Horse Training in Harmony

In this episode, I’ll talk about 9 habits for excellent horsemanship. These habits are what will help you problem-solve and better understand what is going on with your horse, and will give you more possibilities for things to change in order to make things better.

In this episode, I will take a look at the physical side of training for you and your horse. I’ll give you a blueprint for building strength, stamina, and coordination while avoiding falling into the trap of drilling, fatiguing, or boring your horse in the process.

In this episode, I talk about paying attention to not just WHAT you do, but HOW you do it. I’ll share how I structured my courses in a way that helps students develop essential skills sooner, and be able to problem-solve better… This episode will help you get unstuck, get to the next level, find more ease, or simply enjoy the process of learning even more.

In episode 7 I went deep into the arguments for and against doing dressage with or without a bit. In this episode I’ll share some stories of particular horses that I started and trained using a mixture of bits and bitless. I’ll share how I made decisions about equipment at different stages and how that effected the training.

The topic of bitless dressage is one of THE biggest hot-button subjects. When I wrote a blog on this it broke my server because so many people were sharing and reading it. Many people believe you can’t do ‘real’ dressage without a bit. Other people say bits are cruel. My goal is to present experience-based thoughts on the pros and cons of each, and to answer the common arguments from both sides...

I answer students’ questions! This episode is about biomechanics and motivation! I’ll be discussing a question about whether short strides are from a blocked back and how to help remedy that, as well as a question about how to help a horse with a downhill conformation become more balanced...

Finding the right teacher for you and your horse is a really important decision. Riding, competing, training, and teaching are all separate skill sets and not every professional is talented in all of them. In order to really learn from someone, you have to trust them, so when it comes to choosing your instructor - choose wisely. In this podcast I will share some of my thoughts on how you can make an excellent choice and find an instructor that you can really thrive and progress with.

Karen explains why the phrase: ‘Get your horse on the bit’ is a less than ideal way to teach riders to create the desired posture we are looking for in dressage. She’ll explain an alternative way of helping students create a healthy posture that focuses on balance, communication, and partnership...

In this episode Karen will give you 3 Guidelines to follow when doing exercises to improve the way your horse moves. You’ll hear the difference between healthy and unhealthy biomechanics, and the two different kinds of unhealthy biomechanics. These guidelines will help you get the most out of any exercise that you do with your horse

This episode is based on one of Karen’s most popular blogs by the same name. Karen takes a look at one of the root sources of frustration and disappointment that riders often experience. She’ll take a 10,000 foot view of our core way of thinking about working with horses and the core assumptions we are making about the training process...