Alicia Swinton Equestrian

05/11/2025

The girls in matchy matchy outfits for their lesson today 😍

04/19/2025

👍🫶

04/01/2025

👏

Jim Wofford said, "Good riders sit." The two left photos, a HJer and an eventer, are riding in the same position that some call a 2-point. The two right photos are MacLain Ward top and Bruce Davidson below. The obvious difference is that the riders on the left ride up out of the saddle with straighter knees and they depend on the horse's neck for their balance. This makes these riders "top heavy" and their movements are more apt to interfere with their horse's balance.

Ward and Davidson ride closer to the saddle, lowering the center of gravity of the horse and rider pair, thus creating greater stability. Yes, I know Davidson is in a jump, but I picked this image to make the point that he demonstrates a light or half seat over a jump, which requires great strength in the lower body that the two left riders seem to lack. Davidson rode in a light or half seat, not perched like the riders on the left, except when he needed to sit deeply for increased engagement.

The bottom image by Susan Harris shows the difference between the current "2-point position" and the original 2-point. The left 2-point is actually a 3-point position because it has the two points of balance in the rider's feet, plus a 3rd point of balance with the hands on the neck. The original 2-point is shown on the right with only the two points of balance in the feet.

The authentic 2-point is a dynamic or moving balance independent of the horse's balance and motion. An independent balanced seat is safer because if the horse stumbles, the rider can maintain their balance and not automatically be affected by a horse's sudden imbalance.

The new "2-point", that is actually a 3-point, is a static balance tied to the horse's balance. This position makes the rider a passenger dependent on the horse's balance. In this static dependent balance, if the horse stumbles the rider, riders lacking their own independent balance can more easily be pitched forward even to the point of being launched forward onto the ground.

The 3-point is rewarded by judges even though it is a static unbalanced position forward of the horse's center of balance and thus dangerous if the horse loses their balance. This is one of the primary examples of how several disciplines have invented their own isolated discipline "horsemanships" with elements that are impractical, ineffective and sometimes dangerous. The worst part is that these discipline idiosyncrasies make the horses' job more difficult.

I have a video on my YouTube channel that discusses this in greater detail www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IEpQmApva0&t=28s

03/08/2025

Girth length explained! I get this often....people think our girths are too long because they use ones too short. Here ya go!

02/14/2025

🩷

Applications are OPEN for our 2025 Sponsored Rider search!!

Do you love Stable Mix products & want to represent our brand? Fill out an application here: https://www.elkgrovemilling.com/Stable-Mix-Team

Our sponsored rider team is open to all disciplines, professionals, non-professionals*, youth*, and more!

(*make sure to check with organizations you are involved in that you can receive sponsorships)

01/18/2025

This!!!

"When the nosebands are looser when this trial begins, I would earnestly ask that judges take in an impression of the horse using their right-side brain functions, using feelings and impressionistic capacity, to see if the horse is happy and relaxed. The judges may see more horses with slightly open mouths and relaxed mobile tongues. They may see soft chewing of the bit. They may even see the horses’ teeth a little..."

With the FEI clamping down on tight nosebands this year, Kerry Mack takes a closer look at why the new rule has come about, the importance of regulating noseband tightness, and how the new rule may affect judging...

Read more: https://www.equestrianlife.com.au/magazine/issue-108/clampdown-on-overtight-nosebands/

01/11/2025

Teach students where THEY are at.
I get it- instructors think they are going to save their students time and agony by teaching them “right” the first time… (and I’m not saying the alternative is to teach them wrong, but rather, I understand where the mindset comes from.) But you can’t teach beginners to use advanced aids, just like you can’t pick up a canter on a horse getting their 5th ride with the same set of aids you would use on a Grand Prix horse.
You have to teach students that there is a process, and then teach them to trust the process! 

For instance, I teach beginners not to pull back to steer, but to point both thumbs where they want to go! We steer with our eyes, and both hands, and our belly button. But someday we are going to step into the inside stirrup, and use our seat to send the horse into our outside rein, and steer our horse with inside leg to outside rein connection.

