Question # 256: I need help with my sitting trot! (Anonymous)The key to sitting the trot well is three fold: (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 697Make sure there is a slight time lapse between a light aid and a correction. This gives the horse a chance to respond to the light aid... and it gives him a chance to learn from the reinforcement of that aid. Tip/Quote of the Day # 696"Our job is to prepare the line and canter, then ride forward to the jump. Riding forward to the jump is NOT accelerating to the jump. There is a difference. When riders got to a longer or shorter distance than ideal, the emphasis should be on the rider staying in the moment and conveying confidence to the horse." ~ William Fox PittTip/Quote of the Day # 695With horses, just like with people, let your actions speak for you. For example, you may think you are rewarding your horse when you say "Good boy" or "Good girl"… but if you don't also release the aid, your horse will not really feel rewarded for their effort.Tip/Quote of the Day # 694"Every transition you ride at home has to be a good one." ~ Charlotte DujardinTip/Quote of the Day # 693Riders often get to sitting crooked when trying to "weigh" a particular seat bone. So when I am teaching, and I want riders to use the influence of their weight or a particular seat bone as an aid, I tell them to "engage" that seat bone instead of to weigh it. Think about engaging your core to press down on the seat bone that you want to engage, while keeping your spine stretched up, and your shoulders level.Tip/Quote of the Day # 692"The goal of our training is to build the horse's mind and his muscles. Suppleness and relaxation require adequate muscle strength. strengthening requires both contraction and relaxation. Blood flow and oxygenation occur when the muscle relaxes. If the muscle is kept in a constant state of contraction, it loses power and strength, and actually becomes smaller. Frequent rest periods, especially for a young horse at a free walk on a long rein, are necessary. The rest periods are not for a rider's fatigue, but to allow the horse to stretch and relax his muscles. The rest breaks will give you a completely new horse. This is the systematic gymnasticizing of the horse." ~ Klaus BalkenholBonnie's Blog Post # 1: Introduction!
My name is Bonnie and I’m a Weenie Eventer. That is, I am scared of eventing but I also find it weirdly addicting and ridiculously fun, and I continue to do it because I love a good challenge, I’m a glutton for punishment, and I have an awesome horse who takes very good care of me. Speaking of… introductions are in order.
Meet Loki:
Loki is really good at naps. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 691So often, riders are taught to "lean back" when going down hills and over drop fences. While this is better than leaning too far forward in either of those situations, you must remember that as a rider you are where your center of gravity is, not where your shoulders are. You will be in a better position to be in harmony with your horse going down hills and on fences with drops (or any time you need to be in a defensive position, as in this article), while keeping your hip angle closed with your hips well back.The Classic Galloping Position
Classic: adjective - Judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind. Serving as a standard of excellence.
noun - Something of recognized and established value. A perfect example.
When we speak of the classical galloping position for Event riders, it is not just because it is traditional - having been used by the best riders in the history of the sport... It is also because it is fundamentally correct, with a legitimate reason behind every aspect of the rider's position. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 690The key to riding good "cross the diagonal" movements in the Dressage ring is to ride deeply in the preceding corner, while keeping the impulsion through the turns, so that the energy level stays consistent throughout the movement. Firn's Blog Post # 14
Release, Relax, Recite
My habit of riding for more or less 40 hours a week is both a blessing and a curse. Obviously the hours upon hours of practice is extremely beneficial in many ways, and I wouldn't have it any other way, but it does make it that much easier to pick up a bad habit. With the amount of time I spend in the saddle, a habit can be learnt, practiced, and solidified in less than a week. Proportionately, I also have fewer lessons than most amateur riders; while your average ammy's lessons make up 50-100% of their riding time, mine take up about 5% of my riding time, even though I have two hours of lessons a week... (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 689The more complex the movement, the more the basic foundation is tested. If you run into an issue when attempting a particular movement, always be ready to look back to that foundation to fix it. Discussion # 122: How do you best handle this situation?This rider is obviously struggling with getting his horse to properly respond to his outside turning aids at this moment, and has therefore tried to cross his outside hand over the neck to make it happen. What causes a horse to have this problem? What should the rider do in this situation to fix the problem? And what can the rider work on at home to prevent future occurrences of this issue? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
This is a great question! Scores can be a good guideline, but they can sometimes be misleading... so I wouldn't rely on them exclusively. I have seen great movers get good scores despite having solid enough basics to move up a level. And the sad truth is that the below average mover may sometimes struggle to reach scores the mid 60's despite being technically ready to move up a level. The real question is... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 687If your horse feels locked and braced against you, you are probably bracing and pulling against him yourself. He will probably never let go unless you do. Tip/Quote of the Day # 686"It's very important, especially in the first two years of training, not to specialize the young horse. Training should include a variety of activities, including trail riding, which is good for the mind as well as building strength with hill work. It should include jumping, either free or low jumps under saddle, including small natural obstacles on the trail, and cavaletti. A variety of work will allow the horse to stay mentally fresh and to enjoy his work. Only when the horse is happy can dressage become art." ~ Klaus BalkenholTip/Quote of the Day # 685If your horse is not "hot" to your leg, and you therefore need lots of leg to keep him going, how will he ever hear the leg aid that asks for something more, like lateral work or a flying change?Question # 254: At what level would a turn on the forehand show up on a dressage test? (Julie) Hi Julie!
