Without an independent seat, a rider simply cannot give precise aids to their horse. A rider that is merely "hanging on", by clamping their legs tight on the horse's sides, or hanging onto the reins for support, is somewhat of a burden to their horse. And will be desensitizing the horse to both the rein and leg aids at best. With the worst case scenario being that the horse becomes so confused or frustrated by conflicting aids, that they either act out, or "shut down" to some extent - completely tuning out the rider.
A rider with an independent seat can move fluidly with the horse's motion. And because they are not using the reins to balance, or their legs to hang on - they can give the horse correct, clear, and concise aids. This is the key to success with riding! Here's how to help yourself to develop an independent seat! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
As you move up the levels, you are likely to find more and more fences on the cross country that have some sort of "surprise" involved. Very often, this involves something on the landing side of a jump that will catch a horse by surprise, like in a classic coffin complex, a sunken road, a road crossing, or a jump with a change of terrain or footing on the landing side. Another common cause for surprise on cross country are fences that have something to draw the horse's eye to the bottom of the fence right before takeoff - like a ditch or something else spook worthy. The KEY to success at these types of fences is to... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Presumably a rider steps up to a gag bit, elevator bit, or any other type of leverage bit because they would like more control. They would like their horse to better hear, listen, and respond to their aids. But any time this type of bit is used, it is imperative for riders to remember that... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
The cross country start box can be an exciting place! You're nervous... and your horse knows exactly what is about to happen! And it is important for both horse and rider to keep their cool at the start of cross country - for safety reasons of course... but also to set the tone of the ride to come.
If you have a horse that gets excited or anxious about the start of the cross country, read on to find out how to manage this problem! And even if you don't have this problem yet... you may want to think about utilizing these methods to prevent a problem in the future! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Is your horse truly even in the reins? Or do you tend to find yourself with more weight regularly in one rein? Maybe even to the point of heaviness in one rein, and emptiness in the other? This is a sign that your horse is... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
If you find that your horse could be more careful or sharp in his jumping at times, you will want to read on and learn about this great exercise! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Walk into any tack shop, and you will usually see a dizzying array of bits on display. So how do you know which one to choose?? Each design has a slightly different action, and most horses will have just one or maybe two bits that they will go best in. So it pays to really give some thought to which one you choose. There are too many different types of bits to cover them all here, but here is a description of the most common bits and their actions. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
A strong leg is one of the keys to the strength of a rider's position. Here is an exercise that will build up your leg strength like no other! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Despite the best of intentions, many riders have a hard time maintaining the correct hand position when riding. This is often because we have so many different things to think about! It is one thing to maintain a perfect hand position at the halt, or when riding on loose reins. But when trying to give your horse the aids for various movements, dealing with any imperfections of the connection, or just focusing on another part of your anatomy for just a moment, it is common for the hands to go astray! Here is a quick and easy little "self check" that you can incorporate into your riding on a daily basis, to monitor your hand position! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
The Diamond Exercise is a great way to educate the horse and rider on the lateral aids - and how to apply the lateral aids to forward movement. Without a solid understanding of the lateral aids, the horse will not respond to the bending aids properly. The rider will then find it hard to improve the connection by riding up into the outside rein, and will therefore not be able to improve the horse's balance and carriage. Once the rider knows how to apply the lateral aids... and the horse understands how to respond to them, the basic lateral foundation will be established - which will allow the rider to be able to successfully utilize bending, circles, and lateral work to improve the horse. Here's how to do it! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Horses are the most amazing creatures....... from their incredible athletic abilities, to their regal spirit, to their generosity and desire to please us humans, to their fascinating powers of perception. I feel like we owe it to them to carefully consider what we do with them on a daily basis. Anyone who is calling themselves a "Horse Trainer" has a huge responsibility to do rightby every horse they work with. And even if you are not a professional, you are not off the hook! You still have that responsibility.... as YOU are your horse's trainer. Here are 10 things you MUST do, to achieve that! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Let me share an intimate personal story with you... A long time ago, I went through a brief phase in my riding, where my horse's very big jumping efforts in the Show Jumping were jostling me out of my position. As you can see from these photos, Felix would often clear his oxers by a couple of feet:
The problem would then be compounded, as I approached each big jump (especially big, square oxers) anticipating being thrown out of position, and I would unconsciously react by becoming tense and rigid, bracing myself against the jump on the takeoff. This of course meant that the shock absorbing quality of my joints would be locked. And I would have NO chance of staying with his rocket launch style of jumping with locked shock absorbers! So things would go from bad to worse. And a vicious circle ensued.
