Light in the Saddle Publishing

17/06/2025

Fast work plays a critical role in a horse's physical development and overall well-being. In this article, we’ll explore the biomechanics of gallop, why incorporating fast work is essential for your horse’s health and how fitness helps promote all-round well-being in all horses.

17/06/2025

17/06/2025

As Bruce Springsteen took the stage with his usual fire and fury, a surprise moment unfolded when folk legend Joan Baez stood up from the front row, raised her fist, and shouted, “We still believe in truth!” The crowd erupted — not just for Bruce’s anthem, but for Baez’s raw courage. Later, in an emotional backstage exchange caught on video, Baez embraced Springsteen and said, “I had to be here. America’s turning into a sh****le country — but your voice still gives us hope.” Fans wept, cheered, and shared the moment online like wildfire. In one electrifying night, music and protest collided — and the Boss had a rebel queen by his side.....full video below 👇👇👇

17/06/2025

BREAKING: Donald Trump's big night at the Kennedy Center goes horribly wrong as attendees pelt him with insults and screams of "convicted felon" and "ra**st" during a performance of Les Misérables.

This is exactly what this monster deserved...

The night started off rocky on the red carpet when a reporter tried to ask Trump about the roughly one dozen Kennedy Actors who were planning on walking out rather than perform for him.

"I couldn't care less!" Trump snapped, sounding like someone who couldn't possibly care more. "Honestly, I couldn’t. All I do is run the country well."

"There’s no inflation. People are happy. People are wealthy. The country is getting back to strength again," Trump claimed with Melania at his side. "That’s what I care about."

In reality, inflation is around 2.45%. Meanwhile, this administration is in free fall due to Trump's disastrous policies. Our allies are running into the arms of China as Trump turns America into an unreliable trading partner and flaky strategic partner, protests are sweeping the country in opposition to his fascist ICE crackdowns, and domestic economic growth has withered.

The Kennedy Center itself hasn't escaped Trump's incompetence either as his heavy-handed takeover of the Center's board has led to a more than 1/3 decrease in subscription sales.

Once inside, things went down hill fast...

After the conclusion of the first act, Trump and Melania stood up to a few cheers from some of their diehard supporters in the crowd. But the broader response was overwhelmingly negative.

"Felon, you’re a convicted felon!" one woman yelled up from the orchestra section. "Convicted felon, ra**st!" A security guard quickly hustled over to her and appeared to es**rt her out.

While Trump was away from his seat, the crowd watched, waiting for him to return.

"F*ck Trump!" one person called out and was met with cheers and claps of approval. When someone else yelled "We love you" they were booed.

Trump eventually returned to his seat and pumped his fist three times, invoking his behavior in the moments immediately following the assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania.

A group of drag queens engaged in a powerful act of protest by sitting beneath the presidential box, using their very presence to challenge Trump's vow that there will be no "woke" drag queen performances at the Kennedy Center under his rule.

Tara Hoot, one of the queens in question, said that their full drag appearance was a "message of inclusivity. I really love musicals, I mean I’m a drag queen.”

"A lot of people have been applauding, asking for pictures," said drag queen Vagenesis said. "Some people are throwing some glances, confused about what they see, but that’s always to be expected wherever we go."

The irony of Trump attending a performance of Les Misérables — a story about the deprivations of poverty, the unjust actions of brutal law enforcement, and armed revolution — while protests against MAGA rule are erupting all over America was not lost on some attendees.

"Seeing some of the actors and actresses, it looked like they were singing at him, instead of just singing to the crowd. And it felt really powerful and I liked it," attendee Cara Segur told CNN. She said that she "found it kind of ironic that he was here" given the content of the musical.

When the show finally ended, Trump scampered out before the lights came up, allowing him to evade further embarrassment.

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07/08/2024

I don't generally post about my own horses on Facebook. I've got two untrained Colonial S[anish colts, a two year old grulla and a three year old bay Jicarilla Heritage horse.

BUUUT anyone interested can copy,paste-n-search to find me at my wordpress blog.
https://. saraannon. wordpress. com/category/horses/

here is a sample....

