Alexandra Morgan Equestrian

26/08/2024

Always a great time at Katie Buxton facility for a clinic 🙌🏻
thank you for having me!

Some awesome learning moments from everyone. Love seeing the improvements!

10/08/2024

Very grateful to have Sunrise Equine Photography out to capture a ride on DD last week.
Amazing work! 😍

21/07/2024

Great clinic day at Katie Buxton farm. Great seeing the improvements & new faces!

14/07/2024

Awesome weekend as always at Westar Farms!

Bazinga showed more consistency and confidence in the FEI Inter-1 test

Very proud of Shae Riddell for getting champion of the gold second level division 🙌🏻 hard work is paying off!

Thank you as always to the whole crew at Kicking horse stables for your help and support all weekend 💕 Tiffany Randall

Huge thank you to Laurie Smith & Billie Boylen for the endless support & coaching to get me here. Could never do it without the help of Susan Morgan or Susannah Curry 🙏🏻

Love my barn family 💕

Excel EQ Canada
SH YOGA

07/07/2024

Great day at the Aragon Equestrian Center short course!
Great seeing the new faces and some huge improvements from some old faces 🙌🏻
Thank you for having me!

28/06/2024

🙌🏻

Things your riding instructor wants you to know:
1. This sport is hard. You don't get to bypass the hard…..every good rider has gone through it. You make progress, then you don't, and then you make progress again. Your riding instructor can coach you through it, but they cannot make it easy.

2. You're going to ride horses you don't want to ride. If you're teachable, you will learn from every horse you ride. Each horse in the barn can teach you if you let them. IF YOU LET THEM. Which leads me to…

3. You MUST be teachable to succeed in this sport. You must be teachable to succeed at anything, but that is another conversation. Being teachable often means going back to basics time and time and time again. If you find basics boring, then your not looking at them as an opportunity to learn. Which brings me to…..

4. This sport is a COMMITMENT. Read that, then read it again. Every sport is a commitment, but in this sport your teammate weighs 1200 lbs and speaks a different language. Good riders don't get good by riding every once in awhile….they improve because they make riding a priority and give themsevles opportunity to practice.

5. EVERY RIDE IS AN OPPORTUNITY. Even the walk ones. Even the hard ones. Every. Single. Ride. Remember when you just wished someone would lead you around on a horse? Find the happiness in just being able to RIDE. If you make every ride about what your AREN'T doing, you take the fun out of the experience for yourself, your horse, and your instructor. Just enjoy the process. Which brings me to...

6. Riding should be fun. It is work. and work isn't always fun.....but if you (or your rider) are consistently choosing other activities or find yourself not looking forward to lessons, it's time to take a break. The horses already know you don't want to be here, and you set yourself up for failure if you are already dreading the lesson before you get here.

7. You'll learn more about horses from the ground than you ever will while riding. That's why ground lessons are important, too. If you're skipping ground lessons (or the part of your lesson that takes place on the ground), you're missing out on the most important parts of the lesson. You spend far more time on the ground with horses than you do in the saddle.

8. Ask questions and communicate. If you're wondering why your coach is having you ride a particular horse or do an exercise, ask them. Then listen to their answer and refer to #3 above.

9. We are human beings. We make decisions (some of them life and death ones) every day. We balance learning for students with workloads for horses and carry the bulk of this business on our shoulders. A little courtesy goes a long way.

Of all the sports your child will try through their school years, riding is one of 3 that they may continue regularly as adults (golf and skiing are the others). People who coach riding spend the better part of their free time and much of their disposable income trying to improve their own riding and caring for the horses who help teach your child. They love this sport and teaching others…..but they all have their limits. Not all good riders are good coaches, but all good coaches will tell you that the process to get good is not an easy one.

📝 Kimberley Reynolds

📸 Max & Maxwell: Equestrian Photography

24/06/2024

Thank you to Billie Boylen for an awesome weekend of learning! Some awesome moments on day 2 🙌🏻

14/06/2024

Read , let it sink in, then read again :

“No. 1. Get your tack and equipment just right, and then forget about it and concentrate on the horse.

No. 2. The horse is bigger than you are, and it should carry you. The quieter you sit, the easier this will be for the horse.

No. 3. The horse's engine is in the rear. Thus, you must ride your horse from behind, and not focus on the forehand simply because you can see it.

No. 4. It takes two to pull. Don't pull. Push.

No. 5. For your horse to be keen but submissive, it must be calm, straight and forward.

No. 6. When the horse isn`t straight, the hollow side is the difficult side.

No. 7. The inside rein controls the bending, the outside rein controls the speed.

No. 8. Never rest your hands on the horse's mouth. You make a contract with it: "You carry your head and I'll carry my hands."

