The ride where getting off was the bravest—and smartest—thing I did (apologies for the swear words therein contained) I share plenty of good moments with my horses: the breakthroughs, the softness, the connection and those rides where the hard work finally seems to click. But not every ride is like that. Sometimes it is shit. Yep, shit! Sometimes your experienced horse becomes completely overwhelmed, your own survival instincts start screaming, and the best decision you can m

One of the biggest mistakes I see in horse training is the belief that more is better. More exercises. More repetitions. More time spent drilling. More things to tick off the training plan. In reality, piling exercise upon exercise into a session can quickly overload a horse both mentally and physically. Rather than asking, "What can I teach my horse today?", a more valuable question is: "What does my horse need from me today?" When we shift our focus to the horse's mindset a

What I would observe before deciding whether a young horse is a suitable prospect—and worth progressing to an independent veterinary pre-purchase examination. Buying a horse is deeply personal. Buying one under two years old can feel even more so, because you are assessing the horse in front of you while imagining the partner they may become. This checklist is not designed to find a “perfect” youngster. That horse does not exist. Nor can one viewing predict future soundness,

Filmed your test? Need to upload your video? Here is how to send your online competition entry to Lagoballo for judging. One of the lovely things about an online competition is being able to ride your test in a familiar environment, with your own horse and without the float trip, parking puzzle or traditional competition-day rush. Once you have entered a Lagoballo online competition, received your test and filmed your performance, the final step is submitting your video for j

When we think about horse welfare, many people immediately focus on nutrition, exercise, veterinary care, or training. While these are undeniably important, true wellbeing is much broader than any single element. A horse's quality of life is built upon several interconnected pillars that work together to create a balanced, healthy and content individual. When one pillar is neglected, the others are often affected. For me, there are seven essential pillars that support every h

Why We Are More Productive Than Ever, Yet More Overwhelmed Than Ever There has never been a time in human history when we have had more tools designed to make life easier. We carry supercomputers in our pockets. We can communicate instantly with anyone in the world. Artificial intelligence can now draft reports, create presentations, answer questions, analyse data and automate tasks that once required hours of human effort. Yet despite all this progress, many people feel exha

When it comes to feeding horses, most discussions focus on what we're feeding. But perhaps we should spend more time thinking about how and where we're feeding. Traditionally, horses evolved to graze with their heads down for much of the day. More recently, many horse owners have embraced the idea that feeding from the ground is always best. While there are certainly benefits to ground feeding, I've come to believe that the "best" feeding position depends on the individual ho

As horse owners, we naturally want the best for our horses. We invest in lessons, clinics, training programs and equipment, all in pursuit of helping them reach their potential. But what if the very thing holding your horse back isn't a training issue at all? What if it's discomfort? Before we ask our horses to carry us, learn new skills, improve their movement or overcome behavioural challenges, we need to ensure they're physically comfortable in their bodies. No amount of t

Every horse owner has that one product. You know the one. The product you buy "just in case", only to find yourself reaching for it time and time again. For me, that's Terramycin Pink Eye Aerosol. Now, before anyone points it out, yes, it was originally developed as an antibiotic aerosol for treating eye infections and pinkeye conditions in animals. It contains oxytetracycline and is widely used in livestock veterinary care. But over the years, I've found it incredibly handy

If there is one topic guaranteed to spark discussion among horse owners, it's body condition. Too fat. Too thin. Needs more topline. Needs less pasture. Needs more feed. Needs less feed. Sometimes it feels like everyone has an opinion. Recently I found myself wondering: if you had to choose between a horse being slightly over-conditioned or slightly under-conditioned, which is actually better? Before anyone sharpens their pitchforks, I'm not talking about obese horses or hors

If you’ve ever priced arena construction, you’ve probably heard this suggestion: “Just use pea gravel.” “Road base is cheaper and compacts well.” On the surface (no pun intended), it can sound practical, affordable, and convenient. But here’s the hard truth: Pea gravel and road base are two of the worst materials you can put under a working horse. And the damage they cause often isn’t immediate — it’s chronic, subtle, and expensive. Horses Don’t Just Stand on Arenas — They Lo

When you buy a horse, you don’t receive a blank slate (even youngsters or foals). You inherit everything that came before you — their previous training, their experiences (good and bad), their coping strategies, their habits, and their trauma. Whether visible or subtle, it all arrives with them the moment they step off the float. This isn’t a flaw. It’s simply the nature of being a living, learning being. Horses Carry History — Just Like We Do Horses evolve through life in mu

One of the easiest and fastest changes I’ve seen create an immediate improvement is switching to a lightweight, hardware‑free rope halter and lead combination, like this: This small adjustment often results in a horse that feels: Lighter More attentive More responsive to subtle feel And yes — you’ll often notice it straight away. My Go‑To Recommendations (Australia) If you’re looking for quality options, my Australian go‑to brands are: Mark Langley – purchase the halter and l

Why Horse Ownership Can Feel Overwhelming — Even When You’re Informed Modern horse owners aren’t short on care, effort or good intentions. If anything, we care more than ever. We read, research, ask questions, seek professional input and genuinely want to do right by our horses. And yet, so many of us feel mentally exhausted. Not from lack of knowledge — but from too much of it. Welcome to decision fatigue: the invisible load quietly draining joy from training, tack choices

Being a hypermobile rider isn’t just a fun fact about your body—it deeply affects how you ride, how you interpret instructions, how your muscles fire, and how you stabilise yourself in the saddle. My journey has been anything but linear, and even now I’m always improving, refining, and checking in with myself. This is the story of how I went from struggling to stay balanced, stable, and pain‑free… to finally understanding how my body works and learning how to ride with it, no

And how owners can work with their farrier to restore healthier alignment If there’s one hoof imbalance that quietly causes more long‑term damage than many owners realise, it’s the long toe, short heel conformation. It’s common, often gradual, and sometimes mistaken as “just how the horse is built”. But in reality, it places significant strain on the soft tissues that support the back of the foot and lower limb , and if left unaddressed, it can contribute to chronic lameness

If you ride long enough, it happens. One day you walk into the paddock or the yard and instead of excitement, you feel… flat. Heavy. Unmotivated. Everything feels harder than it should. Riding feels like another thing on the list rather than the thing you usually escape from the list. That’s when I know I’m in a horse riding rut. I used to fight it. Push through. Tell myself I should ride, should be grateful, should just get on with it. But over time, I’ve learned that ru

There’s a quiet but growing feeling many of us share: everything is just too much . Not in a dramatic, one‑bad‑day way, but in a relentless, grinding, never‑ending way. Too many messages. Too many demands. Too many things competing for our attention, our time and our emotional energy — often all at once. Burnout is no longer a personal failing or a niche workplace issue. It has become a systemic problem, woven into how modern life — and especially digital life — now operates.

In the equestrian world, it’s natural to reflect on what might have caused a horse’s discomfort, behavioural changes, or lameness. Horses are complex athletes, and when something goes wrong, owners often look back over every decision — including their lessons. And a common question arises: “If I had one lesson with an instructor and my horse later developed issues… is that the instructor’s fault?” Let’s explore why the answer is almost always no , and why consistent training,

Over the years — long before owning my own property — I spent a lot of time as an agistee. And through those experiences, I learnt something important: you and your horse are on your own journey . No one else walks that exact path with you. No one else fully understands the bond, the work, the commitment, or the learning that goes into it. What I also discovered, unfortunately, is that the horse world isn’t always as supportive as we’d like it to be. People can become intimid