Recent Articles in ~Lesley's Corner~

As an instructor, one of the most common things I find myself saying to students is, "raise your inside hand." So many riders turn their horses like they are riding a motorcycle, and this causes all sorts of problems! If you see yourself in the above picture, read on to find out why you need to correct this bad habit! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

The natural progression from the walk two steps and trot again exercise is the almost walk exercise. So once you are good at keeping the activity in your horse's hind legs in your transition into walk, and in the immediate transition back into trot - you can begin to use the 'almost walk' exercise to improve all of your work. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

 


So many riders are wrongly taught to look up past the jump when approaching it, presumably to keep them from anticipating the jump and jumping ahead. But this method turns you into a mere passenger on your horse over the jumps. How many other sports do you know of where your coach would tell you not to look at what you are doing?? (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

With a little planning and forethought, you CAN make related distances work for you. You just have to focus on these key points: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

To be a beneficial gymnastic exercise, every downward transition that you make with your horse must involve engagement of his hind legs and lowering of his hindquarters to some degree. And with some horses, that is not always easy to achieve! I find that thinking about this analogy can really help riders improve their downward transitions. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

I first heard the phrase "keep your hips moving to the jump" from Eventing great Ralph Hill. And there is no doubt that thinking about it made a big difference in the success of my jumping with the somewhat timid horse that I had at the time. What does it mean exactly? (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

Take enough lessons and you will inevitably come across some conflicting advice. How do you know which advice to take? Hands up or hands down? Quiet and still hands or vibrate the reins? Weigh the inside or outside seat bone? Or neither?? Sit to the jumps or stay off your horse's back? Contact or loose reins? When you are an amateur rider who is still learning the ropes, it can be very confusing (and even upsetting) to get such conflicting advice! Keep reading to learn how to best handle these situations, and how to figure out which methods you should use for your horse. (Click on Article Title above to read full article)

This is one of my all time favorite exercises - it is SO useful for horses at all levels. The young or green horse learns how to keep their hind legs active to properly "sit" in their downward transitions, and how to stay balanced and connected in their upward transitions. It helps the more advanced horse with increased engagement of the hind legs, opening the door to improved collection. And of course, to complete the exercise successfully, the rider really learns how to ride their transitions correctly. If the transitions are not ridden properly, the exercise will be telling. The "walk for two steps and trot again" exercise is simply a good test of the foundation for half halts and good transitions for both horse and rider. Here's how to do it! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

I have recently been working with a rider who has had years of dressage training with some top trainers, and yet has been unable to get her draft cross mare truly in front of her leg. This rider was in the habit of pushing, driving, and digging her sharp spurs into her horse every stride to keep her moving. If she took her legs off for one stride, the horse would stop. This rider was definitely working harder than her horse.

Sound familiar? If you have a horse that tries to teach you to do all the work, read on to find out how to fix this problem for good! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

If you are like most riders, you may have a tendency to creep forward somewhat with your upper body in the final strides of the approach to a jump. This often stems from feeling a need to do something to help your horse jump the fence. When in reality, what helps your horse the most is if you stay still as he is preparing to jump. Here is an exercise to help you stay more still and poised in front of your fences: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

Everyone knows that we want our horses to be straight. But do you really know what "straightness" means? It is not simply the ability to go in a straight line. And although a big part of straightness is having the horse's body aligned so that the hind feet follow the same track as the front feet (whether on a straight or a curved line), a very important and often overlooked element of the definition of straightness is....(Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

Jumping from bright sunlight into dark shadows presents a significant challenge for the horse. And many times riders overlook the fact that a jump is into the darkness, especially if it is cloudy when walking the course. So if they are unaware, they may find that an otherwise innocuous looking jump will ride much harder than it looks! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

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)

 


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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

"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)

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)

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)

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)

(Photo credit to Becca Brown Macanas)


Leg yielding is an exercise that I almost always incorporate into the horse's warm up. It is a very useful (and somewhat underrated) movement. Here are the many benefits of leg yielding: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

The most important thing you can say to yourself right before you start a cross country course is, "ride EVERY fence!" Why? Because very often it is the jump on course that you least expect to cause you trouble, that you will have a stupid stop or run out at! I unfortunately learned this lesson the hard way early on in my career. Here is my story! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

Your seat is the most important aid that you have when riding. When you are able to use your seat effectively, you will find that all of your other aids can be very subtle and refined. But your horse will only hear the aids of your seat if you are correctly sitting on your seat bones, with your upper body aligned directly above them. The exercise pictured below is a great way for you to find your seat bones, and help you learn what it feels like to have your seat bones pointing correctly downward: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

Horses tend to mirror their rider's body language. If riders carry themselves correctly, their horses will have a much greater tendency to carry themselves correctly. If the rider is slouched and sloppy, the horse will likely be sloppy in its posture as well. And when the horse is not carrying itself correctly, it will not be able to easily carry a rider in balance. When an unbalanced horse is carrying a rider on its back, it will tend to resist the rider's aids, and may even look to lean on the rider for support.

