What's Inside
Search the Site
Tip/Quote of the Day # 2293
It is possible to have contact without a real connection (in fact, it is quite common unfortunately), but a true connection always involves good contact. The connection involves the horse's entire body… with energy created in the horse's hind legs traveling through the horse's supple body, and into the rider's softly receiving hands.
Did you enjoy this article? If so, please share with your friends! Look for the share buttons on the far right side of the page. Thank you!
Related Articles:
- Riding From "Front to Back"
- A Test of Your Flatwork Training (For All Levels!)
- Quin's Blog post # 2: The Ultimate Answer to Riding, the Universe, and Everything
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3630
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 59: Coping with Stress and Anxiety: Part II - Connection
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1797
- An Exercise to Help Improve Your Horse's Connection Over the Back
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1776
- Do You Know What Skills You and Your Horse Need to Have Before Entering a Novice Level Event?
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 55: Filling Your Treasure Chest
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 54: The Power of a Plan
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 53: Personality Part 2: Internalizer or Externalizer
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 52: Personality Part 1: Past, Present, Future
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 51: Who do you compare yourself to... it really matters!
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 50: Horses as mirrors: Does it work the other way around?
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 49: Respect: Essential for horse and rider
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 48: Working with horses is complicated... that's a good thing
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 47: Courage... Is it as simple as "Cowgirl Up" ?
- Does Your Horse Pick Up the Canter With His Haunches In?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4290
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4236
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4057
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3222
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3162
- An Exercise to Help Teach Your Horse to Seek the Connection
- A Jumping Exercise to Help You to Turn Your Speed Into Impulsion
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2343
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2223
- Question # 341: Amy has a question about a new horse she is riding, who is not a big fan of flatwork!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1878
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1868
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1845
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1813
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1762
- The Benefits of "Stair Stepping" Your Lateral Exercises
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1755
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1743
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1615
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1613
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1582
- Lateral Work as "Medicine" For the Dressage Horse
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1470
- Clashing of Aids vs the Coordination of Aids
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 918
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 58: Coping with Stress and Anxiety - Part I: The Worry Bucket
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 57: Desperately Dependent or Fiercely Independent: Finding the right balance
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 56: How long will this take??
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 46: Safety and Security - Essential tools for learning.
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1574
- The Problems in the Eventing World Today! (written in 2014) (Current freebie!)
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4486
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4411
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4326
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4278
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4215
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4183
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4144
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4083
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4028
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4007
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4003
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3871
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3771
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3735
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3679
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3497
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3479
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3381
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3322
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3245
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3238
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3196
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3165
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3041
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 63: Personality and Why It Matters
- The 'Half-Go'
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 62: Coping With Stress Part V: Gratitude
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2710
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2670
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 61: Coping with Stress Part IV: Do What You CAN Do
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2633
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 60: Coping with Stress and Anxiety: Part III - Getting Grounded
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2585
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2558
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2543
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2501
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2180
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2153
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2131
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1893
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1864
- Ruth's Blog post # 5: Connection Issues in Canter Transitions
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1816
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1780
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1769
- Video # 312 and Question # 331: This is Rachael!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1742
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1741
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1737
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1715
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1700
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1687
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1685
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1626
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1623
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1606
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1600
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1564
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1492
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1461
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1327
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1275
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1253
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1234
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1154
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1094
- What Does it Mean for the Horse to be "Between the Rider’s Hand and Leg"?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1006
- Adding More *Scope* to Your Lateral Work - For Better Dressage Scores!
- Does Your Horse Show This Positive Sign After a Flatwork Session?
- The Front Door Analogy, That Will Help Improve Your Connection
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4118
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2570
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1860
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4109
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 45: Confidence: State or Trait...it matters
- Question # 333: Kayla has a question about core/ab exercises for her horse.
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1753
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1530
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1525
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1487
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1413
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1352
- Question # 306: Do you recommend getting a pure showjumping coach or an eventing coach to help with showjumping issues? (Ashleigh)
- Tips For Managing the Hot/Anxious Type of Horse
- Question # 315: My half halts seem to work pretty well on the flat, but between jumps my horse tends to blow me off. He fights the bit and just keeps going at whatever speed he wants. What can I do to make him listen to me? (Aimee)
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4472
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4449
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4447
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4412
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4409
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4401
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4374
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4365
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4348
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4319
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4303
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4301
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4283
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4221
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4213
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4185
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4126
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4120
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4115
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4063
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4008
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3981
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3974
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3966
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3888
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3864
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3852
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3809
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3801
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3768
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3710
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3688
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3686
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3674
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3658
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3601
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3594
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3573
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3570
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3569
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3549
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3543
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3527
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3524
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3521
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3520
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3508
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3503
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3500
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3443
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3431
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3413
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3410
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3392
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3373
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3320
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3310
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3276
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3219
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3170
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3104
- Is Your Free Walk Really FREE? And Do You Make Good Use Of It?
- Guest Blog # 116: "The Cone of Uncertainty" by Bill Woods
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2976
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2975
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2909
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2904
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2880
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2817
- Video # 325: This is Bridget doing a Dressage test!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2809
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2764
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2677
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2628
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2603
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2469
- Question # 353: Amanda has a question about how to teach her young horse to lift and use his back correctly.
