"When you do something too much, too long, it’s called drilling. That’s not a good word with horses. If it’s not perfect it's ok. We have tomorrow, we have next week. Don’t be excessive with the horse." - George Morris
A good contact with the horse's mouth usually only occurs if the rider also has good contact with their seat and legs. When a rider tries to keep rein contact with their legs completely off, the horse will usually resist or try to avoid the rider's hand.
Let's say that you are are running at the Intermediate level here... So you are hunting red numbers! What part of the drop fence at A would you aim at with the plan of best setting yourself up for success at the C element? What part of the up bank at B would you jump to give you the best line for the final element? And at what speed would you approach this complex? (Click on Discussion title above, to join in or read this educational discussion)
"I really want to emphasize that a rider first rides a horse with the legs and seat; then come the rein aids, as a support to the seat and legs. These three things together subsequently determine the quality contact that leads to the complete harmony and understanding between the horse and rider." ~ Johann Hinnemann
Slipping the reins in the final strides in front of a drop into water must be done gradually and inconspicuously. Slipping the reins too much all at once, or doing it at the last second, and you can negatively affect the horse's balance.
When working with a horse that does not have a great natural lengthening, make sure that you don't ask for too much too soon. Compare this to a singer who is training their vocal cords… They gradually expand their vocal range until they hit their limit. This helps to prevent them from overextending themselves, and builds up confidence in their abilities.
If you ask for too much angle in any lateral movement (more than your horse can handle at that moment,) you risk impeding the balance and fluidity of the movement, which should be one of your top priorities.
Look at the difference in this horse's musculature and carriage with time and training! What are the improvements that you notice from the top picture to the bottom? (Click on Discussion title above, to join in or read this educational discussion)
Many performance horses work hard for a living! And since horses don't have the ability to verbally voice their complaints, it is 100% up to us as owners, riders, and trainers to make sure they are truly comfortable in their jobs. While an obvious lameness is usually fairly easy to see, it becomes a whole lot more tricky when the horse isn't outright lame, yet is NQR, or "not quite right."
Some of the more common areas of chronic soreness that I find in horses is in the Lumbar back, the Sacroiliac joint, and the Lumbosacral junction, which connects the two: (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
"Lesson quote of the day (in reference to her horse being crooked) - He feels like two men in a horse suit who aren't speaking to each other! (identity of student being protected :)" ~ Carrie Wehle
"Many riders in the name of impulsion, put too much tension in their horses. Others in the name of lightness, have their horse 'abandoned' (without a sufficient connection). The truth of equitation is in between those two extremes." ~ Nuno Oliveira
When trying to improve the activity and engagement of your horse's hind legs in downward transitions, think of a trot in place and dancing your way to the walk or halt.
First of all, I'm glad that you had so much fun at your hunter pace! Those are always so much fun and such a great experience for both horse and rider. And they are getting harder and harder to find, unfortunately. I'm glad you have access to one! Now, onto your question!
I think you will find all of the answers that you are looking for in this article on the horse that drifts when jumping. But there is something that I also want to mention that shows up in this series of photos.... (Click on Photo/Question Title above to read the full answer and critique of these photos.)
"One of the goals of dressage is to recreate the natural beauty of the horse’s gaits under the rider, so that the horse moves as beautifully under the weight of the rider as he does at liberty. In order to achieve this, the swinging of the horse’s back has to pass through the seat of the rider undiminished. The back has to be able to rise and fall with the same ease, regardless of the rider’s presence. If the rider merely sits passively, his weight alone can sometimes be enough to diminish the freedom of movement of the horse’s back. In these moments, the rider has to enhance the upswing of the horse’s back with an active contraction of his abdominal muscles, which helps the rider’s pelvis to swing more forward-upward, without tilting forward, however." ~ Thomas Ritter
"The half halt is essential to change the horse’s balance because it creates engagement. Engagement has two parts. First, the horse carries more weight behind by shifting back onto the hind end. Then, because he activates his core muscles, he is able to lift the forehand." ~ Kathy Connelly
I took a lesson from a dressage instructor last week and am confused about something she said. We were on a circle when she told me to use the bit on the "bars". She had me using an opening inside rein, pulling down on the outside rein while keeping my hands far apart. My mare was giving and soft, chewing the bit, so it was working. What is the bit usually on? I thought it always sits on the horse's bars, so I'm a bit confused. Also,it's very difficult to recreate it at home. Can you clarify this for me? (Anonymous)
The bars of the horse's mouth are extremely sensitive, and many riding disciplines take advantage of this fact by using downward pressure on the bars to teach the horse to submit to rein pressure by lowering their head. An example of this is... (Click on Question Title above to read full answer)
"You’re not going to get a quicker reaction 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
Ask people what advice they would leave behind for the next generation and you will get a lot of plausible answers. Many say, “work hard” or “do what you love.” Others say, “be kind” or “give more than you get.” All of these are good things to ask of oneself and others, but one of the most interesting answers I have heard was on trust. This person, who I admire and even more so after hearing their explanation, said, “build trust in everything you do. Whether it is a business relationship or personal relationship make sure everything you do is building trust rather than breaking it.” I had not thought of trust in this way before. I know trust is good, but to make it a priority was profound to me. (Click on Blog Title above to read full entry)
Many horses need to be in true self carriage to regularly jump cleanly in the show jumping phase. Meaning that you have to be able to soften the reins in front of each jump without the horse changing their canter.
Have you ever noticed how much better our electronic devices such as our smartphones and computers seem to run after we refresh or reset them? Letting go of all the data overload and junk files, and closing all of the unnecessary apps that were running in the background allows our devices to work as good as new much of the time.
The same is often true in our riding. Refreshing or resetting our aids "wipes the slate clean", so to speak, allowing the horse to better focus on and hear our light aids. Continue reading to find out how and when to reset your aids! (Click on Article Title above to read full entry)
"The engine has got to be revving, and then you put your pedal to the floor and it will go. Sometimes you have to get the engine screaming." ~ Chris Bartle
