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Question # 169: I really need help with my leg position! My issue is that my leg swings too far back in jumping, 2 point, and some transitions. I also lift my heel often.
What happens in reality when I am jumping, is that I am slightly ahead of the motion, and I believe I am trying to avoid catching my horse in the mouth. I grip with my knees and my lower leg swings back. Upon landing, I can feel my knees lock slightly and I am standing in the stirrups. I know that I need good contact between the inside of my calf and the horse, and that my hips must go back in order to prevent my legs from coming too far back, and that I need to sink down and anchor in my heels. The problem is I don't know what to do with the rest of my position! I often feel like my knees are flapping in the breeze. Jumping also takes away the strong part of my position, my seat. Please help! (Anonymous)


The strength and position of your lower leg is the key to success when riding. Your leg is your base of support, and if that is strong, everything else will be surprisingly easy! I would advise that you read this article on building a strong lower leg, and implement... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 202
Sometimes do your flatwork in your jumping length stirrups, and mostly up off of your horse's back. It is harder to be as effective on the flat this way, but as with most things, you will only get better at it by working on it.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 201
"If horse isn't even in both reins don't keep pulling the heavy one - work to put the weight in the empty rein" ~ Carl Hester

This is so counter intuitive for most riders, but it is the key to success!
Question # 168: My horse has really bad feet. They are always cracking and chipping, and he is always throwing a shoe. I have him on a Biotin supplement, but that doesn't seem to be doing much. What would you suggest? (Cari)

Hi Cari!

After making sure that the horse has the proper nutrients to make for healthy hooves, the next biggest consideration becomes the external conditions that will so greatly affect them. The most difficult situation for horse's hooves is the wet/dry cycles that horses often have to deal with. The expansion and contraction that takes place when they go from standing in mud or on wet dewey moring grass, to standing in a stall on dry shavings, is often what causes all of the problems that you mention. 

I grew up being told to use hoof conditioners and moisturizers on the horse's cororany bands, to keep the moisture in the foot. But thankfully I have learned a lot since then! What you want to do instead is... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 200

If you figured everything out today, then what would you do tomorrow? Enjoy your process of being a "work in progress"!
Guest Blog Post # 35: "The Event Horse's Instructional Video: How to whip your rider into shape!" by Helen Brew
The Event Horse's Instructional Video: How to whip your rider into shape!

There is no more glorious feeling (apart from rolling in the mud) than galloping through the finish flags at the end of a clear cross country round. Your coat is shining with sweat, your ears are pricked, and the crowd gathers round to admire you - and then you realize that your rider isn't hugging you in glee at finishing the course - she's draped on your neck, gasping from pure exhaustion. How embarrassing! I mean, clearly, the horse has done most of the work, anyway, so it's sort of inexplicable to have such a tired rider, but it happens all the time! (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Basic Suppling Exercise # 3

 



This is a great exercise to promote lateral suppleness, engagement, and to help to dissipate any tension in the horse. It can be done in any gait, but is particularly useful in the canter: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 199
Use the corner after the jump to get your horse back to you if necessary. Use the corner on the turn into the next jump to elevate the horse's front end.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 198
Intelligent horses need plenty to occupy their minds. And poles on the ground provide them with something visual to focus on. They help to improve attention, focus, awareness, and confidence.
Question # 167: I am looking for a good protective vest for cross country mainly, but maybe some general riding with it. Our price range is below $300. Do you know of any good brands that would fit me? I am 5' 5" and weigh around 90-95 pounds. (Dani)

Hi Dani!

Vests are somewhat of a personal preference... but I will say that I personally love the... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 197
From Facebook fan Carrie Allen ~ "What makes a good coach? Someone who can put a 'feeling' into words which make sense when you read them…"
Tip/Quote of the Day # 196
Work on a horse and that horse gets better. Work on yourself and all your horses get better.
Guest Blog Post # 34: "To Coby" from Jennifer Shattuck

To Coby:

Albert Einstein once said the only source of knowledge is experience.


Smart guy.

