Video Discussion # 89: Watch Ginny Leng show us what a good show jumping canter looks like! In this video, Ginny shows us a great example of the frame that allows most horses to show their best jumping form... Her horse is round and active behind the withers in this packaged, bouncy canter, yet he is up in his shoulders with an elevated head and neck in the final strides to the jump. Notice how his nose is up, and well ahead of the vertical on the final strides of the approach to each fence, which is very important - both for balance, and for the horse to be able to have his eye truly on the top rail. In watching this, can you get a sense of how this helps a horse to rock back and spring upward most easily? Also note that when her horse was on the wrong lead or cross cantering (which was surprisingly often) she was easily able to maintain the quality of the canter, and therefore the the horse still jumped well. If well ridden, it isn't really a big deal when that happens! What are your thoughts? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to watch the video, and to read this educational discussion)Tip/Quote of the Day # 911Horses that have a smooth and naturally balanced gallop stride often have longer careers in this sport. Keep that in mind when looking for a prospect. Tip/Quote of the Day # 910Frequent transitions and half halts are ultimately what give you impulsion rather than speed from the energy in your horse's stride. Tip/Quote of the Day # 909"Relaxation is the bread and butter without which you cannot advance to stage two, balance." ~ Charles de KunffyTip/Quote of the Day # 908"A horse with impulsion will display rounder, more fluid, and more continuous action and will develop supple joints and an elastic musculature. There is a subtle vibration in the impulsive horse's body." ~ Charles de KunffyQuestion # 274: One of the horses I ride is built downhill and can get EXTREMELY heavy sometimes, especially when he is getting tired near the end of a work out. How do I combat this? (Brooke) Hi Brooke!
This of course can be a very common problem with horses that are built downhill! First of all, check out this article on Dressage with the croup high horse, which discusses ideas on how to get the best work out of this type of horse. And for a thorough description of how to make downward transitions and half halts work to truly cause your horse to carry himself better, read this... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 907From Facebook fan Andi Stockton Fox ~ "It's much easier to ride to the base of the fence when I am actively riding forward to the fence."Lauren's Blog post # 1I Think I Missed the Course Walk...
It took me a while to brew up the right ingredients for my first blog entry. Should I compose a sweet icebreaker - get to know you - “hello my name is Lauren and I love horses” sort of piece, delve straight into the matter of my day-to-day trials and tribulations with the equine species, or touch on a bit of it all? Perhaps I should set the stage so that my stories have something concrete to land upon as I express in literary fashion the goings-on of my life with horses, knowledge gathered from the past, and all of the experiences that will come henceforth. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)Tip/Quote of the Day # 906When jumping, long stirrups might seem easier to you, but shorter stirrups (within reason, of course) will make you a better rider. Video Discussion # 88: This short video shows a great example of a rider riding truly *forward* in a trot to walk transition! This short video shows a great example of a rider riding trulyforward in a trot to walk transition! Do you sometimes have trouble keeping your horse active and in front of the leg in this transition? A few things to think about:
To help yourself to more honestly ride your trot to walk transitions in a forward manner, think of... (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read on further, and to learn from this educational discussion)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 905When teaching, I am always on the lookout for signs that the horse might need a short stretching break. Sometimes it is something as subtle as a more anxious look in the horse's eyes. And sometimes it is more obvious, like the horse starts to become a little more fussy about the contact, or starts to get a little lower in front and/or heavy in his rider's hands. It is wise to give your horse a short stretch at whatever gait you are working in, exactly when your horse needs it. This keeps his body more comfortable, keeps him enjoying his work, and most importantly - builds the amount of trust that he has for his rider, and the idea of training in general.Tip/Quote of the Day # 904"Stay dedicated to the quality of the basic gaits—the suppleness and balance of the walk, trot and canter. Then as you cultivate the movements, those gaits improve." ~ Volker BrommannTip/Quote of the Day # 903A rider's rigid elbows will cause the horse's back to become correspondingly rigid.Question # 273: I'm wondering if you have any favorite exercises for strengthening a horse's back and building topline?...My old guy has been back to work for about two months after being off since June with major hoof trauma/crazy ulcer flares, He's (knock on wood) doing well, but he's lost all of his topline, and I'm having problems with him getting a little back sore. I've had a fitter out to adjust my saddle and pads to accommodate his frame now, and he's also getting body work. He's going on 21 so I know that it just takes longer to regenerate muscles on these old guys, I'm just wondering if you have an other exercises in mind beyond the tried and true long and low, that might help? I've been thinking about doing some long lining work with him, just to take my weight out of the equation, but I don't know a lot about long lining, so if you have any pointers there that might also be helpful. (Amy)
There are lots of stages of learning. In the beginning you have no idea about anything, so you don't know just how much you don't know. As you learn more, at some point you HOPEFULLY, discover just how vast the chasm in your knowledge really is. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 901The more stable you are able to keep your outside rein connection, the more quickly your horse will learn to accept it. Stable, yet elastic... like a bungee cord. Video # 85: This is Lija jumping a keyhole fence! (Click on Video Title above (in blue) to read the critique of this video)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 900Imagine the rider's body as a tree… the rider's seat and core need to be engaged and strong like the tree trunk, their long draped legs are the roots, and their arms are supple movable branches.Tip/Quote of the Day # 899"All work should be able to be done in a snaffle. Double bridle is not an instrument to get the horse’s head down!" ~ Carl HesterTip/Quote of the Day # 898If you try to teach a horse something while tension is present, his learning will be compromised. And you will be more likely to run into problems associated with the flight response.Tip/Quote of the Day # 897Horses don't generalize as easy as humans do. When we teach the horse something new, he doesn't easily apply that knowledge to other