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2370
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2285
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2199
- "Reset" Your Aids
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2151
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2142
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2105
- All Roads Lead to Rome.... Or Do They??
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1910
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1895
- Quin's Blog post # 3: How are you and your horse communicating?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1731
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1686
- Video # 309 and Question # 325: Kayla is finding it difficult to keep her horse on the aids in walk to halt transitions.
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1680
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1662
- The Crest Release, the Automatic Release, and Everything In Between (With Pictures!)
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1611
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1594
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1570
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1549
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1542
- Video # 102: This is Kellyn, riding Novice level test B
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1431
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1401
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1373
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1356
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1337
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1314
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1295
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1284
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1258
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1255
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1221
- Horses that Tilt Their Head in Dressage
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1114
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1096
- An Exercise to Help Improve Your Trot to Canter Transitions
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1053
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1016
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1001
- Develop an Independent *Hand* - an Essential Skill That is Key to a Good Rein Connection!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 933
- Video # 86: This is Holly, doing a row of bounces in her small indoor arena!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 901
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 894
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 814
- Dressage Canter Adjustability Exercise
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4408
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4171
- There Are Always Two Sides to Every Story - Even Between You and Your Horse!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2957
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1808
- Quin's Blog post # 5: A Ground Pole: The Best Jumping Challenge Ever
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4502
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4483
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4403
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4380
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4297
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4284
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4237
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4210
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4143
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4075
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3563
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3348
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3280
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3270
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3164
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3156
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3133
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3095
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2846
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2822
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2779
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2508
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2448
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2335
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1871
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1854
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1843
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1840
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1838
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1826
- Dr. Haefner's Blog post # 9: A Different Take on a Performance “State of Mind”
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1814
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1812
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1810
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1807
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1804
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1790
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1788
- Discussion # 162: The shoulder in is considered to be the "mother" of all lateral movements. Can anyone tell us why this is so?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1786
- Quin's Blog post # 4: Praising the Snort
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1783
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1782
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1779
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1772
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1770
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1751
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1747
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1744
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1738
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1723
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1719
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1695
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1681
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1671
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1650
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1648
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1640
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1631
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1630
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1621
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1608
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1605
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1604
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1603
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1589
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1588
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1587
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1585
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1580
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1567
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1561
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1552
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1540
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1532
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1523
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1495
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1482
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1480
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1475
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1472
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1467
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1453
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1417
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1410
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1371
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1286
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1185
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1125
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1032
- The Most Productive Way to Begin Each Ride
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 984
- Keeping the Older Horse Going Strong
- Keep Your Aids Dynamic
- Video # 101: This is Kellyn and her horse, Bauer, doing their Novice level show jumping round!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1351
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4487
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4456
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4445
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4423
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4381
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4333
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4299
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4196
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4114
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4039
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4027
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4022
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3952
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3940
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3922
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3920
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3897
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3853
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3850
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3839
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3790
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3780
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3770
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3607
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3564
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3532
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3529
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3526
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3513
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3462
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3457
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3442
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3421
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3332
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3317
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3308
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3249
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3234
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3211
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3198
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3175
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3172
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3112
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3087
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3086
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3040
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3035
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2961
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2952
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2916
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2896
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2883
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2811
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2787
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2785
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2727
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2712
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2708
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2669
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2614
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2608
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2586
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2573
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2527
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2510
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2493
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2488
- Basic Suppling Exercise # 5
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2477
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2384
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2322
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2283
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2257
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2244
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2158
- Discussion # 167: Let's discuss the Dressage term, "the falling down neck."
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2113
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2080
- An Exercise to Improve Your Horse's Carriage in the Dressage Ring
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2052
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2032
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1855
- Video # 108 and Question # 323: Kayla has a question (with video) about her horses tendency to fall out through his right shoulder when going to the left.
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1625
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1590
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1526
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1503
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1484
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1267
- The Function of the Rider’s Elbow Joints
- Guest Blog post # 74: "Imagine (there's no pulling)" by Bill Woods
- Question # 289: My ottb was trained before me with draw reins, and now he over flexes to where he touches chest almost at trot even when i let the reins loose. I drive him forward but he keeps doing it. How do i stop him? (Eileen)
- Video # 89: This is Eileen!
- Dressage Canter Adjustability Exercise # 2
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1029
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1028
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1007
- Different Half Halts For Different Situations
- Question # 273: I'm wondering if you have any favorite exercises for strengthening a horse's back and building topline?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 887
- Bonnie's Blog Post # 4
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 828
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 747
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 719
- Video # 66 and Question # 208: This is Kymbre!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3440
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3237
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2907
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2421
- The Ultimate Rider Hand Position Fix!
- Video # 315 and Question # 340: Kaley has a question (with video), about his horse's jumping form, and whether or not his horse might still have upper level potential, despite the form he shows now as a green horse.
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1726
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1520
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1464
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1402
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1382
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1178
- Learn Your Horse's Natural Tendencies
- Question # 294 and Video # 92: My question is about banks, specifically jumping down....
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 951
- Handling Conflicting Advice From Trainers
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4513
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4511
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4509
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4508
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4505
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4485
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4482
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4479
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4478
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4476
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4467
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4464
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4446
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4444
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4439
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4425






