The use of "half steps" in your training can be very beneficial, as it can help the horse to understand the idea of engagement without increasing speed.
Position your horse in a very slight shoulder fore before every movement or transition, to help him engage his inside hind leg and really step through from behind.
"Many riders in the name of impulsion, put too much tension in their horses. Others in the name of lightness, have their horse 'abandoned' (without a sufficient connection). The truth of equitation is in between those two extremes." ~ Nuno Oliveira
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.
The old masters learned early on that riding accurate arena patterns is the key for improving a horse's balance and straightness. Always keep this in mind in your training.
"Through the energy of impulsion mobilized from within himself, the horse is now prepared, in his physique and emotional attentiveness, to respond instantly to the slightest indications to change his tempo, posture, direction or gait." ~ Waldemar Seunig
From Facebook fan Sarah Feathers ~ "When your horse likes to run and/or buck before and after jumps, it is much better to 'hold' with your core than snatch your reins."
"Whenever a horse has learned a new movement or a new aid in its basic form, the rider should give him a break and deliberately ride something else for a few days or weeks. When he returns to the movement, he will notice how much more easily the training will proceed." ~ Reiner Klimke
"Every horse is different, but you learn to compare, what to do in this moment with this particular horse, and that takes time. Dressage doesn’t go fast, this is the difference between our young riders and our more experienced riders." ~ Reiner Klimke
"If the leg is required at every stride to maintain the impulsion then it is necessary to return to the basic priorities again in order to teach the horse to remain active and forward thinking without constant use of the leg." ~ Chris Bartle
A word about the double bridle: The curb bit is a tool for refining the aids, not for applying more force. If the double bridle is used because otherwise the rider can’t ride his horse on the bit or because he can’t control it, neither the horse nor the rider is ready for the double bridle.
"Working-in is one of the most important aspects of dressage. You want your horse to be long, round and stretching before you start more taxing work, to get the muscles in front of and behind the saddle soft and working – gymnasts don’t hop straight onto the top bar! Ideally, walk for 10 minutes to start with, but if your horse is fresh, it is best to trot on to settle him down." ~ Carl Hester
"The inside leg assures that he is consistently looking for the outside rein. Come on, get him sensitive. If you’re too busy with your inside rein, it takes the focus off the inside leg. Try to get rid of the thinking that everything will fall part if you give the inside rein." ~ Stefan Wolff
From Facebook fan Gabby Ballin ~ "Just because something went bad once doesn't mean it'll go bad again. If you anticipate a problem, your horse will too."
"Only use the spur to correct. The spur is not intended to ride a movement. It cannot just support the gait or the movement. Make a clear correction with the spur. If you are constantly giving your horse an aid, he will get numb to it. " ~ Steffen Peters
"Horses have taught us that progress in learning takes place in an environment of contentment. Fear and tension block success. Boundaries must exist, be clear, and be consistent. Within those boundaries our horses are encouraged to express themselves." ~ Steuart Pittman
"It is not dressage that is difficult, it is making it look easy that is difficult. Some horses are born with presence, while others you can train presence. Either way, dressage is about improving the paces." ~ Carl Hester
"It is so important that you do a proper warmup and make sure everything is loose and supple, then give a walk break – and then you can start sitting." ~ Ingrid Klimke
"The difference between an incorrectly compressed horse and a collected horse is that the collected horse can put his nose toward the ground (stretch) while staying round." ~ Nuno Oliveira
When training a young horse you should be fairly single minded. Your main goal should be to build your horse's confidence in you, so that they think of you as a fair but strong leader.
Your ability to develop following hands and arms depends on the quality of your independent seat, which is required to allow you to give precise aids while following your horse's movement.
When doing lateral work, every time your horse steps nicely under his body with his inside hind leg, you should feel him stepping up into the connection of your outside rein. Be sure to make good use of that opportunity to soften your inside rein. Every single time.
"Most of the riders ride with their upper body very stiff – especially their shoulders. If the stomach is in balance and in the position it should be, the shoulders are allowed to relax, and should relax. You need to be loose in your shoulders." ~ Ernst Hoyos
"I hope a lot of the American riders start to realize that cross country is not all about counting strides and keeping the stride pattern that you’ve counted; it’s about getting in there and riding what you feel and making sure the horse sees the fence." ~ Lucinda Green
"The best stretch can be achieved on a circle when you feel the horse is balanced laterally and longitudinally. Slowly allow the reins to lengthen and see if your horse will lengthen his neck forward and downward. This will feel like a clear release and you will be able to see how the neck fills out and gets wide when you look down." ~ Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel
"Since the criteria of a correct seat are the same as the criteria of good posture in general, being constantly attentive to one’s bearing when standing or walking is excellent training. A correct vertical posture of the head and the trunk on horseback is not a special posture applicable only to riding." ~ Kurt Albrecht
Facebook fan Mo Jackson on teaching riders to maintain a consistent rein connection ~ "I try to teach this with pretending rider and horse are on the telephone. You are talking, oops no connection, talking again, oops no connection. This causes chaos in the horse's mind as he is trying to communicate, to be part of the conversation."
Always think of keeping your shoulders aligned with your horse's shoulders (or where you want them to be), and your hips aligned with your horse's hips (or where you want them to be.)
As you complete a halt, lighten your seat slightly to invite your horse to keep his back up underneath you. This will allow you to move off after the halt without the horse hollowing and dropping his back.
