Baker School of Riding

03/17/2025

Helping each other loose some of that extra winter hair! Strella and her momma Abby, and Lena with Jazzy

03/13/2025

Yep! This is what I teach. Balance on the ball of the foot produces much more stability, a quieter leg, and less negative tension through the leg, pelvis, and low back. It allows for quieter, more accurate leg aids, and stability in the rising trot especially. When the heel is pushed down, the lower leg shoots in front of the rider's center of gravity, pelvic angle closes, the hip pushes backward, and then the rider tips forward. If you think of riding as standing, instead of sitting, your balance will be much better overall. Most people don't walk around leaning overly forward or overly back, they are upright, with their shoulders over their feet. Riding in balance isn't much different, and what your foot does in the stirrup can easily promote or hinder your balance!

02/15/2025

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12/23/2024

12/12/2024

12/08/2024

Progress is never linear. You will succeed, fail, totally not understand it, have moments of clear enlightenment, and periods of what feels like stagnation. These difficult moments are the times to keep going, because you are closer than ever to figuring it out!

Motivational Monday

We have all felt that way.
Check out our new Equine Masterclass for help.
Between our lessons and our community, we can reduce the struggle, doubt, and feeling lost as well as reduce or even eliminate failure (Failure = Opportunity).

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12/07/2024

Horses teaching Horses 🩷https://www.facebook.com/reel/28506315792301353

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12/06/2024

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So I know that I'm a "feed guy" but I am also a horse keeper and every winter I see a whole bunch of blanket wars some up in various groups so I thought I would add my opinion and observations to the mix.

This photo was taken yesterday as my three Quarter Horse mares stuffed themselves with free choice hay which, as you can see, they are not shy about wasting.

They are standing outside in a steady 30 mile per hour wind with snow blowing horizontally. This is their choice because 100 feet away they have access to their stalls which are bedded with a foot of straw, heated buckets and a pile of exactly the same hay.

These mares would much prefer to be outside than in. However, if they were not wearing blankets they would most likely be huddles in their stalls against the wind.

I point this out because while it is mostly true that horses will survive the cold weather as long as they have shelter and forage it is equally true that blanketing them can be very beneficial.

Every year I see newbies posting advice on blanketing and so many of the comments are from the "I've been around horses my whole life" crowd advising that "horses don't need no damn blankets!".

There are also many comments spewing myths that blanketing is dangerous and will "make a horse sick".

These ideas are, in my own humble opinion, nonsense.

To be sure over blanketing can be a real problem as it can cause some issues with heat stress. The only problem I ever had with blankets was a boarder of mine who had a OTTB and insisted that if she were cold the horse was too. I was constantly removing heavy second blankets because the animal was dripping in sweat while the temperature was 34 F.

Tossing a horse out in 25 F weather with only a thin sheet can be equally problematic.

In general if you use a sensible strategy of midweight fill blankets you really can't go too far wrong.

But why blanket at all? Wild horses don't wear blankets!

Unfortunately the people with this attitude never have the opportunity to see the frozen carcasses of the wild horses that NEEDED BLANKETS.

The ginormous fat ass on the left side of the two in front is my 22 year old AQH mare, Flair. When Flair was young she would be standing outside grazing while covered with ice from freezing rain and not wearing a blanket. She much prefers being a little on the chillier side.

I noticed that when she turned around 15 she would start hanging out in the shelter for much longer periods.

The fat ass on the right is my 32 year old AQH mare, Skippy the Wonder Horse. She is an older lady who prefers being comfortable.

Would these lovely matrons survive the winter without blankets? Almost surely!

So why do I blanket them?

The first reason is obviously to help them be more comfortable.

The next reason is that they will stay out of their stalls moving around which is great for both their physical and mental well being. As an added benefit for mois, less mucking to do.

The third reason is that they will consume less hay which is a great budget consideration. Why spend money on hay if I can prevent them from burning calories just to stay warm?

The final reason is that blanketed horses will drink more water which avoids things like winter impaction colic.

One horse that is not in this picture is my beautiful Raven. Ray was an OTTB mare, granddaughter of Secretariat that unfortunately, at the ripe old age (for an OTTB) of 28, succumbed to an old tendon injury this past August.

Blanketing for Raven was not optional. She was a typical thin skinned Thoroughbred.

She was 14 years old the first winter she came to me and she grew a luxurious, thick coat as beautiful as any sable cape ever worn. We had one night where the temperature was 40 F with a light drizzle of passing showers. When I went out for morning feed she wouldn't come up to the barn.

