The perils of putting symmetrical saddles on asymmetrical horses - “We were not surprised to learn 60 percent of the horses in our 490-horse retrospective study had larger measurements on the left side of their withers,” says Dr. Katrina Merkies, researcher and associate professor at the University of Guelph.

Why do we have them? What keeps us practicing them? As I write this article, I find it ironic that I am laid up on the couch with a lower back injury, brought on by the age-old tradition of lifting, hauling, and generally doing way too much when my body wasn’t up to the task. From my recovery position, it seems fitting to attempt to grapple with the rather sticky topic of traditions, and why we often feel so compelled to stick to them. I’ve touched on this a little in my past articles, but today I want to really dig in and unpack why and how traditions become traditions and what keeps us practicing them, sometimes long past their best before date.

Don’t Get Caught With Your Splint Boots On! What riding equipment is allowed, and what's not, across the riding disciplines? Now, with a wealth of evidence available to us, we can make our artificial aid choices by analysis, not by accident.

When we think about children and riding, we usually picture little girls and their ponies. Popular equestrian magazines with the target market of younger riders are usually focused on girls – it’s really rare to see photos in these magazines featuring boys.