This is a great question! Rhythm is so important, and with come horses it can be so challenging to maintain! Think about the fact that every time the rhythm changes, something changed to make that happen. Often what happens is that the horse has become tense or anxious (maybe because the rider has?), so the rhythm becomes quick or erratic. Or the horse is losing energy, which will make the rhythm slower and more labored. But commonly it is due to a loss of balance, which can cause the rhythm to change in every possible way. Here are some things to think about, and some exercises to try, to help you improve your horse's canter rhythm... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer) Tip/Quote of the Day # 555“The collected trot is that which desires to be in the extended trot. Do you feel the extended trot alive in it?” ~ Robert DoverDiscussion # 108: This is how many riders ride through their turns! Take a look at these two pictures... This is how many riders ride through their turns! The rider on the left is cantering through a right turn to a jump, but the rider on the right is merely walking on a cirle to the left.And these are both quite experienced riders! What effect do you think this will have on their horses? And what should they do to fix this problem? Do you think YOU have this problem?? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 554To check that you are maintaining enough forward energy when you collect your horse, ask yourself if you could easily jump a big fence with the walk, trot, or canter that you have.Tip/Quote of the Day # 553If your instructor is the type that teaches you the reasons behind each aid or exercise used in each specific circumstance, you will become a more educated rider with a greater ability to be productive on your own time. So many do not - and with this type of instructor, you are much less likely to become an independent rider.Tip/Quote of the Day # 552You can tell how correctly a horse works on a regular basis by looking at his musculature. If his neck muscles are "upside down", or if there is any lack of topline muscle between the withers and the croup, the horse does NOT work correctly over the back on a regular basis.Firn's Blog Post # 6On Attitudes and Goals
As we stand on the threshold of 2015, the time for setting goals and dreaming dreams is upon us. We're busy grinding off some rusty edges and working off Christmas Eve dinner (which has such a depressing habit of depositing itself soundly in the region of one's waistline) in preparation for the new year, the new competition season, and all the hard work that comes with it.
Ha ha! No, wide behind was definitely not a comment about anyone's physical appearance! In Dressage terms, it means... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 549
The mouth is never the real problem, what you feel in your hand is a reflection of what is happening behind the saddle. Get the back relaxed and swinging, and the hind legs active, and the horse will feel like putty in your hands.
Is your horse hard to stop sometimes? Does he tend to drag you to the jumps? Or do you just feel like you are maybe a little out of control when galloping through a big open field?? If so, don't feel bad... you are not alone! Many riders have trouble with their brakes! And this problem can range from mildly annoying to outright dangerous! If your horse tends to get strong, then this article is for you! Read on to find out how to reinstall your brakes! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Tip/Quote of the Day #548Great advice from member Kate Pacey Saulle! ~ "When you let go of the fear, the fear lets go of you. I am ( after a few years of struggling with it) fear free when faced with jumping. It is so overwhelming wonderful. So, my advice, don't give up! How did it happen? A little background, I am a lifelong rider. In my mid-late 30's I had an erosion of confidence. Too much riding alone, green horses, no trainer to help. A mess! I moved, started fresh, found a dressage/eventing trainer. Still something was not right, more erosion. Nothing I knew was right and unknowingly I was not making the forward progress I needed. So, enter the beginning of the solution. This is where it gets good! Find someone to ride with. Not a trainer, a good, steady confident rider. Someone who has your back. Someone that at the drop of a hat would pony you, hop on your horse, turn around and start home because your nerves are shot . Very important here, get out of the ring! Go ride terrain. Go up hills, down hills, through woods, creeks . Do it at a walk, then trot, then canter and finally fast. Next thing, this one is hard to swallow for many, ride the right horse. This might not be the horse you own. You will not conquer your fear if you fear your horse. I gave my young, I spent too much time on being afraid of horse, to a talented young rider and I got myself a horse I can be successful on. It has been life changing! Final step: jump. I have many straps to hold onto but with the right horse and the fitness gained from riding terrain, I jump stuff without fear. It is so much fun, I am addicted. So, ladies, it can be done but some hard decisions and choices must be made. Good luck."Discussion # 107: Let's discuss the apparent contradiction of these two major riding concepts!Many trainers preach "Ride every stride!", and yet others say "Cease the aids - let the horse perform on his own until you need to make a change." On the surface, these appear to be contradictory statements. But are they really? Do you think there is a way that they both can be true? In which instances would each be more appropriate, in your opinion?Tip/Quote of the Day # 547I can tell much about the level of rideability you will have at the jumps by watching you perform simple changes of lead through the trot.Tip/Quote of the Day # 546The more you can leave your horse alone through gymnastic work, the more he will actually learn from it.Tip/Quote of the Day # 545Proper hand position will help you to remain loose and supple in your arms. Deviating in any way from the perfect hand position will immediately cause your arm muscles to tighten.Firn's Blog Post # 5Why Ride?
