What's Inside
Search the Site
Tip/Quote of the Day # 3237
The evenness of the contact reveals the straightness of the horse. Instead of being tempted to try to fix unevenness in the contact with your hands, focus on helping your horse to use both of his hind legs evenly.
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:
- Does Your Horse Pick Up the Canter With His Haunches In?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3679
- 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 # 3403
- How Your Driving Habits Relate to Your Riding Habits
- Quin's Blog post # 2: The Ultimate Answer to Riding, the Universe, and Everything
- A Jumping Exercise to Help You to Turn Your Speed Into Impulsion
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1813
- Lateral Work as "Medicine" For the Dressage Horse
- Riding From "Front to Back"
- 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" ?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3276
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2343
- Ruth's Blog post # 5: Connection Issues in Canter Transitions
- The Benefits of "Stair Stepping" Your Lateral Exercises
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1613
- Do You Know What Skills You and Your Horse Need to Have Before Entering a Novice Level Event?
- A Test of Your Flatwork Training (For All Levels!)
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4484
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4458
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4244
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4225
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4067
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3714
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3647
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3540
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3153
- Guest Blog # 112: "Up Against the Wall" by Bill Woods
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2821
- 3 Distinctly Different Ways of Controlling Your Horse's Shoulders in Circles, Turns & Lateral Work
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2602
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2279
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2232
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1769
- Video # 311 and Question # 329: Kayla is practicing BN test A, and has a few questions.
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4483
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 59: Coping with Stress and Anxiety: Part II - Connection
- 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 # 1825
- Signs That Your Performance Horse Might Be Sore
- The Problems in the Eventing World Today! (written in 2014) (Current freebie!)
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4365
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4236
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4057
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3809
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3771
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3527
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3381
- There Are Always Two Sides to Every Story - Even Between You and Your Horse!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3196
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3165
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3162
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2710
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2570
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2543
- 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 # 1893
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1878
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1860
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1816
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1797
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1776
- Video # 312 and Question # 331: This is Rachael!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1741
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1700
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1623
- What Does it Mean for the Horse to be "Between the Rider’s Hand and Leg"?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3965
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3655
- Video # 325: This is Bridget doing a Dressage test!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2664
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2631
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2236
- An Exercise to Improve Your Horse's Carriage in the Dressage Ring
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1718
- The "Shoulder Yield" Exercise
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4459
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4445
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4438
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4330
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4314
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4242
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4214
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4200
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4133
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4010
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4005
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3916
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3911
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3892
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3751
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3496
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3330
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3294
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3290
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3289
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3229
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3157
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3057
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3036
- A Test to See If Your Horse is in LATERAL Self Carriage
- Canter Pole Exercise # 1
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2814
- Guest Blog post # 108: "The Shadow Knows" by Bill Woods
- Basic Suppling Exercise # 5
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 45: Confidence: State or Trait...it matters
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1896
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1870
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1788
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1352
- Where a Rider Should Look When Riding the Various Lateral Movements
- The Most Productive Way to Begin Each Ride
- Adding More *Scope* to Your Lateral Work - For Better Dressage Scores!
- Dressage Canter Adjustability Exercise
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4486
- 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 # 4411
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4409
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4408
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4401
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4381
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4326
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4319
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4303
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4301
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4290
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4283
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4278
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4213
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4185
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4171
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4126
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4120
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4118
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4115
- 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 # 3981
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3974
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3888
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3871
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3864
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3852
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3801
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3773
- 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 # 3630
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3570
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3569
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3543
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3524
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3521
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3520
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3503
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3500
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3497
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3479
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3431
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3392
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3322
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3320
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3310
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3238
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3234
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3222
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3219
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2975
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2957
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2904
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2880
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2809
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2764
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2712
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2633
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2558
- An Exercise to Help Teach Your Horse to Seek the Connection
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2421
- 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 # 2293
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2285
- "Reset" Your Aids
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2142
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2131
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2105
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1868
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1864
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1845
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1808
- An Exercise to Help Improve Your Horse's Connection Over the Back
- Quin's Blog post # 3: How are you and your horse communicating?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1762
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1755
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1743
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1737
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1715
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1685
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1662
- The Crest Release, the Automatic Release, and Everything In Between (With Pictures!)
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1626
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1615
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1582
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1520
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1492
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1461
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1234
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 951
- Question # 275: My little quarter horse mare likes to tilt her nose to the left at the trot and canter when working indoors...
