"When I think of the rider's aids, I am reminded of an anecdote that is told about one of the world's great pianists, who was asked how difficult it was to learn to play the piano as he did. "It is really not difficult at all," he replied. "You only have to figure out which fingers go on what keys, and for how long. Then you practice for the rest of your life so that you can do it up to tempo." Communicating with the horse is about the same." ~ Bert de Nemethy
Here is an exercise from Ian Stark that will sharpen up any horse, and teach him to think for himself over fences. But fair warning... it is only for riders who are especially brave! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 962Every time you change direction, your horse needs to bring his new inside hind leg more under his body to balance. If he doesn't do this, you will feel a loss of balance, and the result will be that he comes off of the aids. This is another example of the fact that you don't fix the problem in the mouth, you fix it in the horse's hind legs.Tip/Quote of the Day # 961If your horse is strung out and on the forehand, they are more likely to slip, trip, stumble, etc. Just one of the many reasons you should strive to keep your horse balanced at all times! Quiz # 28: Rule Quiz! True or false - Gloves are required in the Dressage phase at the Preliminary level True or false - Gloves are required in the Dressage phase at the Preliminary level (Click on Quiz Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)Tip/Quote of the Day # 960“I never really work a horse for longer than four or five minutes. I want to take a quick break, and then we go again. Any of you who’ve worked out know how much a break of 30 seconds can help. It gets some oxygen back into the muscles.” ~ Steffen PetersTip/Quote of the Day # 959From member Sharon Fitzgerald ~ "Lengthen the horse's top line so the bottom can engage. Any contracture of the top line will be counterproductive."Tip/Quote of the Day # 958From Facebook fan Barbara Martin ~ "If you don't have ground manners and ground respect, you won't have a completely full and trusting partnership."Brianna's Blog Post # 13: Years That Ask and Years That Answer
Years That Ask and Years That Answer
(My recent visit with the master of success, the great American Pharoah)
I was fortunate to be forced by some educational reasoning to read “Their Eyes Were Watching God” over winter break. This really equates to forcing myself to procrastinate and read the whole book in two days as is my tradition. It is my belief that procrastination really means “being a pro at the last minute” thus its definition is easier to live by. None the less my unhealthy habits are not the moral of my story. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
There are lots of different ingredients that add up to good jumping... but no matter what type of approach you are making, or what kind of jump you are approaching, there is one golden rule that you must follow as a rider to have a good jump! Read on to find out what it is! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 956“When you get on, you should feel that your [jumping length] stirrups are a little bit short,” he said. “As you warm up, as you come out of the saddle and come forward and jump, you should feel that you’re coming into a more comfortable position. If when you get on, you’re comfortable in your stirrups, they’re invariably too long.” ~ William Fox-PittVideo # 87: This is my lesson from today. This is my new 4 year old OTTB (never raced, just race trained)....As you can tell in the beginning the construction going on had her a bit nervous. We also jump fairly well off the right lead, but really struggle going to the left. I'm starting to feel a bit better about staying with her over the jumps, as long as we are cantering. Wondering if you have any exercises for myself to help me stay with her better and learn her jumping style as well as anything you see she needs improvement on in her jumping/flatwork. Thanks! (Kayla) (Click on Video Title above (in blue) to read the critique of this video)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 955Too often I see riders asking their horses to be forward and in front of their leg, and not getting the response they are looking for - yet they still move on to the next thing they had planned! Whether the next thing you plan to do is a jump or a dressage movement, your best bet would be to put that on hold for a moment, and really insist that your horse responds 100% to your leg. You won't get much else done without that quality.OC Question # 2: How can you tell if a horse is ready to move up a level?
How can you tell if a horse is ready to move up a level? (Click on OC Question Title above (in blue) to read their answers)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 954Always remember that what you do habitually will feel normal to you, whether it is right or wrong.Video Discussion # 90: This video shows the various lateral movements in detail, and demonstrates the great exercise of transitions back and forth between shoulder in and renvers.This video shows the various lateral movements in detail, and demonstrates the great exercise of transitions back and forth between shoulder in and renvers. What are your thoughts on this video? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to watch video, and read this educational discussion) Tip/Quote of the Day # 953"When working on your horse's balance, keep in mind that horses can't be balanced under unbalanced riders. We always need to begin with the education and balance of the rider." ~ Debbie McdonaldTip/Quote of the Day # 952Your weight or seat aid trumps your leg and hand aids at all times. So if you are unconsciously giving conflicting aids with your weight/seat and your legs or hands, your horse will usually not do exactly what you expect him to do.Tip/Quote of the Day # 951You drive your horse heavily into your hands when you lean back even slightly behind the vertical.Lauren's Blog post # 3European Adventure!
