Gosh it’s been awhile. Every time I thought about how long it has been since I last blogged, I didn’t know where to start. So for the longest time, I just put my head into the sand and procrastinated some more. Time has gone by quickly and already we are into the 2nd quarter of 2023. There’s been quite a few things on my mind but let’s talk a little today about the information that we can find online.

Nowadays, all you need to do is search for information on Google / Instagram / Facebook / TikTok. Where do you start???. The world is literally your oyster. Whilst there’s so much information on social media, the accounts that are most popular or have the most views, may not be the most correct.

As there’s so much information out there, you should always do your own research and cross referencing. Don’t blindly trust what you see on social media. On the other side of the equation, don’t blindly also trust what your trusted horse expert says without doing some sort of fact checking.

Think about whether it’s logical.. Whether it makes sense.. Whether it is humane and correct.  Often common sense will help you answer some basic questions. Often also, if we stop to think about the horse and not our ego, we would also know the answer.

I started following a saddle fitter on Instagram and she really opened my eyes to a few things. Hence, we have had to make some adjustments to the saddles that have been assigned to the riding school horses to make them more comfortable for the horse and better fitting. Often when I am judging, I also see badly fitted bridles – nosebands or browbands that are crooked / too tight and this again is a big pet peeve of mine.

Let me share some of my favourite social media accounts to follow:

1. https://www.kudaguru.com/ – Ashleigh Sanderson is a great coach that specialises in rider biomechanics and how the rider’s position and balance can influence the horse’s way of going
2. saddlefitting.us – An IG account that shares great information about saddle fitting
3. megparkinson_equestrian_coach – an IG account that has some good explanations about rider’s position
4. jack.equibody.fitness – another IG account focuses on rider fitness and mobility
5. Rudy Horsemanship – a Facebook account that talks about horse management / horsemanship
6. Collectif Pour les Chevaux – a Facebook account that highlights the incorrect ways of training horses etc
7. Thehorsephysio.co.uk – Sue uses her knowledge to help us understand the link between pain and the horse’s behaviour
8. http://www.pbitg.com – a blog by Peter Abisheganaden who is a FEI Level 3 Course Designer, but has also done a lot in his horse career

I hope I have given you some food for thought. Please please… if you want to copy something that is being done on social media, make sure it is the right thing to copy!