Coby gave me the experience of a lifetime. He did more than just show me the ropes over the big stuff; he taught me about life, about patience, about finding another answer instead of staring at the obvious. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Shannon's Blog Post # 9

Why we write our plans in pencil with horses

Oh the joys of horses. I love horses, I love horse, I love horses. After the last month, a few too many tears than I care to admit, sometimes I have to sit down and remind myself as to why I do this crazy career. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 195
From our very own blogger Shannon Elizabeth ~ "There is always a light at the end of the tunnel, sometimes you just have to dig a bit further to find it."
Tip/Quote of the Day # 194
"Once the resistances of the muscles are overcome and the animals are balanced, all horses have soft mouths, as the school horses prove, often with very flat bars. If the muscles resist with full force, if the hindquarters thrust more than the forehand supports, etc., the horse will always seek his lost balance in the hand. And then all of them have hard mouths, like race horses who take an arm-numbing contact in spite of the sharpest bars and bits. Thus, the hard-mouthed horse becomes soft-mouthed, when he develops the strength to carry his neck, and the soft-mouthed horse becomes hard-mouthed under a weak rider." ~ Friedrich v.Krane
Tip/Quote of the Day # 193
"The goal is not to raise the neck, it is to lower the hips .” ~ Decarpentry
The Nervous Novice Blog Post # 1

The Nervous Novice Solves Beginner Riders' Greatest Dilemmas... #1 – How Much Leg is “More Leg” 


Dear Nervous Novice, 

Yesterday my instructor chased me around the arena shouting “more leg, more leg,” and finally threw a water bottle at my horse’s butt. But the harder I squeezed, the slower he went until we finally meandered to the center of the arena. That’s when I burst into tears and my instructor headed to get a lunge whip. Why is it every time I try to add lots of leg to go faster, the opposite happens? 

- All Whipped Up in San Antonio (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 192
In the Dressage ring, you must look at the corners as your friend! Each corner is an opportunity to improve your horse's carriage and connection.
Do You Give Your Horse Conflicting Aids?

conflicting aids

It is a very common scenario... a rider will keep trying to get their horse to go forward, while unconsciously blocking their horse and preventing him from going forward easily. Or the opposite... a rider will struggle to slow their horse down by using the reins, yet at the same time they are... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 191
Most problems can be solved by riding forward. 
Discussion # 82: Which of these 4 horses shows the most scope over fences?
All four of these horses are jumping in great form, but which one do you think has the most scope over fences? How can you tell? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)

4 horses jumping
Tip/Quote of the Day # 190
Tension meeting tension = double the tension. If your horse becomes tense, you must be able to stay relaxed, or you will make it worse. 
Tip/Quote of the Day # 189
In a correct circle, you should be slightly turning continuously to the exact same degree from beginning to end. No corners or flat sides!
Tip/Quote of the Day # 188
When a horse has true impulsion, they become easy to steer and keep straight. And being able to perform perfect geometrical figures (the ability to be straight on curved lines) proves your ability to maintain a consistent level of impulsion.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 187
Get off the rail to verify your horse's straightness. Use the quarter lines and center lines. Or better yet… go out in a big field!
Photo # 53: This is Ilinka!
(Click on Photo Title above (in blue) to read the critique of this photo)
The Fringe Eventer Blog Post # 10

Timing: noun a. placement or occurrence in time b. the ability to select the precise moment for doing something for optimum effect

Accuracy: noun a. freedom from mistake or error: the quality or state of being accurate

I’ve noticed that riding terms can be vague and allude to ideas rather than create concise and clear images in my grey matter. Perhaps it is the same for you? (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 186
Your horse can feel whether or not you have a strong, detailed plan of how to ride your jumping course or dressage test. And he will gain confidence in you if he feels you are confident in your plan. 
Tip/Quote of the Day # 185
The horse needs to understand that he should not go against the bit, but we do not want him to think that he should "give" to the bit. When the horse thinks he should give to the bit, he merely poses in a false frame when he feels pressure on the reins. What we want is the horse happily moving INTO the rein connection. He should literally "chase" the bit, wanting to connect with it as if it were a carrot. 
The Long Backed Horse

The Long Backed Horse


Just about every trait has its pros and cons... and the conformation trait of a long back in a horse is no exception. Horses with long backs are generally big movers and jumpers, with a naturally long stride, and more elasticity in their gaits. They usually have plenty of scope over the fences, and make easy work of bigger, wider jumps. Long backed horses are also often more naturally laterally supple, which means that they will find bending and moving away from the rider's leg more easy to do.

