Tip/Quote of the Day!

The quality of the contact that the horse will give you is largely dictated by the amount of hind leg activity at that moment, and how much the energy from that activity is able to flow in an uninterrupted way through the horse's supple and permeable body into your hands.

"Don't look at your steering wheel, look at the road." ~ Chris Bartle

"Good contact is like having a conversation with a friend in a cozy coffee shop. Bad contact is like being hollered at by a stranger at the DMV."

The more incorrectly someone rides and trains a horse, the more veterinary maintenance intervention they will likely need for that horse. 

To balance a horse does not necessarily mean to slow it down. Horses can be balanced at just about any speed.

Only if the shock absorbers in your hips are working properly, will you be able to keep your hands and upper body quiet as you sit the trot or canter.

Don't ride faster than you can think.

Always be ready to stop jumping and do a few minutes of flatwork when you run into a problem. Good flatwork will fix most jumping problems.

Horses that have the spirit and the natural drive to excel at the top levels of jumping or Eventing are usually much more opinionated and difficult to train by nature. They are very often totally worth the extra time, effort, and patience that it takes to develop them to their true potential. 🙂

"The jump is the product of your last three strides, always." ~ Michelle Strapp

The less you see a rider do, the better. That means they are communicating with the horse quietly, and the horse is attentive and responsive.

"Stay dedicated to the quality of the basic gaits—the suppleness and balance of the walk, trot and canter. Then as you cultivate the movements, those gaits improve." ~ Volker Brommann

Cantering ground poles are simply a smart way to practice just about every single skill you need to jump well, while minimizing the stress and strain on your horse's legs.

The most difficult horses are almost always the best ones in the end. Often because they are so darned SMART.

When teaching, I am always on the lookout for signs that the horse might need a short stretching break. Sometimes it is something as subtle as a more anxious look in the horse's eyes. And sometimes it is more obvious, like the horse starts to become a little more fussy about the contact, or starts to get a little lower in front and/or heavy in his rider's hands. It is wise to give your horse a short stretch at whatever gait you are working in, exactly when your horse needs it. This keeps his body more comfortable, keeps him enjoying his work, and most importantly - builds the amount of trust that he has for his rider, and the idea of training in general.

Think of your leg, seat, and rein aids as ways to communicate with your horse. You don't physically push or pull him anywhere, you give him subtle signals. And if he doesn't initially respond to your subtle signals, you need to teach him to - EVERY horse can learn to respond to light cues, if taught properly.

"They asked me at the Seminar, how should a horse look when it is coming towards you? I said to them, if you meet someone and they are looking you in the eyes, a little bit proud, nose up, not arrogant, but someone coming to you, giving you their hand, with a very positive attitude. That’s the way a horse should come to you – when he enters the arena, he should say, Hello, here I am." ~ Sven Rothenberger

When riding a Dressage test, riding accurately to the letters and making good use of the corners of the ring shows the judge that you are aware, thinking, and have good control of your horse.

While the distance in between the jumps is a big deciding factor in the speed and stride that you should approach with... generally approaching a complex off of a shorter, bouncier stride will give you more options.

"It's very rare to find a horse who has the bravery and heart to do what is required of him in Eventing's cross country phase and who has the careful aspect we look for in the show jumping ring." ~ Katie Monahan Prudent

Imagine that you have a heavy wet towel laying over each knee, that helps your leg to drop down naturally and melt around your horse's sides. 

When you look down, your shoulders follow your eyes and begin to drop downward and forward. This makes it much more difficult for you to communicate correctly with your horse through your seat - often causing you to need to use your reins more than you should.

The more a horse relaxes within a lateral movement, the more gymnastic value the exercise will have.

"Allow your horse the opportunity to use his neck more." ~ Reiner Klimke

Pay attention to where your whip is pointing when you ride, as that is a good indicator of your hand position.

"For your horse to be keen but submissive, it must be calm, straight and forward." ~ Bill Steinkraus

Riding with your thumbs on top keeps your hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders in a "neutral" position, which allows your joints to move most freely for an elastic rein connection.

You can tell, just by looking at a horse's topline, how correct that horse's flatwork has been.

"I do hundreds of transitions, loads of them, so transitions become like 'pouring cream.'" ~ Carl Hester

Every exercise should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Try to slow your mind up enough so that you can actually feel each stage of the process.