We feature this video, called "In-Hand Lessons, Manolo Mendez" because it's all about working to improve your horses beauty and strength and work with respect for the horse. This is a philosophy we endorse and it makes perfect sense as Manolo clearly illustrates the in-hand concepts.


The well paced introduction spans different sessions and the body work session at the end is 'icing on the cake'.

Obviously a lot of care has gone into clarity. Manolo, a Classical Master, deftly uses a light bamboo pole and you can always see the exact placement. Everything is easy to see.

The video isn't about rote exercises and the horses vary a lot. Instead of being 'professionally romanticized' like some videos with soft focus, this managed to capture the feeling of a personal lesson with Manolo.


The questions that Jillian, his student ask are just perfect (and in captions). She has a nice voice, sensitivity with horses and keen observations (she lectures about biomechanics). I'd love to attend one of her lectures someday. Manolo has great answers and it's a pleasure to watch how he works with Jillian-one reason why "Working in Hand" is so engaging.


I was impressed because the progress being made by Jillian and the horses was just so obvious.

At the end of each session, the horses were going much better, looking great and were visibly more relaxed as they responded to increasingly clear instruction.


I'm feeling a lot more comfortable about how to start doing in-hand work and I'm excited to go try these techniques with Archer, my Friesian / TB cross here at SustainableHorse.com. We highly recommend this unusual video.

They have a limited number of copies and it's Worth it's Weight in Gold.

You can Click on the image above to go directly to the order page. Only $62.95

Sustainable Horse Rating: 5 STARS


Reviewed by Diane Schell-Engdahl

A Note: My horse was x-rayed and found to have very active radius plates at 7 yrs. old. He’s getting a late start under saddle

but this turns out to be a good thing, as his bones are maturing quite late.









PonyBuddy Stable Mirrors

European veterinary studies have shown that acrylic stable mirrors are effective in calming stabled horses

Instead of spending money on cribbing treatments that leach into the environment, try a PonyBuddy Mirror, a long lasting Sustainable Horse solution. This is our own product and we give it 5 stars because it has the attraction and entertainment value of a horse toy, the calming element of another horse or goat (or herbs or medications), there is nothing toxic to the horse and nothing to leach into the environment. We don’t offer accessories with the mirror such as pull toys or rubber shapes, as these can pose a danger to the horse. Our mirrors bolt onto the studs or a plywood backer and we have found this to be safer than small clips, which can be worked loose and possibly ingested by mouthy horses.

www.ponybuddy.com






The Jackhammer “Ultimate Hoof Pick” has had great reviews and we give it another.

This pick is incredibly durable and the angle for picking hooves has really been perfected.

The Ultimate Hoof Pick is ergonomic and virtually indestructible, a pleasure to use and easier on the hands if you have carpel tunnel syndrome (this was according to several adults who tried it out).

We brought “The Jackhammer” to a local riding center for the children to try out for a month and they loved how much easier easier it was to hold and pick with and easier to locate. They were enthusiastic about picking hooves because they liked this pick so much! It does have a nice weight to it.

5 stars, worth the bit extra because you will probably never need another hoof pick.

http://www.ultimatehoofpick.com








 

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