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 814
- Handling Conflicting Advice From Trainers
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4508
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4020
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3812
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1844
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1682
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1469
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1385
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 229
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4502
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4485
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4417
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4399
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4350
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4325
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4302
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4297
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4295
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4275
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4210
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4188
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4160
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4154
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4149
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4143
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4140
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4122
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4085
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4014
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3926
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3917
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3913
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3894
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3893
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3881
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3798
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3748
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3741
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3735
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3705
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3605
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3604
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3563
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3512
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3502
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3490
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3486
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3447
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3434
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3429
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3405
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3400
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3397
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3387
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3313
- Guest Blog # 120: Too Focused? by Bill Woods
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3270
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3204
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3178
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3164
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3120
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3095
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3092
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3081
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3033
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2944
- The Order of Aids For Changing Your Horse's Bend From One Side to the Other
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2932
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 63: Personality and Why It Matters
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2871
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2865
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2822
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2817
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2805
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2799
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2744
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 62: Coping With Stress Part V: Gratitude
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 61: Coping with Stress Part IV: Do What You CAN Do
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 60: Coping with Stress and Anxiety: Part III - Getting Grounded
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2595
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2577
- An Exercise to Rev Your Horse’s Motor - Building Impulsion & Hind Leg Engagement
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2450
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2352
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2348
- A Mental Trick to Help You to Think More About Your Horse's Hind Legs When Riding & Jumping
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2298
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2289
- Is Your Horse Sore in These Very Common Areas??
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2141
- An Exercise to Help You to Refine Your Turning Aids
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2097
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2024
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1897
- Advanced Trot Pole Exercise # 2
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1828
- Dr. Haefner's Blog post # 9: A Different Take on a Performance “State of Mind”
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1815
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1787
- Quin's Blog post # 4: Praising the Snort
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1772
- Question # 333: Kayla has a question about core/ab exercises for her horse.
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1753
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1751
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1695
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1671
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1630
- The *Volume* of Your Aids
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1580
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1570
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1555
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1530
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1529
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1525
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1434
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1377
- Question # 306: Do you recommend getting a pure showjumping coach or an eventing coach to help with showjumping issues? (Ashleigh)
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1298
- Guest Blog post # 80: "The Professional Edge: Classically driven or Client driven?" by Bill Kraatz
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1125
- Video Discussion # 90: This video shows the various lateral movements in detail, and demonstrates the great exercise of transitions back and forth between shoulder in and renvers.
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 745
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 729
- Keeping the Older Horse Going Strong
- Keep Your Aids Dynamic
- The Mysterious Half Halt (Current freebie!)
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3775
- Sport Psych in a Minute, with Dr. Haefner - Video # 29: Focus to Create the Flow
- Training and Conditioning the Young Event Horse
- Video # 310: This is Susanne and her lovely horse Corelli, schooling cross country!
- The Benefits of Jumping Fences at Sharp Angles
- Question # 311: After reading your article on whether to look for a distance or focus on the quality of the canter, I have a few questions for you....
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4487
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4374
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4348
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4299
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4221
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4215
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4183
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4063
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4027
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4022
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4008
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3966
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3940
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3920
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3897
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3850
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3815
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3770
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3601
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3526
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3513
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3462
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3442
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3440
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3410
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3332
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3317
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3308
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3245
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3211
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3172
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3170
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3112
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3087
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3041
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3034
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2976
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2961
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2952
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2909
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2907
- 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 # 2708
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2677
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2670
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2669
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2614
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2608
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2603
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2585
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2573
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2527
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2510
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2501
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2493
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2488
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2477
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2469
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2384
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2300
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2244
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2223
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2199
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2180
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2153
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2151
- Discussion # 167: Let's discuss the Dressage term, "the falling down neck."
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2113
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2080
- All Roads Lead to Rome.... Or Do They??
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2032
- The Ultimate Rider Hand Position Fix!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1910
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1895
- Quin's Blog post # 5: A Ground Pole: The Best Jumping Challenge Ever
- Discussion # 161: Do you keep your horse on the aids when out hacking?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1726
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1687
- 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 # 1611
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1606
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1600
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1564
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1549
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1542
- Guest Blog post # 96: "Mr Ponderful" by Bill Woods
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1464
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1356
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1327
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1295
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1284
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1275
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1267
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1255
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1253
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1250
- 3 Signs That Your Bending Aids Are Working Correctly
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1154
- Question # 294 and Video # 92: My question is about banks, specifically jumping down....
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1096
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1094
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1029
- Develop an Independent *Hand* - an Essential Skill That is Key to a Good Rein Connection!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 918
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 901
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 894
- Bonnie's Blog Post # 4
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 747
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 645
- Is Your Horse Even in the Reins?
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 300
- The Rein Back
- Does Your Horse Show This Positive Sign After a Flatwork Session?
- The Front Door Analogy, That Will Help Improve Your Connection
- Video # 326: This is Sophie, riding a Dressage test in Pompadour, France!
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 3027
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 2184
- Question # 338: Nancy has a question about one of her legs, which tends to be too far back.
- Question # 317: My mare ALWAYS lands on the right lead after a jump...
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 1243
- Question # 278: I am a dressage rider who is currently working on 2nd level. I have some days where I am really capable of connecting my seat to sit the trot very fluidly and straight...
- Discussion # 140: Let's discuss the very common problem of "one sidedness" in the horse!
- Correcting the Horse that Drifts When Jumping
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4514
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4513
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4511
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4509
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4506
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4505
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4501
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4496
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4494
- Tip/Quote of the Day # 4491






