Horse Blog

The complete guide to getting into the saddle for the adult beginner: what the expression really covers, the five checks to make before your foot goes in the stirrup, the seven-step method, what each mounting technique actually costs the horse's back according to a measured study, the correct position once you are seated, how to dismount safely, the seven mistakes that make a horse react, and what to sort out on licence, hat and kit before a first lesson.

The complete guide to cross-country riding: where it sits in eventing, the seven families of fences, the official speeds and heights level by level, the riding ability needed to start, the compulsory kit for horse and rider, the exact penalty table, and a three-week checklist before your first course.

Equine dentition explained from end to end: the exact number of teeth by sex and age, the job each type does, the continuous growth that lasts almost a lifetime, the age-reading table from 8 days to 18 years, the vocabulary used in the yard, the most common dental problems and the signs that should have you calling a professional.

On your horse's identification papers, one line reads "petite balzane postérieur gauche, herminée, sabot clair". Three pieces of jargon for a white patch you look at every single day without ever knowing its name. No two sets of horse leg markings are alike: these are the...

A complete guide to the horse's leg conformation: definition, four-view assessment protocol, list of forelimb and hind limb faults, severity table, irregularities at the walk, the real age window for correction in the foal and the owner's checklist.

The horse's trot explained: a natural two-beat gait, diagonal pairs, the moment of suspension, a walk trot canter comparison table, rising and sitting trot, how to check the correct diagonal, the dressage trots, trotting race times and faulty trots.