Quiz # 9: Rule Quiz!Say you are doing your dressage test on a really windy day. And in the middle of your test, the wind blows the boards of the dressage ring down -right into the ring, and right in your way! (This actually happened at ROLEX one year!)What do you do?? (Click on Quiz Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)To Bit Up Or Not to Bit Up - That is the Question! To Bit Up Or Not to Bit Up - That is the Question!
In some situations when dealing with control issues, switching to a stronger bit can be a good idea, and sometimes it is the absolute worst thing you can do. While a horse that is a bully to the bit may do well with a strength upgrade, if you put a stronger bit on a horse whose underlying issues stem from fear of rider induced pain, you will only increase that anxiety. And the horse that has a combination of issues - is sometimes a bully to the bit, and sometimes insecure and fearful of it - presents a real challenge! How can you tell what kind of horse you have? (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)Discussion # 23: Which picture shows a better trot stretch?Which picture shows a better stretch at the trot? How can you tell? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
The exercise of alternating between a few strides of sitting trot and a few strides of posting trot can be very useful for both horse and rider. It can help the rider learn how to keep their hips relaxed to better follow the motion of the sitting trot. It can also encourage the horse that has a tendency to stiffen in the back and brace against the rider when they sit the trot to instead stay relaxed and swinging. But it is most useful for....(Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Since there are two centerlines on every dressage test, it's very important to know the answer to this question! The answer is.....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read the full answer)Video Discussion # 28: Let's watch this novice rider taking various jumping lessons. Let's watch this novice rider taking various jumping lessons. Can you see what caused the loss of balance at the jump at :40? What do you think caused the fall at 2:10? What do you think this horse and rider need to work on? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Turn on the haunches is an immensely valuable exercise. It teaches your horse how to listen to the inside bending aids and the outside turning aids at the same time - which is essential for success with the more advanced lateral movements of haunches in and half pass. It also serves to engage the hindquarters and encourages increased bending of the joints of the hind legs. The end result is that your horse's body feels more packaged. It's a great way to begin working on collection. Here's how to do it! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
As with most things in life, in riding you tend to get out of it what you put into it. The more time and effort you put into learning the finer details about the sport that you wish to become good at, the more likely you will be to achieve your goals. Eventing is a physical sport.....but it is also a highly mental game. You can't just get on and do it successfully, without the knowledge and understanding of all of the concepts involved. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Remember Forest Gump and Bubba? “Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried…”
Cotton and I are having the sameexact conversation – about canter transitions! (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Every rider who gallops and jumps needs to be able to effectively rebalance their horse without having to fully sit down and do the full Dressage version of a half halt. Why? Because the gallop is not meant to be "sat". Horses need to have complete freedom of their backs to gallop efficiently. Attempting to sit the gallop for any length of time will cause a horse to stiffen, and will inhibit the use of his back. Which will cause him to be unbalanced, and to brace against the rider's hand.
So when you are galloping cross country, and need to rebalance your horse for an upcoming jump, if you can half halt without sitting down you will probably find that your horse will respond with more fluidity and less resistance.(Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
The key to success at cross country complexes that involve skinny jumps lies in the rider's ability to keep the horse straight in the "tunnel" between both hands and legs at all times, and their ability to keep their horse's focus on the skinny fence. Here is an exercise that will help to develop those skills! (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
Video Discussion # 27: This is a good lesson to watch!I love how this trainer talks about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. If you are going to improve, this is something that you must do! I also love that he emphasizes encouraging the horse to bring his back up in the downward transitions by closing your legs to send the horse into the connection while lightening your seat. This can work very well for some types of horses! What do you think he means by "lighten the seat"? And what type of horse do you think this would be especially useful for? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Spiral in and out is a great exercise, that can be really useful to improve a horse's lateral suppleness and increase the level of engagement of the hind legs. Interspersing spirals with other movements and transitions will help to keep your horse more attentive to your lateral aids, and increase the quality of your work.
An interesting and useful variation on the spiral exercise is to....(Click on Article Title above to read full article)
When young children are taught to read and write, they don't begin by forming paragraphs. Learning is best done in a very progressional order. First they learn the alphabet, then individual words, then sentences, and finally paragraphs. Many times I see riders asking their horses to put sentences together into paragraphs, when the horses are still iffy on the alphabet.
