..even though he does not feel heavy or seem to be leaning on my hands. Is it possible for a horse to be going correctly forward but still be on his forehand? When I ask for any downward transition, even with half halts and me sitting and trying carefully to prepare, it takes way too many steps for him to complete the transition. I have tried to ask with the seat only, but can your horse respond to seat only if they are too much on the forehand? (Sharon)
Hi Sharon!
That's so great to hear that your horse is now consistently in front of your leg! Good job in getting to that point! It is fairly common for a new problem to present itself when you have fixed another. In this case, now that you have your horse thinking more forward, he has more energy to have to balance. So you will now have to work on getting him to carry more weight behind, so that he can handle that increased energy in balance. (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
I was dinged by a judge in one test for picking up the canter more than a quarter of a circle away from the letter. Is closer to the letter better? Would right at the letter be optimal? (Briana)
Hi Briana!
When you are supposed to pick up the canter approaching a letter while on a circle or half circle, you should pick it up.....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
I'm having a really hard time keeping my horse at a slow steady trot because he gradually speeds up and I don't catch it until he's going way faster than he's supposed to be. I've tried counting but I just speed up my counting with my posting speed. Is there anything else I can do? (Erika)
Hi Erika!
This is a great question! Rhythm is SO important in dressage, as rhythm and balance go hand in hand. When the horse is maintaining a good rhythm as he performs movements, you likely have both relaxation and a consistent level of balance.
Let's start by defining both rhythm and tempo as they pertain to riding:
Rhythm - The regularity of the timing of the sequence of footfalls Tempo - The speed of the rhythm
When a horse is having trouble maintaining the rhythm in their gaits, usually one or both of these things is happening - (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Can you describe a training progression for me as to how I would work Henry up to jumping this? (Briana)
Hi Briana!
What a great Christmas present for an Eventer! That will be a great training tool for you and Henry! The difference between a chevron (or an arrowhead) and just an ordinary skinny jump is......(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
I feel like I should be more forward than I would normally be trotting on the flat, but that seems to make Caspian want to canter (Maybe he feels like I am in more of a two point position?? or my leg is sliding back and making contact? He is very responsive to the leg.) (Kirsten)
Hi Kirsten!
The two basic rules of how to stay balanced on a horse are to keep your center of gravity over your base of support (your feet), and to keep your....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
This fall I've had two serious accidents/falls which have required a lot of rehab time. Now that I can ride, I don't feel like it. Back in April my mare and I could jump a small course of jumps, but now I can barely do a cross rail. I had signed up to do an eventing clinic in February, and it will be our first time cross country, but I obviously didn't plan on having this many set backs this fall. Can you please give me a kick in the pants to get my butt back in the saddle? Thanks (Sarah)
Hi Sarah!
I am so sorry to hear that you have had some setbacks! That can certainly make it hard to find the motivation to ride, especially at this time of the year when it is so cold and getting dark so early. What has helped me in the past to come back from falls and injuries is to really figure out what exactly caused the fall, so that I could be sure that I could have some control over if it would happen again. So do you know exactly what happened, and why you fell off? If you give me more details, or if you have the accident on video, I can help you develop a plan to make sure that whatever happened won't happen again. And you can do this privately with me if you would like - it doesn't have to be published on the site.
Here are some ideas on how to find motivation to ride when it is just easier not to: (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
He naturally picks up the right lead, both under tack, on the lunge, and loose in the pasture. Last night I decided to try all of the 'tricks" I know - walk to canter, shoulder in to canter, counter bend to canter, trot towards the wall and sudden turn into canter - nothing really produced consistent results. He was in a really good state of mind - not getting worked up at all - so I felt ok to keep trying. He got the left lead a total of 3 times, and then I decided to quit for the night. Usually I don't drill him, and let him just pick it up once and then quit. But tonight he was calm and I wanted to figure out if a different 'trick' would work. I'm a little stumped, and I really don't think my position was causing it tonight because I'm aware of how I'm sitting when I ask for canter. (sitting up, facing the left side, weight on the outside leg/seatbone) Do you have any ideas about this, or maybe tell me what I am doing wrong? (Leah)
Hi Leah!
