Foundation Riding Stables

05/11/2026

I talk about this all the time!! If your horse did disappear….where/how would you land?😉

When I'm giving a lesson, one of my stock instructions is to cheerily call out, "Don't look down at your horse! If it's not there I'll tell you!"

Quite honestly you can look where you like, it's your day out, have a nice time. But why would I recommend not looking down at your horse?

Well, firstly, it is the physical muscle movements we take when we are under attack and starting to curl into the defensive foetal position.

Our head curls down our shoulders round over and our legs come up to make a defensive ball. Try and balance a bowling ball on a saddle and it'll become pretty clear straight away why this is the wrong direction to be moving in.

And you may have noticed the problem with your legs starting to curl up too - even just a little bit increases the chances of you lifting your own foot out of the stirrup.

I like stirrups. Here on our horses, we do an awful lot of running around in one form or another standing in the stirrups.

I like to think of the stirrups as two tables or platforms either side of the horse that I can stand up in and let the horse go through his fly backing or bouncing around whatever he wants to do, and when that moment has passed, it's all golden, off we go.

Plus the wider the stirrups, the more I have my feet spread apart, the wider the base I have.

The horse would have to leap a long way to the side two get out from under that wide base of my stirrups.

But if I have curled into a bowling ball, even a tiny bit, and lose the wide base of my stirrups, then the horse only has to move half-a-pelvis width to be out from under me.

(I generally like my horses under me)

And there's more - the psychological reason why we are looking down at our horses, (and thus not paying attention to our feet in the stirrups and possibly losing them) - is that we are staring at the horse's ears trying to get an early warning system for some incoming spook or spin.

Am I right? Am I right?

I am, aren't I?

Fixating on them little pointed indicators, like the hero cop trying to save the city staring at two wires, one red and one blue, not knowing which one to cut to defuse the bomb.

So psychologically we are expecting problems, trying to react before they've happened, riding defensively, losing our stirrups, losing our stable wide base, becoming slightly more shaped like a ball.

Not good.

So when I say "Don't look at your horse", I'm actually attempting to break that psychological pattern that my client is locked in.

And to add a jokey "If it's not there I will tell you" , is to break the grim horror of defusing a bomb.

Then the solution: "look around what can you see, how many ducks are there, how many peacocks are there, look at the roof, can you see any birds in the sky, look at the treetops"

Lots of focus on physically looking up which is the physical opposite of curling into a ball and might keep their feet in their stirrups.

Psychologically it is taking the attention off the doom and gloom incoming spook - one of my other stock sayings from The Little Book of Horse Sense, "Don't say don't and do say do."

DON'T go off on your ride saying what you DON'T want "Don't spook Nobby, don't spin Nobby", and DO say what you DO want "What a lovely day look at the birds, look at the landscape, this is lovely"

And I got another one, again from the Little Book of Horse Sense,

"I was a bit scared," said Piglet in a quiet voice, "but nothing happened."

"No, lots of things happened," replied Pooh.

"The problem is they were all positive."

Aw, bless. Winnie the Pooh still serving us after all this time.

Anyway, I digress. Back to the point.

DON'T LOOK AT YOUR HORSE!

I’ve helped thousands of riders break these "survival reflexes" and find their confidence again. If you're ready to stop defusing bombs and start enjoying the ride, check out my Rider Confidence resources in the first comment below! 👇

05/10/2026

When I was a boy the greatest complement someone on a horse could receive was being called a horseman, and at that time the term was inclusive of women. It was also a vailed insult to be called a rider in certain circumstances, meaning you were not a horseman. For example, in a hunt Field if someone could not control their horse and bumped into you, you might say to them, "You are quite a rider".

To become a horseman, you must learn the fundamentals of horsemanship. Many of these principles are very detailed. One fundamental of balance when riding is the 5 degree rule. A rider must not lean back in the saddle more that 5 degrees.

Why? Because any greater lean than 5 degrees will potentially unbalance your horse. This is because once you lean beyond 5 degrees, you will have moved your center of balance away from your horse's center of balance to the point that your horse will very often have to rebalance themself, which is a disruption to a horse that a horseman always avoids.

www.facebook.com/BobWoodHorsesForLife/posts/pfbid0ZveZskpLrRc9Ww9Vaa7dyGwjjQ5CcPDjMWG43nLomZSkx2CXZP3nmGM6uLJT6s9ul

The left image is of Étienne Beudant, a great French horseman and cavalryman. He is leaning back 5 degrees, which can subtly amplify a rider's seat aids. On the right is a modern dressage rider leaning back approximately 8 degrees.