For instance, I regularly see riders asking their horse to bend to the inside, when the horse doesn't completely understand what the bending aids mean. This will invariably result in resistance from the horse. How can it not? He doesn't know what the rider is really asking for! So he is either going to resist or ignore the rider. Here are the ABC's that your horse needs to know: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
(Comic courtesy of Morgane Schmidt at www.TheIdeaOfOrder.com)
Do you struggle with pre competition nerves? Does performance anxiety make you sweat? Make your heart race? Give you butterflies in your stomach? If so, you are not alone! Many riders deal with these feelings to some degree. Here are some things you can do to help lessen your anxiety, and to help to make it work for you instead of against you: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
A recent clinician said that PJ just has a "big pop" over the top of the jumps, that anyone would have a hard time staying with. He encouraged me to ride more forward to fences and get a neck strap for PJ, to assist me in staying closer to him when he pops. My local coach didn't like this AT ALL. He is forever telling me to slow down until I feel like we are crawling, and he hated the neckstrap idea. Please help! (Vita)
Hi Vita!
I have to say, I totally agree with your clinician. When you make a horse go slow to fences, they have to really use all of their power to get over the jump - especially oxers. Which can cause riders to be jumped out of the tack. It's a little counter intuitive - but yes, really riding forward will help him jump more smoothly out of stride, rather than ballooning in the air over his jumps. And a neckstrap is a great idea! There is no drawback to using one, and no shame in using one either! Even William Fox Pitt uses one! To make one, just take a.....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
As you may have heard, Jump a Course Month is not going well. Therefore, Canter Month has been extended indefinitely. Cotton and I need more time… he is still just extremely unbalanced at the canter.
I have spent some significant amount of time researching crookedness on the internet so I could get a better understanding of what is going on. Why does he completely fall apart at the canter even though he can stay engaged and balanced in the trot? My inquiring mind had to know! What a paradigm shift…(Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
This combination caused a significant amount of trouble this weekend! 9A is the vertical fence in the front of the picture. The ground slopes down considerably on landing, and 9B is a ditch one stride away. The ditch is really down low in the hollow.....more so than the average Coffin jump - even for this level. It is, however, not a big or deep ditch. There is then a slight turn with approximately three strides to 9C, which is the brush arrowhead jump in the back of the picture. All three elements caused their fair share of problems, but 9C was probably the most problematic, with numerous runouts. Why do you think this jump caused so much trouble? What was causing the horses to run out at the C element? What do you think was the most important factor in determining whether 9C jumped well or resulted in a runout? In other words, what is the number one priority when you are trying to get your horse to jump a skinny jump like an arrowhead? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Which of these horses is jumping from a long spot, and which is "chipping in"? Which horse is jumping in better balance? How can you tell? How about rider position - which rider do you think is better balanced? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion) Video Discussion # 25: Training level test 3 Dressage test with scores and commentary from the great Bill Woods!It is always a great learning opportunity to be able to watch a Dressage test being ridden while getting instant feedback with scores and commentary. What are your thoughts on watching this video? (Video with kind permission of www.WoodsDressage.com) (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Quiz # 6: Rule quiz!
Who can tell us in which circumstances it would be OK to "cross your path" between jumps on cross country, and when it would be 20 penalties to do so? (Click on Quiz Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Discussion # 18: What does this rider need to work on?
