Majestic Equine

11/23/2022

Yes

11/18/2022

Still running our introductory special!!

11/16/2022

11/15/2022

from Majestic Equine Riding Academy!

11/15/2022

Interesting.

Credit to-Oriane Descours
For an educational post.

My 2 cents, that I've tried to put in a very easy way to understand.
In red, lines that are assessed on their own (from left to right):
- the vertical line starting from the point of the butt allow us to compare the hoof placement to the vertical limit of retraction. In other words, the vertical line indicates the spot the hoof should leave the ground of you are looking for an upward thrust (and not a racing trot). A similar vertical line is drawn from the approximate placement of the gravity center of the horse to look at front hoof placement. In this case, the hind hoof is pushing forward while the front hoof is pushing upward. Moreover, the front hoof in the air is going farther than the nose (which is restricted in posture): we usually call that "open behind, closed in front" and it is the opposite of dressage's ideal.
- back line is going down, indicating the absence of back lift and potential back pain if posture is maintained
- rider is tilted backward, indicating a lack of balance on his part. It can be because of the lack of longitudinal balance from the horse (see the back line), lack of saddle balance or poor riding skills. It does not help the balance of the horse anyway.
- the alignment elbow-hand-mouth is not so bad (so we may probably forget the poor riding skills)
- horizontal line (taken from the background) indicates that the highest point is C2-C3 and not the poll. The first circle underlines the "broken cervicals" symptom from regular work behind the vertical. This symptom is associated with excessive stretch of the nuchal ligament and pain.
- The vertical line shows the angle of the head compared to the vertical. In this case, the forehead is almost on the vertical, so from a regulatory standpoint, it is almost ok. However, scientific studies have shown that the head should be on the vertical at most, not just the forehead. An objective angle is shown in yellow, which is the point of shoulder-poll-mouth angle (or poll angle). The normal angle is dependent on the head height compared to wither. In this case, it is too close IMO (I did not take the time to measure it and compare it to normal angle, it is my experience assessing and measuring such an angle talking, but feel free to do it to confirm it yourself 😉 )
- circles around the head show a facial expression of discomfort (again, I have not detailed, it is my experience talking, I invite you to compare the picture with the facial pain scale to make up your own opinion) + excessive salivation + excessive tension on the bit (which could be temporary and should be assessed with caution) + poor bridle fit (hindering ATM and too close to the eyes)
I could also talk about muscle development (the most visible and easy to assess is the dip in front of the wither indicating an atrophy of the trapezius) but it would not be an evaluation of "that moment in time" (and less beginner friendly)
Then you can look at the pairs of lines:
- green lines show the forearms and the hind cannons. They should be parallel, so as to demonstrate the synchronicity of fore and hind legs (which is the basis of pure gait in trot and the diagonal in canter). Here they are not, and the front is more horizontal, indicating a bigger muscular effort to lift the front knee than the hind.
- blue lines are taken from pasterns on the ground. The most horizontal line shows the leg bearing the most weight. Here it is the front leg. Dressage is about balance, so it should at least be equal between front and hind, and at a certain level you look for more weight on the hind leg than the front.
- pink lines are the angles of the legs on the ground, which (again) should be identical and are not. The comparison shows that the horse retracts more the hind leg ("trailing behind") than the front leg.

Overall, this is not what we are looking for in a dressage test, but it may or may not be a moment in time and the rider may or may not do better at home. At least we can learn a lot for this picture about what not to do 😉

11/15/2022

I like this one

11/14/2022

Hey Majestic Equine students and staff. Princess and Romeo arrived today! Thank you Michelle Moore Mustang Moon Equine Solutions for lending us theses beautiful ponies!!!!

11/10/2022

Prospect Riding Center is located in Myakka City

11/09/2022

11/09/2022

One reason that horses get rushed, pushed, sometimes forced, is because we (collectively) fail to think about how we humans, with far bigger brains than horses, have to take many years of study, with gradually increasing levels of difficulty, to learn spelling, math, history, writing, geography, science, civics, et al.

As though a horse somehow knows all that stuff by some cosmic gift, and just is too stubborn to do what we ask. Of course the horse can’t pick up his leads (as one example of dozens) without being taught how, any more than a sixth grader is going to be able to explain a Shakespeare sonnet, or do calculus.

Plus, what we are asking a horse to do involves, for some horse sports, the physical abilities of a human gymnast, and there are years of training required to create a human gymnast.

Plus, the human trying to teach the horse has to have gone through years of learning to have even a clue about HOW to teach the horse, and that doesn’t happen too often.

So now we have an uneducated human trying to get an uneducated horse to take on some task that the horse neither comprehends, nor has been gradually made strong and supple enough to be able to perform.

What the hell, troops---I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
I am not saying here, “look at all you clueless people” because I did every one of these dumb-ass things myself, but after 70 years of experience, which few of you have, I am beginning to figure some of it out. Whether you learn from the mistakes of others like me is probably doubtful, as most humans have to learn, if they DO learn, by doing it the hard way.

But just maybe try thinking logically about some of this.

11/08/2022

Comanche died of colic 131 years ago today, on November 7, 1891. He is one of only four horses in United States history to be given a military funeral with full military honors.

Comanche was a US Seventh Cavalry horse which survived the Battle of the Little Bighorn. When the burial party arrived at the battlefield, 2 days after the battle, 14 year old Comanche was the only living creature remaining. Although Comanche had been struck by 7 bullets, he recovered, toured much of the country and eventually retired at Fort Riley where he lived to the age of 29.

His mounted skin was displayed at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and is now at the University of Kansas Natural History Museum.

More about the University of Kansas Natural History Museum: http://www.kansastravel.org/lawr.../kansasnaturalhistory.htm

11/08/2022

11/03/2022

11/01/2022

Love this!

I don’t want to be right
I want to be open

I don’t want to defend my work all the time
I want to discuss ideas

I don’t want to look like I have it all together
I want to look curious

I don’t want to be in an arms race against a million other voices
I want to make people think, squirm, get mad, be moved, be uncomfortable, to wake up, to feel something

I want to ask questions
Wonder
Learn
And practice

I don’t want to be thought of as an expert
I want to be thought of as a human, with observations

I don’t want to waste my energy protecting an image
Because there is too much out there to learn
And I don’t have enough time to do it all

A person will turn their nose up at your wording
Or your shirt

Ask who you ride with
And argue semantics

But

I never met a horse who corrected my spelling
Or said they couldn’t take me seriously without a wardrobe change

And so
This is where my time is best spent

Learning to be the best type of person a horse could feel good next to
And talking about it to anyone who will listen

11/01/2022

11/01/2022

Me...

True facts :-)

11/01/2022

Two of my all time favorite jumper riders! Congratulations Beezie Madden / John Madden Sales, Inc love to watch you ride! Well deserved!