Blog

Saddling up for a trail ride is an amazing way to bond with your horse, explore new terrain, and revel in the beauty of the great outdoors. Before you hit the trail though, it’s important to ensure your horse is well-prepared both physically and mentally. Read on for valuable trail riding tips that help keep your experience safe and enjoyable.

You know deworming your horse is important for their health and wellbeing, but do you know why spring and fall are the best seasons to tackle this essential part of horse care?

Groundwork exercises for horses can help you establish effective communication with your equine partner. You’ll discover that groundwork exercises help you and your horse develop a deeper level of trust. This trust can strengthen your relationship and connection with your horse and, in turn, elevate your riding.

Proper care is key in maintaining the durability, appearance, and performance of leather tack. When you give your leather tack a little TLC, you’ll be poised to enjoy it for years to come.

Horseback riding and saddle pad selection go hand in hand. One of the top things to keep in mind when selecting the best saddle pad is the pad’s ability to effectively absorb and dissipate shock. A shock-absorbing saddle pad helps protect both horse and rider from the impact of the animal’s movement.

Keeping your horse cinch clean is an important part of your horse care routine. Both your horse’s comfort and your horse cinch’s longevity can depend on it! Experts recommend cleaning your horse’s cinch whenever it gets dirty or at least once every two months for lighter soil.

When horse riding, it's important to create control with your seat and legs. Your hands are the most aggressive tools you have so it's important to work toward using them the least. Your horse's bit should be used as much as needed, but not more. Ideally, your seat and legs should be used as the FIRST cue with the horse bit only used as an enforcer when necessary.

The diameter or thickness of a rope halter has an impact on its fit, durability, and the amount of pressure applied to your horse’s head.

Let’s take a look at sweat patterns and what they may be telling you about your horse’s saddle fit. You can glean valuable information about how your horse’s back is interacting with the saddle by regularly checking sweat patterns after rides.

If you have a fearful or anxious horse, it’s important for you to respond with patience, understanding and a willingness to work at your horse’s pace. Since horses are prey animals in nature, they have developed strong protective instincts as an ingrained part of their equine behavior.

You’re passionate about building a relationship of trust with your horse. When you embark on your next horse riding session, try a few of Ken McNabb’s tried-and-true techniques to improve communication with your horse and advance in your horsemanship journey.

Have you ever heard of the saying, “Built from the ground up.”? Essentially, the same goes for horses. Groundwork is an important aspect of training and working with horses. It can enhance your relationship, communication, and trust between you and your horse. Here are some reasons why groundwork is an important element for any level.