Hófring in the Heart - The Hoof Fairy

15/09/2026

My handsome boy demonstrating a lovely Forward, Down and Out position on the lunge.

No peanut rolling. No llama 🦙

Working over his back and building his body in balance.

QUICK TIP: What does correct Forward, Down & Out actually look like?

Getting the head down is easy. Getting the whole horse to stretch correctly is the important bit.

When your horse reaches Forward, Down & Out, look beyond the neck:

🐴 Nose stays above knee level; down doesn’t mean nose in the dirt.
🐴 Nose remains in front of the vertical; the horse reaches out, rather than curling back.
🐴 Diagonal pairs match; the legs should show similar angles, maintaining rhythm and balance.
🐴 Wither stays lifted; the horse stretches over the topline rather than collapsing onto the forehand.

The goal isn’t a low head. It’s a horse stretching forward, down AND out while keeping its balance.

Save this one for the next time you’re wondering whether your horse is really stretching.

14/09/2026

The fact both of us do better, feel better and work better with a noise cancelling apparatus on speaks volumes.

Pun intended 🤨

The irony is not lost on me.

12/09/2026

Ok guys, what’s one training or horse care concept that you’ve heard explained a hundred times, but still doesn’t make sense?

What’s the thing you wish someone would just explain properly?

12/09/2026

In your opinion; when does a “baby horse” become a “grown up” horse?

When do we stop making exceptions for their behaviour because they’re a “baby horse”?
When do we start expecting more from them?
What’s the age? What’s the criteria? Do some horses never “grow up” and if so, why?

Would love to hear your thoughts! Comment below 👇 let me know what you think.

10/09/2026

Riddle me this 😑

03/09/2026

The traditional Training Scale gives us rhythm, suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness and collection—but where does balance fit?

This article explores why balance isn’t merely the end result of correct training. It influences every stage of the process.

Have a read, and give the Dressage Atlas page a follow if this is your kind of thing 👇

What if the Training Scale is missing something?

Rhythm. Suppleness. Contact. Impulsion. Straightness. Collection.

But what about balance?

Without it, rhythm can become rushing, impulsion can become speed, and collection simply can’t happen.

So where does balance belong?

Maybe it isn’t another step.

Maybe it’s the thing holding the whole staircase up.

👉 Read: Balance — The Missing Level of the Training Scale

https://dressageatlas.com/2026/08/28/balance-in-dressage/

02/09/2026

The whiskers are wired directly into facial nerves.

I will post a video in the comments from I dissection that I did that shows this.

01/09/2026

Is it just me or does anyone else think equestrian attire should be advertised with normal sized women instead of stick figures with big knockers?

Seriously, I can potentially achieve stick figure status if I hate myself enough but I don’t have the funds for big knockers.

What brands advertise with normal sized models?

Tag them below 👇

28/08/2026

Right. Moving onto something considerably less controversial 😂

For the dressage riders here; a straight horse isn’t actually straight.

I’ve been working on Dressage Atlas for a long time, and it’s finally live. This is one of the first articles I’ve published:

A straight horse is bent. Sounds ridiculous, right?

👇

A straight horse is bent.

Sounds ridiculous, right? 😂

When we think of “straight”, we think of a straight line. No curves, no bend.

But in dressage, straightness isn’t about making the horse’s body rigidly straight. It’s about alignment.

On a curved line, a correctly straight horse actually needs to bend.

So what does straightness actually mean, why does your horse need to bend to achieve it, and how can you tell when they’re genuinely straight?

We’ve broken it down, without making it more complicated than it needs to be.

Read the full article here 👇
https://dressageatlas.com/2026/08/24/horse-straightness-in-dressage/