Another for instance, is that I teach green riders to set in a little bit of a chair seat, and ride with hands quite wide, thumbs practically pointing out. This prevents leaning forward, anterior pelvic tilt, tight immobile hips, constant subconscious pulling backwards, looking down, twisting the wrists, and other common issues that beginner riders often run into. It’s so easy to put them in a more elegant position later! But in the beginning, I just want them sitting deep and their hips moving with the horse, and hands soft.

When we first start talking about bend, I’m not horribly picky. Get ANY bend!! I’ll take anything: lateral poll flexion, ribcage bend, or even lateral bend at the base of the neck (which later down the road, we don’t want much of). Once the rider is starting to get something, we will talk more about where the bend is coming from.

One of the hardest things, as an instructor is knowing how far down this path you can nudge your Rider. I have some students that do best if they know the next couple steps. It helps them recognize the importance of the step they are on. But I have other students that if I tell them too much about the progression, they overthink and shut down and can’t help but feel like they should be further along

12/04/2024

Written by Amy Skinner "When you pay for a lesson or training, you aren’t buying an hour of my time. You’re paying for thousands of hours of sweat, struggle, success and tears. You’re buying injuries, mistakes, and revelations. You’re buying nights awake thinking about a horse or student I need to help more, thinking about what could be bothering a certain horse. Searching on the internet about possible medical causes for certain behaviours. You’re paying for the time i spend updating owners late at night about how their horse is doing. For the emotional toll it sometimes takes on a trainer when an owner is dealing with big emotions. You’re buying hours of hauling hay, mucking stalls and grooming, of carefully checking your horse over like It was my own. You’re paying for my further education, because i still take lessons as frequently as possible. You’re paying for my care, concern, over dinner conversation, and you inevitably become a central part of my life.
You can’t put a price on education, or personal development, or the bliss of finally being “with” a horse. Thank you for sharing with me, teaching me, and letting me teach you, while I put food on my table and hay in my barn with the most fulfilling job ever. "❤️

11/07/2024

This! "Delete, block, unfollow for your own mental health"
Can't agree more that the path less taken in taking your time with the horses.🩷

I think that one of the most unhealthy things that we do as a society, and especially in the horse industry, is compare ourselves, our lives and our progress to the next guy.

I’m guilty. I used to do it, too.

I used to think my horse was “behind” because I was focused on the basics - stretching, transitions, straightness, building confidence, growing our relationship, etc. And other horses the same age were pumping out upper level movements like they were going to the Olympics as 6 year olds.

Let me tell you, all that liberty work, cross training, hacking, stretching, etc. that I did (and still do) was well worth it. My horse is stronger - physically, mentally and emotionally. She’s solid, confident and only getting better by the day. Those tests movements are not a problem.

Enjoy the journey with your horse.

I don’t know what the other guy is doing anymore.

It’s none of my business.

Delete, block, unfollow - for your own mental health.

🌻 Cara

📸 Max & Maxwell: Equestrian Photography

09/04/2024

Great show! Thank you!

Photo! Looks like Team Alicia Swinton had a good run at Pacific Equestrian Center Show #5!

High Points:

Eventing: 76.563 USEA Eventing, Beginner Novice Test B - Alyssa Fenstermaker on Furst Romantic

Open: 70.441 FEI Prix St. Georges - Natalya Slipchenko on Fortunatto EDI

AA: 70.571 USEF Second Level, Test 1 - Michelle Pappone-Beedy on Louisa

Western: 73.333 WDAA Level 1 Test 2 - Lucia Dizon on CFF I Told You So

Please add any photos to this post from Show #5!!!

08/18/2024

I can't help falling in love with all of the products! I love working with innovative, creative, and forward-thinking companies like Majykequipe. They produce great products that help protect our partners in all 3 phases, using materials that won't trap heat or irritate your horses skin. Thanks for being a part of team ASE majykequipe!🇺🇸

Pictured is the Ergonomic fleece jump pad with custom shims, ergonomic 'superhorse' monoflap girth with neoprene FREE liner, and 4 set of dressage sport boots. DM me with questions! Alicia20 will get you 20% off your next order at Majykequipe.com
Shoutout to Artistic Equine Studios 📷 magic🥰

07/02/2024

Is it just me, or does this picture make my horse look big?😅....
Touché rocking the combination at Twin Rivers!