Podcast Season One

Head to Season 2 Head to Season 3 Season One Listen to Episode 1, featuring Jim Masterson of the Masterson Method Listen to Episode 2, featuring Warwick Schiller Listen to Episode 3, featuring Dr. Steve Peters Listen to Episode 4, featuring Ballou and Butcher Listen […]

Best Horse Practices Summit Schedule is Here!

The Best Horse Practices Summit Schedule: (Please be patient as this schedule is subject to minor changes. Details and links coming soon.) Register here Sunday, October 8, 4-9 pm: Welcome Reception and Sign In Join us at the historic Strater Hotel to sign in and […]

Dorrance Protégés Join Summit Roster

Along with powerful academic and arena presentations, the Best Horse Practices Summit, October 8-10 in Durango, Colorado, will now offer an opportunity to hear from esteemed protégés of Bill and Tom Dorrance. The brothers are widely admired as pioneers of the superior, more mindful horsemanship […]

Why Riding is the Hardest Thing in the World to Do

If riding simply entailed proper movements to speed up, slow down, and steer the horse, it would be elementary. Like riding a bike. But cyclists don’t often talk about how much they are still learning 30 years after they picked up the sport. Horse riders, […]

Best Core Practices

We welcome Kerry O’Brien as a new guest columnist and Rider Fitness contributor. Read more on Core Fitness here. O’Brien is a therapist certified by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork and long-standing member of the American Massage Therapy Association. She blends […]

Top Trainers attending BHP Summit

This just in! Talented trainers Amy Skinner, West Taylor, Katrin Silva, and Juliana Zunde will be hanging out, meeting folks, and stretching their brains as they attend the Best Horse Practices Summit. When you sign up, you’ll have the opportunity to meet with them and […]

BHP Summit Roster is Here

When you sign up for the inaugural Best Horse Practices Summit, you become part of a movement.  It’s a movement to step up your game and to rededicate yourself to improving your horse-human connection. Prepare yourself for many ah-ha moments. Your brain will be buzzing. […]

A Dressage Vote for Pilates

We hear this week from Katrin Kuenstler, a German rider living and teaching in Australia. She weighs in on Rider Fitness and Core Strength. Read more about it here. Kuenstler writes: I am a dressage rider, riding instructor and Pilates instructor and can only say […]

“Fit” is More than Skin-Deep: Confessions of a Sugar-holic

Last year, in the pages of NickerNews and BestHorsePractices, we focused on rider fitness and weight. That’s because there is mounting evidence showing we do our horses and our horsemanship a sizeable favor by being fit and on weight. As it happens, I know a […]

Core Strength Requires Understanding

Beth Watson is a physiotherapist living in Perth, Australia. Here, she lends yet another excellent point of view to our focus on Rider Fitness, especially core fitness. Clinician Wendy Murdoch suggested in a recent article that “core strength is counterproductive to good riding.” We disagree. […]