Favorite Finds Week Fifteen
The Infused Equestrian
The Infused Equestrian is one of my favorite equestrian small businesses. They make an array of products for horse and rider, which are all non-toxic and USEF/FEI compliant. I have tried most of their products but one of my favorites is noggin, the fresh helmet spray. The helmet spray has a refreshing scent, not pungent or fake smelling and can be sprayed on helmet liners, gloves and I have even sprayed it on my shirt/riding outfit like a Febreeze spray when I am heading into a store. From fly sprays to bit wipes, The Infused Equestrian has a great range of products and they can even be found at St. Croix Saddlery if you’re local to the Twin Cities.
The Dressage Horse- Harry Boldt
The first time I saw this book was when I lived with Amy Larson in Kansas. She was teaching me how to really get the lateral movements off my seat aids at this time, when she opened the book ‘The Dressage Horse’ by Harry Boldt. The lightbulb in my brain lit up when I saw the aerial shots of Harry performing the lateral movements. It was so clear to me being able to see it from above! So I proceeded to flip through the pages, only to find that it was all in german. Now, 9 years have passed, when I left First Choice Farm, Felicitas gave me her copy of the book (english&german edition.) The pictures on their own make this book valuable but the theory and concepts are very relevant still today and the way Harry explains things is so precise and simple. The link below will send you to the english/german version available on Amazon but there are other resources as well.
Side Pull Bitless Bridle
I have used a few different bitless bridles but a side pull is definitely my favorite. I think there can be a misunderstanding of why someone would use a bitless bridle. Of course there are specific reasons like dental issues for using a bitless bridle but I find it helpful to use a bitless on young horses, horses that need some clarity or retraining as well as checking the honesty of my aids with my dressage horse. I find that you can be more clear with a horse that say, runs through the bridle or pushes into the hand too much. You can make your requests more black and white for the horse. Or if you have a horse that is very sensitive and ducks behind the bridle, you can teach them to hold your hand more and gain confidence in the connection. There are many different brands/styles available, below are just a few different options.