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Articles on Horse Riding

Warm-up Trends for Dressage Tests

How much time do the top-level dressage riders spend on warming up their horses before riding in a competition?

Designing Jumps to Prevent Horse Accidents

A few simple changes to cross-country courses will reduce the risk of horses and riders becoming injured at eventing competitions.

Do Horses Spread Weeds Along Trails?

Horses have been blamed for scattering unwanted weeds across the landscape as they travel down public trails.

Bits Can Interfere With Swallowing

Researchers at Michigan State University have now measured how much a bit actually affects a horse’s swallowing of saliva.

Mounting Blocks Put Less Strain on Horses

Getting on a horse from a raised platform rather than the ground puts significantly less force on the horse, research has confirmed.

Myler Bits Act Differently on Horses

A detailed comparison of how various bits sit in a horse’s mouth finds that Myler bits behave quite differently from other types of bits.

Dressage Riders Have Consistent Hands

Despite lots of upper body movement when they ride a sitting trot, skilled dressage riders maintain a surprisingly steady distance between their hands and their horse’s bit.

Doctors Recommend Horse Riders Use Safety Stirrups

After examining foot injuries in young equestrians, medical doctors are advocating that children wear strong boots and use safety stirrups while riding.

Riders Don’t Influence How Horses Jump

Popular belief has it that riders strongly affect their horse’s jumping technique. Surprisingly, results of a study that measured horses going over vertical jumps suggest that this belief is mistaken.

How Much Weight Can a Horse Carry?

Researchers have identified a threshold for when a rider is too heavy for a horse to comfortably carry.