Scenic Hill Equestrian

06/16/2024

Happy Sweet 16 to showing at today! Good luck and we are so happy to be celebrating with you!
#16

05/31/2024

05/25/2024

Couldn’t be more proud of the girls and their horses today! Caroline & Oreo were 1st over fences and 4th in the flat in a huge Cross Rails division, was 3rd on her new mount Tria in the Jumpers, and proud trainer & horse mom moment Pinky got her first 1st place and stepped up into the big hunter ring and was second in Beginner Horse!

05/25/2024

Set up, schooled, ready to show tomorrow at Lakeside Arena! 🦄💕🦄

05/21/2024

Great read about how important horse care is not just all the focus being when we are on their backs.

Welcome to Trainer Tuesday! Each week we ask trainers a question and gather their answers for you. These trainers have a range of experience, backgrounds, and focus points of their programs, so the answers have as much variation as you would expect and also probably much more similarity. This week....

05/20/2024

There was a lot of success at the Bluegrass Pony Club Event on Saturday under the coaching of Ash Guida

05/10/2024

"My coach teaches jumping. He doesn't teach "equitation."

Have you ever heard statements like that? I have, lots of times.

Someone will come for a jumping school, and, perhaps, her stirrups are too long. As a result, her knee will be her "pivot point", and as a result of the incorrect physics, her upper body, above her knee, will be "trying" to topple forward, and her loose lower leg will swing back toward the hip of the horse. Or bad hands, bad posture, bad timing, you name the problem.

We see this all the time. Fix the rider's position, teach her how to stay centered as a byproduct of a stable lower leg, and a closing of her hip and knee angles, and, "presto" all sorts of other issues magically disappear.

And when I ask why these incorrect basics have not been pointed out, that opening statement "he/she doesn't teach equitation" is a frequent answer.

ALL instruction should be "equitation" because "equitation" is simply correct, orthodox riding, based upon the physics of balance and motion.

Study Steinkraus here. Or study Michael Jung. They aren't "equitation riders"????

What have YOU been smoking?

05/07/2024

Great read!

If your canter length is not 12 feet (3.6 m), you're making it difficult for your horse to find a good takeoff spot. Show jumping courses are designed to accommodate a standard canter stride length and are not adjusted to each horse's stride. This means courses with related lines (ie all of them!) and distances in combinations will be significant challenges if you can't maintain a 12-foot (3.6 m) canter.

Yes, it's possible to jump clear without a standard stride, but you'll need a great "eye". You've probably seen the "old school" riders who hold and hold and hold until they "see a spot," then they chase it down. This approach requires a reactive horse, bigger bits, nosebands, martingales, and the often yelled instruction of "MORE LEG".

There are better ways to achieve consistency.

Inconsistent stride lengths increase wear and tear on your horse, which we want to avoid at all costs. I'm not saying you don't need an adjustable canter or a sharp eye—because you do—but it should be subtle.

We've all heard people say, "riders just sit there; the horse does all the work." You CAN learn to ride like that, but it requires careful preparation. If you don't have one yet, get a long tape measure and use it for the free exercises on my website (link in comment). You'll be on your way to improvement!

Most jumping riders practice straight-line distances, but it's just as important to master the 3.6 m (12-foot) stride on curved lines. At home, you can test this by placing two poles on opposite sides of a 20-meter circle. Canter around the circle and count how many strides you take between the poles.

You should be able to canter eight non-jumping strides for each half of the 20-meter circle. If this is new to you, you might end up with around ten strides, or even more. Here's the maths: The circumference of a 20-meter circle (C = πd) is about 63 meters, which is 17.5 standard canter strides. For simplicity, we'll call it 18. Subtract two strides for the poles, leaving 16. Half of that is eight.

Don't say that's too hard! Your phone has a calculator, and if you rotate it, you'll find a scientific calculator with a π symbol. If you want to be a jumping rider there are no excuses for being lazy about distances and canter length. You cannot improve what you do not measure.

One day, you'll face a combination off a half-circle approach. If you're counting ten strides between the poles on a 20-meter circle, how will you safely jump though a combination approached from a turn? If you can't maintain a 12-foot (3.6 m) canter by riding eight strides over poles on the ground in both directions, please hold off on jumping courses for now. Nail down the right canter so you can handle bigger tracks harmoniously without pulling and chasing. Your horse will thank you.

04/29/2024

It was take your pony to school day for derby week at . Caroline was very proud to show everyone her pony & the kids asked great questions! Happy Derby Week!

04/08/2024

It’s Derby season here in Louisville but here at SHE derby means something a little different!

04/05/2024

Looking to hire for someone on Wednesdays & Sundays for PM chores. Person can do one or both days.

03/31/2024

Happy Easter to our friends and barn family!

03/26/2024

We have updated our online booking!

Welcome to my scheduling page. Please follow the instructions to add an event to my calendar.

03/25/2024

Trailer leaving Louisville to Ocala on Thursday 3/28 with opening for 1 horse

03/20/2024

Flat work is key! 🔑 🦄

03/20/2024

Rare open stall available at Scenic Hill Equestrian April 1st. Boarding includes; turn out 7 days a week, feeding Excel Equine, 100 x 100 Polytrack outdoor, 100 x 200 sand indoor, heated wash racks, and trails. Outside trainers welcome.
We also allow haul ins

03/05/2024

This week's Wise Words come from Ernst Hoyos 🗣️

Hoyos learned to ride in his native Austria on his father’s Icelandic ponies and racing Thoroughbreds. At 17, he was accepted at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna where he studied for many years. In 1993, he began working at Olympic Medalist Ulla Salzgeber’s stable in Germany, where the two continue to collaborate. He has worked with many other top horses and riders, including Lisa Wilcox, a U.S. Olympic medalist. Hoyos is featured in David Collin’s book, "Dressage Masters".

02/29/2024

These two chestnut mares are striking similar! Whether you’re looking for big or little we have something for sale for everyone! Both: jump 2ft, lead changes, load, clip, stand, ect. Hard to pick our favorite!

02/19/2024

Jayla had her lesson today and her mom rode her horse during her lesson. We got this sweet picture of mom and daughter enjoying the love of horses!