A truly good halt is square because it was a balanced, straight, and well ridden halt. Not because the rider has taught it the trick of squaring up after an unbalanced halt.
"The lower leg I liken to a seat belt. You hop in a car, the first thing you put on is a seat belt for safety. Keep your lower leg forward, cover the girth when you are jumping, I don’t want to see that girth, it can act like a seat belt – you can brace against it. If something goes wrong, then as long as you are not in front of that lower leg, as long as your upper body is back behind that leg, then you can brace against being thrown forward." ~ Matt Ryan
"For many horses, the flying change can be one of the hardest things to learn. Regardless of the age of the horse, it is important to wait with the training until he is relaxed and trusts the rider." ~ Steffen Peters
Transitioning back and forth between "work time" and "break time" when schooling is every bit as important as any other transition - best done gradually and smoothly.
From Facebook fan Joann Messersmith ~ "Contact is a living, breathing, elastic, relationship and communication with the horse. Nothing fixed. It's like holding hands with your lover as you walk, no yank or pull, but a pleasant feel for both."
"School figures should not be regarded as an end in themselves but rather as a stage in a particular aim, that of control of the horse. Initially, they will be practiced in the school but an early opportunity should be taken to perform them outside so that the rider may learn to cope with extraneous influences which can distract his horse and prevent it concentrating (for example, his horse not wanting to leave its stable or move away from other horses." ~ Wilhelm Muessler
So much of the time, I talk to people about creating expression or energy. Routinely at clinics filled with lower level or amateur riders, the majority of them under-ride their horses. Dominant themes are getting the horses quicker to the leg, more attentive, and more active.
But there are exceptions. Sometimes these qualities are already there, even overflowing into tension or stress. More of the aforementioned qualities of themselves do not necessarily make a better picture. (Click on Blog Title above to read full entry)
"Riding is, therefore, an ongoing, never-ending, challenging process. That aspect makes riding so intelligent and significant an effort. One merely strives, never arrives." ~ Charles de Kunffy
"Try to do the work early then leave her alone. Being clever enough to leave the horse alone is one of the ways we get them to jump. Look at a horse free-schooling, the neck is down, the jump is classical. We want to leave them alone so we get that jump with us on their backs, and again, that is why we need that good lower leg to support us, so we can leave them alone and get that natural jump." ~ Chris Burton
"A good rider has a natural springing down of the ankles. The body is flexible. The rider maintains the same seat now matter how big the gaits. World class riders must do it by feel and mental fitness. Feel comes out of the seat." ~ Conrad Schumacher
Practicing transitions on a circle allows you to utilize the bend and increased engagement from the exercise of the circle to improve the connection in your transitions.
("The wall has a magnetic quality which pulls your horse towards it.")
Open spaces are a great advantage at times when you are schooling. No corners or turns coming up in a few strides to break the rhythm or cause anticipation. But at times solid boundaries can help. (Click on Blog Title above to read full entry)
The more contact you hold on your horse's mouth, whether on the flat or between jumps, the more effort you may have to put in to half halt or stop. Try to be as light as possible, so that when you do ask for something softly, your horse will hear you.
The inside rein should be used only as much as is truly necessary. Make it a game to see how little inside rein you can use in any movement that you ride.
Always strive for the feeling that there is more horse in front of you than behind you when riding. This means staying safely back behind your horse's shoulders, and allowing the horse to have as long of a neck as possible.
"Once you are in the working phase, stay sitting in the saddle as the seat is a very important aid for influence; especially for long backed horses. If you sit in the saddle you can better feel and influence the horse. If the horse is weak, perhaps sit for shorter periods followed by stretching, then work sitting again." ~ Ingrid Klimke
"As always, everything is connected, every single exercise or movement influences all the others, which is the reason why we can improve certain movements by not riding them at all, but by practicing exercises that improve the necessary ingredients of the movement in question." ~ Thomas Ritter
If your horse tends to lean heavily on his inside shoulder when making transitions, think about adding a few steps of spiral out before asking for the transition.
When a running martingale is fitted correctly, it does not come into play unless the horse tosses its head. It should not be used to keep the horse's head down.
When in a Dressage position, think of being up over your knee (with your center of gravity) when you rise in the rising trot. This will help you to keep your leg back underneath your seat.
A horse that is well balanced, with the right amount of impulsion for the jump at hand, can comfortably and safely leave the ground from just about any reasonable takeoff spot.
You can't produce a supple horse by trotting round and round the arena - so don't stay in the same pace or movement for too long. Lots of turns, circles, and transitions will be the most beneficial.
The hot or anxious type of horse can be very challenging to ride and train! But if well managed and patiently handled, they can be the very best competitors! These are often the horses that have the heart to give you 110% once you have formed a good bond with them. And although the training process with this type of horse can be frustratingly slow, it is often especially rewarding once you get there!
Hot or nervous horses aren't for everyone. Some riders just do not have the patience required. And unfortunately many of the riders who DO have the patience for this type of horse, are still not getting the best results with them, because of the specific methods they are using.This exercise will help! And it is so simple, that you will wonder why you haven't been regularly using this little trick! (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
When people speak of weight aids, they are referring to something that your seat does, but don’t think of your "seat" as just those two little protuberances on the bottom of your pelvis. I prefer to think of my seat as beginning somewhere in the back of my neck (my withers) and going nearly to my knees. (Click on Blog Title above to read full entry)
On selecting a horse for Dressage: "It’s always with each horse the first view: it’s elasticity, the basic movement, the trot, the canter, the walk, then you have to think how it could look after a while, after the gymnastic – how can I build up the muscles?" ~ Isabell Werth
Make sure that you are truly letting your horse set the pace of the progression for both training and competing. Pushing too hard, too soon will usually result in having to go back and start over.
When your horse is messing about with his leads or tossing his head between jumps on course, don’t let it distract you from what is most important - the rhythm of the striding.
For a good rein connection, the wrist should be part of the straight line that extends down the rider's arm. So the knuckles should point towards the bit as well as the rider's arm. Only if it follows that line exactly will the connection be perfect.
"I have struggled with my right leg/side since I broke my ankle. My trainer had me working on my hip position and my leg got better. It's not always where you think you have the issue that fixes it." ~ Mikki Schattilly
If a horse doesn't want to stretch down at the end of a workout when the rider offers, that almost always means that the horse was not working properly through its body, and the rein connection wasn't true.
Unequivocal, irrevocable trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. Once lost, it’s even harder to gain back. Having said that, we need to stop and define exactly what we’re looking for from our horses. I am the first to admit that, while I believe I relate well to the horses I work with, none of them are about to jump off the Steel Pier at Atlantic City with me nor am I about to go galloping (or even walking down the road) with them with no bridle or halter and lead rope for control. A few people can do that with their horses and more power to them, but that’s not particularly my interest, and I’m happily frying other fish.
First of all, recognize that horses are individuals with a great range of temperaments. What one horse will trustingly permit, another may think is the craziest, most threatening thing he’s ever seen. Before you can realistically expect your horse to believe in you, you have to make an accurate assessment of how he’s reacting or relating to the task or the situation you’ve put him in. Figure out how to think as he does. (Click on Blog Title above to read full entry)
"No complicated riding before the horses are going truly forward. In dressage, the difficulties are often created by a lack of good basic work (which is the foundation of the house)." ~ Nuno Oliveira
If you are nervous right before you enter the show ring, take a moment to talk to and pet your horse. And make it genuine, no matter how your warm up went! It will relax both of you, and help you to focus.