The negative factors commonly associated with a long back are... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 184
Part of being a good cross country rider is having the ability to ride forward at the fences even when your horse is strong. Riding backwards at cross country complexes can cause all sorts of problems.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 183
The best riders are masters at self control.
Question # 166: As an instructor living in the north, I teach in small indoor arenas with minimal jumps. What are some ways to keep it fun yet educational during the dreaded winter months?
One barn in particular only has 3 cavelletti and a very tight arena. (Anonymous)


That is always tough, isn't it?? It can be so hard for riders to stay inspired when the weather is nasty, and they are confined to a tiny indoor arena. Riders and horses can easily become bored and unmotivated in that situation. I find that this can be a great time to... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 182
The more spirit the horse has, the more difficult he may be to train. But once you have developed a good partnership with the horse, this same spirit will make him a tremendous competitor who will fight for you when the chips are down.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 181
There is a time for being in perfect balance, and a time for being in a defensive balance (with your center of gravity behind your feet) - but there is never really a time where it is productive or beneficial to be in a position where your balance point is ahead of your feet.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 180
It is possible to have contact without a real connection (in fact it is quite common, unfortunately), but a true connection always involves good contact. The connection involves the horse's entire body… with energy created in the horse's hind legs traveling through the horse's supple body, and into the rider's hands.
Question # 165: I was hoping you could give me an outline of a training program to use for the lower levels of eventing, and also a bit of a guide as to how, and at what levels of competition, the training program should change, as we move up the levels.

I realise it's a highly individual thing but a 'starting point' is what I'm after. Also, I'm in Australia, so if you could point me somewhere which explains the heights etc for your levels so that I can convert them back to 'Aussie' levels, that would be great. (Amelia)


Hi Amelia!

The US levels are as follows:

Beginner Novice: 2 ft 7 in (0.79 m)
Novice: 2 ft 11 in (0.89 m)
Training:  3 ft 3 in (1 m)
Preliminary:  3 ft 7 in (1.09 m)
Intermediate:  3 ft 9 in (1.14 m)
Advanced: 3 ft 11 in (1.19 m)

Read this entry for a sample schedule for the US Novice level Event horse (which is just under your Preliminary level). This should give you a general idea for a basic training schedule for the lower level horse. Here is an entry that will outline the basic skills that you should have before doing Novice level. And here is an entry on when it is appropriate to move up to the next level. When you get to the Training level in the US (which is similar to the Pre-Novice level in Australia) most horses need some more serious conditioning work or "gallop sets" added to their program. (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Guest Blog Post # 33: "Warm Up Survival" by the famous Bad Eventer!
Warm Up Survival 



I was so proud.
 
I lunged The Serial Killer before dressage and he was super calm. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 179
You will get more of whatever behavior you tolerate - both from horses and from people.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 178
Ride forward within the stride you have to the jumps, vs pushing horse out of its stride and disrupting balance.
Discussion # 81: When riding a complex with a drop to a skinny jump like this one, how do you get your horse to successfully focus on the skinny jump?
When riding a complex with a drop to a skinny jump like this one, how do you get your horse to successfully focus on the skinny jump? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)


drop to skinny
Tip/Quote of the Day # 177
"In training we must be encouraged to first establish the principles and only then to tackle the details." ~ Reiner Klimke
Tip/Quote of the Day # 176
"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 Podhajsky
Tip/Quote of the Day # 175
"Your back must stay strong in a canter/walk transition, but your hands must  stay low so that your horse will stay through." ~ Stephen Clarke
Tip/Quote of the Day # 174
"Riding must be a totality of exercises that bring the horse into the hand without leaning onto it." ~ Nuno Oliveira
Guest Blog Post # 32: "Leave Him Wanting More" by the great Bill Woods!

Leave Him Wanting More


I believe I am speaking for the majority of other instructors when I say this: When the lesson I'm teaching is coming to its conclusion, I have tried to tie what we were working on with the horse up into a little package "suitable for mailing." We have accomplished either what I wanted to (or been able to) and the horse is "done." (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 173
There is usually an opportunity hidden within every challenge. It pays to look for it. 
Question # 164: In USDF First Level Test 3, there is a "one loop" at the canter... Basically a shallow serpentine....
When you perform this movement should you keep the correct bend for the lead you are on, essentially counterbending during the middle loop? Thanks (Vita)


Hi Vita!

This is a good question, that I bet a lot of riders wonder about, as it is not fully explained, is it? The answer is... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 172
Keeping an even rhythm and a consistent pace will allow the horse to make his own adjustments in front of the fence.
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