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A hundred years ago, Tom Bass and his High School horses were the top attraction at American horse shows. They were at least as well known as the most famous [...]

JUDGES: MRS. MARIA ANNARATONE-FERRARON (ITALY). MR. TERRY HOLMES (U.S.), MR. FERDINAND HUEMER (AUSTRIA). MR. STEVE LIEBLANG (U.S.). MRS. ANN NORDEN (SWEDEN). MR. LUIZ ROCCO (BRAZIL) MR. ALI SHAARAWI (EGYPT). MR. [...]

Each year we identify the Totally Tops professional trainers and amateurs who have risen to the top of their disciplines at the U.S., Canadian, and Sport Horse National shows. The [...]

For a successful equitation, hunter or jumper round, your aids need to effectively communicate with your horse. And he must respond to those aids--shortening his stride for a steady line [...]

The American Quarter Horse Association does more than register horses and document pedigrees. It also helps preserve bloodlines and horsemanship traditions dating back to the nation's founding. The founding of [...]

The issue of equitation usually comes up in a training session when I've reminded an amateur rider to keep her heels down or her body quiet over the fence. The [...]

I've made my career training and showing in the National Reined Cow Horse Association and American Quarter Horse Association, as well as training jackpot and futurity rope horses. I try [...]

The corner is the most critical point of the run, setting up the way a heeler gets in time with the steer, delivers his rope and stops his horse. Talking [...]

As a horse trainer and a flagger, I see a lot of headers struggle with maintaining horse position and remaining in control of their horses when turning steers. If you're [...]

The 2018 Sport Horse Nationals returned to Nampa, Idaho, for the 16th year of the show. This year's show attracted 398 horses from the U.S. and Canada competing in 120 [...]

TC: What do you love about this sport? LS: I like the continual education that you get--you can never just rest on your laurels. You always have to watch and [...]

WHY WHAT YOUR BODY DOES DURING A RUN IS SOMETHING YOU CANT AFFORD TO OVERLOOK. Body position is something that's really overlooked when it comes to teaching and working on [...]

RIDING IN A SNAFFLE BIT IS A CRITICAL SKILL IN TAKING YOUR HORSEMANSHIP TO THE NEXT LEVEL, NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF RIDING YOU DO. Keeping a horse soft in [...]

Although handlers tend to focus on a horse's body language when assessing his emotional state, a new study from France suggests that equine facial expressions can be just as revealing. [...]

When riders attend a clinic with six-time Olympian Robert Dover, they usually come with goals to reach and issues to address. This was the case when Greber Dressage hosted the [...]

Most dressage riders encounter resistance from their horses at some point when learning to perform collected gaits. As a judge, what I most often notice while sitting at C is [...]

In last month's column, I introduced you to several people who guided and shaped my early career, just as your mentors steer your riding progress. My narrative stopped at a [...]

Did your horse take a funny step or are you just imagining it? He seems to be working happily and you checked his feet for stones before mounting. Yet he [...]

The largest problem that confronts every beginner in horsemanship is figuring out what 'mastery' means. The beginner may think that her biggest problem is how to stop double-bouncing at the [...]

Whether you dream of seeing the country from horseback or excelling in competition, you can do it! These four riders reveal what it took to achieve their horse-related goals. We [...]

Continuing their sport in college has been relatively easy for hunt seat, dressage and Western riders for many years. Close to 400 colleges offer Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association teams, 42 [...]

When Peter Wylde teaches a clinic, his mission is simple: 'I'm focused on helping the riders do whatever they want to do instead of just being up there for the [...]

DURING MY TIME IN THE HORSE INDUSTRY, I've seen riders struggle with a variety of issues while working with their horses. Some are due to problems in the horse, but [...]

George Morris schooled event riders in the finer points of equitation at Boyd and Silva Martin's Windurra farm in Cochranville, Pennsylvania, for two days last spring. He started each of [...]

At a recent U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Town Hall meeting, President Bill Moroney led a discussion about the path for the young generation of riders. Citing the lack of opportunities [...]

A successful Junior rider in the 1980s, Germany's Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum talks about the differences between the American and European riding systems and the evolution of her winning style. Born in [...]

Whether you're a beginner or advanced, ride trails or rails, effective speed transitions are an essential part of your horsemanship. Controlled, smooth changes of gait make for a more enjoyable [...]

Ranch riding events and pleasant trail rides call for a horse that walks out smartly. Learn how to use alternating legs to improve your horse's walk * How do you [...]

Absorbine Win-A-Day Thanks to the Brad Barkemeyer Win-A-Day Clinic presented by Absorbine and Horse&Rider, Jeremy Spivey got to invite nine of his roping buddies to join him in a full-day [...]

(1) COSTA RICA SURF 'The most exciting thing about Costa Rica is that you can surf 360 days a year in board-shorts,' says Christian Boos, owner of Ollie's Point Surf [...]

Physical training gives you a whole new look. Mental training gives you a whole new outlook. We riders are truly lucky because every day we get to do what we [...]

In the new book, The Alchemy of Lightness, authors Dominique Barbier--a certified British Horse Society assistant instructor and author of Dressage for the New Age and Meditation for Two--and Dr. [...]

Before we get into the meat of this story, an important update. Entries for the Reichert's Arabian Celebration were up over 50 percent from the 2012 numbers--140 horses in 2012 [...]

It's a scene that unfolds thousands of times every week across America: The groom fidgets nervously and the bride smiles radiantly ,as the presiding pastor or judge solemnly intones, 'Dearly [...]

Though horses have traditionally been 'kid magnets,' many in the horse world worry that this dynamic may be changing. There are so many digital distractions and extracurricular activities available to [...]

In all the years I've been roping for a living, I've always enjoyed watching heelers who are great ropers finish the run. The ability to dally, pull back and get [...]

Editor's note. This mental toughness article is the final in a series of six month/y installments with Trevor Brazile, demonstrating the relentless practice. mental toughness and horsemanship it has taken [...]

(1) The first thing is getting that good, clean start. You don't want your horse to drop a hip or anything that would make him leave unsquare. Leaving the box [...]

When one of the many youth or amateur riders trained by Kathy and Travis Braden come out of the show arena, they are met not with criticism, but a positive [...]

Why is it we never can put supreme teams together on paper and just know they'll be spectacular? You'd think that putting the two best ropers on the same roster [...]

Horses get to anticipating your throw. They get patterned--and we're creatures of habit too--so they learn the subtle cues we have that we may not realize and know a stop [...]

Before you throw your leg over the saddle, come up with a game plan of what your riding session is going to look like. [right arrow] The mental part of [...]

Sitting centered in the saddle while riding straight lines or around corners makes or breaks your horse's response--no matter your discipline. Your brain might tell you that you're sitting squarely [...]

When you think about riding, you'd probably identify your seat as the most important part of your horsemanship, which is correct. Your feet are the second most important part, in [...]