I knew what the problem was, but I was having a hard time making myself stay supple and relaxed on the takeoff, so that I had a chance of going with my horse's jumping motion more smoothly. So, what I did to fix this problem was... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
This very basic exercise will help to show you if you are in an independently balanced and secure position as a rider, as well as whether or not your horse is balanced and in self carriage at the canter. It also has the added benefit of encouraging the horse to let go of any tension that he might be carrying in his back. Here's how to do it: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Riders instinctively pull back on the reins when they feel their horse becoming strong or heavy. And instead of fixing the problem, pulling back actually invites the horse into a game of tug of war. Riders need to learn to resist against their horse in this situation, instead of pulling. But the problem is, many riders think they are resisting rather than pulling, when in fact they are pulling on their horse's mouth. Here is a quick little exercise that will show you whether or not you are pulling against your horse - and it will show you the difference in what it feels like to resist vs pulling: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Your horse will never truly be in self carriage if you are giving constant aids. You must train him to take the responsibility to maintain the gait or movement that you put him in with minimal input from you. It must become a state of mind for your horse - that he truly understands that he has this responsibility... or it is not likely to happen. Here's how to teach him: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Does your horse think he knows it all when you are jumping? Does he have strong ideas about where he will go on the landing, and how fast? Teach him that he really doesn't know what he is going to be doing on the landing side of the fence, with this very simple exercise, and he will pay more attention to you on both sides of the fence. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
It's a common scenario... you apply a half halt, and your horse doesn't respond as you would like. Maybe he resists you by fighting the bit, or gets faster and heavy in your hands. Maybe he hollows his back and starts to move with short, choppy strides. Or maybe he ignores you altogether! What do you do??
No pressure or anything... but you better have the right answer if you want your half halt to work better the next time! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
It's no secret that the riders from Australia and New Zealand regularly beat the Americans in the sport of Eventing. And since I recently had the wonderful opportunity of teaching lots of riders "down under", I have been thinking about some of the things that I noticed that could account for their extreme success. First of all, take a guess at how old the young Australian rider in the above picture is... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
The low wide oxer exercise teaches the horse many valuable lessons! The biggest of which is how to truly use his body to stretch easily across fences with width. This gives the horse enormous confidence in his ability to handle wide obstacles, including open ditches. Once he understands this technique, he will just stretch easily across even the widest of open ditches, which means that you will be in better balance and have more control immediately upon landing, and will find it easier to get to that skinny jump that is probably just a few strides away!
Since this exercise teaches the horse how to bascule, and really use its topline to make the jump more efficient - the horse that practices it often carries the benefits into all of their jumping... producing a rounder jump that involves using their bodies more fully. Here's how to introduce this exercise: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Having the correct stirrup length is a large contributing factor to success when jumping. It can literally make or break your performance! Attempting to jump with the wrong length of stirrup can make it very difficult for the rider to remain in balance throughout the jumping effort. Too short, and the rider is perched precariously out of the saddle. But it is actually pretty rare to see riders riding with stirrups that are too short. It is way more common for riders to ride with stirrups that are too long. And that causes lots of problems! Let me describe the typical scenario: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Many riders associate Dressage with longer stirrups, and immediately lower them to the point that it negatively affects their position. Stirrups that are too long will make your leg... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
A good Event horse must be brave. To be really safe in this sport, the horse has to really want to go tackle the unknown wherever we may be pointing them. Many hearts have been broken over beautiful, athletic, and talented horses that just didn't have this quality. While bravery can be developed to some degree through training, most horses have an innate limit. And it is a shame to waste time, money, and effort... not to mention mental anguish, and sometimes even injury... to try to take a horse past that limit.