Clients closing their stables for the holidays + ALL my horses having downtime due to vaccines that require rest after administration = very little riding for this Horse Mutterer’s apprentice. In fact, I am down to one poor little grey horse to ride; the Mutterer’s white gelding. Luckily, he is a pleasant ride and can jump and do outrides, so I’m able to keep sort of in practice, but I’m down from 4-6 hours of saddle time daily to that many hours a week. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)Tip/Quote of the Day # 544When you realize that you are meeting a jump on a half stride, it can be challenging to keep a calm, clear head! Give yourself something constructive to think about, and tell yourself to just stay still and keep riding your horse's hind legs all the way till the takeoff. Tip/Quote of the Day # 543Many riders place their saddles too far forward! Make sure that the solid parts of the saddle are behind the horse's shoulder, to allow for freedom of the shoulder.Tip/Quote of the Day # 542Many riders have a tendency to throw away the rein contact when asking for an upward transition. All that does is encourage the horse to make the transition by throwing his weight forward onto the forehand. Stay still, and make the transition by asking the horse to step up INTO your contact from behind to start the transition. Tip/Quote of the Day # 541A trick to help you find your "bearing down" core muscles when riding is to cough quietly.Quiz # 25: Should you maintain inside flexion and bend on a canter lengthening or medium canter that goes in a straight line?Should you maintain inside flexion and bend when performing a canter lengthening or medium canter that goes in a straight line?Tip/Quote of the Day # 540The more well trained the horse is, the more often the rider can sit in "neutral", with no aids on whatsoever. Guest Blog Post # 46: "Vending Machines" by the great Bill Woods
I must have been traveling too often, staying in too many hotels....
You know how down by the ice machine next to the elevators they always have vending machines? The ones with a big Plexiglas window and a whole mess of snack items—Sun Chips and Fritos and Ring Dings and Lorna Doones—each stacked on copper spiral holders all in rows and columns? And you put your 75 or 85 cents in the slot, the machine blinks READY READY READY, and all you have to do is “Select.” Punch B-4 and grind grind fwoop, out the slot at the bottom comes your Snickers. E-6 and fwoop, here are the Cheetos. In other words, once you’ve made the preparation, the machine is equally, universally prepared to deliver you anything on its menu.
It strikes me that it isn’t a bad idea to think of making your horse a bit like one of those vending machines. This is what I mean: (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 539"When you have really long legs, don't be swinging them around and using them like clubs." ~ Catherine HaddadTip/Quote of the Day # 538"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 WoffordTip/Quote of the Day # 537Every galloping fence is an opportunity to awaken your horse's initiative, and show him how FUN it is to run and jump - and should be used as such.The Fringe Eventer Blog Post # 11
Perfecting the Halt and Maximizing Your Score
I must confess, I am darn proud of my halts and I think I have earned the right to confess my pride, especially since I’ve worked on them for years. Literally. In fact, I have never dismounted after a ride without asking my mare to halt correctly. That is unless I dismounted involuntarily. Those don’t count. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
One of the most common problems riders face when turning their horses is that of losing control of the outside shoulder to at least some degree. This exercise is a great way to work on getting more control over that outside shoulder, to help make more accurate turns - which will help you to come out of the turns straight and in better balance. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 533Always finish each ride on a good note. Do something your horse does well so he can feel good about himself.Jocelyn's Blog Post # 7Those Closest Can Be the Most Inspiring
Hannah schooling Sol - after many years of working for trainers,and riding horses for clients, Hannah has achieved a life long goal of owning her own horse and farm. I have seen her sit "chilly" on a multitude of horses and watching their progress and the relationship she could build with them always left in awe.
A strange thing happened one morning. I woke up, went downstairs, looked in the mirror, and realized I had no desire to be Buck Davidson. It isn't as though being Buck is an option, or that I have anything against him, or that I wouldn't love to have Petite Flower on my string, or even that I don't want to compete at the upper levels (because I do, someday). But, I don't want to be Buck, or any number of top professional riders. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
At some point, every year, I have to accept that winter has returned. Every year I slowly start adding more and more layers of clothes until the process of getting ready to gleefully skip to the barn through the winter wonderland, is no less that 20 minutes and 10 layers deep. This is life here in Ohio for at least four months. This year I am struggling with accepting this depressing scenario because it has come early...a whole entire MONTH early. (Click on Blog Title above to read full entry)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 529From Facebook Fan Erin Kavanaugh Kirkley ~ "If you don't know how to use your core, look up some core strengthening Pilates moves. You will discover the transversus abdominis and your riding will improve in many ways." Tip/Quote of the Day # 528Fall into using loud aids, and you will always need loud aids.Video # 74: This is Jen on her young horse! (Click on Video Title above (in blue) to read the critique of this video)
There are certainly many different ways to train a reluctant horse to go into a horse trailer! And many of those techniques utilize force or threats to convince the horse that he must comply. The technique that I prefer, however, is quite different from the others. I use the concept of release of pressure... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 526Timid horses often love a consistent routine. Bolder/braver horses often need more variety in their training.