The turn on the forehand is not in a Dressage test at any level, but I really wish it would be! Horses at the most basic levels of Eventing or Dressage should know how to do it. If a horse doesn't understand the aids for a turn on the forehand, it won't... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 684"Your corners and short sides are what make your movements. Nine times out of ten, you have to do something out of a corner. If you ride a bad corner, you ride a bad movement." ~ Charlotte DujardinVideo Discussion # 85: A must see Dressage video, showing examples of correct and incorrect movement in the trot!Great video showing examples of the flashy "show trot" that is becoming so prevalent today, and why it is not correct. Also shows some good examples and clear definitions of "leg movers" vs "back movers". A must see video! Feel free to post any questions or comments you may have. (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to watch video, and read this educational discussion)Tip/Quote of the Day # 683Even the stiffest horse can reach around and bite at a fly on its rump. The neck is already one of the most supple areas of the horse's body, and does not need any further suppling. Horses are also naturally supple in the poll and jaw. What we perceive as stiffness in these areas is simply tension and resistance to our aids. We must encourage the horse to relax in those areas, but should not attempt to "work" those areas to force suppleness. The horse primarily needs to become supple in the mid section of the body, between the withers and the croup. So that is the area you should focus on in your suppling work.Discussion # 121: What "sneaky" extra challenge does this cross country complex provide for the riders? These pictures show a seemingly straighforward Training level water complex that presents a rather sneaky extra challenge to the riders. Who can tell us what that is? If you can't see the flags on the far jump, it is a pretty straight line from 16A to 16B (the brush). (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Horses that snatch the reins in any circumstance are usually... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer) Tip/Quote of the Day # 680“You should always ride travers after the shoulder-in and not as often and long.” ~ Michael JungTip/Quote of the Day # 679Always have a plan when jumping. Each exercise should have something to teach your horse. Don't waste jumps by jumping simple jumps with no purpose - other than for warm up, or if the horse needs them for building confidence. Tip/Quote of the Day # 678"People can make looking after horses so complicated. They're happiest out in the field, living out and being worked in the field. Whereas people keep them in and feed them so many additives that it's ridiculous. They feed them this and that and so many things. There's nothing like good green grass out in the field." ~ Mary KingTall and Short Rider Problems!
Much like with our equine athletes, riders come in various shapes and sizes. And there are pros and cons to each conformation type that should be considered. Why should we bother to take the time to consider the challenges that our particular body type might present us? So that we can develop a concrete plan to improve our weaknesses. (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 677Riding backwards (too much hand and/or not enough leg) when the horse is "having a look" at a fence can easily cause a stop.Question # 252: I have a question about my jumping position. I am prone, when in motion, to tip my pelvis back - which then causes my lower leg to slip forward in front of the girth......and will even swing up onto the shoulder during landing. To compensate for this, I tip my upper body way too far forward in my "release" but sometimes my hands stay planted on the withers instead of reaching forward towards the bit. Its kind of a "C" shape, if you will. Today my coach described it "the perfect position if you're headed to an oxer with a drop on landing" but, of course, terrible for anything else, especially since most of what I'm doing now is small with my green horse. I'm behind the motion without being left behind. Or being left behind without being behind the motion. I'm not sure how to describe it. (Jen)
Hi Jen!
