We help equestrians of all levels (especially rookies) answer common questions, make informed decisi
27/07/2023
Equine rescues play a huge role in providing vital care, rehabilitation, and second chances to horses that are in need. These organizations are working tirelessly to rescue and find forever homes for horses across the country!
Click the link in our bio to look at our comprehensive directory of two horse rescues in each state along with a brief description of their mission ❤️
Tag your favorite horse rescue below and let's spread the word about these amazing organizations!
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14/07/2023
As a horse owner, preparing for an emergency is something that you should be prepared for. Extreme weather is becoming more common, whether that is a wildfire, tornado, or even a flood. It is so important to plan ahead and be prepared should the time ever come that you need to keep your horse out of harm's way.
Click the link in our bio to learn more about general emergency preparation as well as specific ways you can be prepared for certain weather events!
14/05/2022
‼️ Last Chance ‼️
Interesting in having your equestrian product featured in a product review on Horse Rookie? You’re in the right place!
We select 3-5 brands to work with each quarter in February, May, August, and November.
May submissions are open this week only!
To be considered, please email [email protected] with a brief overview of your company and proposed product for review before Monday, May 16th.
Happy trails!
11/05/2022
Interesting in having your equestrian product featured in a product review on Horse Rookie? You’re in the right place!
We select 3-5 brands to work with each quarter in February, May, August, and November.
May submissions are open this week only!
To be considered, please email [email protected] with a brief overview of your company and proposed product for review before Monday, May 16th.
Happy trails!
22/12/2021
Are you in the market for a new pair of cowboy boots? When spending long days at the barn the quality and comfort of your boots can make all the difference. We have done the research for you and found that these 12 brands have been at the top of the game for years. They provide both the comfort and quality that we need to be on our feet for long days!
Meet Kevin Van Ham, Paralympic Dresssage Rider who placed Top 8 in the Tokyo 2021 Paralympic Games Tokyo and Top 5 in the 2019 European Championship Rotterdam. Kevin is an inspiration to all equestrians with the drive to pursue their dreams.
Follow Kevin's journey with his horses, Eros and Inferno, as they trek internationally to dazzle the world in the sand arena!
09/12/2021
Riding is truly a journey, and one of the most crucial aspects of success (as in every area of life) is having guided mentorship to help you reach your goals.
In Leg Up Coaching, not only do you have access to an immense video course library to enrich your riding skills, but also monthly live coaching calls with riding coach, Callie King, and Equestrian Life Coach, Jenna Knudsen!
Leg Up Coaching also keeps you accountable with exclusive progress trackers so that you can see your growth month after month. Learning the skills you need while also jumping mental and emotional obstacles sounds like a win-win in our book.
You can find Leg Up Coaching in our Knowledge Center!
Meet Heather, she and her mare Freya are such an inspiration. Heather shares her journey as she faces visual impairment and chronic illness. I think we can all agree that horses are the best healers, and Freya is no exception. Follow along as Heather shares the reality of being an equestrian and MS Warrior at Freya the Connemara
06/12/2021
Do you ever go to the barn, ready and excited to work with your horse, then hop into the saddle and just draw a complete blank as to what you should do?
This problem is really common for horse owners, which is why Stay in the Saddle: 67 Exercises for Horse & Rider was born. This dynamic workbook from Horse Class helps you mix things up and continue to see progress, even when self-training. Never get bored with your rides again!
Find 67 Exercises for Riders and 60+ more resources in the Horse Rookie Knowledge Center!
One simple thing sets apart a horse that’s just okay at jumping from one who is a great jumper, and that thing is confidence.
But you might be wondering if this is just an innate trait, or whether it’s trainable. The good news is that confidence comes from how a horse is taught, not how a horse is bred.
In Building the Showjumper, you can learn the methodology that will teach your horse to feel comfortable using their body and mind when jumping at different paces, heights, lengths, and even difficult approaches.
Find this course and 60+ more resources in the NEW Horse Rookie Knowledge Center!
Is there anything more exhilarating than soaring over a jumping course with your horse? Unfortunately, the jumping landscape has changed, and proper form and fundamentals aren’t as widely taught as they used to be, resulting in riders that are jumping ahead of their horses, just “holding on” and impeding their horses from gaining the best momentum over the jump.