Who can tell us what this rider needs to work on? What specific exercises should she do to improve? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
How to Show More Bend in the Corners and Turns
Do you ever get the comment "Needs more bend" on your Dressage tests? If you do, don't feel bad - you are not alone! It's one of the most common remarks written on test sheets. The quality of the corners and turns can easily be overlooked, as you focus on the actual movements and the order of the test. With a little more attention to bending throughout your tests, you can raise your scores significantly! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Video Discussion # 24: Fun video to watch with great horses and riders doing extensive gridwork with some big jumps!You can see how the progressive gridwork teaches the horses how to focus on the top rail that is immediately in front of them, and to accurately measure their strides between jumps. Long grids are also great for conditioning! Compare the horses jumping form as they go through this grid. Which uses its body better? What do you think caused the slightly unbalanced jump at 1:44? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Some horses are such brave, confident jumpers that they need very little encouragement from their riders. Point them at the jump, and they can't wait to jump it! Others are naturally more timid, and need some inspiration from their riders. There are some things you can do to help the timid horse to become more confident and successful. You just need to help him believe in himself, and bring out his inner lion! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
After his fences, no matter how lovely he was cantering up to the fence, he lands on his forehand. He's very difficult to bring to a trot, he plows through his turns, and I end up pulling on him. Would you suggest I take a few steps back and continue improving his canter, or push through and keep working on jumping courses? He is responsive, and feels balanced in the trot - for the most part - but when I do get a good canter it still takes a lot of effort to keep him together. It's also difficult to get consistently good downward transitions. Even though I am anxious to reach my goal, I don't want to ruin what we have accomplished by skipping a vital part of our training that we'll need as soon as I start him over BN fences. (Lisa)
Hi Lisa!
I would continue putting groups of jumps together (jumping short courses), but have a plan to make it more clear to your horse exactly what you expect of him. When he is unbalanced, strong, and not adjustable after his jumps, instead of just letting him go through the corner somewhat out of control, I would.....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
"Accepting the bit" and "giving to the bit" are two terms that are often wrongly interchanged in the horse world. They are actually somewhat opposing concepts, with very different meanings. Which means you need to be clearly aware which attribute you are aiming for in your training. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Which of these working trots is better than the other and why? Which rider has a better position? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Lisa's Blog post # 53
Fourth and Third out of six riders each test… In the eventing world my scores translated to a 42.5 and a 36.8. We were blessed with a sparkling, crisp day and particularly encouraging and gracious people at Gone to Ground Farm!
The first test was a complete bust. Cotton acted like a red-neck visiting The Big City! (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
This is a very common problem! And it shows that the horse is not accepting the contact. First make sure that you are not unintentionally blocking in your arms or wrists, which can make any horse reluctant to go forward into the connection. Read this entry to check your hand position, as having an incorrect hand position is one of the most common ways that riders block a horse. Tight elbows that don't follow the horse's motion are also a common blocker. If you are going to give your horse an inviting connection to move into, you must be able to keep your part of the connection (which is everything between your shoulders and your fingers closed on the reins) elastic like a rubber band or a bungee cord.
If you are fairly sure that your hand position is correct, and that you are able to keep your connection elastic - but your horse still won't go forward into the connection, you have to.....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
How Dressage is Similar to Baking a Cake
To make a good cake, you have to do more than just make sure you have all of the required ingredients........you have to have the right proportion of ingredients. Too much flour....or not enough sugar, baking soda, or eggs - and it won't turn out well. The incorrect proportion of ingredients can turn your cake into something that resembles a frisbee! And Dressage is much the same.....(Click on Article Title above to read full article)
Because last month’s canter sessions over little fences had gone so well I thought we’d be able to pick up where we left off…(Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Video Discussion # 22: Jumper round with rail down. Some of this is pretty far away, but the mistake at the end is close enough to see what went wrong. Who can tell us what caused the rail down at 1:13? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
I very often see riders losing unnecessary marks in the Dressage ring, just because they are not thinking about making sure their transitions are clear. What do I mean by clear? (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Like most rider flaws, this one can be traced back to a defect in your base position. Most of the time, when a rider turns their elbows out in classic "chicken wing" position over a jump, it is because they have.....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer) Video Discussion # 21: Jumping with placing polesThis video shows a good example of the use of placing poles for jumping. Who can tell us what are some of the many benefits of using placing poles in jumping training? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Oh that's never fun! When ever you have a horse that has any tendency to do this, you need to....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
There are many benefits to working on your flatwork out in the fields. Most horses much prefer riding out vs working in the arena, and are naturally more forward, engaged, and active behind. Variety helps to keep them more interested and happy in their work, and you can really be creative when you have a working area with no boundaries! Here are some ideas on how to make the most of your dressage work in the field... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