This is a little bit of an unusual problem for riders to have... most riders struggle with exactly the opposite! I have to wonder about the type of saddle that you are using, and whether it fits you and your horse.... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 676To be a great cross country rider, you have to be able to ride aggressively when needed - yet you have to be patient at the same time. You have to be assertive and positive without actually hurrying the horse off the ground.Tip/Quote of the Day # 675The most successful riders stay very much "in the moment", and are very attuned to feeling exactly what their horse is doing at any given moment.Discussion # 120: What type of comments do you regularly recieve from the judges on your Dressage Tests?Tell us what comments you most frequently see on your Dressage tests - and lets have a discussion about what those comments mean, and how to use that feedback to proactively improve your Dressage scores! Tip/Quote of the Day # 674A very common mistake riders make when performing the movements haunches in, half pass, or turn on the haunches is sitting too much towards the outside of the movement. To prevent this, think about stepping into the inside stirrup at the beginning of each of these movements, and again every couple of strides if necessary.Discussion # 119: Let's evaluate the quality and correctness of these extended trots. Sometimes it is easier to evaluate how correct an extended trot is by just looking at the horse's legs. Read on for a description of the good and bad in these two photos, and to add your thoughts... (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 673When jumping a fence that is a part of a complex where you feel like you need extra control, don't make the tempting mistake of hanging onto your horse's mouth in the air to try to keep that control. If you interfere with your horse's jumping motion in the air, not only will you ruin his form over the jump, but he will likely resist you, leaving you finding yourself with even less control on the landing. The more perfectly you go with your horse's motion over the jump, the more quickly you will be able to have instant communication and control upon landing.Tip/Quote of the Day # 672Don't just do trot and canter lengthenings to practice those movements for the test - they are a very important tool for increasing hind leg activity! Tip/Quote of the Day # 671If you get to riding with your reins a bit too long, you will be tempted to use your hands in a backwards way. It is easier to make a connection with truly forward feeling hands when your reins are sufficiently shortened.Guest Blog Post # 55: "The Last to Find Out is Always…" by Bill Woods
It may come as no giant surprise that what something feels like and what it looks like are often not the same. That’s why we have video, why we have mirrors, and why we have frustrated instructors who can’t figure out why their students won’t do as they’re told. (Click on Blog Title above to read full entry)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 670"Rein aids don't work if your horse is not ahead of your legs." ~ Yvonne BarteauTip/Quote of the Day # 669With horses that get strong or play up after fences, it can be a good exercise to halt after each fence to instill discipline. And whenever a horse is difficult to halt, I add a rein back. This will teach them that they need to be ready to halt when they land, and helps to create a situation where they are waiting for you on the landing side of the fences.The Bow Tie Exercise
The Bow Tie exercise is a great suppling exercise, and its soothing nature can make it extremely useful for tense or rigid horses... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
To be an effective jumping rider, you need to be able to clearly identify the moment of landing from each jump. Only if you can precisely feel the exact moment of landing... and have true clarity of thought at that moment, can you know exactly what you need to do next, and successfully begin to influence your horse in the first stride after landing. Many riders don't begin to think about or make any necessary adjustments until several strides after landing. And that is sometimes too late to be able to produce an optimal approach to the next fence. This very simple exercise will test how accurately you are aware of the moment of landing, and will help you think more quickly about what your next move needs to be... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 667In your Dressage warm up, it is most helpful to work on the specific exercises which best improve your connection, rather than the particular movements that are in your test. If you can create a good connection in the warm up, the movements themselves will be easy. Tip/Quote of the Day # 666Moving up to a jump by pushing the horse into a longer stride or frame will change the horse's balance at a time when he most needs it to stay the same. Instead, create a canter with sufficient impulsion early on in the approach, and ride forward within the stride and balance that you have to maintain that balance. Tip/Quote of the Day # 665When things are not going especially well in training, you must go out of your way to find things to reward. This will help to keep your horse's level of confidence in you as high as possible, and will motivate him to keep trying for you.
