The Academic Art of Riding Blog from Poland
If you follow my blog you know that training my horse Nazir is not always a Sunday walk in the Park. By now, I know that I have sometimes failed to interpret his behaviour correctly in the past and that I would like to develop a… Continue Reading “Horsefulness Liberty Training Program by Karine Vandenborre”
About two months ago, I started to notice that something was different in my training with Weto. At first I didn’t know what it was, only that I stopped every training session with a grin on my face. Then one day on the way… Continue Reading “When a horse decides to give you his best”
Spring is coming to Warsaw, finally! I grew up in the south west of Germany where winters are very short and mild, so the winter in Warsaw, even if it’s a relatively warm one like this year, feels like an eternity of frost to… Continue Reading “Springtime!”
You know you live in Poland when you’re calling five degrees Celsius warm… With the weather turning colder again, I want to share some pictures I took last week on a sunny, warm January day. We’re having a mild winter this year, more rain… Continue Reading “Warm Days in January (Stable Zen 4)”
“Because, as a rule, the horse must take pleasure in his work. Otherwise, he and his rider will not be able to accomplish anything graceful.” Antoine de Pluvinel Weto is a great horse for liberty training. He pays attention, reacts to my body… Continue Reading “Liberty: Only the Truth Remains”
Stretching forward-down is probably one of the easiest and yet most useful exercises in horse training. The little exercise produces great results and can provide a good starting point for a human-equine relationship based on mutual trust, politeness, and cooperation. Most of us have… Continue Reading “Stretching Forward-Down: A Little Exercise with Big Effects”
Horse friendships are about sharing the present moment and giving each other comfort, regardless of size, colour, and breed. If we were able to learn from them and let go of our prejudices and preconceptions, we would find true friendships where we would not… Continue Reading “Why Horses are the Better Friends”
It’s a girl’s Sunday at the stable again! I love that me and Karolina seem to have a habit of driving out to the stable at the weekends. I wanted to post these photos already for three weeks, but you know how it is. With the… Continue Reading “Girl’s Sunday at the Stable, Part 2”
Horse racing is a glamorous business. Classy, fiery horses, elegant outfits, the thrill of betting, and the chance of winning a lot of money. Spectators readily believe in this cliche, especially the rising Warsaw middle class with their black SUVs and designer clothes. To… Continue Reading “Living in the Shadows: the Imprisoned Horses of the Warsaw Racetrack”