Horse Hoof Motion

13/06/2026

13/06/2026

A new study examines how equestrians understand and assess horse-rider harmony.

Using interviews and eye-tracking data from 30 participants, the authors found that observers most often looked first at the horse’s ears and eyes.

Two gaze patterns were linked to harmony scores: more attention to the horse’s facial region was associated with lower scores, while longer attention to the rider’s shoulder relative to the rider’s leg was associated with higher scores.

Participants watched short clips from dressage, show jumping, eventing, working equitation, and Icelandic riding, then rated each for harmony and described what the term meant to them.

The interviews produced three main themes: Horse Behaviour, Rider Influence, and Horse-Rider Connection. Horse Behaviour appeared most often, indicating that observers gave strong weight to the horse’s expression, movement, reactions, and signs of tension.

The findings suggest that equestrians share a broad understanding of harmony, but that the actual scoring of it remains partly subjective and shaped by experience.

In practice, the horse’s face seems to act as an early reference point, followed by attention to rider posture and coordination when judging the overall quality of the partnership.

The study has implications for judging, training, and welfare. It points to the value of clearer shared criteria for harmony, which could improve consistency and transparency in assessment.

It also reinforces the importance of horses’ facial expressions and rider position as cues that shape how comfort, tension, and coordination are interpreted.

The authors note some limits, including a small final sample, technical exclusions, and a fixed video order and caution that proportional gaze data are statistically interdependent, which makes some patterns harder to interpret.

Overall however, the findings suggest that harmony for equestrians is understood in broadly similar ways, while its evaluation may reflect the particular visual cues each observer notices.

📖 From Concept to Perception: Equestrian Definitions of Harmony and Visual Attention in Horse-Rider Evaluation, is by Inga A. Wolframm, Madita Everding, Varvara Savulchyk, Jorinde Borssen, and Debby D. M. Gudden.

13/06/2026

12/06/2026

12/06/2026

12/06/2026

🐴 Turn on the Haunches

Turn on the haunches is an immensely valuable exercise. It teaches your horse how to listen to the inside bending aids and the outside turning aids at the same time - which is essential for success with the more advanced lateral movements of haunches in and half pass. It also serves to engage the hindquarters and encourages increased bending of the joints of the hind legs. The end result is that your horse's body feels more packaged. It's a great way to begin working on collection.

Use the link below to learn how to do it! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

https://www.myvirtualeventingcoach.com/turn-on-the-haunches/

12/06/2026

Viking the Shetland pony back when he was a little foal 🐴🥰 Shetland ponies are an ancient breed, with remains of small ponies being found on the Shetland Isles dating to 2000 years ago! The remoteness of Shetland meant that very few horses were imported which has kept the breed pure. The lack of available fodder (especially in the winter) made these ponies extremely hardy, strong, and resilient - it also possibly accounts for their small stature (which would need less energy than a larger animal). Like a lot of the UK breeds, they can turn to seaweed in times of scarce food - in fact all the Scottish pony breeds often lunge at the chance to forage seaweed. Shetland ponies an important part of life on these islands and the crofts people lived and worked on. From transporting fertilisers like seaweed and peat, ploughing, and transporting people. They have legendary strength and are the strongest horse breed relative to its size - they can pull nearly twice their own weight! Shetland ponies also became very in demand as pit ponies - in fact many of the best Shetlands were exported to the mainland and there was a risk that the best stock may be lost to the islands if it carried on. Some of these ponies were reimported to Shetland to keep the breed quality high. Today the Shetland pony is immensely popular all around the world. The Royal family have a great fondness for them that started with Queen Victoria. Perhaps the success in popularity of the Shetland pony is the great love and pride many people in Shetland have for them. I have never travelled to a place where a breed originated to see so much merchandise and physical ponies in fields. In my opinion this is how we should see all of our breeds - a part of our heritage that should be celebrated and preserved 🥰🐴

12/06/2026

20-year-old matriarch, Taboo, and her new filly, Tori, make their way to water in the early morning. I don't believe Tori eats grass yet, but she likes to do everything her mama does, so..... Tori is just over a month old and although she's still quite petite, she's a very lively young lady. From what I can see, both mom and foal are doing well. ❤

For those wondering, I do believe that's dad, Tahlequah's, legs behind them.

www.wildatheartimages.com

12/06/2026

Perhaps the top problem in today's horse world.

First identified by psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger in 1999, this phenomenon generally includes a few key characteristics:

The "Double Curse": People lacking knowledge not only make poor decisions, but their incompetence actively robs them of the ability to realize they are wrong.

The Confidence Gap: Beginners who learn just a little bit about a new topic often experience a sudden spike in confidence, incorrectly assuming they have mastered the subject.

The Expert's Doubt: Conversely, highly skilled or knowledgeable individuals often underestimate their own competence. Because they understand the true complexity of a subject, they naturally assume others find it just as challenging.

Thank you Kathy Richardson