While we aren't able to resume classes yet, our horses are getting some fun schooling from our instructors! Check out Chrissy, Kim, and Sarina getting in some hill work for a few of our older gentlemen horses, and read what Chrissy has to say about the importance of hill work:
“Hill work is an essential part of a horse’s regular fitness routine, especially the older horses in our herd. It encourages the horse to use its haunches to push themselves up the hill, and it adds necessary strength to their backs that they need to carry riders. Work on hills can be done at a walk, trot, canter, and gallop, and as you can see from this video, we were enjoying a nice canter up the hill!
Hill work is a fun way to add variety into our horses’ routine rides, and horses that are reluctant to go forward in the arena often love to stretch their legs and canter up a hill! Did you ever think you’d see slow-poke Hombre canter? How about Peter? Keeping our senior citizens fit and fresh is high priority for us, because then they’ll be stronger and happier in their jobs as therapy horses. Hampton is 22, Peter is 20, and Hombre is 24, and look at them go!
Ever wonder why we teach everyone to two-point in lessons? Look how Sarina and Kim are riding. By getting up into two-point they are freeing up the horse’s back to move more naturally than if their weight was back down in the saddle. The more you know😊“