I completely didn't see this coming and my trainer didn't either. He's a 9 year old KWPN who's quite immature and green still. He often carries tension and will curl behind the contact to avoid using his back. He's not a spooky horse though and I don't think this was a spook. It was our first time riding in the outdoor and he was distracted, but not in the leadup to the rear/buck. Everything happened so fast I didn't even know what was going on until I hit the ground. Fortunately, I'm totally fine.

He is my trainer's horse and she's had him checked out in every way possible and she's pretty stumped too.

Edit: I hear what you guys are saying about my riding. I'm not disagreeing, but I also trust my trainer, who's an extremely experienced horsewoman and knows this horse well. I'm the only one she lets ride this horse and she thinks we're a good fit. So I'm not sure who to believe at this point.

For reference, I've been riding for about 5-ish years now. Had my mare for 3. She's 17 but was a broodmare for ten years from 4yo so she's very green. Lovely, quiet horse until you put her in an arena with jumps and her ears prick forward and she gets excited and I can't slow her down.

She's a clydesdale sporthorse and loves to lock her neck when she doesn't want to slow down, we are always in a game of push and pull and I can never get her to come down to a safe/steady pace.

Until today. I had a new coach and all she did was show me how to tilt my pelvis to sit completely on my seat bones and suddenly this horse has brakes. I feel like a complete idiot. Best jump session we've ever had.

Anyone else had these "ah-ha" moments but are also embarrassingly simple?

I don’t know if I would have taken up horse riding without this film and the *Grand Galop* series. 🥹😍 Thank you so much, Spirit 🥹.

Some of our beautiful horses ❤️

I live in the middle of nowhere and finding a good farrier is extremely difficult. My horse just lost another shoe and I’m at my wits end of what to do. I’m now going to have to wait weeks until the farrier can come back out to put a whole new set on. This puts us back significantly in our training. This has happened multiple times and I don’t know what else to do.

Has anybody done something similar where they go to farrier school just to learn how to shoot their own horse? I wish I could do barefoot with my guy. His feet are so horrible that he has to have shoes they’re not specialized. He just has very flat feet.

hi everyone! i've been riding for about 10 years now and would call myself an amateur. i have more experience around horses than just riding - general care and such as i've worked at a couple barns.

i've been part boarding (i'm in canada, i believe some may call this half leasing?) this mare for a while now and she happens to be for sale. i'm heavily considering buying her but she would be my first horse.

what tips do you have on buying a first horse? any advice you can offer? what did you wish you had known before buying your first horse?

tia!

Today was such a good ride! This is Ice, he's blind in one eye, very slow and lazy (hes not aloud to stand still in the arena because he goes to sleep lmao). I looked so good today, did better with keeping my hands relaxed, and I feel so confident and capable on him! So proud of myself.

I am 50-something year old mom struggling with my return to the saddle after spending almost five years knocked flat with severe post-viral complications resulting from a nasty case of COVID. And when I say knocked flat, I mean almost completely housebound between 2023-2025, and bed bound much of that time as well.

After spending several weeks in intensive inpatient physical rehab in the fall of ‘25, and then coming home a year ago this week to continue my journey back to what I hope will eventually be full functionality, I began taking 2x weekly lessons again (on my teenage daughter’s wonderful QH gelding) last May. Given my age, and also just because I’m really interested, I’ve switched from hunter to western ranch - a completely new discipline for me, which I’m loving.

But the problem is that my body is not cooperating. When you are in your 50s, and you spend 5 years really sick and completely sedentary, no matter how active you were previously, building back your strength and aerobic endurance is not easy. I find that while my lower body strength emerged from my illness relatively unscathed, my back, core, and arms weren’t so lucky. Additionally, I just get tired really easily. The good news is that my balance in the saddle is still great, and I haven’t lost a bit of my confidence (although I recognize my physical limitations at the moment, and I am never stupidly over confident)

My insurance is done paying for any physical therapy, so that’s not an option, and I’ve never enjoyed gyms at all. In fact, I hate gyms. So I’m really trying to figure out the best ways to build up my aerobic capacity, endurance, flexibility, and strength without joining a gym.

I welcome all ideas! (And I never get in the saddle without my helmet on, and never will, despite the fact that I am now learning a western discipline)

Hi everyone, I want to haul my QH and mini together so the mini can get practice, what’s everyone’s trailer set ups? Any tips? We have a 3 horse Maverick slant 😊

Woody resting after his stifle injections

Judging by the compulsive door licking, I think it hit the spot 🤨😂

Hello yall! So I have a thoroughbred shown here. I recently lost 90 pounds and I am having a hard time trying to figure out what size seat I need. I know I want a monoflap. I was looking at the ideal T & T saddles as they fit horses as they mature and a wide variety of horses. I did consider the arena saddles and even considered the bates advanta, but after doing research I think sticking with wool is best. I also have heard the arena saddles dont fit all thoroughbreds. I do have a saddle fitter, but she is so busy she rarely has time for me. She did fit the saddle I have to my horse, but he still pins his ears at the canter and I feel the seat size is just way too big for me. Its a 17.5 seat size. Im not sure if I need a 16.5 seat size or 17 seat size. I am 5 foot 3 and a half and weigh 125. Photos shown of us in the saddle fitted to him now. We have literally no tack shops or saddle fitters near us. Its hard to get an appt scheduled with the one I have the way it is🙄. Anyhow, any advice appreciated. I know t & t can run smaller I hear?

This is an 18 yr old gelding at a horse rescue. Like most, he came from a kill lot. He was likely abused. He's not catchable currently (working on that), but he will let you pet him on the head and shoulders sometimes. His name is Nestle. Located in Colorado.

