Having missed April’s website blog, perhaps I should get some words on paper for May. Presently I am in Western Australia at Serpentine with George & Jenny Jacksons at their facility. To be truthful right now I am enjoying their apartment in Mandurah watching dolphins. Jenny had previously said to watch for dolphins , today was the first time they have jumped out of the water.
Jenny has been hosting and organising my courses for many years in Western Australia and my visits have been twice a year. Over that time there have been many horses of all natures. A collection of recent images and video, I have put together below. To see the improvement in both horses and riders over many years now validates the efforts of all. While it is not the olympics, riders and horses are all in a better place.
Presently we are also going through the process to be back in the U.K. All going well, I will be back over there in August and for the beginning of September.
Recently I have also done a podcast, this was my first one, with Kate Wensley at Curious Equestrian. The link is below for those that are interested.
In July there is a home course planned as well as one in Emerald for more information, my website has my schedule at this link; https://www.davidstuart.com.au/courses/
Over the next few weeks we have horses coming in plus “preg” testing breeders and fertility testing our bulls.
Horsemanship; At times when putting these articles together I wonder what is going to be helpful for horses and riders. Sometimes the article may have some relevance to situations that I have seen or experienced.
One of the last questions that Kate Wensley asked me on the Curious Equestrian podcast was. What advice would I give to horse owners or riders. I understood this to mean in relation to horsemanship and my answer was to just get started. For many of us we all live to much in our head and go around in circles and if we would just get out there and make a start our horses and ourselves would be better. You will be in a better place if you make a start than not starting.
Over the last week I have mentioned about getting horses to soften through the poll and through their rib cage. This is both on the ground and in the saddle as your horse softens and becomes more accepting, you are also going to feel a difference in the reins and in their gaits. Some horses may not allow you to sit into their backs. Once they start to bend around your inside leg and soften in the poll and become more accepting, their backs will mostly start to soften.
Enjoying horses and becoming a better horseman, is a lifetime pursuit, better to make a start than not at all.
