"Adopt a classical position, resist all fads and gadgets, and ride the horse quietly and softly between the two straight lines of the stirrup leather and the elbow to the horse's mouth. It's simple. It's just not easy." ~ Jimmy Wofford
While it is important to have a plan when riding, you should be ready to adapt that plan as necessary. Ultimately, you ride the horse and not the plan!
If there is a jump on your cross country course that you are worried about, you certainly don't want to have to face it twice! So ride it like you are mad at it, and "get 'er done"!
From Facebook fan Mary Apfel-Vandeyacht ~ "Riding is a lot like driving a manual transmission... You may be able to make it go (when learning how to ride), but you're going to break it and look like a schmuck unless you learn to do it right."
"In the half halt that creates carrying power, we are asking the horse to slow down and carry more weight when his hind leg joints are closed and his hind foot is on the ground. The levade, in which the horse sits on his hindquarters, is the ultimate example of this kind of closing of the joints while carrying the weight." ~ George Williams
The use of "half steps" in your training can be very beneficial, as it can help the horse to understand the idea of engagement without increasing speed.
From Facebook fan Stacey Ellen, "At dressage shows I like to watch the [good] pros; their hands are in serving tray position and they always seem to be offering something to their horse not containing them."
Be extra careful when conditioning both young horses and older horses. Young horses have tendon/ligaments/bones that have not yet been strengthened. And the older horse’s ligaments and tendons tend to become less elastic and resilient over time.
"I'm a big fan of ground lines. I think it teaches the horse to have better technique in front. Everything that we do is connected — the way we start on the cross rail to this, it all connects. We're building through our training." ~ McLain Ward
Keep breathing. It is much easier to remember a Dressage test or a course of jumps with the benefit of a little oxygen. If you have difficulty with this, try talking out loud while on course, or in your head during a Dressage test. This will help you to relax and breathe naturally.
When you ride powerfully "forward to the base" of your jumps you allow your horse to jump in such a way that is actually the easiest and most natural for him. Powerful, but not necessarily fast. This is about impulsion, not speed.
Building the horse's power right to the base of the jump means that he stresses his hocks less on the takeoff. The horse that is underpowered has to push that much harder to get over that jump. And being balanced with his hind legs well under him means less stress on his front legs on the landing side.
Cross training is SO good for horses. Horses will likely enjoy their job even more after a "change of scenery", or by trying something new. Much as we often do our jobs with a better attitude after doing something different for a while and then going back to the job.
"Believe in classical dressage, particularly if you have a horse who is a tough subject. Eventually, it will pay off and you will have a happy, healthy, sound horse who wants to do the work."
When you first begin to work on movements like shoulder in and haunches in, always start out with minimal angle and focus more on the quality of the bend.
"Sit on your bum. If you do that you’re part of the movement. If you squeeze with your thighs you can’t sit. Stay soft in your hips, draw yourself into the saddle and keep the calf just against his rib cage." ~ Bettina Hoy
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.
Without understanding and some degree of feel, you will have a hard time reproducing the good moments that you might achieve in lessons. This is why it is so important that your instructor has the ability to help you understand the details of each training concept, and to help you to learn how to feel those details.
"If the rider can halt his horse in any lateral movement, so that it stands quietly in the same position, or ride straight forward without hesitation, it is proof that the horse was going well between hands and legs." ~ Borries von Oeynhausen
Too much repetitive motion has a tendency to inhibit muscle symmetry. Always aim to mix things up in your training (whether horse or human), so that you can develop balanced musculature.
If you hold too much rein contact on the approach to a fence that your horse is suspicious of, or is "having a look" at, you can easily cause a stop. If a jump is backing your horse off even slightly, that is a free half halt. All you have to do is ride forward!
"You have to constantly refine your program and train with the best people that you can find so that you’re always growing and staying competitive." ~ Jessica Phoenix
Think of your brain as a densely wooded area with paths running through it. Whenever you are trying to learn how to do something new, you have to blaze new pathways in your brain.
Turn on the forehand is a great tool to improve your connection and to teach your horse to engage the inside hind leg. Used early on in your warm up it will mobilize your horse’s lumbar back and hips, and will give you a chance to improve his response to your lateral aids.
"Permeability can only exist when, on the one hand, the thrust and impulsion from the hind legs reach the forehand undiminished, and on the other hand, when the weighting and flexing half-halts fully reach the hind legs. This requires the forehand and hindquarters to be aligned in such a way that, on a single track, the horse always adjusts his spine to the straight or curved line of travel, so that the hind legs follow in the same line as the front legs." ~ Waldemar Seunig
Don't half halt or make an adjustment in front of a fence unless you need to. So often I see riders that ruin their good canter on the approach by taking back unnecessarily. And the same holds true on the flat…. If you have a good trot or canter, leave it alone!
Some people misunderstand the term "on the forehand", which refers to the horse's shoulders being down, regardless of where his head and neck are positioned.
Be careful not to sit the trot too early on in a ride. Doing so before the horse is fully warmed up and truly moving through his topline can often be detrimental, as the horse is more likely to stay stiff and tight in his back.