That can be a frustrating problem! Difficulties with a canter lead are usually caused by one (or more) of these issues: (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
I don't know her history but think she may have been a cart horse. She is 12 years old and 14.2h. She has a naturally high headset and is always very above the bit, and quick through her shoulders. For the last year, I've worked on suppleness, straightness, and tempo. She finally seems to have a more consistently slower tempo but is still quick to get tense, unbalanced, and erratic. She has learned to move off the leg laterally, which I use to try balancing her on circles and keep her straighter on lines. But most of the time she bulges through half the circle, then leans the other half. She is crooked on straight lines and raises her head very high above the bit anytime we change direction or do a transition. I agree with your comments that draw reins are not a good solution, but I am starting to despair of making progress for her as long as she is so above the bit. I am considering using them if just to build her muscle memory and way of going in a less inverted frame. I don't believe she is relaxed enough to learn with her head high and back tense.
I've changed her bit to a happy mouth double joint. I've had the dentist out 3 times in the last year. She is on 24/7 turnout now, on light feed, Quiessence and Moody Mare supplements. And we lunge often in stretching side reins which she now seems to reach into more. But even at the lunge she is terribly unbalanced and bulges/leans each half of the circle, jumps into upward transitions and pulls through her shoulder into downward ones. Please let me know if you have any experience with this sort of problem and if there are exercises you recommend. Also, do you recommend carrying hands low and quiet or follow the horses head with a higher hand when their head is high? I mostly keep my hands low and quiet, but I don't think it is working. (Lisa)
Hi Lisa!
Wow, she sounds like quite a project! And it sounds like you have really tried to cover all of your bases. Is she excessively flighty on the ground as well? Has a vet given her a clean bill of health and soundness? What about saddle fit? If you are sure that she is sound and pain free, and that her saddle fits her, I would honestly say that you may just have to be prepared to give her lots of time.
It sounds like you are on the right path with the lunging in side reins, but you will need to address the bulging and leaning issues before she will be able to find her balance and rhythm. When I have a horse that is erratic on the lunge....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
The term "in front of the leg" means that the horse is thinking forward, and is ready to respond, instantly and enthusiastically, to the lightest of leg aids from the rider at any given moment. A horse can be more in front of the leg while trotting slowly (because he wants to go), than another horse who is passing him by at the gallop (with the rider working hard to keep the horse going). But to answer your question....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Question # 43: I am looking for exercises on and off horse to do over the winter to try to build strength and stamina. (Vita) Hi Vita!
This means that the distance between the rider's rear-end and the saddle changes a great deal as the horse moves. But I've had instructors tell me that my rear should not move relative to the saddle. That the "air space" between me and the saddle should stay the same. Can you clarify? (Briana)
Hi Briana!
In the gallop the rider should be balanced independently of the horse......poised and still with a stable center of gravity. This allows the horse to move freely in balance underneath them. What allows the rider to be poised and still on a 1200 pound galloping horse is.....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read the full answer)
Question # 41: It's easy to tell when Henry is round and balanced at the dressage canter. How do I learn to tell when he's balanced and forward at the gallop however? It's hard to know if he's just "going faster" than I'm used to, or is flat and "running"I've had two suggestions for this - one is having someone watch and tell me when it's right or wrong, but that means I can't practice on my own. The other is that "if the jump felt good" he was balanced and if he wasn't the jump will be awkward. But, I'd like to practice without jumping all the time too. If he's adjustable (coming back and going forward again), does that mean he's balanced by definition, or can a horse speed up and slow down responsively, but still not be "balanced" at the gallop? (Briana)
Hi Briana!
Both of the ideas that you mention are good, but I see your point in not wanting to jump him all of the time. Remember that the way you learn how to "feel" the quality of any movement is to guess at what you think you feel, and have educated eyes on the ground (or via video critique) tell you whether you are right or not. So if you want to judge the quality of your gallop without being in a lesson, you can always get someone to video you and send it to me.