No. 10. Once you've used an aid, put it back.

No. 11. You can exaggerate every virtue into a defect.

No. 12. Always carry a stick, then you will seldom need it.

No. 13. If you`ve given something a fair trial, and it still doesn't work, try something else—even the opposite.

No. 14. Know when to start and when to stop. Know when to resist and when to reward.

No. 15. If you're going to have a fight, you pick the time and place.

No. 16. What you can't accomplish in an hour should usually be put off until tomorrow.

No. 17. You can think your way out of many problems faster than you can ride your way out of them.

No. 18. When the horse jumps, you go with it, not the other way around.

No. 19. Don`t let over-jumping or dull routine erode the horse's desire to jump cleanly. It's hard to jump clear rounds if the horse isn't trying.

No. 20. Never give up until the rail hits the ground.

No. 21. Young horses are like children—give them a lot of love, but don't let them get away with anything.

No. 22. In practice, do things as perfectly as you can; in competition, do what you have to do.

No. 23. Never fight the oats.

No. 24. The harder you work, the luckier you get."

~Bill Steinkraus

06/06/2024

Somehow good horsemanship mostly gets a failing grade in the understanding of how to properly develop a horse's ability to carry itself.

We see so many horses travelling with a hollowed back.

The bottom picture contributes greatly to ulcers, sore back, neck issues, bad teeth wearing, stifle and hock issues, weird wear patterns on the feet, a loss of work ethic and many other problems.

Poor development will also lead to a shorter span of sound working time

In other words, your horse won't last nearly as long.

We sure have to learn how to do better.

Thank you to hertzensferd.de for this really good illustration

02/06/2024

Ottawa Dressage Festival 2024 in the books🙌🏻
Greyridge Greyce took in the big venue very well and won 2nd level test of choice with a 68.5% and 2nd place in 2nd level test 2 with a 66%
Unfortunately tension got the best of Bazinga and I in the Inter -1. We had a major learning lessons and sometimes it’s just not our day.
Shae Riddell had some great schooling moments. Very proud of how consistent they’re becoming.

Huge thank you to Laurie Smith & Billie Boylen for your support & wisdom 🙌🏻

Thank you to the Kicking horse barn family, especially Katie for being an incredible groom🥰

Couldn’t have done any of it without the help of Susannah Curry& Susan Morgan 💕🙏🏻

Onwards & upwards

Excel EQ Canada
SH YOGA

Photos by Courtney McHugh

25/05/2024

Learned so much in my first lesson with Billie Boylen. Very excited for round 2 tomorrow 🙌🏻

20/05/2024

Thank you to Stevens Creek Farm for a great show!
Greyridge Greyce owned by Dale Baker, moved up to 2nd level and showed great promise with a 68.8%.

Bazinga and I did our 2nd Inter-1 and had some very rideable moments for a 62.5%.

You win some and you learn some. Very pleased with them both.

Thank you to Tiffany Randall & Laurie Smith for the coaching & support 💕

Thank you to Susan Morgan, Susannah Curry & the Kicking horse stables crew for helping all day. 🙌🏻

Excel EQ Canada
SH YOGA

14/05/2024

First show of the season was a huge success!
Greyridge Greyce owned by Dale Baker started her 2nd show season off with a 65% & 68% in first level.
Bazinga did her first Inter -1 since having a baby last year. Lots of great moments to build on.
Very proud of Shae Riddell placing 1st & 3rd in 2nd level. They’ve shown major improvements in such a short time frame.

Huge thank you to Westar Farms Spring Dressage Show for another great show.
Thank you to Laurie Smith & Tiffany Randall for your coaching and support.
And of course thank you to Kelsy Flewitt, Susan Morgan, Erin Grace and Susannah Curry for making it all possible and run smoothly.

Takes a village 🙌🏻

SH YOGA
Excel EQ Canada

07/05/2024

Thank you to my long time sponsor Excel EQ Canada.
My horses are always looking and feeling their best 🙌🏻

01/05/2024

Very excited to say I am officially a registered coach with EC.
Will be working on becoming a licensed coach this year 🙌🏻

29/04/2024

Welcome Everyone!
I am offering ship in and free lance lessons, training, clinics and clipping in the Kingston- Kempville area.
I was a working student for Morag & Selena O'Hanlon for 6 years where I competed up to prelim eventing.
I was also a working student for Liz Steacie for 2 years before managing her barn for 4 years.
I have achieved my Pony Club B level and my rider level 8.

I have successfully backed multiple babies, as well as competed to the Grand Prix in dressage.
Send me a PM for more information on how I can help you achieve your goals with your horse.