Lessons from Internet Drama

Recently someone took a before and after photo collage I shared of Malachi, a horse in my care for rehabilitation, and posted it in a Facebook conformation evaluation group. The poster was questioning my integrity, suggesting these results were not possible and the photos or the way I took them must have been manipulated to achieve the results I was claiming - and ultimately the comments got turned off…

That’s a normal thing nowadays but honestly it was disappointing because some nice discussions were starting to happen around the differences between conformation and posture and what is actually possible in rehabilitation.

Rehab, hoof health, horse health, Train Your EyeBarbara ParksMay 5, 2024Comment

Internet Drama...

So an interesting thing happened tonight.

Someone took my Malachi before and after from the other day and stuck it in a conformation group to talk about why my photos weren’t good comparisons and to express doubt about the truthfulness of my claims or how this could be possible.

The word used was “gimmicky”

Rehab, horse health, Train Your Eye, hoof healthBarbara ParksApril 24, 2024Comment

Calling All Barrel Racers!

Calling All Barrel Racers

Meet your new best friends!

Together we’ve created Next Level Barrel Racing, a 12-week online program designed to teach you everything you need to know to optimize your performance in the arena and keep your horses sound for years to come!

horse health, biomechanics, Train Your EyeBarbara ParksApril 19, 2024Comment

Long and Low: When Does The Head Come Back Up?

I originally wrote this post for our crew over at Next Level Barrel Racing but I thought it might be useful to the masses, too!

I preach a lot about teaching the horse to move with his head down - withers height or lower is usually my recommendation. This helps the horse naturally activate the “right” muscles - the ones that create the type of supportive spine we can sit on without damaging the horse over time.

And the question I got was:

When does the head come back up? Nose in the dirt won’t work for a race.

biomechanics, horse health, Rehab, Train Your EyeBarbara ParksMarch 14, 2024Comment

How much do you know about saddle fit?

I sent this question out to my Instagram community a few weeks back. Over 60% of respondents said they were unsure if their saddle fit their horse well or not!Truth be told, most of us are just never taught how to check saddle fit correctly. I never learned anything other than looking for sweat marks until I went through my CERP certification course! But the information is SO IMPORTANT! That’s why I made this downloadable PDF guide: Saddle Fitting 101.

horse health, biomechanicsBarbara ParksNovember 18, 2019saddle, saddle fit, 101, back painComment

Does My Horse Need A Blanket?: Debunking the 5 Biggest Myths About Blanketing Horses

Every year around this time, I start hearing lots of questions about when to blanket horses. There are posts all over social media arguing one way or the other. Your friend at the barn insinuates you’re a bad horse mom or dad because your horse isn’t blanketed. Someone else tells you blankets aren’t natural and horses should never wear them. But if I’m cold my horse must be cold… right?

horse healthBarbara ParksNovember 11, 2019horse, blanket, winter, snow, cold, hypothermiaComment