Recent content by Mondy

This is what is wrong. Very wrong. Watch this video. Registration to watch is free and utterly painless: http://epona.tv/blog/2014/july/freebie-of-the-month

Neither you nor the horse look ready for the double bridle. Continue your upward trajectory and you'll get there.

It is NOT called a 'menage'! A 'menage', according to the OED, is "A domestic establishment, or its members collectively; a household, a home. In later use also: the parties involved in a romantic or sexual relationship regarded as forming a domestic establishment; the relationship itself. Also...

Does anyone know why the decision has been made to reduce the TV/video coverage of Olympia this year? In previous years I seem to recall watching the Santa Stakes etc. but this year - nought. Very disappointing, but I suppose it is a clever marketing trick to force me to buy exorbitant...

She's a very good-looking and functional mare, but take care you allow her more 'space' in front - if you maintain a constant frame deep and behind the vertical she will seem to raise her back, but it is a matter of taut ligaments rather than muscles. I appreciate she needs a bit too much help...

Is your horse registered as a Danish Warmblood? If it is the Danish graded Andiamo - Hanoverian of blood but a champion in the German Oldenburg jumping championships for young horses - then I can say that he is generally considered a very, very good stallion in Denmark and Germany. He is an...

No, pelhams are not good. They are the tools resorted to by 'riders' who cannot ride. A sharp bit is an indicator of an underlying issue that the rider is too lazy or too ignorant to address. I always think that if you cannot ride your horse without any tack at all then you shouldn't put...

Common sense. Of which I have little so I use it sparingly. :-D

Nonsense. If you can't run the trip beside the horse then you shouldn't ride. The horse's back is not a weight-bearing pole, it is designed for forward motion. I think the 15% (rider, tack, clothing) of horse's weight is a sensible rule of thumb.

Not sad at all. It is merely a sign that this nation is developing (slowly) into one capable of feeling (at least subconsciously) queasy with the ethical minefield that is the National.

I love my horse enough to turn pretty lethal to keep him safe - but I also love him enough to make the tough call necessary to keep him free from pain or distress. I guess you owe them that. I could afford veterinary bills, but I'm not sure I'd subject my 20+ year old pony to the hassle. His...

...just like several thousand others.

'Poking the nose' is fine. ;-) It is a lot better than being pulled down in a fake contact. Contact doesn't come from your hands but to your hands - be soft and steady and then ride lots of transitions for your seat. The best thing is that you can practice this whilst hacking, too. The most...

I find it unethical to 'just enjoy your horse' if you don't first consider whether your horse enjoys you. Too many people use the horse as a 'single people-carrier'... I think the 20% rule is fine as a rough, absolute-maximum bar. Btw, well done, Welshie Squisher (great name!), for...

Hi! No, not impossible at all. Maybe you're just in the wrong country? ;-) Like this pretty chap in Denmark: http://www.hestegalleri.dk/marked/hest/852165-dansk-varmblod-contador A Danish Warmblod: http://www.hestegalleri.dk/marked/hest/843579-dansk-varmblod-ds-crelido-hoppe Or a...