The Halt From First Principles: Teaching a Horse to Stop, Fundamentals First Oct 10, 2026 Zachary Leyden Strip the halt down to what it actually is: a thousand pounds of moving animal must become a thousand pounds of standing animal, willingly, within a stride or two, and remain standing. That is the who... Field Notes First Principles Read more
Horse Yawning Meaning: Why Does My Horse Yawn After Groundwork? Sep 30, 2026 Zachary Leyden The halter comes off, the horse takes two steps, plants itself, and yawns like it is trying to swallow the arena. Then again. Sometimes five or six in a row, eyes rolling back, jaw crossing. Students ... Field Notes Questions Students Ask Read more
Baselines in Horse Training: Know Normal Before You Change Anything Sep 20, 2026 Zachary Leyden The most common mistake in horse training is not technical. It is starting the experiment before taking the measurement. A new exercise, a new bit, a new turnout schedule, and two weeks later somebody... Field Notes The Scientific Method in the Saddle Read more
What a Halter Actually Does: How a Halter Works on a Horse Sep 10, 2026 Zachary Leyden Take a halter off its hook and look at it honestly: a pound of rope or nylon, a few knots, a buckle, nothing clever. Now look at the animal it is supposed to manage, which outweighs you several times ... Field Notes First Principles Read more
How Long Until I Canter? Aug 31, 2026 Zachary Leyden It is one of the first questions almost every new rider asks, usually within the first few lessons, sometimes on day one. How long until I canter? I understand the pull behind it. The canter is the ga... Field Notes Questions Students Ask Read more
The Horseman's Lab Notebook: Keeping a Horse Training Log Aug 21, 2026 Zachary Leyden Two riders argue at the gate about a horse and a trailer. One swears he loads better than he did last month. The other swears he is worse. They are talking about the same horse, and neither has writte... Field Notes The Scientific Method in the Saddle Read more
The Horse Respect Training Myth: What Horsemen Actually Mean Aug 11, 2026 Zachary Leyden Somewhere right now a horse is dancing at the end of a lead rope while somebody in the arena says he has no respect for you. The word does a lot of work in barns. Most of it is bad work. This is a fir... Field Notes First Principles Read more
Do Horses Like Being Ridden? An Honest Answer Aug 1, 2026 Zachary Leyden Students ask this one carefully, almost apologetically, because they are afraid of the answer. Do horses like being ridden? They want a yes. The honest reply is not a clean yes or a clean no. It is co... Field Notes Questions Students Ask Read more
Designing a Training Experiment Jul 22, 2026 Zachary Leyden You have a training question. Maybe it is “would my horse load better if I stopped rushing,” or “is he bracing on the left because of me or because of him.” Most people answer questions like these wit... Field Notes The Scientific Method in the Saddle Read more
Pressure in Horse Training Explained: What Is Pressure, Really? Jul 12, 2026 Zachary Leyden Say the word “pressure” to a new student and watch the shoulders climb. The word arrives carrying freight: force, stress, squeezing something until it gives. So before we teach a single technique, we ... Field Notes First Principles Read more
