Stoney Ridge Farm

10/09/2025

"... the horse is a living organism and a unique individual that can develop only at his own rate. The horse is the clock, and he provides the calendar of progress." Charles de Kunffy

04/23/2025

11/26/2024

Correct use of Thighs...

Internally rotated thighs.
If there is one change I make to the majority of riders that has a profound impact on their ability to sit the trot and feel more stable and hence safe in the saddle, it is finding the internal rotation in their thighs.

This can easily be done yourself in the saddle. Put your reins into one hand and reach your other hand deep under the back of your thigh and lift the muscle and tissue outward and away from the thigh bone (femur). Switch reins into your other hand and do the same to your opposite thigh. Notice how this allows more of your thigh to connect with the saddle in that soft, wet towel feel.

In the attached photo I have demonstrated the change in the look of the thigh using this manual rotation of my thigh. Keep in mind that my thighs are already quite internally rotated in the first photo as I have ridden this way for a long time. However, after bringing the meaty part of my thigh out from under my thigh bone in an internal rotation you can see how much flatter my thigh lies on the saddle with a better connection and increased tone. Note the red arrows pointing out the change in the seam line of my breeches. The blue arrow demonstrates the change in my knee to a more kneeling feeling and a better connection from the inside of my knee up to the top inside of my thigh.

If internally rotated thighs have not been in your conscious awareness, on your next ride, take the time to ride at all gaits with your thighs in their usual comfortable, at-home place in your saddle. Then do the internal rotation exercise as described above, and notice how this changes your feel in the saddle. You may have to stop and do it a few times and be willing to let it feel really weird. Your muscle memory will try to tell you this can’t be right!! Stick with it.

Ask yourself the following questions: Do you feel more or less secure? Does this new position allow you to steer your horse better? Does your horse change and become more or less relaxed? Bring their back up or drop it? Reach more into the rein or suck back? Noticing how our horses change as we ride more biomechanically correct can be mind-blowing!! It got me hooked over 20 years ago!!

I’d love to hear about your observations in the comments below.
Enjoy your ride!❤️

03/28/2024

They W-I-L-L N-O-T D-O I-T.

Will not do what? Use active walks for strength training as an. add-on to their regular training schedules. Eventers, show jumpers, dressage riders, whoever could gain benefit from having stronger equine athletes.

What are you talking about?

Well, this---In 1974 Jack LeGoff had a shallow bench of advanced 3-day horses to send to the World Championshipd to be held in September at Burghley. He had six riders and six horses, zero extras if one got hurt. He wanted to maximize their fitness, because cross country day, back then, would be over 17 miles long, and would require one hour and twenty minutes of trotting and galloping.

So he used vigorous long walks three days a week in addition to the normal schools. So say we did 45 minutes of flat work in the morning, which, with warmup and cool down might take an hour, give or take. Then, in the afternoon, say Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, he would have us saddle up again after lunch, and go hike around the open hills at Wylie. About one to one and a half hours, as I remember, each walk day.

Walks do not stress horses much. They are highly unlikely to cause injury. They build base strength and create muscular development. They are a win-win.

But virtually NOBODY does this, Most human sports teams now employ strength coaches because when technique starts to fail, raw strength can create that winning edge. Why would human horse trainers not want stronger horses?

But does ANYONE grasp this in 2024? Or, if they do, do they make the effort to actually do it?

There’s a hidden gorilla in the room, actually more of a train than a gorilla, It is called the Excuse Train. Nobody wants to admit being lazy, so they dig up reasons to deflect.

“I don’t have time.” That’s a big one.
“I don’t have a place to do it.”
I don’t have enough help.”

But the real reason is usually more basic, six words. “I don’t want to do it.”

Everyone wants an edge. Strength is an edge. There’s a reasonably safe and straightforward method to add strength, Take Jack’s advice or deny it----.

-

03/10/2024

02/28/2024

The big slinky jungle cat walk---

I was just watching a clip on Facebook of a group of fox hunters setting out on a paved road (maybe leaving a pub?) and the big bay horse in the lead had one of those jungle cat walks, where every part of his body seemed to ripple with elastic movement, overstepping by a foot or so.

That big walk, almost more than any other gait, screams ATHLETE.
Watch horses anywhere, in a ring, on the trail, and train your eye to recognize that big cat walk. You will know it when you see it, like watching a lion, a leopard, a panther, a tiger, sliding along through tall grass, the total opposite of choppy, short, restricted.

Watch how some riders help create that walk by being, themselves, supple and elastic, arms moving forward and back as the horse swings its head, now up, now down, hips moving in harmony with the motion, again, the very opposite of tight and constrained.

Some horses will pop out of the egg able to move like this, but all horses can be stimulated by good riding to stride out with purpose rather than to chop and mince along.

Overlooking the walk as a huge key to general athleticism starts any training program heading down a bad place, so be aware, train your eye to see it, train your arms and body to enhance it, you got this---.

11/23/2023

Happy Thanksgiving 🍁

09/05/2023

05/23/2023

A recipe for soundness...

