Spring 2023

Practical Horseman

Practical Horseman is the number one how-to magazine for English-style riders

Practical Horseman1 min read
Practical Horseman
ENGLISH CONTENT DIRECTOR Sandra Oliynyk DIRECTOR OF ART AND PRODUCTION Philip Cooper MULTIMEDIA CONTENT EDITOR Stephanie J. Ruff MULTIMEDIA CONTENT ASSISTANT Julia Murphy CONTRIBUTORS Sandra Cooke, Amy K. Dragoo Mary Kay Kinnish, Kim F. Miller, Jocel
Practical Horseman2 min read
Celebrating 50!
When Practical Horseman first appeared in January of 1973 as an outgrowth of the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association’s magazine, The Pennsylvania Horse, it covered the breeding, care, feeding and training of racehorses as well as sporthorses. But
Practical Horseman4 min read
AHFEH Celebrates 2022 Adoptions
On average, AHFEH member organizations find forever homes for more than 1,000 horses each year. In 2022, an estimated 7,829 horses were being cared for at AHFEH rescue facilities, and 1,241 of those horses found their forever homes. Celebrate with us
Practical Horseman5 min read
Seats And Staying With The Horse’s Motion
1 Overall: My first impression is that this rider is behind her horse’s motion, getting a little left and using his mouth for balance. You can see that because the bit is making him “smile,” and he looks a little unhappy. Leg: The stirrup is behind t
Practical Horseman5 min readHorses
Developing A Correct Stretch At The Trot
This picture shows Sara Gray on her 9-year-old mare Josie Sandra TF. Josie has had two foals and was started late into riding. She was only about a month under saddle when Sara got her. They are currently showing First Level. When I went as a “Bereit
Practical Horseman5 min read
Remembering jim Wofford
“By horse crazy, I mean I am obsessed with horses, and always have been—obsessed with how to ride them, how to train them, how to care for them, how they think, and how we should think about them.”—Jim Wofford, in the introduction to his memoir, Stil
Practical Horseman7 min read
Why Vertical is ABSOLUTE
Military historians regard the invention of the stirrup as a major development in the art of warfare. If you were involved in mounted warfare and were trying to whack some guy on the head, it really helped to have the stability and security that stir
Practical Horseman2 min read
Vertical In Action
Stirrups are the ground for the rider. You must keep a vertical stirrup leather for your stirrups to be able to correctly support your weight. Once you can do this, you will be able to maintain your balance, even in unusual circumstances. First, I wa
Practical Horseman4 min read
50 Years Of Eventing
Eventing has been through a lot of changes since the first issue of Practical Horseman was published 50 years ago in 1973. PH covered the sport’s gradual move from the classic format to short and reported on developments in safety, including the evol
Practical Horseman8 min read
12 Questions with WILL COLEMAN
Q What is your FEI Eventing World Championship and CCIO4*-S Aachen partner, Off The Record, like to ride and train? WC I got him as a 4-year-old. He was a very talented horse, but he was hard to make music with initially. He was opinionated and not i
Practical Horseman10 min read
Put Your Horse In His Comfort Zone To Jump
I don’t have a magic recipe for finding a distance and making a good jump. But I do have an exercise that will help you achieve the most important aspects of getting that good distance and good jump: straightness and rhythm. These are the most import
Practical Horseman6 min readHorses
Tips from USDF Trainers Conference
“Dressage is the systematic development of the natural abilities of the horse,” stated Henk van Bergen during the first ride of the Adequan®/U.S. Dressage Federation FEI-Level Trainers Conference. After a two-year absence due to the pandemic, more th
Practical Horseman7 min read
Biosecurity Strategies to KEEP YOUR HORSE HEALTHY
Before the 2023 winter show circuits started early this year, organizers at the Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California, and the Wellington International in Florida implemented new biosecurity protocols for the season. This was in resp
Practical Horseman4 min read
Daniel Bluman on Training, Handling Nerves and His Pre-Class Routine
Born and raised in Colombia, leaderboard topping FEI show jumper Daniel Bluman has been in the saddle since he was 3 years old and has worked his way up to the pinnacle of the sport. As a Junior, he competed in Colombia, Germany and the United States
Practical Horseman4 min read
How To Deal With Arthritis
Q My 14-year-old hunter experiences mild lameness before he’s warmed up, and our veterinarian has diagnosed minor arthritis in the left foreleg. He prescribed phenylbutazone (bute) and says that’s all my horse needs to manage his pain for now. What e
Practical Horseman1 min read
To Maintain An Attached, Supple Balance Of Your Seat …
Imagine your stirrups are like a trampoline. You cannot brace into a trampoline, but if you keep your ankles, knees and hips soft and able to bend, you can maintain your balance on the trampoline. Stephany Fish Crossman is a USDF bronze and silver me

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