Max Goodman

19/11/2025

Still time to buy tickets for my birthday raffle fundraiser 🥳🎈🎉

Three virtual lessons (approximately 45 minutes to one hour) to be scheduled at the date and time of your choice. For locals these could also be in-person lessons!

17/11/2025

Say it louder for the people in the back:

11/11/2025

I can't seem to comment on this article from Horse & Hound so I'll write my response here. I do think that Justin's rides have been refreshing to watch, there is generally more harmony and less artificial and forceful riding. I am curious how he is training at home, but I will reserve judgement until there is evidence of horses well ridden or otherwise.

I would watch Justin over Isabel etc all day long. However, my preferences for kind, correct training are so far from what we see in the contemporary competitive dressage arena, it's hard to even compare the two. I am pleased to see that Manuel Veiga is competing now, perhaps we will have a chance to see him on a big stage sometime soon.

In all honesty, if we want to change the face of competitive dressage, we have to go down the centerline ourselves. And this comes with a lot of mixed feelings, particularly about giving money to a governing body like the FEI that props up and equivocates for so much blatant abuse.

The other option is presenting our work publicly in an exhibition, etc. but there will always be the critics that say we don't show because we can't. Personally, I try to show as little as possible, while recognizing that I need to prepare our horses who are in development so they know how to have a good experience at a horse show.

I also know in the US there is no national school, and no bona fides outside of a show record. To date I think I have been down the centerline with my horse less than 20 times, but in those 20 rides I have achieved my USDF bronze medal, plus the 4th level scores for my silver medal. Perhaps this rubber stamp will carry meaning, I don't know. But I do know that I don't enjoy hauling horses to the show grounds every weekend, spending money I don't have, to be in an environment that is neither horse friendly, nor welcoming, nor supportive. This is all to say, if we want to change it, we have to be the change, and not just critique from the sidelines. How do you think that change should operate?

Carl Hester shares his thoughts on Justin Verboomen – do you agree that he is exactly what dressage needs right now?

09/11/2025

Excited to watch this documentary (and maybe spot some familiar faces) For those who don’t know, I am a native Philadelphian, a hometown which has a vibrant historical and contemporary black cowboy culture. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQujV33krg1/?igsh=MW9jeWJiZmJ3MnhkeA==

08/11/2025

Kathleen with some math for you this morning! Her page and podcast (Kate and Kathleen with Kate Sandel) are well worth a follow. I appreciate her expertise and perspective on starting horses, and her application of classical dressage to the day to day working cattle ranch she runs with her husband. The only thing this post doesn’t have time to dive into is the how of getting horses more balanced to the hind- one of the major goals of all dressage. For me, the answer lies in training position before action (balance before impulsion), teaching a clear demi arret (momentary upward action of the reins only on the corner of the lips to open the poll and lift the base of the neck), longitudinal gymnastics (rein back, jumping, and transitions) and lateral movements. Am I missing anything from my list? What do you think is essential to rebalance the horse ??

"They" say ("they" being people who measured this) say that a horse carries around 60% of his total weight on his front feet. So he is naturally "heavy on the forehand." This is not a "fault" of the horse, but rather a fact.

When the rider gets on, that percentage changes to 70%. So simply by getting ON the horse, we are increasing the amount of weight he is carrying on his front end, not just by our weight, but by a higher percentage of his own weight as well.

Keeping the numbers really simple, let's say our horse weighs 1000 pounds, and our rider an all their equipment weigh 200 pounds. Therefore:

This horse, by himself, then carries 600 (60%) of his 1000 pounds on his front end, and 400 pounds on his hind end, left to his own devices.

When the rider gets on, the horse/rider combined weight is now (in this simple example) 1200 pounds. Now he's carrying 70% of that aggregate on his front end, which is 840 pounds, and a mere 360 pounds on his hind end.

This math applies to all riders. "Just a trail rider" is not exempt from this math. People on particularly big horses are not exempt from this math. If you ride a horse, you are subject to this math.

This is why, since the beginning of our relationship with the horse, the human has worked on how to help the horse distribute this aggregate weight differently, so it is the least harmful to the horse as possible. Simply put, this is what learning to ride should be about.

The horse is designed to carry 60% of his weight on his front end. Left to his own devices, he will do fine with this out in the pasture. But when we add the rider and their equipment, that percentage changes, and the horse was NOT designed for that.

Knowing this, some people will choose not to ride horses. Others will follow the paths of so many who have gone before, learning how to help the horse carry us with the least negative effects possible.

07/11/2025

Unsurprising but disappointing nevertheless. It is as if the FEI Jumping wants to unregulate itself out of existence. Think twice before you give the FEI your show entry fees, your ticket purchases, or your attention during international shows. https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/fei-approves-amended-blood-rule-for-jumping/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAN6t7dleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeLv_LjqvEkQEnC604ItFayv1otK6HnqEZNMSyu_VrU_V8nK3GwsmeVqQZhcQ_aem_qnxIIsqKn3SEBTT8vbsarg

The Fédération Equestre Internationale approved a controversial new blood rule for show jumping on Thursday evening (Friday local time) during its 2025 General Assembly in Hong Kong. The group voted 56-20, with two national federations abstaining.

04/11/2025

* UPDATE* The link should be working now - give it a go!

Can you believe it's November already!

You may or may not know that November 28th is my birthday. To celebrate, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I wanted to raise some funds for some causes near and dear to my heart. What better way to do so than to raffle off three virtual lessons? Each lesson represents one cause, which I will detail below, with links, in case you are inspired to give to them directly this season. My raffle can be found here: https://uproarart.betterworld.org/giveaways/three-virtual-lessons-max-goodma

Tickets are priced at 1 for $3, 2 for $5 and 10 for $20. Each virtual lesson is valued at $65, and will be raffled as a package of three. The three lessons can be kept by the winner, or gifted. Locals are welcome to swap for in person lessons! All proceeds from this raffle (which, in accordance with NC law is being administrated under the umbrella of 501 c 3 Uproar Art) will be subdivided three ways, between the following:

First, now more than ever, I would like to support our community food pantry here in Warrenton NC, where my program is based. Loaves and Fishes provides food for those in need or in crisis in my community.
https://www.facebook.com/lfmwarrenton/

Second, I would like to support my friend and fellow equestrian and bit fitter who is raising funds to adapt a bathroom for her son. Her son has special needs that limit his mobility, and Lisa works tirelessly to accommodate him, but there are many things that insurance just doesn't cover, and Lisa and her family have to pay out of pocket to create a humane quality of life. http://spot.fund/zcchhdqsc

Third, I would like to support Coach Abed, formerly of Al-Jawad Equestrian Club in Gaza. The club was totally destroyed, along with all of the horses, and Coach Abed's family home. He and his family are now struggling to rebuild during the ceasefire. Basic needs like tents, food staples and latrines go a long way in making day to day life more bearable for innocent civilians like Coach Abed. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-coach-Ahmed-and-his-children-survive-in-Gaza

Thanks in advance for your generosity, and I look forward to announcing the total sums raised and the winner on this page on my birthday :)

Three virtual lessons (approximately 45 minutes to one hour) to be scheduled at the date and time of your choice. For locals these could also be in-person lessons!

31/10/2025

Cool!

Vocal aids and no nosebands: British Riding Clubs introduce new rules to promote horse welfare.

Riders are now permitted to use their voices during tests, provided they are discreet do not distract others, and nosebands are no longer compulsory for competitors.

Many have praised the change and really welcomed it. Read the full story via the link in comments.