Hidden Gem Equine

05/03/2025

If you check next week's forecast, I think we are getting closer to saying Spring! Join us for our USEF/USDF Spring Dressage Classic.

Amy McElroy "S" judge will be here to help you get your early season scores! Entries are open now on Fox Village and by mail/email. Prize list is on our website MeadowLakeEC.com/events.

If you need a tune-up before the show, we have spots available in our clinic with Brian MacMahon, "S" Judge and GP rider/trainer on March 14-16 and with NZ Team Eventer, Monica Spencer, March 30-31.

05/03/2025

This!! Ask your horse to use corners and stay straight after jumps. It’s starts on the flat! Don’t just bounce off the walls of the indoor all winter.

03/03/2025

“Horses regularly trained with ground work are more relaxed when ridden”

A recent study of dressage horses in Germany that looked at rein length and tension revealed a surprising finding: horses who were regularly trained in ground work/in-hand work had lower heart rates during ridden work than all of the other participating horses. This wasn’t what the researchers were investigating, but it was clear in the results. From this, the researchers concluded that, “Perhaps horses trained in ground work had more trust in their rider.”

So why would it be true that horses who regularly learn via ground work/in-hand work are more relaxed? There are a few possibilities.

1) Horses trained regularly with ground work are more relaxed because their trainers are more relaxed. It’s possible that humans who take the time to teach their horses from the ground are less goal oriented and more concerned with the process. They may be more relaxed in general and foster this same relaxation in their horses. As you are, so is your horse.

2) Horses trained regularly with ground work have trainers who are more educated about a horse’s balance.

Their horses learn to move in correct balance which allows them to be healthy and sound in their bodies and, therefore, more relaxed. Physical balance is emotional balance.

3) Horses trained regularly with ground work understand the trainer’s criteria better. They have mastered the response to an aid before the rider mounts and know the “right answer” already once under saddle. They don’t experience any conflict when the rider asks for a behavior because the neural pathway has already been installed. They are more relaxed about being ridden because it rarely has caused confusion for them.

For us highly visual humans I think that ground work is often a better way to begin exercises because we are much better at seeing our horse doing the right thing than feeling it from the saddle. Often, my feel in the saddle is enhanced by the fact that I have watched my horse perform an exercise over and over in our in-hand work. It feels how it looks. In-hand work is also a good way to teach our horses because our own bodies are often more in balance when we are walking beside our horses. With the ground under our feet we are able to be more relaxed if something goes wrong and less likely to be so busy wrapped up in our own balance that we give our horses conflicting or confusing aids. It’s a good place to figure things out. I am a huge fan of in-hand work.

I’m glad to learn research revealed ground work is good for horses. Horses with a low heart rate are relaxed and relaxed horses perform better and live longer. In this day and age of people starting horses under saddle in under an hour and increasing monetary rewards for the “young horse dressage program“, everything seems to be done in a hurry. The entire horse culture seems to privilege “getting up there and riding your horse”. But as one of my favorite writers and accomplished horsewoman, Teresa Tsimmu Martino writes, “In today’s horse culture there are clinics that brag about starting a c**t in a day, as if the quickness of it was the miracle. But old horse people know it takes years to create art. Horses as great masterpieces are not created in a day. An artist does not need to rush.” We need more scientific studies like this one to encourage us to slow down and take our time with our horses.

So why were the horses in the study more relaxed? Likely it was a combination of all three factors – a relaxed trainer, better overall balance and clear understanding of criteria.

These are things that matter to your horse, and yes, will allow him to trust you when you ride. Take some time to slow down and work from the ground, learn a bit more about equine balance and teach new things in-hand before asking for them under saddle. You can take your riding to a whole new level and help your horse become more healthy and relaxed in the process.” - by Jen of Spellbound Horses

22/02/2025

Groundwork is a fairly new addition to my training tool box. As a trainer in sport horse disciplines, groundwork is not the usual part of the program. Some people would do a little natural horsemanship work but not very much. I would say very little in the hunter/jumper world. The western world has used groundwork way more than the sport horse world. We, fellow H/J trainers, actually used to make fun of it a bit. We called it hooley dooley and would say why are they just twirling a rope all the time. It’s so silly. Well I am now eating my words.

If you want to learn more about this, dive deeper, or hear more on particular cases and what I used for their program drop a comment and we will do some case studies.

Read the full blog: https://nikki-jewell.squarespace.com/blog/2025/2/22/why-groundwork-has-become-my-go-to-my-journey-from-skeptic-to-believer

19/02/2025

🥶Due to the inclement weather, we have postponed our clinic this weekend with Monica Spencer to March 30-31. Jump groups will be offered both days, as well as dressage rides as time allows.

Monica Spencer is a Team NZ 5* Event rider. She lays down beautiful dressage tests (we got to see her in action at our Spring Classic last year before Kentucky Three Day Event) and looks forward to prepping our riders for the spring season! Notably, she was on the bronze-winning team at Pratoni in the 2022 World Championships.

We currently have spots available at every level. Please reach out for more info! Spots are reserved (and non-refundable unless your spot is filled off the waitlist) via payment to organizer.

15/02/2025

Thank you Vincent for the quick suggestion to help my Najib with his saddle slipping as he is getting his beach body back coming out of winter. I love that you are always a text and photo away! Toklat Originals half pads make it so easy for minor adjustments.

05/02/2025

Great read. 6-8 hours minimum daily turn out to help recovery.