The purpose of the figure eight noseband is to help to prevent the horse from evading the bit's action by excessively opening the mouth. It can be a useful piece of equipment when riding a horse that gets strong and/or fights the bit when jumping. And it is not necessary or particularly useful if the horse does not tend to pull or fight the bit.
Well he coliced middle of June and lost a ton of weight. So I haven't been riding him, but think that he has enough weight on him to start again probably beginning of September. So how do you recommend restarting him? Like a month of just walking/hacking undersaddle? Then back to some basic walk and trot dressage work? (Sarah)
Hi Sarah!
What a great thing you are doing so carefully bringing back a rescue horse! How slow you bring him back depends on a few things....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
I recently read somewhere that it is incorrect to ride this as two straight lines, that the correct way to ride it is as a shallow serpentine with changes of bend on the quarter line. Can you offer any guidance on this? (Briana)
Hi Briana,
Good for you for doing some dressage shows this summer! I think that is a great way for you to practice working on your "show nerves". The answer to your question is...(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
if we are making a 20 meter circle to the left, he will pop his right shoulder out and his body is still moving to the right. When he starts to really ignore the fact that I want to turn, I do have a tendency of using my inside rein more and my outside leg. I know I should use my outside reinalso, to keep his neck from overbending and his shoulder popping out. But I think I could be doing something wrong with my seat & legs also. Maybe I am leaning too much to the inside or my outside leg isn't back, I haven't quite found out yet. What else can I do to get through this? Are there any specific exercises or something I should try to do with my position? (Karrie)
Hi Karrie!
Falling through the outside shoulder is a common problem. The key to fixing it is to change the way you think about turning your horse. Riders tend to attempt to turn their horse the way they turn a bicycle. When turning a bicycle you turn the handle bars, and your outside hand goes forward as the handle bars turn. But your horse is not bolted together like your bicycle is, so you need a different approach to make turns successful. (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
My solution to that more than 6 months ago was to show frequently, just "get used to it!" What happened is that Henry figured out the system (he totally knows the difference between warm up and the competition ring now) and I'm still nervous. Though, I remember you told me about a horse of yours that you thought had "figured out the system" and it turned out to be your issue at crossing the line at A into the dressage ring. I know that I'm a large part of the problem, we went to a schooling show a few weeks ago that had NO consequences! No one knew we were there. We were the only ones in our divisions! I actually focused and rode! And Henry was brilliant, we earned a 32 and a 33 in the level above our current level and 2! levels above what we've been showing (a 32 is a GOOD score for us at the lower levels, never mind 2 levels above - we got our first "10" Ever!) So...I know it's all my issue. What do I do? I can't seem to fool myself into not caring. If it matters (i.e. a recognized competition or god-forbid, AECs in Sept) I get tense and make our lives hard regardless of the speeches I give myself in my head about this is all just for fun, it doesn't matter, ect. If I care, I get tense. Any suggestions??? (Briana)
Hi Briana!
First of all, congratulations on your great scores!! A "10", wow! That's great! Managing show nerves is a big problem for many people. You may never eliminate the problem completely, but there are certainly some things you can do that will help. (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Do you apply a half-halt on the outside rein with the use of the inside rein when the inside leg is forward (at the trot)? What do you do at the canter? (Karrie)
Hi Karrie!
A half halt can be performed at nearly any time in the trot, as one hind leg is always coming up underneath the horse. It's in the canter that the timing is crucial. The only time you can positively influence the canter in the horse is....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
My trainers have explained to me that there are times you put more weight on the inside seatbone or step down a little more on the inside heel (along with outside & staying in the middle). (Karrie)
Hi Karrie!
This is a great question, and I think a concept that many riders are confused about. Classically we are told to keep the inside seat bone weighted during all movements. But over many years of teaching I have found that the majority of riders will tend to sit crooked when trying to weight a seat bone. So now when teaching, I usually tell riders instead to...(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
While I know the horse has to have forward energy/movement, I can't seem to get past this mental confusion and it makes it harder for me to collect him. Can you help? (Karrie)
Hi Karrie!