My adventure through Europe was nothing short of extraordinary. The sights, the tastes, the culture, and, of course, the horses were all incredible, and traveling with locals meant it wasn’t any sort of typical tourist vacation. For two whole weeks I immersed myself in an atmosphere, not to mention language, which was completely foreign to me- and I loved every second. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)Tip/Quote of the Day # 950
“I start by stretching the horse and trying to make him relaxed and supple. It’s a bit like gymnastic with a horse, dressage is. You wouldn’t expect a gymnastics person to just go and start their workout; they do a nice stretch in the warm-up first.” ~ Charlotte Dujardin
Tip/Quote of the Day # 949When your horse is impressed by a jump, and gathers itself a bit to look on the approach, you have a free half halt. Do not get caught taking back in this situation, or you may cause your horse to stop. Think "keep the hind legs moving" all the way to the base of the jump to ensure that you maintain sufficient forward energy as the horse looks. Yet don't push them out of balance by trying to run at the jump.Different Half Halts For Different Situations
The key to doing any movement well lies in the preparation for that movement. And half halts are a very important part of the preparation for just about every movement or transition. However, you need to know exactly how to best utilize the half halt at that particular moment. While the essence of the half halt remains the same across the board, the ingredients and focus of your half halt may need to be adapted slightly to suit each individual situation, to give you the best result. (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
It sounds like you are dealing with the very common problem of... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer) Tip/Quote of the Day # 947The horse that wants to fall out on circles should work more often on a square figure than a circle, until the rider has better control of the outside of the horse's body.Discussion # 142: A rather random Dressage thought for the day on riding precise circles!A rather random Dressage thought for the day on riding precise circles... Remember the old game "Operation"?? Where you had to use something similar to a tweezers to do surgery and remove "organs" from your patient? And you had to be very focused on the shape of your borders of the hole on all sides, because if you touched one side - BEEP, the alarm would go off, and his nose would light up! Riders who are sometimes challenged with the shape of their circles should try thinking about that game when they are doing their circles. Each circle should have 4 equal quadrants. And if you move to the outside on one quadrant, BEEP, an alarm should go off in your head! Kind of silly and random, I know! But it may click with someone, and help them to pay more attention to the precision of their circles! What do you think? Might this visual help you to think about and be more aware of any tendency to bulge out on parts of your circle? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
“Should you find a wise critic to point out your faults, follow him as you would a guide to hidden treasure.” Buddha (really, it is a Buddha quote, no fooling!)
Once again I found myself at another, "Give-Peace-a-Chance-Breathe-Deeply-Envision-a-Perfect-Ride" sports psychology seminar focused on Anxiety in the Rider. Yes, horse related practices once again... (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Everyone knows that riders need to develop an independent seatto be effective, and to be able to move fluidly in harmony with their horse while giving them precise and invisible aids. But did you also know that we need to have independent hands? I am not talking about simply having quiet, still hands that follow the horse's motion because of the shock absorbers in the rider's elbows. This is more specific to the hand itself, and is surprisingly not often discussed! In fact, this may be what has been themissing keyto your ability to establish a good rein connection with your horse! Read on to find out about this essential skill! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 942The horse points his nose at what he wants to see in focus. This is why we want our horse's head and nose UP on the approach to their fences, and why we need to allow them to lower their heads and look at the takeoff of an open ditch or a drop fence.Tip/Quote of the Day # 941What do we want from our horses over fences? Consistency and balance. If we as riders are more consistent and balanced with our own position as we ride a course, we make achieving that with the horse much easier.Tip/Quote of the Day # 940When your horse is spooking, don't stare at whatever it is that they are looking at. Look where you want to go, and don't let any of his antics change your focus. Tip/Quote of the Day # 939One of the biggest reasons riders meet resistance when attempting to control their horse's canter is that they stop following the motion of the horse's head and neck with their elbows.Tip/Quote of the Day # 938There must always be a medium trot or canter within your collected gait. If you feel that you could not simply release your collected trot or canter into a medium gait, then you do not have true collection - you merely have a horse that is going slowly.Tip/Quote of the Day # 937Especially in front of really wide rampy jumps, it is tempting for riders to soften the reins too much, to sort of "help" the horse to go forward. The bigger the jump, and the faster the speed on the approach, the more important it is for the rider to maintain the feel of the horse's mouth in the last stride.Guest Blog post # 66: "Fit Bit-itis" by Bill WoodsFit Bit-itis
I began this morning with a roll of the eyes, one which I shared with the instructor who passed this vignette along to me. Seems her student was watching her school a promising 2nd/3rd level horse and observed that she was giving him a lot of short walk breaks during their work. (An approach, by the way, heartily endorsed by Steffen Peters)... (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)Tip/Quote of the Day # 936Riders with short arms need to ride with longer reins.Tip/Quote of the Day # 935"Don't take the tempo down without revving the engine." ~ Chris BartleAdding More *Scope* to Your Lateral Work - For Better Dressage Scores!
We all know that lateral work is a very important part of the training of the Dressage or Event horse. Well ridden lateral exercises make a horse more responsive, strengthen and gymnasticize his body, and lead to improved carriage by increasing the level of hind leg engagement. Read on to learn about some specific exercises that you can do within your lateral work, to help you to maximize these benefits by increasing your horse's suppleness, range of motion, and the overall scope of his movement. All of which will lead to better scores in the Dressage ring! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 934"Cross country rides best when you attack it. Don't let IT attack you." ~ Jonathan HollingTip/Quote of the Day # 933Put your leg on just before you start to shorten your reins after the free walk or the stretching trot circle. This way you can ride forward into that shorter rein (as well as asking for bending) even as you are shortening them. The increased activity of the hind legs will lift the horse's head and neck naturally from your stretching position, and that allows you to shorten the reins with minimal fuss. If you start to shorten your reins with your leg off, and your horse will be more likely to hollow his back and resist. Discussion # 141: Check out this cross country complex! This sure is quite an interesting and challenging water complex, with a lot going on visually for the horses to digest! Who can tell us what the pros and cons are for being able to see the white skinny fence underneath the first element as you approach it? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 932Always look for the feeling of a shoulder fore positioning in your half pass. This will help to prevent the haunches from leading, or the horse from leaning heavily on the inside shoulder. And it will also help to keep more engagement in the inside hind leg, with more impulsion overall in the movement.Tip/Quote of the Day # 931Prepare for a flying change by making sure that your horse is responding sharply to what will be your new inside leg. Make sure he feels very active and responsive to that aid, while staying loose through his body, before you ask for the change.Tip/Quote of the Day # 930You cannot make your horse jump cleanly, so don't try to pick him up with your hands and legs, and attempt to throw him over the fence with your body, Instead - set them up for success, and then let them jump cleanly.