You might say that leaning back 3 more degrees in insignificant. Many people today think so but that is because they are riders, not horsemen. Horsemanship is a state of mind that truly cares for a horse with great specificity in order to make a horse as comfortable as possible when they are doing their job for you.

There is no room in horsemanship for the phrase "close enough". Sure, horsemen fail to maintain this high standard at times, but when they do they try harder. I offer a spoken apology to my horse when I fail and I disrupt their work.

Horsemanship takes years to learn. We cannot expect it of students who are learning. But we can teach them the fundamental principles, including why these principles are important and how failing to apply them makes a horse's life more difficult.

The pictures show longitudinal or hind to front leaning. The same is true of lateral or side to side leaning, in fact leaning more than 5 degrees laterally on a slope with challenging footing can put your horse down on the ground.

I am writing this for all the supposed "caring" riders who will buy their horse a new blanket every winter, purchase the most expensive feed and supplements, and have people like body workers come for their horse all the time, who think that they are showing there horse how deeply they care. But if they really cared, the way a horseman does, they would improve their riding and stop unbalancing their horses, making their work increasingly difficult.

04/30/2026

❤️

Several years ago now I had a teenage student who was taking multiple lessons per week on one of my horses.

She did really well with him and asked to show him. I thought, “Why not? He’s seasoned, he’ll do great.”

In the month or so leading up to the show, everything changed.

Her anxiety go the best of her. She forgot how to ride. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t focus.

I wondered if she was really ready.

Then my horse colicked and lost weight from the stress.

It was an emotional roller coaster in a very short period of time.

We made it to the show by the skin of our teeth.

Luckily, I was already in school to become a breath work coach. We spent much of our time in the tack stall doing breath work exercises to calm her autonomic nervous system.

She showed. She conquered her nerves. She went home with a big pretty ribbon.

But I saw two other sides of the coin…

1. This is supposed to be fun.

2. The toll our mental, emotional and physical state takes on our horses.

The problem is, that we can’t just change our mindset. That’s part of it, but that’s not the first step. If we don’t get control of the nervous system and release the trauma from our body, all of the affirmations in the world aren’t going to change the fight, flight or freeze state that you’re living in.

We can change this and make it fun. 🥳

Take step one with me tomorrow evening 👉 https://www.tickettailor.com/events/carablanchardtraininginc/2161994

Be ready to take some notes and have some fun!

04/27/2026

❤️❤️❤️

When the world gets loud, they’re the quiet.
When everything feels heavy, they carry you through it.

No judgement. No questions. Just presence… and somehow, that’s enough. If your horse has ever been your peace… drop a 🐴 or tag someone who understands 🤍

04/24/2026

Truth!!❤️

04/20/2026

The difference in a person's ratio of leg length to their torso length has a profound impact on the ability to balance in the saddle. The rider on the left has legs longer than her torso length. This automatically lowers her center of balance in the saddle compared to the rider on the right who has a longer torso compared to the length of her legs, which results in the rider being "top heavy" in the saddle.

This is a simple interaction of rider body mass placement in the saddle and gravity. The longer legs place more of the rider's body mass below the saddle whereas the longer torso rider proportionally places more body mass above the saddle.

The result often is that the rider with the longer torso on the right will tend to balance more in the seat than in their legs and seat, which is a challenge. In an extreme situation a rider with a longer torso can look like the Pillsbury Dough Boy rolling around on their butt in the saddle while they constantly unbalance their horse.

When teaching riding, the instructor of a longer legged rider only needs to tell the student to relax and let the legs fall naturally down to the stirrups. However, the trainer teaching the short legged, long torso person must tell this student to balance more using their feet in the stirrups.

When I get a student with shorter legs that torso, who is top heavy in the saddle, I temporally shorten their stirrups. This places their feet closer to the stirrups. Once the stirrups are raised and are more available for the rider, students usually begin balance more using their feet in the stirrups. In time, after they are regularly using their feet to balance, I lengthen their stirrups to help them lower their center of balance.

Teaching riding is more than yelling "heels down" to a class of students. Effective teaching includes assessing how a student's body type helps or hurts their ability to balance. We need to help riding students optimize the use of their body.

04/13/2026

Buy the pony!❤️

So, you're thinking about getting your child an iPad? Be better. Buy them a pony.
An iPad teaches colors. A pony teaches consequences.
An iPad keeps them quiet. A pony keeps them humble.

Your child throws an iPad? It bounces.
Your child throws a tantrum near a pony? The child bounces (hopefully).

An iPad will rot their brain.
A pony will break their spirit… and rebuild it with character.

iPad addiction? Real.
Pony addiction? Also real. But at least they'll be too tired/poor to do drugs.