In the Effortless Rider Jumping Course, you’ll have the opportunity to lay a correct foundation and never fear flying over a jumper course again. Learn the biomechanics of jumping, proper form for horse and rider, and exercises to get in jumping shape from the ground up.
Find this course and many others in the Horse Rookie Knowledge Center!
TOO many talented, experienced equestrians (and their horses) experience trauma or injury every year. It can happen to anyone, but there are many things you can do daily to mitigate risk.
Give yourself (or a friend) the gift of safety around horses through Safe & Sound.
❌FALSE!❌
Safety is soooo much more than knowing the risks. It also involves:
🟢 Knowing how to mitigate risks in different situations
🔵 Cultivating a safety mindset
🟣 Understanding equine psychology
🟢 Creating safety habits
Learn all of this and more in Horse Rookie's brand new signature course, Safe & Sound!
Sign up before tomorrow night for introductory pricing.
At some level, we all desire a deeper friendship with our horse. Are we really offering them solace from their fears and a trust that transcends training?
In Pure Liberty, Andrea Wady walks you through the process of creating layers of connection with your horse with a holistic understanding of their emotional needs and how you can make a deep impact on their happiness.
What You’ll Learn:
- What motivates your horse and what they value and enjoy
- Stages of learning for your horse and the “emotional bank account” that we impact with every interaction
- Creating layers of connection and trust that decrease frustration and encourage more “yes” answers from your horse
Find Pure Liberty and tons of other resources in the Horse Rookie Knowledge Center!
Tension: often the culprit of things like crookedness, stiffness, and hollowness in our horses can also lead to more extreme behavior issues like anxiety, bucking, and head shaking.
What we want is to help our horses get back to balanced, supple, and soft movement. The good news is that we can, with Developing Balance in Hand.
In-hand work can help us teach our horses how to move their bodies with greater ease and less tension with your instructor, Patrick King.
Find the Developing Balance in Hand course in the Horse Rookie Knowledge Center!
Riding without stirrups can be very helpful in improving your riding and it doesn’t have to be tedious or painful. You can still have loads of fun while riding stirrupless!
shares their favorite activities to have fun with No-Stirrups November (or any no-stirrup occasion 😉)
Check out "Having Fun with No-Stirrups November", new on the Horse Rookie site!
According to data fromt the National Trauma Databank from 2003-2012, 45.2% of TBIs among adults were related to equestrian sports. 😳
And here's the thing, while we can't always guarantee our safety around horses, we can great reduce risks around them through knowledge, the proper mindset, safety habits, and being able to properly assess and troubleshoot potential risk.
Learn all of this and more in Horse Rookie's signature course, Safe & Sound!
Have you found yourself in a riding rut? It could be a simple disconnect between your mind and boy.
Wendy Murdoch is a riding coach and certified Feldenkrais Practitioner. In the Effortless Riding Course, Wendy will teach you how to effectively use your body in the saddle, resulting in better balance and aids from you and freer movement in your horse.
If you feel like you’re fighting against your body to improve, we highly recommend this course to help you bring more ease and strength into your riding position.
In the Effortless Riding Course, you'll learn:
- How to improve your riding position and fix common issues
- Create more effortless movement in the saddle
- How to use your body to ease pain and tension in you and your horse
Find this course and many other resources in the Horse Rookie Knowledge Center!
"The things that are meant for you will always find you. Don’t worry about the fact that some people have done more than you or have reached your goals before you. Everyone is on a different path and has access to different resources.
Do your best to remember that comparison is the thief of joy."
New on the Horse Rookie site, .paradressage shares about her journey as a para-equestrian and achieving her goals and beyond.
Did you know? Safe & Sound is all about safety for the rider AND horse, covering subjects like mindset, biosecurity, barn and off-property injury prevention, and more!
Check out the Safe & Sound course here, available at our introductory rate until November 30th! 👇
Riding requires a lot from our bodies and minds. We have to be strong and flexible. We need to be able to isolate specific muscles in our bodies while also maintaining an extreme level of focus.
Yoga has been known to provide these benefits outside the horse world, so why not unlock these holistic skills to enhance our riding? Learn this practice of “moving meditation” through Yoga for Horse Riders from our friends at Horse Class!
Find Yoga for Riders and many other resources in the Horse Rookie Knowledge Center!