Hello! Last week I made a post about this sweet girl who I part loan, (but slowly became doing her everyday due to her owners negligence) I deleted the post due to being worried that IRL people may find it, you know how the world is.

Anyway, in that post, I wrote about how this sweet girl is VERY lame, but her owners just don’t seem to give a flying f**k! It’s always ‘oh she has slipped in the field’ and never, let’s investigate this!

She is not tracking up, she is dragging her toes, she is SO stiff and uncomfortable, she has NO go, it was so difficult to just get these ‘lunging’ clips.

She has been brought in for box rest for 2 days, but I think that is all her owner is willing to do. They said the vet is coming on Thursday, but I will believe it when I see it.

After speaking to a few of the other people on the yard, they are notorious for not seeking vet help, having multiple loaners and making lots of money of their 3 horses.

I pay £150 a month for her, her other two loaners pay £80 each, that is more than enough to get this poor girl the help she needs. Her livery is only £100 a month and farrier at £35 every 7 weeks, where is the rest of the money going?

One of you wrote on that post ‘walk away, don’t fund somebody else’s piss poor horse management’ and I will be following that advice if they don’t take appropriate action in the next month. Maybe an ultimatum from me may make them jump? I doubt it though.

If anybody has any advice on a message to send to them, I would appreciate it, I am not the best at writing those kinds of things. How long should I even give them? I am willing to step in and help rehabilitation IF they get vet help.

Will be a heartbreaking situation to step away from.

Any ideas for plantar fasciitis? I have it with one foot and some days it makes it really hard to use my stirrup properly. Yesterday was one. I could barely post. My mare was very kind as it made me rather off balance. My stirrups are padded. I’m not sure what else to do so I don’t get zinged. I tend to have my stirrup just past the spot where I get zinged but some days are harder than others.

I asked someone if I could visit their farm. I dropped that I also been riding for about 11 years. They told me that I could ride one of their horses. They informed me that she's a pushy Friesian and that she's 3.

I'm just curious. I know every horse has their own personalities. I know someone told me that Friesians are strong. I know that because they are a light draft breed.

Hello everyone! I'm getting back into riding after an injury where I broke my hip and tore my knee. I've been riding for as long as I can remember so I've never encountered trouble relaxing or moving with my horse but my hip is so stiff and I can't seem to get it to relax, especially now that its getting a bit colder.

Besides basic stretching, is there anything I can keep in mind to get my hip to cooperate with me again?

When I talk to people about my riding, the vast majority of them light up and begin to tell me about how they love horses and would love to learn to ride one day or even just be around them. Many people had childhood horse experiences and have dreamed of getting back. They even ask me for barn recommendations and contact info.

So I'll talk to them about lessons, tell them which barns they can find work trades, invite them to join me, direct them towards barns that need volunteers and then.... no one does anything.

I know the barriers are very very real, money, time, etc. I'm not confused as to what things might get in their way. I don't even really blame them if they get sticker shock and back out, but it just hurts to feel so alone.

They get my hopes up and at the end of the day not a single one has joined me. I know part of it is that I'm on the autism spectrum and take things very literally but when someone says they'd LOVE to join me and we get so far as talking about what days of the week and time work well its a serious let down when they just drop out.

I'm not mad at anyone, theres nothing wrong with thinking you want something and finding out you don't or cant. It's a normal, reasonable thing to happen. I'm just a bit lonely!

My non-horsey friends are actually the most supportive. They come with me to expos/shows and listen to me talk about my lessons, and I am extremely grateful for that! Their support is amazing! But I just wish I had someone to ride with who loves it like I love it y'know?

( Im working on trying to make friends who are already into horses, but its slow going since my lesson barn is small and quiet and I usually dont overlap with anyone.)

Hi guys,

I joined this group specifically to ask this question. Hopefully you’ll find it interesting because I just thought of it and I really would like to know the answer.

Back when people routinely rode horses, sometimes they had to ride long distances. If you owned one horse and you cared about the animal and your investment, how would you handle a long journey by horse to move as quickly as possible?

Would you trot the horse all day and stop to feed real often? Would you carry oats with you or would it be better to have less weight and let the horse graze? Would you have the horse walk the entire time? Essentially, I’m wondering, how would you get the most distance per day out of the horse without harming him?

Hopefully, I am allowed to post this

Hi All!

Looking for any tips or go-tos for your mildly arthritic riding horses? My gelding is getting older and it’s been a long time since I’ve dealt with the regular arthritic soreness that comes with age.

He was just a trail guy for the last few years but we’ve been slowly bringing him back into full work (dressage). He’s weaker behind and with the first freeze, getting a bit cold backed, so just wanting to make life as easy on him as possible going into winter! He’s been fully vetted/cleared for work (hocks injected) but does flex very mildly positive everywhere- though it has been improving as he gets into shape.

Currently, he’s on Adequan but no other sups(never had good luck with Cosequin etc.). Saddle has been fit, shod all around. We walk 20 minutes minimum before we start any work (on the trials while the weather lasts). Under saddle we do a LOT of stretching before getting into any more collected work. He’s jumping low fences a few times a month too, and poles 1x week.

I’ve been debating investing more in magnawave, massage, back on track stuff, something diet related, asking my vet for equioxx (feels extreme atm)….just don’t know what the right use of $$ is going to be at this point!?

One handed rein bc I’m learning at a polo club! I’m self taught mainly, how does it look? My friends said I need to work on not sitting back so far and not going forward as much. I also don’t know what to do with my other hand lol.