Took me some bloody time to achieve this work but here we fuckin are: Eomer riding Firefoot on battlefield.

The Princess of Wales during Trooping The Colour on 13 June 2026 in London, England.

Trooping The Colour is a ceremonial parade celebrating the official birthday of the British Monarch.

One time I accidentally purchased the World’s Strongest Fly Spray (it was on a good sale), promptly fumigated myself and every horsefly in a ten-mile radius with it, drew a cartoon about it, and the company saw it and liked it so much that they sent me a bunch of swag and like a gallon of fly spray and then commissioned me to draw another (anime-battle style) comic about it for an ad lol:

Normal people get sent fashion or beauty products when they feature a brand. I get sent fly spray (and I was absolutely FREAKIN PUMPED about it)

- 🐎 anon

Dear Horse Anonymous,

Thank you for writing to me, it means a lot to hear kind words from an interested party, whomever and wherever you may be, particularly on a topic so close to my heart.

You are correct in assessing that I could never feel badly towards a horse. They were merely animals, and their behaviors were responses to stimuli and to past experiences. I could never fault them or take their actions personally, as they were wholly sincere and never pointed in all that they did, which is part of why I get on with horses more easily than people.

As for trouble, I have certainly had trouble. Despite former rebel General Longstreet (a close friend before and since the late War of the Rebellion) asserting that I could ride anything, I have had experience with some particularly difficult horses (though no fault of the horses, merely fault of their previous masters).

During the aforementioned War, my first horse during said conflict was named "Jack". He was simply not suited for combat use, for which I do not blame him, as combat is not for what he was bred.

I also had a pony, captured from the South, called "Jeff Davis". He never gave me any trouble, but he tended to bite and kick stablehands, and anyone else who bothered him. He was nothing but sweet to me.

I have also had some bad experiences with horses that were not mine. I do not blame the horses, for they were not properly broken, but I do blame their masters for given me unbroken horses without prior warning simply due to my repute as a horseman, I am only human, and there is only so much I can do in such a short frame of time.

The Hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa, primarily located in northern Nigeria and southern Niger, with a population exceeding 86 million. Their culture is a rich blend of long-standing Islamic traditions, historic urban city-states, and extensive trading networks.

Here is a short context on the Hausa culture:

*Religion & Identity: The majority of Hausa are devoted Muslims (predominantly Sunni), with Islamic law and custom influencing daily life, clothing, and social organisation. The Hausa language is widely spoken across West Africa and acts as a significant unifying factor.

*Social Structure: Traditionally organised into city-states (such as Kano, Katsina, and Zaria), the society is hierarchical, led by Emirs and supported by a structured bureaucracy. There is a high value placed on community, respect for elders, and Islamic education.

*Economy & Skills: Historically known as skilled long-distance traders, farmers, and artisans. Key traditional industries include cotton weaving, dyeing (particularly at the ancient Kano dye pits), leather working, and intensive agriculture (sorghum, millet, rice).

*Cultural Arts & Dress: Hausa fashion is known for the babban riga (a large, flowing gown) for men and elegant wrappers with blouses for women, often featuring detailed embroidery. They have a rich oral tradition, including praise-singing, storytelling, and music that uses instruments like the kalangu (talking drum).

*Cuisine: The diet heavily features grains, such as tuwo (thick porridge) served with spicy soups, as well as snacks like masa (rice cakes) and kunu (a cereal drink).

*Festivals: The Durbar festival, a colourful display of horsemanship and traditional dress, is a key cultural event held during Eid celebrations.

"I have officially joined the ranks of people reading up on Baucher. In fact, last night, I finished the last of these books I purchased in one bundle, to better keep up with the Joneses.

It is unlikely that I will be buying any more.

The experience was an interesting one, whereby I found out just as much about myself, as I did about the intended subject. Namely, the study of one François Baucher (1796–1873): a controversial but influential 19th-century French horseman, riding master and trainer best known for his innovative approach to horsemanship.

Baucher’s teachings emphasized lightness, balance—got before any movement was commenced and not the other way around—along with the aim of a harmonious relationship between horse and rider.

His methods, probably best known by the principle "hands without legs, legs without hands" were considered divisive and controversial but have since been recognized as the foundation of modern classical dressage.

And so began a fracture within the study of dressage that has continued on for the past century and a half: Baucher’s system of lightness, aka French classical riding, versus the German school of riding the horse forward up into the bridle on contact, which is the root of modern competition dressage.

So, the stage was set for serious study in my little attic bedroom, before lights out.

I found out that I am an unschooled rider, in that my capacity to read, absorb, take apart, understand and retain the written words of so many equestrian scholars, is limited in the extreme. We’ll blame it on the fact that they are translations of French and Portuguese manuscripts into English, perhaps. Whatever the cause, I found these books to be dry as chalk.

I realize that most of my cohorts have found them endlessly fascinating, so the fault lies squarely with me and my limited reading comprehension.

Literally, it has taken me seven months and a bit to grind my way through three books, each of fewer than two hundred pages. Daily, on Facebook, I watch people having meaningful and intelligent conversations on these books and I’m just as in the dark as I was before I began. The lightbulb has not come on.

What I did discover, in the clearer moments when the authors began wrapping up their theories in the final chapters, was that there is so much parallel to the jaw flexions, the leg without hand, the release of the horse into the movement, rather than the driving forward, the use of the lateral work, including on the outside bend… that is found in the best of traditional western bridle horse training. This, I found to be a huge surprise.