According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, horseback riding is among the top 10 sporting activities that land people in the ER annually.
Safety accidents can happen to new and experienced riders alike, which is why we created Safe & Sound: Equestrian Safety Course.
Featuring 4 self-paced modules covering everything from mindset to safety routines and even equine psychology, this course is a great way to keep you and your horse safe in the saddle and at the barn.
Movement in the equine body is crucial to our horse’s comfort and performance, as well as our ability to ride with them as a team.
The rub, however, is that though we know the nebulous concepts of “getting the head low,” “engaging the hind end,” and “making him round,” most of us don’t understand the whole picture of what the horse’s movement is supposed to look like.
In ABCs to On the Aids, Wendy Murdoch will teach you how to first recognize quality movement, and then actually feel it in the saddle.
Find this invaluable course and many others in the NEW Horse Rookie Knowledge Center!
We’re all acutely aware of the impact that fear has on our rides--between the psychological impact, tension in our bodies, and increased reactivity, it makes us different riders.
If you’re stuck in a fear rut and need some help to get out of it, Calm & Confident Rider provides the practical tools to help you overcome your fear and enjoy riding again.
In this course, you'll learn:
- How to objectively look at your fear and approach it with curiosity instead of shame
- How your fear and anxiety impact your horse
- Staying safe in the saddle and handling the adrenaline of fear as it rises up again
Check out Calm & Confident Rider in the NEW Horse Rookie Knowledge Center!
BIG NEWS! We've been working behind the scenes here at Horse Rookie to create our very first online course.
We wanted to create something that would be beneficial for everyone, something that would improve any rider's journey--for life.
Next week, we'll be opening the doors to Safe & Sound: Equestrian Safety Course.
Stay tuned for more info on how you can create better safety habits and ease your nerves in the saddle.
08/11/2021
Riding is a balance between connection and technique, and the Balanced Riding course teaches you just that.
Whether you don’t have regular access to a trainer or just want to dig deeper in your non-instructional time, this course will teach you to troubleshoot any communication issues with your horse and move beyond those obstacles to lightness and responsiveness in the saddle.
What You’ll Learn:
- Equine body language
- Build a better connection with your horse through three different types of groundwork
- How to enjoy the movement of your horse in the saddle and develop light but effective riding aids
Find the Balanced Riding Course (and many other resources!) in the NEW Horse Rookie Knowledge Center.
The topic of equine nutrition is near and dear to every horse owner. Why? Because not only are horses particularly susceptible to fatal digestive issues, but what goes into their bodies also heavily influence their behavior and overall happiness.
In this course taught by Sarah Finikin, you’ll learn how nutrition affects a horse’s well-being, the ins and outs of the equine digestive system, and how to properly nourish your horse to keep them feeling healthy and happy.
Find the Equine Nutrition Course in the NEW Horse Rookie Knowledge Center!
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Videos
We're so grateful for all of the positive feedback so far from trainers who have taken the Safe & Sound Course!
@sdequus shared that a lot of safety education is missing the equine behavior and psychology piece, which is a crucial module inside Safe & Sound!
Horse Rookie's signature course is on sale for $99 now through November 30th!
https://horserookie.teachable.com/
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About Horse Rookie
Welcome to Horse Rookie, a site dedicated to helping equestrians of all levels (especially rookies) answer common questions, make informed decisions, and have more fun with their horses. It’s the kind of resource I wish I’d had when I finally purchased my first horse.
I spent 25+ years in the saddle riding other people’s horses for lessons, trail rides, horse camps, and horsey yoga retreats. (Yep, it’s a thing.) Once I graduated college and dove into my career, horses went on the back burner... for almost a decade.
But, as with all true equestrians, I couldn’t stay away. After going on a handful of horseback riding vacations, I came home infected by the horse bug once again.
Fast forward to my early thirties when I stuffed my belongings (and a very vocal hound dog) into my car and headed west. I landed in Montana, a breathtaking and magical place teeming with horses. #somebodypinchme
Finally, at the age of 33, I bought a horse of my own.
I was nervous, worried about making mistakes, and more than a little rusty. Even though I’d been riding since I was six, I entered the wide world of horse ownership feeling like a total rookie.
Whether you’re new to horses, grew up with them on your property, actually found a horse under your Christmas tree (#envious), or have owned horses for decades, there’s always more to learn.