Equine surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage says the type and length of turnout a horse gets when healing makes a crucial difference

02/02/2025

Great description

Two VASTLY different seats.
 The forward seat and the deep seat both absolutely have their places! But what you don’t want to do is smoosh the two together!
There is no in between- you either want to have a shorter stirrup, a very deep heel, and a tight “sandbag leg”, or you want to sit deep and heavy and plug in those seat bones with a long draped leg.
The Forward seat gets its security from the mid-thigh down. I compare it to those inflatable clowns 🤡🥊with the sand in the bottom that kids box- no matter what you do to those suckers they pop right back upright again because all the weight is in the bottom!!! That’s what it feels like in a secure forward seat.
In a good deep seat, your lower leg, just dangles. Heck, you could get cut off at the knees and it not change much, because your security comes from your glutes and core! In the deep seat, it is so important that your hips move with the horse, and that your core stabilizes your spine.

Both of these pictures are me and I’m riding the same horse.

02/02/2025

We have two fabulous clinic opportunities this winter at Meadow Lake.

Monica Spencer, team rider for NZ, is joining us February 22-23. Riders can ride one day or both. Jump groups will be grouped by level, and private dressage lessons will be offered both days if time allows.

Brian MacMahon is coming March 14-16 for private dressage lessons. Brian brings his expertise in the ring and joins it with his judging experience. His lessons focus on correct gaits and quality movements. Riders may ride one, two, or three days. All levels are welcome.

To join, please email [email protected].

18/01/2025

This is so well articulated. Being a teacher requires endless study of riding theory.

Totally just venting here- it makes me so sad how many instructors really have no idea why we do what we do, and therefore they just regurgitate things they’ve heard over the years. Aka- 20 years ago when they last took lessons (🙄) someone told them to keep their hands down, so now they teach their students to keep their hands down. But in relation to what?? And in what situation?? There are plenty of times that it makes sense to lift your hand, whether it be momentarily,  or because the student is carrying their hands too low. But no, the uneducated “teacher” just gives everyone the blanket instruction to “keep your hands down!” regardless of the situation. 😔

The one that annoys me the most (right now anyways) is “don’t pinch with the knees”. Back in the 80s, many show jumpers pitched forwards, rotating around the knee, like shown in the sketch.  Many phenomenal riders (think Ian Miller on Big Ben ) rode like this at the highest of levels, and managed to do quite well!  But since all of us had a subscription to Practical Horseman magazine, every month we were exposed to George Morris critiquing mostly good riders. EVERY SINGLE photo critique was over a jump!!! and one of his most common evaluations was that a rider was pinching with the knee. Oh, the horror! 😱
So obviously a bunch of instructors started repeating this instruction, and their students, now young instructors, also continued repeating it, having NO idea the original context! You have young kids riding around with their knee COMPLETELY off the saddle, because heaven forbid if they “pinch with the knee.” 🙄🤦‍♀️ This original instruction was given to people who could jump a 4 foot course without stirrups and not miss them!!  If you are in a dressage saddle, you also need to relax the thigh so that you can put more weight in your seat bones. But if you are teaching jumping, or even just jumping position, for the love of preventing concussions, please teach your riders to have a tight thigh!!!!!!
And if you don’t know when a rider should have a tight thigh and when they should have a relaxed thigh, maybe stop teaching lessons and start taking them! Yeah, I said it.

Same with heels down and bracing in the stirrup…. In the United States, most beginner barns are Huntseat barns. That was also true in the 80s. Back then there was no such thing as a heel that was too low. 😂 But then along came Sally Swift and Mary Wanless, teaching people how to move their hips and not brace in the stirrup…. Excellent advice!  This is how I teach. But then a bunch of uneducated nobodies started applying this advice to half seat and jumping position. 🤦‍♀️🫣.
So now we have a bunch of beginner barns where kids knees are sticking out and their feet are flat at best, and they have no security through their leg whatsoever. But they are in a Huntseat saddle with their stirrups set at jumping length, and they don’t know how to sit deep and move their hips like a dressage rider either. **internal screams**
Either teach a proper Huntseat position with a TIGHT thigh and heels jammed down, or teach a proper Dressage position with seat bones plugged in, draping thigh, supple swinging hips, and a strong core. Or you can be like me and teach both, but make sure your riders understand the difference between the two!!!
But don’t mince them together!!  If you are going to take away the tight thigh, and the deep heel, of a hunt seat student, then you better know how to teach an actual proper dressage seat, and put them in a saddle that supports that goal.
And if you don’t understand that the two seats are completely different, again, maybe stop teaching lessons and start taking them.

09/01/2025

“Take me deep into the wintry woods where hope glitters freshly worn “ ~ Angie Weiland-Crosby

03/01/2025

Whether you find yourself in a busy indoor in inclement weather or a busy schooling area at a horse show it can be daunting to try to navigate the traffic with other riders and horses. There are tactics you can use to not only survive the crowded ring, but accomplish a positive unflustered ride.

Read the full blog here: https://nikki-jewell.squarespace.com/blog/2024/3/17/arena-etiquette

27/12/2024

: How much and what kind of turn out does your horse get? Most of our horses are out overnight year round from 3 pm to 9 am in large grass pastures, 3 acre to 30 acre in size. A few of the fatties go out in a dry lot. One of the main reasons I relocated to KY was to be able to provide this for my horses.

18/12/2024

: How thoroughly do you groom your horse before riding? Personally I would like them to look like they are always ready to walk into the show ring but now that I don’t have show grooms and my horses are outside 18 hours per day this is very unrealistic. My horses now are groomed well but will still have stains on them. The vacuum helps immensely.

09/12/2024

: What content would you like to see more of?

04/12/2024

2025, Here We Come!

We have a slightly different schedule this year, so please mark your calendars!

Our Spring Dressage Classic is an affordable, easy way to get early season scores without losing a weekend.

Our Mini Trials run pre-starter (18"!) to novice. Our Combined Tests run x-rails through Intermediate with challenging SJ courses, and we offer dressage classes, leadline, and jump rounds at every level.