Anyone who has been brought about in the largely oral teachings of the west coast cowhorse methodry will find a parallel between Baucher’s teachings and their own. The horses are taught to find relaxation in their jaw, first, hence the lateral flexions and the roller bits used. They are not ridden on constant leg pressure, or contact.

There are many traditional cowhorse exercises that encourage the lowering of the horse’s hind end through the folding of his joints which include reining back, backing circles on an outside and inside bend, the schooling turnaround, transitions into lead changes… and the lowering of the hand to encourage the softly draped rein through all manoeuvres.

Key to all of these, however, are the jaw flexions that become centre stage in what is now known as Baucher’s ‘second method’, for the western bridle horse enthusiast has also known that the free movement of the lower jaw is what encourages relaxation and athleticism in the horse.

This was the reason for the metallurgy in the copper roller set into the iron bit; not only do these metals bring about a reaction in the horse’s mouth with his saliva, the act of quietly rolling the ‘cricket’ keeps a horse from that dead, still jaw that more resembles a dog carrying a stick… which is what tends to happen in the de rigeur snaffle bit and firm noseband of modern dressage as a sport. Literally, this gear is required in the rules at the earliest levels.

Studying Baucher, I could see that the key aspect of aiming for one-handedness in one’s riding, which goes such a long way to further straightening one’s horse, was also on a parallel with the vaqueros.

In the end, it’s all very interesting, reading about this life and teaching of a gifted horseman. Comparing the ways of the past with what we think we so badly want in our horsemanship, today.

To be a Baucherist might mean that you are a studied rider, one who equally combines feeling with learnedness.

To follow the principles of release, separation and moderation of the aids to allow for the maximum amount of ‘lightness’ in the horse. To never participate in the holding or influencing of the horse’s innate balance through either the reins and legs and, in the words of author Jean-Claude Racinet:

'Balance creates movement… and not the other way around.'

Shown here, Linda having her first-ever sidesaddle lesson on my western bridle horse, Tee. One can instantly see that she is a beautifully balanced rider. To further develop the secure independence of her seat, we were going through a series of jog-to-lope-to-jog transitions and back again… with very interesting results in this horse!

Tee often works straight up in the spade bit, though for this lesson, he carried a low-ported bit with a roller. ‘Leg without hand; hand without leg…’ and always—as he has long-ago progressed from the bosal through the two-rein, to the bridle—he is ridden with the reins held comfortably high and in one hand.

He is spirited, he is proud, he is growing evermore beautiful, as he ages. Tee is now nineteen years old and probably healthier than he was, when I first met him, at age nine. It is never too late, my friends."

This post is outside of the norm that I usually post, but I care deeply for horses and fostering the love of my favorite creatures. I hope y'all realize that ANYONE can participate in this sport in some capacity.

The 15-20% rule is a general guideline to follow, it is not an absolute. A horse who is healthy, sound, happy, and well looked after with regular veterinary oversight who has a plus sized rider is not the end of the world. Horses are not made of glass, they will not shatter if a heavy person exists in their presence. It is absolutely not your business or your place to shit on big riders for being "too big" for their healthy, happy, and sound horse who does not struggle or strain during a ride.

Yes, taking care of a horse and knowing it's limits is very important for their health, but the fact is a lot of you guys aren't worried about the horses health, you just hate fat people. I have seen an absolutely concerning amount of people both in my personal life and online world repeating very harmful stereotypes and parroting disordered thoughts about other equestrians, and frankly it needs to stop. Every horse is unique, and has different abilities and capacities.

I know this is shocking to some people, but nuance actually does exist in the world of equestrian sporting! A rider's weight does NOT automatically mean they are abusing a horse. A lightweight rider is just as capable of injuring or abusing their horse as a larger rider, and one is not more prone to it than the other. If a horse is uncomfortable or unfit for that rider, it WILL show up in their behavior, scans, checkups, or vitals. You are not a hero if you judge or "call out" a horse and rider without knowing them, their situation, their vet records, ect.

Simultaneously, I think some of you genuinely don't view anything other than riding as equine sporting. People who cannot ride, whether that is because they don't have a horse that can safely carry their weight or for any other reason are absolutely still welcome in the community. Riding is never and was never the end-all be-all of horses. Ground training, liberty work, in-hand classes, driving sports, and anything else I didn't mention are all incredibly important parts of equine sporting. Truly anyone can participate, regardless of their size. You can be a horseman no matter who you are or what you look like.

The beautiful thing about horses is that they will meet you where you are. If you are brand new and have never touched a horse, there is a horse for you. If you are an Olympic gold medalist equestrian, there is a horse for you! The horse does not discriminate, and neither should you.

If you're an equestrian who feels like they don't fit, I see you and I love you, and you are always welcome. This sport adapts to you, if you can't do one thing, pivot and try another thing! The options are practically endless with these amazing animals.

If you are a person who is uncomfortable with this idea that Equestrianism is for everyone or promote the disordered thinking that is ever-so-rampant in this sport, please IMMEDIATELY reevaluate your view on life cause you really need to 😭 get it together, it's pathetic to see. You are pathetic and no better than anyone else. Treat other people well, it is the actual bare minimum to be polite, respectful, kind, and sportsmanlike.