"We must always remember that the horse, by its anatomy, is not meant to carry weight. Therefore the most important task after getting him used to the saddle is getting him used to the weight of the rider. The horse needs enough time for that. It is better to train five times a week for ten to twenty minutes than three times a week for half an hour. The horse may develop muscle soreness which can take a long time to disappear. It is especially important during this period of his training that the horse has the opportunity to enjoy some free movement out in the paddock." ~ Susanne Miesner
A few strides of lengthening or medium here and there in whatever gait you are working in will add energy to that gait. You can then turn that energy into engagement with a half halt or downward transition.
From Facebook Fan Gabby Ballin ~ "Some rides are going to be perfect. Some rides are going to have you wondering why you don't quit riding. When that happens, take a deep breath and go back to something you know you and your horse can do easily."
"To reach a major aim the rider needs many small aims. Following them, they can check whether they are on the right track. Every stepping stone builds on the previous one. If one is missing and the rider continues regardless they will take the problem with them until one day the whole thing falls apart. As in the primary school, if the student doesn’t pass his first exam or is not considered mature enough, he will not be promoted to second class hoping he can make it there. It is the simple but basic things that need the most work." ~ Susanne Miesner
"The back is the bridge in the horse, and it can only be there if the hind leg is really working. The rider has to influence the hind legs to build that bridge, otherwise it is a horse in three pieces, back, front and you somewhere in the middle." ~ Francis Verbeek
Horses are not actually "stiff in the jaw" when they resist your hand, even though that may be what it feels like. If the feeling in your hands makes you think that your horse is stiff in its jaw, then you need to look for the real cause of the problem, which is usually a braced, rigid back.
The strong willed type of horse WILL test you, many times for no reason other than they want to be top dog! But take solace in the fact that the most difficult horses are almost always the best ones in the end. Often because they are so damn SMART.
From Facebook fan Barbara Martin ~ "What happens on the ground is just as important as what goes on in the saddle. Make sure you are giving clear signals to your horse as to who is in charge. We forget this sometimes, I think!"
The movement of the half-pass helps to develop the brilliance of the extended trot, by increasing hip and stifle flexibility, and freeing up the horse's shoulders.
The main objectives of the warm up phase of riding is to loosen the horse's body (especially the back muscles) and ensure he is attentive to the rider's aids.
"It is wonderful to use the 'forward and down' stretching exercise as part of the daily work. We also must keep in mind a suitable balance between work and rest periods during any ride, and we need to schedule adequate days off work and days spent hacking outdoors. Physically tired or mentally soured horses don't learn much, other than ways of evading work." ~ Erik Herbermann
Riders should know where their horse is going to land from a jump before they take off. How? The type of canter in the final strides of the approach will dictate the shape of the horse's jumping effort, and the trajectory of the jump.
It can be helpful to make lots of little changes of frame in your warm-up… a little stretching, a little up, and repeat… This can help your horse to come more through his body.
Let's talk about WHY we ride our horses in the movement known as the free walk. Is it just because this is a movement that appears in our Dressage tests, many times even with a double coefficient?? Or are there important reasons we should be asking our horses to perform a quality free walk in our daily riding, even when there is no judge watching?
When schooling, do you mostly only ride in a free walk when you want to take a break from work, maybe while chatting with your friends, or discussing what you just did with your trainer? Or do you have a plan to actually USE the free walk to improve your horse's mental state and to encourage better use of his entire body??
Read on to learn and see (through a video example) how to make the free walk movement a much more USEFUL tool for you and your horse! (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
"You are connected with your seat to the horse’s back, connected with your legs to the horse’s body, and connection can only work if it goes through the whole horse and into the rider’s body, and from the rider’s body back to the whole horse." ~ Susanne Miesner
Riders should be aware of the specific questions posed by each individual jump on course, and should not treat all jumps the same. Things that need to be taken into consideration are the shape of the jump, the footing, the terrain involved before and after the jump, the lighting, the kind of approach you are given, and what is on the landing side of the jump.
"Horses are not trying to be difficult. They’re probably just trying to understand and sometimes they don’t know how to do it, or they don’t get your signals. You have to learn a little bit every day, and when they do something correct, give them a lot of positive reinforcement to let them know that they’ve done it right." ~ Jessica Springsteen
"When the horse is forward, when the horse is using his hind leg more under the body and the neck falls down from out of the wither, then it doesn’t matter if the nose is a little behind the vertical if there is no pulling by the rider." ~ Johan Hamminga
It is NOT correct to try to raise the horse's neck or shoulders in any way with the reins. True front end elevation in Dressage comes only from real collection induced lowering of the hind quarters.
If you love your horse, teach him to have good manners, both on the ground and under saddle. A horse with good manners is more likely to end up in a good home if the unexpected happens.
FAR too many riders bend the horse's neck when asked for more bend. That is not what we want! We want bend in the horse's ribcage. Which is achieved by asking for a hint of a lateral step with the rider's inside leg, into the connection of the outside rein.
A tip for all of the instructors out there... When a student has a lightbulb moment during a riding lesson, ask them to explain it you in their own words. This way it becomes even more cemented in their own mind, and you can more easily help them find it again if they lose it.
The rein back is an underutilized and very often incorrectly performed exercise. To be truly beneficial to the horse, it has to be performed steadily and in a relaxed way. And most importantly straight, while on a soft rein, so that the horse is not jammed together from front to back while stepping backwards. Otherwise he will not be able to use his body correctly.
If you are able to follow your horse's mouth with a consistently elastic feel, he will learn to trust your hand so fully, that he will lose the desire to escape it.
Your rein connection should have suppleness in it, allowing it to breathe along with the horse's movement. It must remain a living, breathing thing - never rigid.
"From half-halt to half-halt, you have to own the rhythm of their footfalls in each of the three gaits and the tempo or how fast they are going over every meter of ground in that gait." ~ Robert Dover
On wrestling with the strong horse in front of a cross country fence: "If you can’t get them back, at least drop the reins and let them see the fence." ~ Clayton Fredricks
