Clinics are for Working Cowboys, too

I’m lucky to live in an area full of working cowboys. They use their horses for jobs. It’s a scenario that many of us fabricate in order to keep our horses handy and engaged. On a recent cattle drive, for instance, I watched as their […]

Rashid circles back to softness

Mark Rashid visited Durango for an evening lecture and three days of sold-out, one-on-one sessions recently. The author of several books and DVDs, Rashid travels internationally as a presenter and clinician. For the past several years, Rashid and Crissi McDonald, his wife of eight years, […]

Halter and Lead Rope Factors

Amy Skinner is the owner of Essence Horsemanship and a frequent BestHorsePractices contributor. She teaches and trains from her base in Boyne City, Michigan. Skinner reviewed the 4-knot halter with lead rope from Knotty Girlz. Read more about Knotty Girlz here. Read additional halter post […]

7 Clinics makes for valuable couch time

Cindy Meehl speaks for many of us when she introduces 7 Clinics, the excellent instructional DVD set featuring Buck Brannaman. After decades in the saddle, she felt she was a good rider and doing right by her horses. “I had always done it in a […]

When ‘Head Down’ cues are wrong

As owners and riders, we have the privilege of teaching our horses lots of nifty movements and exercises. We can do it with force and intimidation, with treats and sweets, or with the concept of partnership in which horses will: appreciate a relationship of trust […]

For Lent, can you give up being human for a while?

Our piece on the Death of Natural Horsemanship was one of the most circulated pages ever for BestHorsePractices. It invigorated many lengthy online conversations on the state of today’s horsemanship, which brand of horsemanship is best, and what it all means. Absent in the conversation, […]

Savitsky and Ballou on rider fitness

As part of our Focus on Fitness, we spoke with accomplished riders and teachers, Christina Savitsky and Jec Aristotle Ballou. When not running a ranch and raising a family, Christina Savitsky is busy with Buckaroo Balance clients. Buckaroo Balance combines good riding with therapy, mindfulness, […]

Research enlightens your horse work

Knowing and controlling how your movements, behavior, and thoughts impact your equine partner is the absolute key to your good horsemanship. While BestHorsePractices is dedicated to reviewing equine science, some new human research is immensely relevant to our horsemanship. Let’s consider confidence, fear, power, and […]

The Death of “Natural Horsemanship”

Natural horsemanship is dead. Long live natural horsemanship. Natural horsemanship is a trending phrase that got attached to a style of work and a way of connecting with horses that Bill and Tom Dorrance offered up a few generations ago. It involved working with the […]

Four keys to higher learning

Amy Skinner is the horsewoman behind Essence Horsemanship in Boyne City, Michigan. Later this year, she will celebrate her 40th article as a guest columnist for NickerNews and BestHorsePractices. Kudos, Amy! You can meet her at next week’s Equine Affaire, where she will help staff […]