An iPad keeps them inside, safe, warm.
The pony keeps them outside, freezing, muddy, and character-building.

You want to teach discipline, resilience, and upper body strength?
Get the pony.

An iPad gives them screen time.
The pony gives them trauma and legs of steel.

The iPad comes with parental controls.
The pony comes with vet bills, trust issues, and a God complex.

The iPad updates overnight.
The pony updates mid-ride — usually into full gremlin mode.
The iPad comes with a warranty.
The pony comes with regrets, vet bills, and a deeply personal vendetta against your child.

The iPad might keep them quiet on long plane/car journeys.
The pony will mean you are too poor to need to keep them entertained on such journeys.

You want to teach patience?
Try waiting for your child to lead an overly chubby hamster disguised as a pony in from a fresh field of grass.

And friends?
The iPad gives them Fortnite buddies.
The pony gives them lifelong bonds with other feral horse girls who smell like horse p*e and Red Bull formed through traumatic events.

Because in 20 years, no one remembers the iPad game, but they do remember the feral Shetland pony who consistently threw them into the arena fence.

So do it.
Buy the pony.
The iPad might raise a screen zombie...
But the pony?
The pony will raise someone who can deadlift a hay bale, drive a trailer, and be emotionally immune to panic.
Essentially a gladiator — with helmet hair and trust issues.

02/11/2026

😂😂😂

02/06/2026

I'm confident it doesn't need to be said, but just in case you need it in writing!😁

A note to partners who get involved with us horsey p*eps ...

Please read carefully.
This is your induction. There will be no refresher training.

1. Do not ask about “basic horse costs.”
There are no basics.
Everything costs £20.
Stop asking. 🚩

2. You will spend long periods outside holding things.
Horse.
Bucket.
Fork.
Coffee.
Sometimes emotional space.
Accept it.

3. You are now Chief Videographer
Film the whole thing.
Not the floor.
Not your feet.
Not half a circle.
Miss the good bit and we will remember forever.

4. “I’ll just be 30 minutes” is a concept, not a promise.
It exists outside of time.

5. Just eat dinner without me.
I’ll eat later.
Or not.
Or I’ll eat three biscuits at 10pm and call it a meal.

6. “I’ll be five minutes” means at least an hour.
Do not ask why.
Do not look confused.

7. Get a good waterproof jacket.
Don't question it just get one.

8. You must admire all horses equally.
Even the ones that are clearly gremlins.
But the ones I own are the best.

9. You will understand the boxes that arrive at the house do not need questioning. .
It's just stuff.
Like...more....stuff.......
For the horse (and me...probs another coat)

10. Weather will be discussed constantly.
In detail.
On repeat.
This is vital information.

11. Your clothes will smell of hay, mud, and horse.
This is permanent.
There is no escape.

12. You will be asked to hold a horse “just for a second.”
This second will last 45 minutes.
And you will become besties by the end of that 45 mins.

13. Weekends are not yours anymore.
They belong to the yard.
You may attend as a guest.

14. You must show interest in rugs.
Yes, they all look the same.
No, they are not.

15. If we go to a show.
Just exist.
I love you.
But please only speak to me when I'm done and fed.

16. You will learn to nod sympathetically at vet bills.
Do not gasp.
Do not flinch.

17. You may not suggest selling the horse. Ever.
This is grounds for immediate dismissal.

18. You will be expected to understand that horses come before plans.
All plans.
Including yours.

19. Photos of you may include horse heads, mud, or half a human.
Be grateful.

20. Despite all of this…
If you show up, hold things, film badly but try,
and love us anyway
you are deeply appreciated.
Even if we don’t say it while we’re “just popping up the yard.”

Horse partners.....we love you and sorry if we don't say it as much as we tell the animals.
You're truly appreciated for your support and care 🥰

Welcome to the lifestyle.
There is no opt-out clause. 🐴🤣 you've signed your life away....🙈

12/24/2025

Merry Christmas, everyone!❤️

It came without ribbons.
It came without bows.
No matching sets.
No plaits in neat rows.

It came in the dark
when the yard lights hum,
With frozen taps stubborn
and fingers gone numb.

The mud had spread wide
like it owned the place.
The wheelbarrow sulked.
The wind hit your face.

No sparkle. No tinsel.
No festive display.
Just carrots in pockets
and nets full of hay.

He didn’t want presents
or glitter or cheer.
Just dinner on time
and his people still here.

And standing there quietly,
warm breath in the air,
You felt it arrive
without fanfare or flair

Because Christmas, it turns out,
on yards just like these,
Is routine and presence
and moments of ease.

It isn’t the ribbons.
It isn’t the flair.
It’s carrots and kindness
And hay in your hair.