I like to start teaching a horse to lead with a body rope. I use flat mountain climbing webbing as it is light weight, unties easily, and is easy on the skin…the horse’s as well as mine. I tie a loop in one end, slide that end over the horse’s body, bring it and the free end between the front legs, then slip the free end thru the loop and then thru the halter ring.

And, yep, the horse has to be pretty calm in order to stand quietly while I do all that. My stance is that if they aren’t ready and willing for me to slip-n-slide ropes all over their head and body, they aren’t any where near being ready to understand being asked to move forward with a pull on a halter rope.

So these photos illustrate pretty much what I ask for once I’ve got a body rope in position. Standing and waiting for the human’s next step is THE essential foundation for all training. If the horse decides not to stand and wait, there is no danger of a yank on their head.

If they decide to march off, no harm done. A hoof on the rope actually tightens the loop around their barrel. The horse can control how much tension by the position of their head. Both my boys are pretty good about stopping, taking a look and then lifting the offending hoof.

Then I get to tell them how wonderfully smart and sensible and charming they are. Then, when I take the tension out of the lead line, they are quick to figure out they can release the pressure around their barrel by stepping forward. Then I get to tell them how wonderfully smart and sensible and charming they are once more.

Moving forward in response to pressure on their sides, back and sternum serves me well throughout their training. A tightened girth doesn’t automatically inspire a buck… it inspires a step forward and then I get to tell them how wonderfully smart and sensible and charming they are.

Instead of restricting the movement of the horse’s head, risking panicking them as well as injury to the finely tuned proprioreceptive systems of their head and neck, my horses learn to stand and move forward on request.

The principle of scaffolding, building a structure that allows clear communication and a sound solid foundation for more complex interactions, is not nearly well enough known or appreciated in horse training circles

05/08/2024

Cowboy Cartel: Follows a rookie FBI agent uncovering a multimillion-dollar money laundering scheme orchestrated by Mexico's ruthless Los Zetas cartel through the American Quarter Horse racing industry.

05/08/2024

Charlotte Dujardin's video clip of her not just whipping her student's horse but giggling breathlessly and saying 'this whip doesn't sting' while doing so made me cringe. I was appalled when one comment in a group here on Facebook assured me that the practice was simply meant to 'inflame' the horse's movement. Saying that inflammation was exactly what that sort of beating left behind didn't make me popular.

My reaction was based on my own experience some decades back when I was initiated into the secrets of forcing the fancy trots. This trainer showed me how they clamped a lead fishing-line weight to the end of the lash on their whips to make sure that the blow 'stung' when they whipped their horse. Then they showed me how they tied yearling colts up against the wall and whipped them on the belly, sheath and flanks until they skittered about on the spot at the mere twitch of a hand.

Dujardins video has reopened a whole discussion on horse welfare in competition. I knew I was ahead of my times when I had no option except self-publishing of my series. Now the Five Freedoms are finally in the flow of conversation among equestrians. Of course, they have been updated since the original concept became the basis for animal welfare in the meat, dairy and egg industries.

What has not yet come into awareness is that in order to be able to ride horses humanely, free from fear and distress and able to move normally, we humans need to change our understanding and approach beyond the punitive good vs bad.

Equestrians need a solid understanding of equine biomechanics and neuro-physiology so riders can be sure that their horse is built for and fit enough to meet our expectations without injury or distress.

Equestrians also need a language of the aids so that there can be a discussion of how to communicate with the horse beyond a punitive good/bad mindset. Then we need exercises that allow us humans to develop the physical skills and body awareness to communicate kinesthetically with our horses.

Facebook no longer allows sales through third parties, so I cant post links to my ebooks. Facebook doesnot play well with wordpress, so you will have to cut, paste-n-search for my blog.
https:// saraannon.wordpress. com/ light-in-the-saddle-publications/

My whole award-winning series is based on the premise that learning how to improve your own ability to communicate with your body while making sure that your horse is free from fear and distress, able to offer you a partnership based on their own normal behavior offers the most rewarding path with the least damage to horses and riders.

If you search for Developing Independent Aids, Legs without Hands, Hands without Legs by Sara Annon, you should be able to find the specific book that I intended to give horse people clear definitions of our human aids to inform our conversations with each other and our horses.