1. Find a hobby you enjoy.... A lot. As riders we spend a lot of time doing what we love. You should probably take the time to find something to occupy this time to avoid sounding silly when you say something like "are you ever coming home??" (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
In Dressage, it is often said that the trot is the easiest gait to improve... and the walk is the easiest gait to ruin. And, in my experience, both are very true. Only through correct Dressage training, and judicious use of the various exercises we have available, will you be able to bring out the best trot that your horse is capable of. Here are some specific exercises to work on, to bring out the best in your horse's trot: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Horses tend to try to lean on the bit when their balance is too far forward. The bit then becomes somewhat of a "fifth leg" for them, to support the extra weight of their front end. They can, however, only use the bit for support if the rider lets them. So if you just keep holding that extra weight in your hands, you are enabling the problem. But what you don't want to do is something that I see happen all too often... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 227From Facebook fan Annette Gaynes ~ "Scott Peterson gave me advice of thinking of myself as a chimney and letting my horse's tension pass through my body and out instead of holding it in so it could build." Kirsten's Blog Post # 1
Do you ride a Girafferator?
Does your horse have the bending and suppleness of a refrigerator?
Is his or her favorite head set reminiscent of that of a giraffe?
I'm here to tell you, I understand! (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Imagine that you are swinging around a ball on a string over your head, like in the above picture. What happens when you let go of the string? The ball goes flying to the outside of the circle, right? This is due to the power of centrifugal force, whose official definition is: "The apparent force that draws a rotating body away from the center of rotation. It is caused by the inertia of the body as the body's path is continually redirected." The greater the mass of the object, or the speed of the rotation - the more the effects will be felt. So how do you think this concept will impact your riding? (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 226"The horse’s response cannot be to say to his rider, 'You blinked. I can’t jump when you blink. I can’t work under these conditions!' Oh, no. The fact that you needed three-sixteenths of an ounce more pressure with your reins or that your heels could have been down another five degrees has nothing to do with it. He knows how to jump. You arranged an obstacle in his path, and his job is to jump—first time, every time." ~ Jimmy WoffordTip/Quote of the Day # 225You can give the rein without throwing away the contact. As with most things in riding, giving the rein should be subtle. Tip/Quote of the Day # 224“Teaching is more than imparting knowledge, it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts, it is acquiring understanding.” ~ William Arthur WardQuestion # 175: I'm a new member to your site and am just loving watching all the videos and reading all the articles. I've learned a lot already! I do have a couple of questions for you.I haven't done much eventing, and what little I have done was 15 years ago or so. I'm looking to get back into it - I've always wanted to and I finally have the time/money/horses to do so. I am a professional in the hunter and jumper world and have shown at a lot of the high level shows (A and AA rated) run by USEF/USHJA. Does my professional status in the hunter/jumper ring affect what level I am allowed to enter in the eventing world? I would love to be able to take this year slow so I have the chance to figure out what I'm doing - maybe stick to beginner novice or novice level so my horses and I stay well within our comfort zone. But I don't want to step on anyone's toes or break any rules. I was also wondering if there is a resource for finding clinics in my area. I'm familiar with a couple of the local instructors and eventing barns, but haven't been able to find any info on clinics, etc. (Maybe it's just too early for them to have posted the info yet.) Thanks! (Kellyn)
Hi Kellyn!
