Ground Work & Handling

No Hills? No Problem: Horse Conditioning Without Hills

Updated:

October 2, 2026

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Finding Alternatives for the Conditioning Goal - Many riders worry that their lack of access to hills means their horses will miss important conditioning benefits. But before charging up hills, or fretting about their absence, riders should first consider the specific gains they were hoping to make. A horse recovering from injury, for instance, will use and benefit from hills differently than a moderately fit horse aiming to improve stamina or performance. After specific goals are identified, relevant substitutions can be explored. Whether you need hills depends on what you hope to achieve.

Earning Your Spurs: And Using Them Wisely in Horse Riding

Updated:

October 2, 2026

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Most riders who “earn” their spurs can recount at least a few stories about their potential harm or have known horses with ribcage scars and damage from overuse. Whether spurs are inherently good or bad, however, depends on numerous factors including an understanding of their respective role in different disciplines.

The Case for Lightness with Horses

Updated:

August 14, 2026

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While it might often be spoken about in artistic, aesthetic, or even philosophical ways, lightness — both of movement and also of communication with horses — is more than an abstract ideal. In many ways, it measures a horse’s current physiological capabilities.

Yielding to Pressure - Better Horse Training Through Wisdom and Timing

Updated:

July 23, 2026

Horse yielding to neck rein pressure during western riding

One could say that to work with horses is to work under pressure: the physical pressure we employ in communicating to our horses, time pressure, and even peer pressure. A wise horseperson has a sense of timing and knows when it’s fitting to yield or resist.

Is Desensitizating Your Horse Helpful?

Updated:

July 10, 2026

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A closer look at the troubling physiology behind this common practice and how to support curiosity and courage in our horses instead.

When the Rider is Hot, the Horse is Hotter

Updated:

June 19, 2026

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A hot humid day. One rider. One horse. Both are exercising at a moderate level. Who is more likely to overheat? It might surprise you to learn that your horse gets hotter much faster than you and is more susceptible to the negative effects of heat stress. Prof. Michael Lindinger, an animal and exercise physiologist at the University of Guelph, explains: “It only takes 17 minutes of moderate intensity exercise in hot, humid weather to raise a horse’s temperature to dangerous levels. That’s three to ten times faster than in humans. Horses feel the heat much worse than we do.”

Fitness for Senior Horses

Updated:

June 17, 2026

Senior horse under saddle demonstrating the benefits of consistent exercise for maintaining fitness, mobility, and soundness.

A daily anxiety for many owners of senior horses is that there may be little time left for the riding and activities they have enjoyed until now. As a horse approaches and then passes the age of 20, good rides start to feel numbered. The swayback, gait irregularities, lack of energy… these outcomes seem to be only a matter of time. And without clear reason to do so, many owners start backing off, easing the horse into retirement. Ironically, this approach usually hastens a horse’s decline instead of delaying it.

Horse Expo Canada’s Elite Horsemanship Summit

Updated:

May 29, 2026

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Balancing results while doing right by the horse - Over 500 rapt horse lovers sat and listened to the two-hour long Elite Horsemanship Summit at Horse Expo Canada in Red Deer, Alberta on April 24, 2026.

Cooling Before Exercise May Help Reduce Heat Stress in Horses

Updated:

May 26, 2026

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Hot and humid weather can place significant strain on exercising horses, especially during intense work such as racing, endurance riding, or eventing. Because horses generate large amounts of heat during exercise and have relatively limited ability to dissipate it, researchers have increasingly explored whether cooling horses before exercise can help reduce heat stress and improve safety.

Groundwork vs Riding: Using Poles With Purpose

Updated:

April 24, 2026

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The effects of ground poles vary significantly depending on whether they are performed in-hand or under saddle, at what speed, and in what volume. When poles are broadly recommended by veterinarians and trainers for rehabilitation or conditioning, riders are often left uncertain about the specifics of using them.