CH Equine

02/02/2025

I use lunging to help develop a rhythmical tempo and to stretch my horses. Some horses need additional help to find their balance or to help with consistency, while others find it easily on their own. Side reins should never force a horse into the position.

02/01/2025

Horses need time to do horse things. Large turnouts play a big role in your horse's mental soundness and can help speed up recovery from a ride that may have been a little more work than normal, such as a conditioning ride or a ride working new muscle groups in a new movement.

01/31/2025

The first steps can be the most rewarding. They show you what is to come in the future. Make sure to build a "solid" step for each step of the process. When a horse has a solid foundation of balance, understands the aids, is controllably forward, and enjoys their work, the upper-level movements come without force.

Pictured is Norde taking some of his first steps for Piaffe. There is room to improve, but it is a wonderful, willing start. 😆

01/30/2025

Sometimes, after a ride, I unsaddle in the arena and let my horse go find the perfect place for a roll. I like to think of it as a big thank you, and I hope they receive it that way.🙏

📸 by Carrie Harrison

01/29/2025

It is worth the investment of a professional photographer to help capture some moments that you can have forever. We do lots of things for our horses. Do this one for you. 💐🌟

📸 by Carrie Harrison

01/28/2025

We don’t let a little cold hold us back from learning! Super excited to have Dr. Gerd Heuschmann here teaching us. 🌟🐎❤️

Is not too late to join us for auditing!

Gerd Heuschmann USA

01/28/2025

The walk can be the most difficult gait to keep your horse to the bit. It is easy to loose the impulsion in the walk and therefore, your horse will have a tendency to fall behind the bit with even the slightest touch on the reins. Keep your horse's walk active, and make sure you give them the rein length necessary so that they have space to put the nose forward and ride them to your hand.

01/28/2025

Why the long face? 😂😂😂

Share your goofy pictures of your horses I’m the comment! 🙌🏼🤪

01/27/2025

Let your horse move forward freely with an active canter every so often. Lighten your seat, hands well forward, and the legs on. This will keep your horse's motor (haunches) activated and motivated to stay awake. This will help keep your horse from getting bored with regular routine work and keep your horse's back loose, which will better allow the haunches to function. A willingness to go forward from a pushing hind leg is what leads to a soft and steady contact created by the horse reaching for the bit.

Of course, it can take time to develop trust to be able to do this, along with the rider developing balance and stamina to ride it. Take your time, and don't over-face yourself. Maybe have a trainer or a friend with this confidence already do it for you occasionally. There is no shame in asking for help; you only suffer if you do not.

01/27/2025

😆 💯 🌟

Yeahhhhh, my husband did not win the lottery on this one 😂 ...

01/25/2025

01/25/2025

Working on cruse control in our working canter and while stretching.

01/24/2025

Riding back to front

If a horse is truly being ridden from back to front, the horse should always stretch his neck as far as necessary to reach the soft contact of the rider's hands. The shorter the rein, the sooner the horse arrives at the bit, but the neck should still be stretching forward and not contracting to get away from the rider's hands.

01/23/2025

We've reached 11K followers! Thank you so much for your continued support. We could never have made it without each one of you. 🙏🏇🎉🌟

01/23/2025

A horse with a round and soft topline is easier for the rider to sit.

01/22/2025

Super excited to start working with this guy in the spring. 💐
We imported our licensed Oldenburg stallion from Germany last April. 🌟🙌🏼🐴

01/21/2025

Straightness

There is an equal balance of both left and right when a horse finds its balance in a straight position. One of the most important reasons we have for having a straight horse is so that when we do teach them to bend, they bend evenly through their body from ear to tail. It is easier to string a bow from a straight stick rather than a crooked one.

Teaching a horse to bend before they have been taught to be straight often results in a horse with a hyper-flexible neck.

True bend comes from the rider's leg, not the hand.

01/20/2025

Keep the nose in front, always!

A horse that keeps its nose in front of the vertical position will always maintain a more consistent contact and position than a horse that is behind the vertical position. It does not matter if the face of the horse is at 95 degrees or 60 degrees; what matters is that the position matches the horse's level of training and that they are comfortable and trusting of the rider's soft contact. The less advanced horse will have its nose more forward with a longer neck.

A horse with its nose in front will be more willing to go forward with active and flexible haunches that help give the horse a swing that goes through their body all the way to the rider's receiving hand.

Horses that have their nose on the vertical will often go behind the bit for short moments. This causes the horse to over-flex in the poll and at C3 in the neck. This position prevents the horse from being able to push actively enough from the hind end to create a strong rhythm through their body, and they will end up with very short, slow, and weak gaits that leave the horse on the forehand.

A horse held behind the vertical position with force will be over-flexed in the poll, its neck at C3 and back, causing the haunches to always trail behind the movement and travel low to the ground. The force of the rider's hands causes the front legs to lift rather than step forward. The inability of the haunches to flex and push prevents any sort of rhythm and suppleness from happening and leaves the horse on the forehand.

A horse should eagerly push from the haunches and be received by the hands of the rider, which helps set the necessary position. The hands of the rider should not pull back to set the position.