So how can you tell if the horse you are working with is innately brave or not? I have a quick easy little test that I have found to quite accurately predict how brave and willing a horse will be. And no, it is not jumping through a ring of fire! Read on to find out about this little test that can be done with a horse of any age or level of experience: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
If you watch, listen, or read enough Dressage theory, you will probably find that there are many different philosophies on the subject. And much of the information available is often confusing... and contradictory. There are two main (and nearly polar opposite) schools of thought regarding Dressage - the French and the German. And many trainers (like me) have systems that fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum that spans between the two extremes. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read the full article)
This exercise promotes lateral suppleness, and encourages the horse to move with a relaxed, swinging back: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
The rein back is such a valuable exercise... It reinforces the rider's restraining aids as necessary, and engages the horse's hind legs - increasing the "sit" behind. Like any exercise, however, it must be done correctly to be beneficial. Here's how to do it: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
To me, the word dynamic means to be alive and at least slightly constantlychanging. The opposite of which is being static and fixed. If your aids become too fixed when riding, your horse will be more likely to become dull to your aids... even to the point of leaning on them. You can avoid this problem by.... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Every sport that requires accuracy requires the ability to focus. In our sport, this means several things: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Many top Event horses have an "alpha" personality. It really shouldn't be a big surprise that horses with a natural tendency to be leaders would tend to excel at the sport of Eventing - since an inherently brave and curious horse who loves a good challenge is the perfect recipe for a good cross country horse. The downside of this personality trait is that they can be much more challenging to train! Let me tell you the story of my top horse, Felix, who was as "alpha" as they come: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Do you find that you often start off with a good trot lengthening, but by the end of the long diagonal things have deteriorated a bit, with your horse rushing and losing his balance and rhythm? This scenario is quite common, and is caused from the "spring" of the horse's hind legs becoming uncoiled. Meaning that the horse has lost the engagement of the hind legs, and is now falling on the forehand. Here is an exercise to help you keep your horse's hind legs truly engaged, so that you can maintain the quality of the lengthening for the full diagonal: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Ah, bad habits.... we all have them! And they can be SO frustrating, as no matter how much we try to fix them, they stubbornly persist! There is a trick, however, that can help you lick your bad habits once and for all. And that is to... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Whenever a horse "misses" a canter cue, and instead starts to run into a fast trot, he is telling you one or both of these two things: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
A supple horse is a joy to ride. Free from the paralyzing effects of tension and resistance, the truly supple horse allows the energy created by the hindquarters to move freely into the connection with the bit. Lateral suppleness refers to the horses ability to bend easily from side to side. Few horses are ambidextrous - meaning that they can naturally bend as easily to the right as they do to the left. One of the major goals of dressage is to make the horse more even - so that he bends easily both directions. Because only then can he be truly straight. There are many great lateral suppling exercises available, but this is my all time favorite! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Many riders underestimate how necessary it is to ride forward through their turns to the jumps. Turns tend to take away some of the energy from each stride. And the cumulative effect of multiple strides on a turn can result in a serious lack of impulsion right in front of the jump - where the horse needs it most. The tighter the turn, the more important it becomes for riders to be able to maintain the impulsion in the stride. So here is an exercise to teach you how to create the habit of riding sufficiently forward through your turns to jumps. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Have you ever wondered why we do so many circles in Dressage? It is because a well ridden circle is highly beneficial to the horse - improving his balance and self carriage. An oddly shaped circle, however, is quite unproductive. It causes a loss of balance. So, whether you are in front of a judge or not, you should always be striving for perfectly round circles!
There are a number of exercises to help riders find a truly round circle, but this is one of the best! It was first introduced to me by a former rider of the Spanish Riding School. And at a time when I thought my circles were already pretty darned good... Well, I was proved wrong! As this exercise instantly shows you if your circle is deviating even slightly from a perfectly round shape! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Many riders have a tendency to stop riding forward to some degree when riding figures - in their effort to be accurate and precise.And the problem with that is that it is harder to be accurate if the horse is not truly forward! As forwardness helps to create straightness, and being forward on figures makes them appear more fluid. Here is a very simple tip to help you to think more forward when riding figures such as circles, turns, or serpentines! (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
Ride enough dirty stoppers, or dishonest horses in general, and you are likely to become somewhat defensive in your riding. What does this mean? A defensive rider carries around the mental baggage of bad things that have happened in the past, and has a hard time letting go of it - and just riding the horse they are on at the moment. It is perfectly natural for a rider to remember a bad experience, and to have it affect their riding to some degree. But it can paralyze your capacity to ride to the best of your ability. And there are some things you can do to help overcome this problem! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)What to Do If Your Horse "Jumps Over the Front End"
Whenever a horse gets underneath a fence, and jumps like this - it is almost always a result of the quality of the canter in the approach to the fence. I'm willing to bet that this horse was strung out and heavy on the forehand on the approach to this jump. And it is likely that this horse had momentum in his canter, rather than impulsion. Whenever a horse's shoulders and forelegs are pointing downward over a jump, it means the front end was so heavily loaded at the moment of takeoff, that they were unable to rock back sufficiently on their hind legs to lift the front end properly.This is called jumping over the front end. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Horses are most likely to jump a fence cleanly when they are accurately focusing on the top rail. This comes quite naturally to some horses, while others need to be taught this skill. Here's how to teach it! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Do you regularly get comments on your Dressage Tests such as "needs more energy" or "needs more activity"? Yet you know that if you simply push your horse more forward, you may have to deal with a loss of balance or rhythm? And possibly even heaviness or resistance in your hand? If this is the case, then you need to learn how to truly increasethe activity of your horse's hind legs, rather than just cause him to push harder off the ground and merely go faster. Here's how to do it: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
I often get asked what my opinion is on boots for the Event horse. Do I use them every ride? What kind do I prefer? Well, here's the scoop: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