Your leg aid means different things to your horse depending on what the rest of your body is doing. So if you simply close your legs, you are asking your horse to go faster. And if you want your horse to instead engage his hind legs and bring his hind legs more underneath his body, you need to....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
I have given him a year off, and was going to do the month of ulcer guard, then start him back. do you think a horse like that should just not be doing eventing if it is so stressful to him? (Shawn)
Hi Shawn!
Many OTTBs have anxiety issues, but most get better with age and experience. How old is your horse? Is he anxious on the ground, under saddle, or both? What does he do when he gets anxious?
As far as the ulcers are concerned I recommend...(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Building strength is definitely much harder without hills, but it can certainly be done! First of all, sometimes you can find a single slope to negotiate somewhere, even on otherwise flat property. Like the side of a driveway or a culvert. So be on the lookout for a small hill that you may not have even noticed. If you can find one, I recommend that riders do "hill repeats", walking up and down for a set number of reps twice a week. The actual number of reps depends on the size and slope of the hill, and the current strength level of the horse. If you find one, feel free to describe it or send a picture, and I can give you a more precise answer on that.
If you can't find any hills to work on at all, cavaletti and judicious flatwork will certainly be able to build up the strength in your horse's back and hindquarters. They are just not as foolproof as hills for that purpose.
It is prob too short, and he does have a long neck, but I HATE it. I just did a couple x's, and it felt like I couldn't get his head up after, and he couldn't put it up. Sunday I'm going to a practice xc event in MD, and I think I'll just skip it altogether. You've seen him...no high head problems. What do you think? (Andi)
That is a always challenge for us instructors, isn't it? I think the answer lies in continuing education. Clinics, books, videos, magazines, and online sources. And this site should be a great help for instructors! Every time you log in you might get another new idea to use on your students. And if there is a specific problem that you would like new exercises for, you just have to ask!
Here are a few of my favorite jumping exercises: (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
(just stuff cotton in there? does it stay?) When would you put studs on all four feet? Is it ok to only drill the back shoes? (to reduce cost). Thanks! (Briana)
Hi Briana!
Your farrier should know where to put the stud holes. He will either use a machine, or will have to drill and tap them by hand. They are usually an inch or so from the heels of the shoe like this:
Here is a very important tip! (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Ahh, an adrenaline junkie! I know the type very well. I could probably help you a whole lot more if you send me a video so I can see how you are handling the situation when he gets strong. Can you do that?
I'm getting self conscious that I should be farther along. Always been under the belief that until a horse or rider is bored at a level, don't move up. (Kimberly)
Hi Kimberly!
My opinion is that horse and rider don't necessarily need to be bored at their current level to move up, but.....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Question #15: At what level do I need to start using studs? (Andi)
This is a great question Andi! And you will find a lot of different opinions on this subject. There are some who feel that the horse shouldn't need them at lower levels, because they are not going that fast. And they want their horses to figure out how to manage slippery situations when they are young.
These two issues are usually related, as what allows a rider to have nice quiet hands is a solid and correct seat. I'm going to give you an exercise to try that will show you how to be more consistent with your upper body and hand position...(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Question # 13: I need help with my stadium rounds. My horse gets revved up at shows and as our stadium course goes on it gets worse and worse. He is fighting me the whole way and not really in control. We meet a lot of jumps awkwardly, and we usually have lots of rails down. I use a regular full cheek snaffle and a running martingale. I haven't gone to a stronger bit, since he actually has a nice mouth the rest of the time. We do fine on cross country, it's only like this in the stadium jumping. Can you help us?? (Anonymous)
I could certainly answer you much more specifically if I could see a video of what is happening. Can you submit a video?
Generally a good, smooth, clean stadium round happens when you have the right quality of canter, and your horse is adjustable. Because it sounds like your horse is lacking in adjustability, the quality of your canter is diminishing as your round goes on, and you then are unable to fix it.
What do I mean by the right quality of the canter? The right canter to jump out of is balanced, rhythmic, straight, and in self carriage. With the appropriate amount of impulsion for the jump in front of you.
