Horse-Reading Highlights

Last post, I highlighted an online article focusing on the details of riding. But during the recent heat waves this Summer, that isn’t the only piece I’ve been pouring over.

For this post, I’ve compiled a list of more online articles with their links so you can see what I have been absorbing and thinking about recently. So let’s get started.

I am constantly hungry for information on the topic of the mental aspects of riding. It is one of the many aspects of riding that I find challenging. So this piece from Canadian Horse Journals really stood out to me:

“Practice Emotional Resilience For A Better Ride”
By Annika McGivern From Canadian Horse Journals https://www.horsejournals.com/riding-training/rider-development/psychology/practice-emotional-resilience-better-horse-ride

I also am really interested in information about horse physical-conditioning. As the owner of three senior horses (ages 19 to 27), how I care for and exercise them has real impact on their welfare.

Of course, that’s true for every horse. But it seems to me it is even more so for the senior crowd. They no longer have the benefits of youth to outweigh any negative impacts that errors in their feed, tack fit or exercise might impart. It just seems to me that what I do or don’t do with them has more immediate consequences for their health and welfare than when they were younger.

Here are four articles that give me lots of food for thought in this area:

“Horse Topline-Building Tips”
By Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA from The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care
https://thehorse.com/170405/horse-topline-building-tips/

“How Walk Work Over Poles Benefits Equine Rehab and Strength”
By Eleanor Jones From Horse and Hound
https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/how-walk-work-over-poles-benefits-equine-rehab-and-strength

“Tips on Improving Suppleness Under Saddle”
From Equus Magazine (author unidentified)
https://equusmagazine.com/riding/stiff4603/

“5 Exercises For Older Horses”
By Camille Saute on the Equisense Blog
https://blog.equisense.com/en/exercises-for-older-horses/

Last but not least, I am always interested in articles about wild mustangs and burros, particularly the ones on US public lands. You can read my post “For The Wild Ones” that details my previous experience with them.

The USA’s Bureau of Land Management’s round-up season is currently in full swing. Thousands of wild horses and burros are losing their freedom. Some are sustaining gruesome injuries and losing their very lives as they try to flee the terror involved in these round-ups. There has got to be a better way.

I respect that no shortage of divergent opinions exists on the topic. Admittedly, there is a lot to unpack on this subject of wild horses and burros and public lands usage. Personally, though, I would like to see the roundups halted. I want the wild horses and burros to largely remain on the range and routinely contact my senators, congressman and other government officials about wild horse and burros issues.

To better understand the history of wild horses and burros on US public lands and to keep up with the latest developments, I subscribe to the newsletter from the non-for-profit Wild Horse Education. Due to this being BLM round-up season, WHE has been posting frequently as they document what happens at these round-ups with photo and video footage.

On a related note, for a different take on the wild horse and burros issue, you might find reading about the Wild Horse Fire Brigade very interesting. You can see my previous post about this innovative idea HERE.

Okay, now that you know what I have been reading this Summer, tell me about you. What horse-related stuff have you been digging into lately? Horse care? Training? A particular horse-industry issue? Let me know in the comments section.