Pine Haven Stables & Riding Academy

Tank is so excited for his show debut!!!

Fox with Diane Plamp Keen Dorsey, & Phil & Grace both took victory passes this am! Phil and Grace won the 10 horse hunter class, which was the biggest class of the show!

Such strength and balance.

We are watching a riding lesson---The instructor says "Use more leg." What does that mean? Well, a rider's leg starts at the hip and goes all the way down to th...e foot, so "leg" is a pretty vague term. Does the instructor want the long, soft, almost Saran-Wrap leg of the upper level dressage rider, or the shorter, strong, driving leg of the upper level cross country rider? A demanding "you WILL GO" leg, or a suggesting pressure that is released almost at the instant it is applied? Or something in between? Try this----Sit on your horse and grip with your knees as hard as you can---Your horse will stand there like a rock. Now squeeze from, say, about mid-calf up. He may move a step, but more likely he still won't move. Now, soften your knee, and close that part of your lower leg that is down by your Achilles tendon and that knobby ankle bone, and the spur mount on your boot---Off he will go, because THAT is the part of the leg that he can most specifically feel. THIS is your cross country leg. That says "GO!" But you will notice that when your knee is ON, that lowest part of your leg will be OFF, and vice versa. If you use a cross country leg for dressage, you are way overdoing it, bur if you use a dressage leg for cross country, you might as well just scream "JUMP" for all the actual effect it will have. All leg is not created equal. Learn the various legs for the accomplishments of various tasks---

To the parent that asked why I have old horses.... https://youtu.be/TsOz2sGHTRw