Eric Smiley

Jan 19, 2025

That “Forward” State of Mind

We’ve all been there—on the horse who pokes his way around the warm-up ring, needs leg, leg, leg coming into the combination, or brings up the rear on every trail ride. None of us wants each and every ride to be a lower-body squeezefest, nor do we wish to do anything with our crop except maybe wave it at that annoying deerfly. In this excerpt from his book The Sport Horse Problem Solver, former international eventer Eric Smiley explains the essential quality of forwardness and how to prepare the horse to expect you to look for it in all that you do together.

Feb 28, 2008 Convention

Beyond the Obvious

Perhaps one of the most insightful speakers during the Summit was Irish Olympic rider, trainer, and eventing guru Eric Smiley who, through years of experience, has seen riding and training trends developing world wide. “There’s no simple solution, no straightforward answer. We need to look beyond the obvious, look deeper.”