situations. You have to consciously show him how to apply it elsewhere. For example when you teach a horse to move off of your right leg, he doesn't automatically understand how to move off of your left leg. And just because he gets comfortable crossing one water jump, doesn't mean the next one is automatically safe in his mind. You may have to expose him to many different water situations before he may decide that all water is ok. Tip/Quote of the Day # 896“Look for a genuine coach with real coaching skills rather than a rider who may know how to do something, but not how to teach it. Also, find someone who has solid experience of working with riders of your level." ~ William MicklemTip/Quote of the Day # 895"Collection is a gathering of the energy – not something you get by using the reins, it is something you get by using your seat and legs." ~ Marilyn PayneTip/Quote of the Day # 894Riding with your thumbs on top keeps your hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders in a "neutral" position, which allows your joints to move most freely for an elastic rein connection.Tip/Quote of the Day # 893"Riders tend to lean back and pull on horses who are rushing, which makes a bad situation worse. When you pull back against your horse, he will usually invert, drop his back and lean against your hand. Once he is in this shape, no bit in the world will solve your problem." ~ Jimmy WoffordHow to Build Strength in Your Horse's Canter
It takes strength for a horse to canter in true self carriage with a rider on its back! And many of the difficulties that riders run into in their canter work stem from a lack of sufficient strength, and/or the understanding of how to use that strength to properly carry their riders while at the canter. Read on to find out how to build strength in your horse's canter, and to show him how to use that strength to best carry you. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
This is exactly what happens when riders... (Click on Questin Title above (in blue) to read full answer) Tip/Quote of the Day # 892“The horse has to learn to look after himself, otherwise I might as well get off and just chuck him over. And I’m not that strong. I don’t go to the gym.” ~ Ben MaherTip/Quote of the Day # 891Land from a jump thinking about what you are going to do next. Don't land thinking about what you just did.Tip/Quote of the Day # 890Half halts are one of the most important ways of increasing the horse's carrying power. Tip/Quote of the Day # 889Always remember that every top rider was once a beginner. You will progress the most if you walk that fine line between being patient with yourself as you learn and improve your skills, and pushing yourself to do what is most challenging for you to do. Tip/Quote of the Day # 888Only precise riding trains the horse correctly. Be exact in your geometry, figures, and lines.Question # 271: One of the horses I ride has been dragging his hind toes recently. The right is very worn down and the left is a tad better. I can definitely feel a weakness in his hind end, as he falls out very easily......His owner has seen and is not very worried, but he has not always done this during my time riding him. He was lame awhile back (~2 months ago) with no clear wounds, but is not at all uneven now. He had been seen by a chiropractor and has trotted out in front of a vet. Neither showed concern. However, I don't know how to fix this and I am worried. Help! (Brooke)
Hi Brooke!
While there are several different potential causes for this problem, dragging hind toes is a classic sign of... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 887Keep your hands forward thinking at all times - don't be "stealing" from the horse's hind legs.Discussion # 140: Let's discuss the very common problem of "one sidedness" in the horse! Look at this great illustration of the effects of imbalance in the horse's body. This shows the example of the horse that is right hind leg dominant. This means that the horse pushes harder with the right hind leg in general, causing the strength of the 2 trot diagonals to be slightly different. And the left lead canter will be stronger, since the right hind leg is the beginning of the left canter lead.
Because the horse with the dominant right hind leg pushes harder with that limb, he is often more on the forehand when traveling to the left. Yet he often actually prefers going that direction because it is the easist for him.
So, let's discuss how to fix this problem! What specific exercises should you do for the horse in this example... that wants to stay kind of "curled" to the right, pushing more strongly with the right hind leg? And tell us what specific crookedness problems you have with your horse(s)! (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to see the descriptive illustration, and to read this educational discussion)Tip/Quote of the Day # 886"Nothing is as impressive or as valuable for the training as being able to control the impulsion and the desire to go forward to such an extent that the rider is able to bring his horse to a standstill from an extended trot or canter without the slightest effort or disturbance. Conversely, departing immediately from the halt into an extended gait is an equal proof of the absolute desire to go forward." ~ Alois PodhajskyVideo # 84: This is Lija schooling a water jump with a skinny! (Click on Video Title above (in blue) to read the critique of this video)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 885Riders can benefit SO much from discussions about their riding. Riding is as much cognitive as it is physical - both aspects need to be exercised to truly improve!Tip/Quote of the Day # 884"I don't want riders who work physically hard. Work by thinking." ~ Nuno OliveiraVideo # 83: This is Lija doing a show jumping round! (Click on Video Title above (in blue) to read the critique of this video)
“You think it’s quite boring, but this is the foundation. It’s like building a house. If you have a bad foundation, you’re going to have a bad house.” ~ Charlotte Dujardin
Tip/Quote of the Day # 880"A horse with impulsion will display rounder, more fluid, and more continuous action and will develop supple joints and an elastic musculature. There is a subtle vibration in the impulsive horse's body." ~ Charles de KunffyTip/Quote of the Day # 879The best way to fix a bad habit is to exaggerate the opposite for a while. So, what will YOU be exaggerating for a while?Photo # 69: This is Lija!(Click on Photo Title above (in blue) to read the critique of this photo)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 878The more "black and white" you can be when working with horses, the more confidence they will have in you. They have to have a clear understanding of your aids and your expectations.Tip/Quote of the Day # 877To get the best out of a horse with a sense of humor, you must be a rider with a sense of humor :)Tip/Quote of the Day # 876"If you know enough, you know that it is not worth experimenting or using gimmicks, you know there is nothing you personally can invent right now, because both equine and humans structure and psychology have not changed much over the last centuries. The body of knowledge handed down to us represents the sum total of the best results from the past." ~ Charles de Kunffy