Welcome back to the wonderful sport of Eventing! In the Eventing world, there are very few amateur and professional divisions. Usually you will find each level will offer an "open" division, a "horse" division, and a "rider" division. So if you are competing at the Novice level, you would have the option of entering Open Novice, Novice Horse, or Novice Rider. Open Novice would be open to everyone. Novice Horse means... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Was the horse out of work too? Or just the rider? Is she the only one who has this problem on this horse? If the horse has been out of work for a while as well, and he's doing this with other riders, it may be that he has a niggling obscure physical problem that is making him crabby and unwilling to work. Or maybe he has changed shape some, and has a saddle fitting issue? If the problem is truly only with this rider, then it sounds like she needs to find a way to increase his respect for her. Read this entry on dealing with the lazy and/or naughty horse, for some ideas of ways for her to improve his level of respect for her... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 223Always be on the lookout for the horse's natural tendency to step to the outside of its body with the outside hind leg in circles and turns, in an attempt to avoid loading the hind legs. Only by truly bending in the ribcage and staying on the track with the hind legs will riding figures cause the horse to carry more weight behind. Tip/Quote of the Day # 222Riders who can accept and learn from criticism will generally improve the most. Tip/Quote of the Day # 221If you keep your horse balanced at the gallop between fences, you will have less "set up" work to do in front of the jumps. This means that you can be faster, smoother, and more efficient at the fences. Which will help to preserve your horse's energy on course, as well as his overall soundness. An Exercise to Improve Your Ability to Coordinate Your Aids
Much of your success as a rider relies on your ability to give clear and concise aids. And as you move up the levels, the more intricate movements require that you become adept at coordinating those aids, while still being very precise. Here is a very basic exercise that a rider at any level can do to work on improving the timing and coordination of the aids, as well as the ability to feel and process information more quickly: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
It sounds like you have a smart horse who is used to getting his way! What you need to do is... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 220You cannot judge how "light" a horse is entirely by the feel of the reins. Many times riders are fooled into thinking they have found true lightness, when in fact the horse is just posing in a false frame. Use the "As If" Principle to Improve Your Riding (Current Freebie!)
Your mind is a powerful tool! Did you know that acting as if we already have a particular quality will help us to produce it? While not always true of course (after all, I have been "acting" as if I am a multi millionaire lately... and that does not seem to be coming true...), it has been scientifically proven to be true in many circumstances!
This is from the book, "The As If Principle" by Dr. Richard Wiseman:
“Common sense suggests that the chain of causation is: You feel happy — You smile You feel afraid — You run away
The As If theory suggests that the opposite is also true: You smile — You feel happy You run away — You feel afraid”
He goes on to show multiple scientific examples of how acting "as if" we feel an emotion actually produces physiological changes in our bodies. It's about using positive action, rather than simply positive thinking. Here are a few cool examples: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 219Systematic, progressive training is like stacking one building block squarely on top of another, to eventually build a strong, solid building. Done this way, you have a solid foundation, and can simply "go back a step" if you run into difficulties.Discussion # 83: How would you ride this fence?Does the ground line of the ditch in front of this corner change the line in which you would approach and ride it? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
As a young trainer I have learned through training more than I have through being trained. There's a saying that states that the toughest horses teach the most and I have learned this first hand. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 218Do not let your hot horse train you to ride with no leg. Every horse must learn to accept both the hand and the leg. Tip/Quote of the Day # 217Don't wait until the horse is doing something perfectly to reward. You must reward the horse when he begins to go in the right direction of the correct response, however slightly that may be.Photo # 55: This is Rachel! (Current Freebie!)
My horse tends to drop his knees (like in the attached picture) over fences. He doesn't ALWAYS do this, but I have been finding he has been doing it more frequently. It usually when he chips in and adds a stride, which I'm guessing is due to a canter lacking enough impulsion? I'm having a hard time getting him to have enough forward energy without letting him get fast and flat. Do you have any exercises to work on to help fix this? (Rachel) (Click on Photo Title above (in blue) to read the answer and critique of this photo)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 216If you can maintain an elastic, bungee cord like connection with the reins, no matter where the horse goes with their head, they will more quickly learn to accept that contact. The Nervous Novice Blog Post # 3
Dear Nervous Novice,
I’ve loved horses all my life and am finally learning to ride! It took a while to get here, but I’m in my 30’s and decided it was now or never. I’m a total beginner but am learning all I can in my weekly lessons. I plan to add another riding day a week soon and maybe show before the end of the year. My problem is this – I tagged along to a show last weekend and felt like a third wheel. I wanted to be helpful, but it seemed like I was in the way the whole time. There’s so much to learn! I want to be a part of it all, but don’t want to be a pain. Any advice?
- Stumbling Block in Tomball, Tx.
