Tip/Quote of the Day # 4643

"The outside aids are the most underused; the inside, the most overused." ~ Erik Herbermann

Monitor Your Horse's Stress Levels, For Best Results in Training

Horses become incapable of learning when they go past a certain level of fear, anxiety, or stress. This means that if you keep hammering away at the horse, trying to teach them something when they are currently overwhelmed with stress, it will not work.

Tip/Quote of the Day # 4642

"Our job is to prepare the line and canter, then ride forward to the jump. Riding forward to the jump is NOT accelerating to the jump. There is a difference. When riders got to a longer or shorter distance than ideal, the emphasis should be on the rider staying

Tip/Quote of the Day # 4641

"Let us repeat that the two groups of muscles lying on either side of the spinal column which pulsate elastically rather than convulsively must work quite uniformly along a straight line and on a single track. If they do not do so, the horse becomes crooked, with its legs

Does Your Horse Like Rein Contact Right Up to the Point of Takeoff at a Jump? Or Does He Prefer a Soft/Loose Rein in the Final Strides? Find Out Here!

To get the very best out of every horse when show jumping, riders need to really think about the specific way that each individual horse needs and wants to be ridden between the fences. Let me help you to figure out what kind of horse you have!

Tip/Quote of the Day # 4640

Nearly every rider will experience plateaus in their training. Only those that have the patience to keep a good attitude while pushing through them will ever get there.

A Spanish Riding School Exercise to Increase the Collection in Your Horse's Canter

This great exercise, direct from the Spanish Riding School, will increase the collection in your horse's canter. It will also improve your counter canter work, and is a great way to build towards canter pirouettes. Get ready for better scores in your horse's canter work!

Tip/Quote of the Day # 4639

A horse has to be straight to have true impulsion. Any stored energy leaks out where the body is crooked, changing the energy in the stride from impulsion to merely forward momentum.

The Order of Aids For Changing Your Horse's Bend From One Side to the Other

Every single Dressage test requires the rider to change the horse's bend from one side to the other. With some tests having as many as 20 different opportunities to show the judge how good you are at changing your horse's bend. Or maybe how not so good you are at it!

Tip/Quote of the Day # 4638

"As a result of the appropriate gymnastics and training of the horse, the appearance and the movements of the horse will be more beautiful." ~ Colonel Alois Podhajsky And if it's not, there is probably something wrong with the training methods!

The Box Exercise

This clever exercise will ensure that your horse is listening precisely to the lightest of your turning aids. It will also teach you how to ride truly accurate figures, and by doing so will naturally improve the balance and carriage of your horse's gaits.

Tip/Quote of the Day # 4637

"I am so surprised/shocked that almost every time I ask even an advanced rider to ride without stirrups they moan or make a face. A serious rider should prefer riding without stirrups. I even have riders who have never ever ridden without stirrups. Come on teachers, let'