Strive to always keep your spine fully stretched upward when riding. When you slump, your head and shoulders will become heavy, and your horse will be more likely to become heavy in your hands.
"I teach riders to adjust their reins within three strides on level ground [after a drop fence], and I want them seated between elements of a combination. This will give the rider more stability plus a wider and more sophisticated range of aids." ~ Jimmy Wofford
In the sport of Eventing, ensuring that our horses are truly fit for our level of competition is one of the best ways to prevent unnecessary injuries. When a horse's muscles become fatigued, the strain on their tendons and ligaments increases significantly. A single misstep that results in serious injury can be far more likely to happen. ALL of the horse's structures are vulnerable to overuse injuries from fatigue. Having the horse truly fit for the job required greatly mitigates the risk.
Interval training is the safest way to develop the horse's ability to do more work over longer periods of time, as it helps to prevent fatigue and a buildup of lactic acid in the muscles. Read on to learn all about it, and how to use it to better prepare your horses for hard work! (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
The shape of your canter stride on the approach to a fence (which is an indicator of your horse's balance in the canter) is what determines the shape that your horse makes over the jump. A round, bouncy canter produces a round, lofty jump. A flat, strung out canter produces a low, flat jump with the horse heavy on the forehand.
We all know that as riders we want to aim to keep a straight line from our elbow to the horse's mouth. But did you know that it means when viewed from above as well as from the side? And that it also includes your wrists and fingers??
Whenever you are facing any type of cross country fence with a ditch in front of it, think of it as a "free" front rail. Just ride forward with your eye on the top of the back rail.
"Infinite repetitions of one and the same problematic movement are usually a sign of insecurity in the rider and serve no purpose other than self-satisfaction. The horse doesn't gain anything from it. It leads to an overwrought horse and causes muscle fatigue and nervousness. Here, a trainer must intervene and go back to easier exercises rider and horse have already mastered." ~ Klaus Balkenhol
It is important to treat each horse, and each situation, individually. When problems arise, sometimes what is needed is time, patience, and encouragement. And other times strong corrections might be in order. This is why it is so important to be working with an instructor who has sufficient experience with a wide variety of types of horses - so they can help you make the best choices with your horse.
"Self carriage is really easy to see. The best thing you can do for self-carriage is the give and re-take of the reins. It is amazing how you forget to do that when you ride on your own." ~ Carl Hester
The purpose of riding a transition is not just to get from one gait to the next. But to do so in a way that further gymnasticizes the horse, and improves his carriage.
"Why not ride your dressage movements out in the open, in the field or the back paddock? Chances are your horse will be brighter, more forward and focused." ~ Michael Jung
Deepen your seat to begin a downward transition. But as you feel your horse beginning to change gears to make the transition, if you can slightly lighten your seat and soften your reins, your horse will be able to come more "through" his topline.
"Having a horse with crazy gaits and an eagerness to please at 5 years old is freaking me out because I’m really feeling the weight of the responsibility to not push too hard, too fast." ~ Lauren Sprieser Something every rider should be thinking about!
"The motto of any instructor or rider must always be forward. Forward in the movement of the horse instructed to his care. Forward in order to achieve his aim in the art of training. Forward whenever difficulties appear." ~ Alois Podhajsky
You have to have the ability to ride in "neutral", with no aids whatsoever, for your horse to be able to feel, recognize, and respond to your lightest of aids.
Nearly every rider will experience a plateau at some point in their training. Only those that have the patience to keep a good attitude while pushing through them will ever get where they want to go.
Did you know that your spine doesn't end at your neck?? It goes up into your head! So when a rider looks down, or juts their head and chin forward, they are compromising that stretched up, vertical spine. And your horse will always go better when you ride with good posture!
You don't see too many narrow fences at the Beginner Novice level! Or at least you never used to...
How many of you train your young and green horses over skinny/narrow fences?
Let's say that you have NOT yet trained your green horse over narrow fences, and you find a jump like this on your cross country course at an Event. What would be your plan on how to best approach this fence, to give you the best odds of getting over it the first time? (Click on Discussion Title above to read or join in on this educational discussion)
A good rein connection is a direct line of communication that connects your brain to your horse's brain. When done correctly, he should also feel every nuance of your seat through the reins.
Excessive bend in the horse's neck, whether lateral (usually over bent to the inside) or longitudinal (behind the vertical), disconnects the haunches from the rein aids and allows the horse to remain blocked or locked up in other parts of the body, such as the poll or pelvis.
"The outside rein is like the steering wheel because it executes direction. The rein rests against the neck as the hand is positioned next to the wither." ~ Christine Traurig
Counting each stride out loud or in your head between fences can help you to maintain a rhythm and an even stride when jumping. It can also be a great trick to keep the troublesome part of your brain quiet as you negotiate fences.
"You’re not going to get a quicker reaction from your horse by digging in your spur. If you’re standing on one foot and someone comes behind you and scares you, you’re not going to put your foot higher in the air. You’re going to put it on the ground." ~ Robert Dover
"Body awareness is essential. You must be trained to feel each body part as you’re riding, such as your big toe, or your little finger." ~ Conrad Schumacher
On stretching the horse ~ "My father always said, think of stretching the nose to the sand. Think that as a rider you can always give more and more, the horse will tell you how much he really needs to open up, from the tail, right through the vertebrae, through the neck, really stretched and round like a ball." ~ Ingrid Klimke
The horse shows improved self carriage with more expression and cadence in his gaits, not as a result of the rider doing more, but by the horse doing more and the rider doing less and less.
"Every pull and resistance in the horse's neck originates in the back." ~ Stefan Wolff
So don't try to "soften" the horse's neck or jaw. Address the real cause of the problem - the state of the horse's back, and the activity of the hind legs!