Dear Stumbles... (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
While any horse may shorten its neck at times, some horses are very prone to doing so. Usually because of nervous tension in their bodies, the natural conformation of their neck, or because they are being ridden by a rider who is too strong on the reins. But sometimes horses have this tendency because they have actually been taught to shorten their neck by their rider (or a former one). This could be from riding in draw reins (even a few short times), or from incorrect front to back riding (ie "working" the bit with busy hands)... that has taught the horse to "give" to the bit. (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 214"Whenever a horse has learned a new movement or a new aid in its basic form, the rider should give him a break and deliberately ride something else for a few days or weeks. When he returns to the movement, he will notice how much more easily the training will proceed." ~ Reiner KlimkeVideo Discussion # 77: Watch and learn from this very cool video from Centaur Biomechanics!It is so educational to be able to watch videos in slow motion! You can see so much detail that is easily missed at the speed of real life. One thing that I noticed in this video, is the clever footwork done by the horses. This should help to dissolve the theory (held by some) that we must find a perfect takeoff spot for our horses! This is Badminton - probably the hardest Event in the world! And in this short video, you can see horses jumping enormous obstacles from a multitude of takeoff spots. Note in particular the jumps at :29 and 1:29, where the horse meets the jump exactly on a half stride. Since the horse is being ridden forward in balance and rhythm... and because the riders are allowing the horse to do their own footwork... the horses can cope smoothly and easily. What are your thoughts on this video? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
That's always frustrating when you feel like the improvement in your flatwork doesn't carry over into your jumping! First I want to make sure you have seen all of the posts on this site that deal with this subject. Read this one, and this one... both of which pertain to that exact problem. Since you say things are going much better in your flatwork, it sounds like you just need to find a way to apply what you have taught your horse to the jumping. Here's how to do that:
Horses can either come to the conclusion that flatwork and jumping are two entirely different things, or they can learn that jumping is flatwork with jumps in the way. What makes them learn one way or the other? (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer) Tip/Quote of the Day # 212Always refresh the forward after any period of lateral work. Tip/Quote of the Day # 211"Travers improves the horse’s bend and makes him more obedient and attentive to the calf aid." ~ Ernst Friedrich SeidlerTip/Quote of the Day # 210"First and foremost is attitude. You have got to have the right attitude to succeed. How bad do you want it?" ~ George MorrisTip/Quote of the Day # 209“For a horse to be in balance, it has to be relaxed - which is why it must not be compressed.” ~ Nuno OliveiraTip/Quote of the Day # 208
It is very important to treat each horse... and each situation, individually. When problems arise - sometimes the best answer is time, patience, and encouragement. While at other times, strong corrections might be in order. A big part of success in interacting with horses is being able to read each situation accurately. And that comes with experience.
Photo # 54: This is Kayla schooling a drop fence!I'm looking for some tips on how to get a more secure position and maybe some exercises I can do when I do my "drop schooling day". Thanks!! (Kayla) (Click on Photo Title above (in blue) to read the critique of this photo)
How may riders do you see that ride with truly good posture? If you watch carefully enough, you will probably find that the answer is not that many. And it is not that having good posture is especially hard for most people to achieve... it's that there are things about riding that can make it hard for riders to maintain that good posture.(Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Collection is something you develop by utilizing the exercises we have available to us in Dressage, namely half halts, transitions, and lateral work. Before real collection can be produced, a solid foundation must be laid down... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 206People often tend to forget their outside leg in the equation of the bending aids. If you want to achieve true bend in the horse's ribcage, your outside leg must keep the hind quarters on the track. The Short Backed Horse
There are many positive aspects to the conformation trait of being "short backed" in a horse. Short backs are usually stronger, and horses with this quality are often easier to ride. They are typically easier for riders to keep "together" between the hand and leg, and to maneuver through turns and figures. But there are drawbacks to this trait as well! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
That is a really good question! I think it certainly could! Anyone who tends to ride in a "chair seat" (with their legs out in front of them, and their weight falling backwards), needs to evaluate the balance of their saddle to make sure they are not fighting a losing battle when they are trying to fix this problem. (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 204From Facebook fan David Wilson ~ "Communicate more effectively - not necessarily more vigorously."The Nervous Novice Blog Post # 2The Nervous Novice Solves Beginner Riders' Greatest Dilemmas... #2 – Going With the Flow
Dear Nervous Novice,
I’ve been riding for close to two years, usually twice a week, one lesson and one practice ride by myself. I’m still fighting falling forward or back, mainly at the posting trot, and it really doesn’t matter which of the barn’s horses I’m riding. Everyone I ride with says this will improve with practice, and my instructor just tells me to keep at it. I get around OK for my flatwork and am even cantering little jump courses, but it bothers me that I still feel unsteady at the trot. How many more years will it take?
- Tipping Like a Metronome in Kalispell
Dear Tipsy... (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)Tip/Quote of the Day # 203Always try to think ahead and set yourself up for success. Prevention is better than correction.
