Black Knight Stables

11/15/2024

11/14/2024

Yep!! 😬

11/14/2024

This is so important…

11/13/2024

Beautiful couple of days for some lessons🫶🏻
We are enjoying this November weather while we have it!
No stirrup November is in full swing with lessons and I don’t think the students love it as much as us instructors do!😅🩵

11/11/2024

Happy Veterans Day to all who served!! We appreciate you!! ❤️🇺🇸

11/08/2024

We are seeking sponsors to bring holiday cheer to the kids at Rocky Creek Youth Ranch! To sponsor or learn more, please reach out via phone at (573) 562-7751 or via email at [email protected], [email protected], or [email protected].

Let's work together to make this a holiday to remember for our youth! Thank you for your support!

11/08/2024

11/05/2024

Let it be God's will 🙌🏻

11/05/2024

December 3rd

11/01/2024

Older horses don’t necessarily have more trouble keeping warm than do their younger herdmates, but if they do get chilled the consequences can be more significant. Here’s how to fend off the cold. >>>https://bit.ly/EQKeepOldHorsesWarm

11/01/2024

🚫 5 things to remember about No-Stirrup November:

1️⃣ Love it or hate it, no-stirrup work is an essential part of learning how to ride. It’s GREAT to want to protect your horse’s back, but the fact is that eventually, everyone loses their stirrups accidentally. It is safer AND kinder to train for that scenario than to get caught unprepared and bounce, cling or fall!

2️⃣ Learning to ride without stirrups looks different for EVERYONE. Someone who is fit, balanced and confident may be able to jump full courses or practice no-hand sitting trot on the lunge line - and we shouldn’t stop them! A rider who is unfit, out of alignment and fearful may be challenged plenty by riding without stirrups at the walk for now - and we shouldn’t shame them!

You can and should tailor no-stirrup themed lessons to each rider’s individual skill level. After all, the best way to build is on a strong foundation of basics. And if you find your students are bouncing or gripping, they are probably overfaced and need to go back to working on that foundation.

3️⃣ Anything you do in November should align with how you practice no-stirrup work the rest of the year. (Because you aren’t just doing it annually… right?) That includes a warm-up period for both horse and rider, and using your best judgment about removing or crossing stirrups. (There are pros and cons to each!)

4️⃣ Alliteration is fun, but if you live in the northern hemisphere, November is objectively a terrible time to focus on no-stirrup work. Temperature drops, gusting winds, rattling leaves… “spooky season,” anyone? It’s always okay to change your mind and keep the stirrups, or pivot to a groundwork lesson if necessary.

5️⃣ Attitude is everything! As riders, we should WANT to improve our seats and make our horses more comfortable. And as instructors, we must remember that our words carry weight. If the theme of your no-stirrup work is “Embrace the pain” and “Necessary torture,” don’t be surprised if your students complain, or fail to make much progress.

Most things in the horse world can be good OR bad, depending on how we practice them, and No-Stirrup November is no exception. Keep it positive, considerate, sensible and safe, and everyone can have fun this month!