Glenshee Equestrian Centre

Well, the World Equestrian Games have finally ended and I've had a chance to watch all the tv coverage and catch up on a few un-televised performances online. There were some bad moments and good, some shocking rides and some inspiring. But more than anything, there were some amazing horses (who are the real athletes here but are too often were overlooked in favor of their "celebrity" riders and trainers.) So my favorite moment of the entire event had to be this one: Upon becoming the winner of the showjumping gold through a challenging format in which the top four riders had to ride each of the top four horses with little preparation, Philippe Le Jeune (Belgium) put in an impressive series of rides on all four horses.  But even more impressive, to me, was his reaction afterward when he joyfully hugged and kissed the horses who won him the gold. It's not often you see a rider at that level show any affection or even gratitude toward their horses.  Usually...

--> Have you ever tried to ride a long-necked horse with short reins?  I’ve been thinking about what effect this can have on riding since getting Grady.  For those who don’t know Grady’s story, He's and 18hh Irish Sport Horse I took in last year after he had begun refusing to jump for his previous owners and was left to rot in a paddock.  He was an eventer, trained to second level in the “new” dressage method and competed regularly until something went wrong and he refused to jump anymore. So, they got rid of him.  And I took him on in hopes of rehabbing him. He’s got an enormously long neck and, when I went to try him, I rode him in a bridle that had a standard set of reins on it.  I found this incredibly difficult to deal with because I wanted to start my ride on him in a long, loose frame which required a long rein.  But this was impossible. When I first get on any horse, I always let them walk around on a long rein.  I like them ...