Equitation

Throwback to the show last year! First place! I was so proud of Sugar. That class was equitation walk, trot, canter. She was nice and calm... until we got to jumping. I fell off in warm-up due to her refusals. I tried really hard to fix this problem, but I think she will always be a little unpredictable in jumping new jumps.

Tennessee Walking Horse Abuse

I have recently started riding gaited horses. Since I only rode non-gaited horses, this was very different! I figured out trotting and gaiting are two very different things. Tennessee Walkers have such and amazing gait and way of moving. I love them so much. I don't understand the abuse they have to bare. I ride regular shoed or just barefoot Walkers. Other people choose to use a terrible abusive method on the innocent horse breed.

While watching videos of "The Celebration" makes me so sad. What they make there horses do is so artificial. Tennessee Walkers were made to gait, but not made to be forced to pick there feet up above there knees. Some people choose a blue ribbon and money over the comfort of there horse. I am very grateful that "soring" was banned. It is still used illegally though. The horses used in "Big Lick" shows wear padded horse shoes several inches tall and chains. Luckily it is banned in some shows. Here is what I am talking about:

If you don't know what soring is, it is the process of injecting toxic and dangerous chemicals into a horse hoof in order to enhance "Big Lick" gait. It cause pain and suffering to the innocent horse.

Now, does these pictures look natural? Do these horses look happy?

Please spread this article or this information to help stop this abuse!

~Rachel <3

You can read this to better understand soring: http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/tenn_walking_horses/facts/what_is_soring.html

Favorite horse trainers

The trainers that I really admire are Stacy Westfall www.stacywestfallhorseblog.com and Buck Brannaman www.brannaman.com/ I was very lucky to get a chance to attend one of Buck's clinics. He taught me a lot and is an excellent horseman. I also love Stacy Westfall. Her connection with horses is amazing and her bareback bridle-less ride in 2006 is mind blowing! Her is the video: http://youtu.be/TKK7AXLOUNo

Best Horse Training Book

I highly recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Horse-Behavior-Problem-Solver/dp/1580175244 I am not quite finished with it, but it has taught me a lot already. Not a waste of money!

Field Photo

Back to the days when Sugar didn't try to buck me off in the field...

Show

Sunny show days...

First place in flat.

Jumping... well... let's just say I fell off in warmup

Jumping Sugar!

This is a pictures of Sugar and I! It is from a while back. It took me a long time before she would jump it with no refusals! <3