Sometimes you can make your circles better by not working on circles! Work onsquares, 90 degree turns, and diagonal lines for a while, and maybe somenose to the wall leg yield. Then come back to your circles, after you have worked on better use of and response to your outside turning aids.
The quality of the contact that the horse will give you is largely dictated by the amount of hind leg activity at that moment, and how much the energy from that activity is able to flow in an uninterrupted way through the horse's supple and permeable body into your hands.
Horses that have the spirit and the natural drive to excel at the top levels of jumping or Eventing are usually much more opinionated and difficult to train by nature. They are very often totally worth the extra time, effort, and patience that it takes to develop them to their true potential. 🙂
"Stay dedicated to the quality of the basic gaits—the suppleness and balance of the walk, trot and canter. Then as you cultivate the movements, those gaits improve." ~ Volker Brommann
Cantering ground poles are simply a smart way to practice just about every single skill you need to jump well, while minimizing the stress and strain on your horse's legs.
When teaching, I am always on the lookout for signs that the horse might need a short stretching break. Sometimes it is something as subtle as a more anxious look in the horse's eyes. And sometimes it is more obvious, like the horse starts to become a little more fussy about the contact, or starts to get a little lower in front and/or heavy in his rider's hands. It is wise to give your horse a short stretch at whatever gait you are working in, exactly when your horse needs it. This keeps his body more comfortable, keeps him enjoying his work, and most importantly - builds the amount of trust that he has for his rider, and the idea of training in general.
Think of your leg, seat, and rein aids as ways to communicate with your horse. You don't physically push or pull him anywhere, you give him subtle signals. And if he doesn't initially respond to your subtle signals, you need to teach him to - EVERY horse can learn to respond to light cues, if taught properly.
"They asked me at the Seminar, how should a horse look when it is coming towards you? I said to them, if you meet someone and they are looking you in the eyes, a little bit proud, nose up, not arrogant, but someone coming to you, giving you their hand, with a very positive attitude. That’s the way a horse should come to you – when he enters the arena, he should say, Hello, here I am." ~ Sven Rothenberger
When riding a Dressage test, riding accurately to the letters and making good use of the corners of the ring shows the judge that you are aware, thinking, and have good control of your horse.
While the distance in between the jumps is a big deciding factor in the speed and stride that you should approach with... generally approaching a complex off of a shorter, bouncier stride will give you more options.
"It's very rare to find a horse who has the bravery and heart to do what is required of him in Eventing's cross country phase and who has the careful aspect we look for in the show jumping ring." ~ Katie Monahan Prudent
When you look down, your shoulders follow your eyes and begin to drop downward and forward. This makes it much more difficult for you to communicate correctly with your horse through your seat - often causing you to need to use your reins more than you should.
Riding with yourthumbs on topkeeps your hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders in a "neutral" position, which allows your joints to move most freely for an elastic rein connection.
A strong back is necessary for the horse to be able to achieve and maintain self carriage and collection for any length of time under a rider. Asking for too much too soon can cause your horse to resent his work.
"So what do we see when we watch these masters at work? We learn what it means to become a good rider. It means to be picky, detail-oriented, motivated for your whole life, paying attention to every stride, having a system but with the flexibility to adjust it. Even before you can control the horse, you have to first control yourself (99 percent of problems with a horse are caused by the rider). Finally, a good rider needs the willingness to say, 'I made the mistake. The horse didn't make the mistake.'" ~ Christoph Hess
Make sure the horse can travel in a balanced way on a circle in trot and canter BEFORE the added challenge of a rider (with good lunge work.) Then when the rider gets on, they can improve things from there.
"There is no miracle, there is no magic wand. It is just education, trying to be as clear to the horses as you can. When I give an aid, is the horse going to understand?" ~ Emile Faurie
Too much repetitive motion has a tendency to inhibit muscle symmetry. Always aim to mix things up in your training (whether horse or human), so that you can develop balanced musculature.
"A horse's energies are gathered up from behind and by yielding on the reins and giving him the room to step through to the center of gravity, the neck will shape to reflect the activities in the haunches. Trying to achieve collection by working on the horse's neck cuts the horse off in the front, confining him and preventing the hind legs from lifting, suspending and powerfully supporting the rider's balance." ~ Charles de Kunffy
"The legs bring the horse to the seat, and the seat brings the horse to the hands. When the teacher says 'shorten the reins' it needs to be translated into: 'engage the hind legs, sit on them, and then take the slack out of the reins', because if you shorten the reins from front to back, the horse will only resist." ~ Thomas Ritter
Rather than simply holding in a combination or when riding down a line of jumps, individual half halts performed in time with the horse's stride will be more effective.
What do we want from our horses over fences? Consistency and balance. If we as riders are more consistent and balanced with our own position as we ride a course, we make achieving that with the horse much easier.