Whether we are talking about dressage or jumping, a rider needs to have engaged core muscles to carry themselves correctly, and to have a solid, secure position while following their horse's movements. An engaged core is necessary to do a good sitting trot, to have a nice collected canter, and even to stay with a horse over a big oxer. It is simply the secret to being an effective and stable rider.

Most people are already aware of their core muscles, but it can sometimes be hard to figure out how to actually engage them when riding, since you have so many other things to think about! So here are some tips: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

You have probably seen a horse that seems to give a little "hop" when making the transition from walk to trot. You may even own one that does it! It's a fairly common fault in lower level horses. The reason a horse does that is because......(Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

When jumping combinations and related distances, it is very important for a rider to be able to create the exact length of stride necessary on the approach to make the distance work. So it is therefore important for the rider to be able to accurately judge the length of their horse's canter stride. Here is an exercise that will show you how to feel what the various lengths of stride feel like for your horse. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

While it can be useful in some situations to ride along the rail, fence, or wall - spending lots of time on the rail can actually be a detriment to your training. Why? Because the rail can.....(Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

I will never forget the first time that I attended the USET training sessions down in Ocala, Florida many years ago...... I was so excited to watch all of the top Event riders receive dressage instruction from Grand Prix dressage trainer Sandy Pflueger Phillips, who was the dressage coach for the Eventing Team at the time.

I was fully expecting to be wowed by watching hours of top horses and riders schooling upper level movements. But that was not the case! Instead, Sandy had every rider work on just one basic thing for their entire lesson....and it proved to be very difficult indeed!...(Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

Respect and trust are the basis for all relationships within the horse's world. In the herd, a "pecking order" or hierarchy is established pretty quickly. Every new horse to enter the herd learns who is the leader of the group, as well as which of the other horses are "above" them in the order.

It's obvious that horses respect their herd leaders.....they are always aware of where they are, and are quick to move out of their way - sometimes they are already moving when their leader is still 50 feet away but heading in their direction. But what may not be as easily apparent is how much they actually trust and look to their leaders when they need guidance or protection. Having a herd leader takes the pressure off - they will usually put the leader between themselves and any perceived threat, and will let the leader decide how dangerous it really is. 

Horses relate to their humans...(Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

The next step up from the speed play exercise, where you ask the horse to show different speeds at each gait, is the rubber band exercise.  The rubber band exercise is great for increasing throughness in the horse and developing the gaits. It helps to increase the level of impulsion in the horse, and increases the engagement of the hind legs. All of which make it possible for the horse to perform collected and extended gaits. Here's how to do it: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

The riders that will be the most successful this coming show season will likely be the ones that have spent the "off season" preparing for it. Those that spend the winter months really going back to basics and solidifying their foundation will be really planting the seeds for a successful year to come. What can you do to best prepare for the next show season? (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

If you ask 100 different people about feeding the Event horse, you are likely to get nearly 100 different answers. Feeding seems to be such a personal thing - everyone has an opinion, and many are passionate about that opinion. But the one thing that I think we all can agree on, because it is actually a fact, is that....(Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

Tension in the horse's back is very paralyzing to the rest of its body. It basically inhibits the horse's hind legs from coming sufficiently underneath its body to balance itself. Riding the horse with tension in its back can often cause back soreness, which will then perpetuate the problem. It can also cause spooky and disobedient behavior, as the horse tries to communicate his unhappiness with the state of his back. Lets talk about how to tell if your horse is tense in the back, and what you can do about it.

The horse with tension in its back will typically either tend to rush with short, choppy, and often irregular strides that have no suspension - or will tend to feel "stuck", with the rider finding it difficult to get the horse to really go forward. The rider will often feel resistance in the bridle because of the tension in the horse's back, and will find it impossible to keep a good connection.

You can learn to spot tension in the horse's back by watching their tail carriage, as the tail is usually an accurate mirror of the state of the back.....(Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)

Some riders don't seem to want to take enough time to work on basics, and instead seem to be in a hurry to move on to bigger and more exciting things. These same riders usually find that their attempted short cut ends up being very much the long way - since once they hit an impasse due to a hole in their foundation, they have to go back and start over.

Almost every problem that develops on the flat or over fences can be traced back to a hole or a weak link in the basics. And therefore the development of a problem should be addressed by going back to work on that weak link. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)