you can improve the riding part of the above set-up, check out my Practice Sessions for some great ideas about how you can improve your riding skills and routines from the comfort of your own barn!