Classical Dressage Art in Motion

   Difficult Horses. Difficult Boarders. by Nikki Alvin-Smith       There is nothing easy about running a horse boarding barn. Difficult horses and difficult boarders can make daily life miserable for both management and staff at any facility. The development of a new horse boarding business often necessitates a major capital outlay for suitable stabling facilities. The notion that once a beautiful barn is built, the equine and human counterpart clients will exist in harmony under its roof is often more a fairy tale than reality.   There are many reasons that things take a wrong turn and life as a horse boarding barn manager becomes a nightmare. Difficult horses can make restless bedfellows for their compatriot equine residents with their persistent neighing, circling, rearing, or kicking habits. Cribbing or windsucking behavior from an individual equine can wreak havoc on the pristine new wood structure and can quickly be copied by o...

   The Top 5 Things to Gift Your Horse (And Yourself!) - Advice from Grand Prix Trainer Nikki Alvin-Smith    Nikki Alvin-Smith with home trained Grand Prix Tiberio Lafite aka Tigger     As as seasoned horse breeder and equestrienne as well as international freight forwarder shipping horses worldwide, I've learned a few things along the trail. Not least is how to make life just that little bit better for horse and human.    Like most horse aficionados, when it comes to horse ownership I am often caught between budget dilemmas and tussles with time management. Here are the top five things to gift your horse, and yourself, to make the very best of your horse ownership experience.   1. Freedom Of Movement With Company Makes Life Better   For a creature of such size with a genetic predisposition to roam and graze, the horse presents a challenge in modern day methods for horse keeping where space is at a premium. Provisi...

  For those of us that are horse owners who call Upstate New York home for 12 months a year, 2025/2026 winter has been full of challenges.  Despite the best of preparations farms have been waist deep in snow or ice since mid-November. Just getting from A to B has required fortitude. High winds, white out conditions and no real break from bitter cold down to -35 degrees F for days on end has made this winter seem eternal and we can't wait for sun and warmth. It has been decidedly not fun. And yet, the horses don't seem to mind this weather much at all.     Eventually the sun has come out, and the temperatures have warmed to almost freezing on the occasional day during February. Roll on March! Thankfully the weather pattern is supposed to go to a more 'normal' program in the next few weeks. But of course as its March, that means more snow. Here at our farm at Willowview Hill Farm, we are fortunate to enjoy the benefit of a sturdy Morton built indoor arena. We put it up...

This winter has been particularly severe across parts of the U.S. and from our corner of the world in Upstate New York, we can certainly attest to that. Ever since mid-November the snow has covered the fields most days. A few brief breaks from snow cover didn't last long. Additionally the ambient temperatures even without the wind chill factor have been well-below freezing.  Despite horse owners best efforts to stock up for winter with hay and dry forage supplies, many barn owners can already see their supplies diminishing at a faster rate than normal. Horses need hay to keep warm, and grain substitution is simply not a good idea as it increases the risk of colic and does little to help equines stay warm. Though too much grain can make them hot to handle. At Willowview Hill Farm, our organic hay farm in Stamford, New York, we currently have plenty of hay supplies available for sale. In fact, to help horse owners out we've discounted our precious 2nd cut, which will also help u...

  One of the many things you learn as a professional trainer/clinician is that your own horses won't wait. It is almost inevitable that if you are retired from competition but making a living training and working with other people's horses and training other riders, your own horses will come second or even third in the priority lineup. Sadly though, you may learn the hard way that horse's won't wait. While keeping your own horses happy and healthy, maintaining their training routines and programs will always happen, the time spent with them on adventures out together my be limited. The net result is your horse(s) and even your partnership never reaches its full potential. I don't even have many photos of me riding Charrington because I am the photographer in the family and during that time a camera was needed, the cell phone camera was not invented.   This has happened to me. The regret that I should have done more. Although it hasn't really 'happened' t...

  While travel for clinics is always on the table, the Fall season is a particular favorite of mine for getting out and about and helping out. And we include ourselves in that equation of clinc time, often continuing work on our own education here and abroad at this time of year. Before winter training season begins at our Willowview Hill Farm.   Despite the hurricane season being upon us, the Fall weather (particularly in New England) and Europe is beautiful for working horses outside. The pesky flies and bugs have 99% disappeared with the first frosts, and the air is crisp and clean and hopefully remains clear of wild fire smoke.  But aside from the wonders of the falling leaf season and orange- colored cratered valleys, this time of year makes great sense horse wise to get the training progressed and establish new protocols for winter work.      One of the best things about giving clinics at any time of year is the variety of students and horses that arr...