It takes adjustability to be able to maintain that canter throughout a course. Your horse may approach the first jump with the right canter, and land from the first jump running, flat, and out of balance. If your horse is adjustable, you can easily put him right back in the same quality canter you had before the jump. If you do not have adjustability, your rounds will get worse and worse like you describe.
My main focus is dressage and I have been riding almost daily for about two years but I am itching to try cross country. OK maybe not the big jumps and ditches. It's dead winter and I'm planning my spring and summer. Any suggestions on how I can get started in a small way and any advice to preparing my body. (Cheryl)
Hi Cheryl!
Yes, you should definitely give it a try! There is nothing like it. Nothing creates a stronger bond between horse and rider. That's when it's going well, of course!
I know I have to take it easy 'til he's 5, but how much can I do and what new exercises can I introduce to keep him from getting bored...? Thanks! (Jenny)
I've never found any documented information on how cold is really too cold for the horse's lungs. But my cut off point has always been 15 degrees. Of course now that I live in the south, and have offically turned into a cold weather wimp, I rarely want to ride when it's below freezing! :)
My number one consideration when deciding if horses should be worked when it gets really cold is the footing. When the ground or arena footing is frozen I either don't ride or I mostly work in walk. The concussive forces on the horses' feet and legs are just too great when the ground is that hard. Now if you have some nice soft snow to ride in that changes things! Spray the bottoms of their feet with some cooking spray and have fun! Although that unfortunately doesn't work in all situations. I find in the south, whenever we do get snow, it's wet and icy. And the cooking spray does not seem to work to prevent the snoballs in their feet.
We are only doing flat work and light hacking at the moment, mostly getting the basics back, but I would really like to go to some competitions this year. Any suggestions on how to set goals for myself and my new horse? She has competed in a few unrecognized novice events, but it has been a couple of years and she was competed by a professional. (Cheryl)
Hi Cheryl!
Congratulations on your new horse!! I'm looking forward to watching you two become a team! Since she is new to you, and you both have been out of competition for a while, I would recommend that you really take the time to bond and get to know each other before you start competing. And it might be wise to ease into competition gradually by starting off with a dressage show or a schooling jumper show, instead of an event. That way you can see exactly what your new horse will be like away from home, and how she reacts to any show ring nerves that you may have. So pick one or two schooling type shows for late spring or early summer that may be a posibility. If you find that you don't feel ready as the dates get closer, that's no problem. Just skip those and look for something late summer or early fall. But I think that it really helps a rider to motivate themselves and ride with more focus, when they have some goals in the immediate future to strive for.
Here is a sample work week for the typical novice level horse: (Click on Question title above (in blue) to read full answer)
I think what started it was my giving him carrots while I saddled him so he wouldn't be so irritable about it. The first time he broke his halter he raised his head looking for a carrot. When he felt the pressure on his poll, he just kept pulling until he was free. I have stopped giving him carrots but today he did it again when I was brushing his ears-he raised his head and just kept going - as if once he started the process, he remembered the past episodes and got afraid and wanted to escape. I'd like to fix this quick! I know the Wrights only used break away halters on him and warned me about leaving him tied to the trailer when I took him to Lighten Up but he's never acted like this before. (Lisa)
Hi Lisa!
This problem stems from the fact that horses instinctively lean into pressure, and that they are naturally a bit claustrophobic. Not all horses can be completely cured of the "pulling back" problem, but many can be helped. So start by teaching him to "give" to pressure. (Click on the Question title above (in blue) to read the full answer)
This is what has worked for me with similar horses at clinics throughout the years who have had problems with trakehners or ditch and wall jumps: (Click on Question title above (in blue) to read full answer)
is to help to prevent the horse from evading the bit's action by excessively opening the mouth. It can be a useful piece of equipment when riding a horse that gets strong and/or fights the bit when jumping. And it is not necessary or particularly useful if the horse does not tend to pull or fight the bit. 
works similarly to the figure eight. The difference between the action of the two nosebands is....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
