Saturday, April 30, 2011

Cacolets: Two men on a Mule

Cacolets

Mules: "Cacolets - these are iron-framed adjustable chairs, intended for the conveyance of sick and wounded by pack transport. A pair of cacolets weighs 56 lb. They are interchangeable, i.e. they can be used either on the near or off side of the saddle by a simple transposition of the back strap and footrest."

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Best kept secret in the horse world

Morgan Ponies have earned 7 out of 8 USEF NATIONAL SINGLE PONY CHAMPIONSHIPS
......and the 8th one was a Morgan cross!


Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Transitions



Transitions begin with an ending and end with a beginning.


I ran across this idea as it relates to career changes (not mine, btw!) and I have been thinking about it in relation to the transitions we ask our horses to make while performing. This compliments the idea that verbal instructions are more about *changing* what is happening than about the end result. Saying "Trot" isn't  as much about Trotting as it about changing ....transitioning ... to the Trot from something else. Something must end before something else begins. Maybe thinking of it this way will help organize all the micro events that must occur in the right order with the right timing to accomplish something seemingly so simple as a transition from one gait to another.