Originally published in Plaid Horse
By MARLEY LIEN-GONZALEZ
The name of Ruthann Smith’s business, Lucky Braids, is endearingly derived from what clients used to call Smith’s seemingly magic effect on horses and their manes.
“People said I braided luck into the manes,” Smith says, “but really, my work was about encouraging calm and centeredness in the horse during the process of braiding. What happens in the barn establishes a horse’s worldview, which is pivotal to what happens under saddle. By teaching the horse to stand still, I am teaching it to relax.”...
Washington International Horse Show 2023's Barn Night Winner was Great Escape Stables in Bowie, Maryland. Their prize was a Top Turnout Clinic and Hands-on Braiding Workshops with me, Ruthann Smith.
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Would you wear tight pajamas that pinch? What is your day like if you don't rest well? Your horse needs to sleep comfortably, too. Clothing for bed is not just a matter of keeping horses warm. If sheets pull or restrict the shoulder when the horse lie down, he'll get stiff and sore. Blood is constricted in the area, so...
“Braiding is a small thing, but all those small things add up to big things.” -Michael R. Matz, 3-time Olympian & Kentucky Derby-Winning Trainer
Do you want to learn a streamline formula for laying down consistently gorgeous braids, made quickly and comfortably? I teach..
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