Fearing the worst I grabbed her halter and walked out to lead her in. She was shivering so violently that she could barely walk. From that moment on Raven was blanketed any time the temperature dropped below 50 F and she was always a plus one so if the Quarter Horses needed a blanket Raven had two.

In my travels as a "feed guy" I encountered so many owners who refused to blanket their horses while complaining that they were hard keepers. I was forced to stand there with their miserable, shivering horses in cross ties and restrain myself from beating them with a dressage whip.

This message is for the owners who have been shamed or misinformed out of blanketing your horses. Just do it if you believe that your horse will be better off.

If you go to the barn and your horse is huddled in the run in shed or shivering slightly or is a dripping muddy mess blanketing them will be a benefit.

I feel the same way about shoes. If a horse will benefit from them then put them on.

This is only my opinion, other opinions are welcome but I've cared for lots and lots of different horses over the years and I've never had one that didn't benefit from a blanket.

Cheers!

11/14/2024

Just a few photos from this year’s Equine Affaire in Springfield, MA! Four days full of fun and excellent seminars (and shopping 😂). I’m a firm believer in continuing education. If we don’t keep learning, we don’t keep improving. Equine Affair is a great opportunity to hear lots of information on many many topics. I’m looking forward to next year!

11/13/2024

Looking for board? We currently have availability. Seasonal boarders welcome. Contact us today for more information!

11/05/2024

I mean… does it even get more beautiful than this? ❤️

11/04/2024

A lovely fall day for a trail ride at Selkirk Shores State Park! Well groomed trails, dry footing, and our only company were a few deer along the trail!

10/21/2024

Looking for lessons? We currently have openings for our fall and winter program! Send us a message or book with us online at https://www.bakerschoolofriding.com/book-online-1

10/21/2024

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ENGAGE THE SLING BEFORE YOU DRIVE FROM BEHIND

baby race horse getting thoracic sling engagement 😊😊😊🧡🧡🙌🐴

You can see how in the before picture this horse appears collapsed into the ground. His feet are splayed and chest is wide and soft and looks like it is falling into the ground. This is called ‘columnar loading ‘ it means that the horse is loading into the ground like a building, it is the opposite of ‘tensegrity’ which implies a balance of the compression elements giving you suspension and recoil. If your not using your tension elements and just start collapsing into your front end the only way you can really hold yourself up is by tensing through the elbow and thus splaying your front feet.

This baby is 1 year old, never been ridden and already is collapsing into the front end and is losing the ability and desire to engage and lift the thoracic sling.

There is no pectoral activation in the before. He is wide and collapsing in front. For a race horse this is a posture that will make him prone to injury because as he fixates this way it will be more and more difficult for him change and get his front end out of the way.

In the meantime those folks that don’t believe in spinal flexion of the thoracic spine will insist on driving into this braced, blocked, fixated front end that is now being stabilized by the elbows that will externally rotate and brace and a activated brachiocephalicus muscle which will further contract trying to stabilize the neck trying to prevent further compression as the hind end is driven into a front end that is locked down and collapsing into the ground.

I learned in vet school that when there is much opposing discussion about things it usually means none of the answers are correct.

If you cannot lift and engage your thoracic sling so that you have the ability for suspension and recoil as in tensegrity please do not think that driving into it is the solution. If you want your horse to feel like a motor boat you have to have the lift first and then you can drive into it.

Yes you need drive but the road must be open

If you don’t have lift the drive will cause more compression and collapse, creating more dysfunction.

Does that make sense ?

So the answer is your need lift for the drive to have a place to go otherwise you just drive into a brace.

The horse on the right has an engaged thoracic sling. This only took about an hour and this particular little fellow still had a lot of restrictions that will need follow up. But it’s a start - he can now get his front end out of the way allowing for hind end to come under instead of around.

He will be able to push off the ground instead of collapsing into it allowing triceps activation and development.

He will be able to open up his rib cage and breathe deep fully expanding into his diaphragm and creating internal lift to his back. His waist will lengthen, lumbar spine align and psoas relax creating movement to the pelvis and softening the angle so the hips now in alignment can push back at the ground with their full power.

All this in an hour.
All this from re training your nervous system out of dysfunction into function
Lift your sling to lift your back.

Please don’t drive into your horse if he cannot engage his sling and definitely do not back these horses up !!