Ok, not really, there's no such thing. But here's my best attempt. I have some students shopping for young horses, and I've sold some super nice horses recently, and everyone is trying to figure out the best crystal ball that will tell them if their future horse will stay sound in the long term. Spoiler alert - no one (not even the fanciest vet) can tell you that. Horses are horses, and they do incredibly dumb things to hurt themselves all the time. But here's what I advise my students:

1. Turn your horse out. Motion is lotion, and horses who move around as much as possible, on varied terrain, are going to be stronger and have more resilience than horses bubble wrapped and kept inside.
2. Buy the best conformation you can. The horse doesn't need to win all the breed shows, but certain conformation problems are a deal breaker for me - long sloping pasterns, super straight hocks and stifles, super long backs, crooked legs. You're just asking for problems down the road. No horse is perfect, and even those who are close can go lame, but set yourself up for success. Good basic conformation is MORE important than fancy movement.
2. Buy a horse with good feet. "No hoof no horse" is not just some old timey adage. If you are dealing with a horse with super thin soles or walls, chroically slung under heels, negative palmar angles, or a high/low problem, you will be dealing with lameness more often.
3. Hire a good farrier. To go along with the last point, your horse's feet need to be in the best shape possible. I'm not getting into it with the barefoot vs. corrective shoeing people. I'll just say try to find the best farrier you can. Ask the vets, ask people who have horses with beautiful feet at the shows, whatever you can. And be good to that farrier!!
4. Ride on decent footing. Notice I didn't say expensive footing! Super deep, super hard, slippery or uneven are no nos. A nicely mowed field that's decently flat is better than a pretty looking arena that is way too deep.
5. Give your horse good nutrition. Especially with young, growing horses - keeping them healthy but NOT fat is important. Work with your vet to design a program that gives your horse enough vitamins, minerals, protein and fat. Making a horse super fat and shiny might look nice for pictures, but that is not a kind thing to do for their long term health. On the other hand, not feeding a horse enough can have seriously negative consequences for their development as well.
6. Get tack that fits and then focus on something else. Yes, you need a saddle, bridle and bit that fit your horse. But you probably don't need to spend half your life savings on it, and have it adjusted 4 times a year by a wizard from Europe. Make sure your saddle is balanced, doesn't pinch, and isn't making your horse's back sore (or you sore) and then move on. All the fancy pads, newest ergonomic designs, latest in bit technology etc are mostly just marketing.
7. Stick with a regular training program. Horses who sit around doing nothing are likely to get stiff, overweight and lack muscle. Horses who are overworked are likely to damage joints and soft tissue. 3-4 days a week is a great goal to aim for. More is not always better, and if you have to give your horse an extended period off, please be mindful as you bring them back into fitness and don't push it just so you can get to a show.
8. Come up with a long term plan with your vet. Most vets would love to see your horse for a once a year "wellness exam." This does not need to be terribly expensive, but just an overall soundness check where the two of you are able to plan out the best course of action for your horse. Depending on age and level of work, this could include supplements, injections, body work, etc. But allow your vet to have a baseline and get to know your horse BEFORE there is a problem!

These are not necessarily in order of importance. Just my rambling thoughts. What I did NOT include is x-raying every joint in the body, all manner of drugs, supplements, fancy equipment, bloodlines, etc. I'm not putting any of that stuff down, but sticking to tried and true basics will do you better in the long term than jumping on the latest bandwagon.

01/05/2023

There’s a mental block we human beings have about buying or training a horse for a particular discipline… and then, only doing that discipline. This is incredibly unfair to the horse.

When we have a dressage horse, or a cutting horse, or a jumper, or a barrel racer—any performance horse, really—we do them a grave disservice to work only upon dressage, or cutting, or jumping, or running barrels. This makes perfect sense and yet, we see it all the time.

Soon, the horse begins to suffer mentally and physically. Mentally, because he is either going to grow bored, or fried. Physically, because he is going to be taxing the same muscles and joints over and over again, without giving them a rest and developing other parts of his body.

Repetition is one way of learning, yes… but it is also a one-way street to breaking down.

How often I’ll haul to the public arenas, where the same girls are running the same horses around the same three barrels, week after week after week.

They carve on those turns, ‘keeping the inside shoulder up’, getting the horse to really bend around the barrel, respecting the pocket… and racing ‘em home. Over time, I watch these horses getting worse, rather than improving. Riding out, climbing hills and making miles would maximize both their fitness and partnership. Working on the basics of horsemanship and equitation would build the body control of both riders and their horses.

Without zeroing in only on what each rider so badly wants, she would gain much that would translate to better times when she runs. More barrels staying up, less trouble in the alley, and so on.

The jumper rider needs to think about what is going on in between the jumps, along with small gymnastics, to improve the arc and eye of the jumping horse. The dressage rider might think about getting out on the trails, taking part in the cowboy challenge obstacles, working over trot poles and cavaletti, in order to bring more joy and freedom to the dressage horse. The cutting and cowhorse riders might want to find some taxing and beautiful trails to get that horse walking out and using its whole body, rather than staying ‘bridled up’ or doing repetitive turns. The western pleasure horse would really benefit from moving straight over open country, without being 'canted in'...

Finally, let me share this one thought with you.

When we run our horses fast, or jump them high, or stop them hard in our day-to-day schooling, we are doing so without knowing how many runs, jumps and stops they might have left in them. Think about this! If my horse has only five more beautiful, fast, clean barrel runs in him before something unfortunate happens, before something goes wrong, how very sad I will be if I used these up by hooning around at home, rather than when it counted most.

Yes, he has to learn how but once he has, trust that he has it in his tool box when you need to call on him. It is at this point that you and he can coast a bit. You’re sitting pretty, now!

If you or I are lucky enough to be riding a performance horse, we’re asking for his highest performance only when we’re riding to win. The rest of the time, we’re quietly tweaking and building strength, confidence and know-how. We’re doing our best to build partnership and to actually HAVE FUN.

Do we like to think that our sport comes at the wear and tear of the horse? No, I don’t think we do but that doesn’t change a blessed thing when it comes to real life. Horses who have the challenge of speed or athletic endeavour must learn how to do the technicalities of their sport by slowing it all down. This is how we build muscle memory, this is how we build confidence and understanding. This is how we don’t waste another beautiful young talent. This is how we ride for the long haul.

Ride smart. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: diversify and build up your horse, rather than tearing him down.