"Horses are not merely lumps of clay where strongly squeezing and pressing on them will make them soft" Many people ...
When it comes to horse welfare we all need to play a part, but even though it 'will take a village', personal ...
Training horses, like most things, does not happen in a straight line. Even if you have one clearly defined goal (to do ...
Why Partnership Is Not Enough Starting in the late 1990s, I changed from control-based training to communication-based ...
I've coached students from multiple disciplines and levels on a variety of breeds of horses, coming from a range of ...
I often get asked about what it means when a horse has foam in their mouth and whether it is good or bad. My answer is: ...
Prefer to listen? I did a podcast that includes this subject. You can listen HERE Can you motivate your horse to offer ...
Settle in for my thoughts on how to know your horse is happy and how to increase his levels of happiness! (45 min ...
(Prefer to listen? Check out my podcast on this subject) What if… In any moment of tension, there was one question you ...
The key to getting the benefit out of a specific dressage exercise or movement is to know WHY you are doing it. If you ...
When someone says they do dressage, you can picture them doing specific movements like half pass, pirouettes, and ...
Prefer to listen? Go HERE to listen to this topic on Karen's Podcast. Finding the right teacher for each stage of your ...
There's a lot of discussion in dressage circles about how tight or loose a noseband should be in order to create the ...
Prefer to listen? Check out Karen's podcast on this subject. When students want to improve their horse's biomechanics ...
Prefer to listen? Check out Karen's Podcast on this subject. The phrase "get your horse on the bit" has caused much ...
It's important to give your horse breaks. A break can mean a day off, or weeks off. In this article, I will talk about ...
"Is this the right bend?" is one of the most common question I get asked during clinics. When riders ask this, they are ...
(5 minute read. Includes videos) My first thought for training low energy horses is to not call them lazy. Lazy implies ...
A quick video message from Karen about the exercise in this blog. The following is an excerpt from my book: Dressage ...
Riders can often fall into one of two categories: Those who want to compete and those who don't. A more extreme version ...
I’ve seen so many people spend SO much money to suffer through dressage lessons. It does NOT have to be that way. ...
You’ve done everything the ‘right’ way. You bought the fancy horse. You hired the big name trainer in the area and ...
Not missing the forest for the trees...Keeping the Big Picture in mind when advancing with your horse. It happens all ...
The way a body moves is a result of posture, mental state, openness to suggestion, and whether or not there is pain or ...
All work and no play makes your horse a dull boy Here is a too-common story: Things are going well with your horse; you ...
The picture of dressage in my head is a beautiful one. It is where the horse is a happy Athlete, educated harmoniously. ...
Rehabilitating a horse can be one of the most rewarding experiences. The horses I have returned to wholeness have ...
Self-carriage is one of those qualities that, no matter what discipline you are doing, makes you say: "Wow, this horse ...
Dressage trainers are known for (among other things) their ability to ride straight lines and to stay inside the box. ...
As the author of what I call Dressage, Naturally, I am always trying to reconcile the bodies of knowledge that I have ...
Ordinary horses don't know they're ordinary. Every day, help your horse feel like the champion that he is. A lot of ...
I also could call this post: Hey, this sh*t really works! Many of you already know that I teach what I call Finding The ...
When I first started embracing dressage and natural horsemanship together as a unique system, I felt like a contagious ...
I often get asked about whether it is harmful to a horse's posture to do freestyle riding (riding without the reins). ...
Q: Can you explain the difference between an engaged stretch and a horse just going with their head down? A: There is a ...
Q: What are your thoughts about treeless saddles? A: I personally ride in a treeless saddle. It is a very simple one, ...
The Sweet Spot is what Karen calls those magic moments when you are riding around thinking: "Oh wow, this just feels ...
The Object Of Dressage The object of dressage is the development of a happy athlete through harmonious education ...
I get many questions about how to get your horse on the bit, how to get the horse 'rounder' or softer in the contact. ...
Q: In dressage we have to do so many circles… Won't my horse become bored and dull? A: I have seen a lot of ...
"You have freedom when you are easy in your harness" ~Robert Frost What an interesting way to define freedom. If asked ...
This article was originally published in Equine Wellness Magazine. Precision & Play: Here’s how they can work ...
The health of your horse’s back is vital to his performance. Achieving healthy back movement requires a holistic ...
Competition test riding can bring up a lot of emotions. Being judged and tested can trigger all kinds of anxiety, but ...
