“When you don't have a confident position, it’s saying to people you don’t believe in yourself. So sit up, shoulders back, chin high, and ride your best test.” ~ Robert Dover
"Working over a single pole on the ground, notice if the young horse prefers to chip in a short stride or stretch for a long stride. Then remember this is the default that they will return to when things go wrong." ~ Eric Smiley
You can't straighten a crooked stick just by bending it until it's straight. You have to bend it in the opposite direction to truly straighten it. The same is true with horses. Moments of exaggerating the bend in the direction your horse doesn't like to bend will cause him to become straighter.
"First thing I look at when I buy a horse is paces rather than breeding. Beautiful parents don’t always produce beautiful children. I’m not looking for the flashiest paces, but also the trainablility and rideability. How are you going to keep a big, flamboyant mover sound into Grand Prix? You want an easy mover." ~ Carl Hester
A sound horse's head does not move in the trot. So if your hands move at all in the trot, you are moving the bit and disturbing the connection from your horse's perspective.
"You should recognize that your equine partner has an eye of its own when jumping and allow a good horse to have some role in the decision making process." ~ Frank Chapot
"In the half halt that creates carrying power, we are asking the horse to slow down and carry more weight when his hind leg joints are closed and his hind foot is on the ground. The levade, in which the horse sits on his hindquarters, is the ultimate example of this kind of closing of the joints while carrying the weight." ~ George Williams
"I’m not sure if it is chicken or egg, but the riders who sit in the middle of the movement, in the middle of their horse are the ones with the self-carriage." ~ Chris Hector
From Facebook fan Rachel Mackmin ~ "Shoulder control established with outside rein and thigh allow us timid riders to let go of that inside rein! It's so hard to give that inside rein to a spooky horse!"
One of the biggest reasons riders meet resistance when attempting to control their horse's canter is that they stop following the motion of the horse's head and neck with their elbows.
Riders often tend to forget their outside leg in the equation of the bending aids. If you want to achieve true bend in the horse's ribcage, your outside leg must keep the hind quarters on the track.
Whenever you see a rider "miss" and meet a bad takeoff spot at a jump, it is often a clear sign that rider has been taught to "look for a distance" at their fences. Riders who do not look for a distance, but instead ride the quality of the canter all the way to the base NEVER miss!
"Correctly understood, work at the lunge line is indispensable for rider and horse from the very beginning through the highest levels." ~ Egon von Neindorff
Turn on the forehand and leg yield can be used to teach the horse that the rider's leg can mean something other than, "Go forward."
The horse must understand this concept in these very basic movements before you will find much success with any of the more complicated lateral movements.
"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
If you want to be able to soften the reins without your horse speeding up, make sure you think about relaxing all driving aids (seat and leg) when you give the rein.
The horse that is the fastest on cross country is often not the one that is allowed to gallop at a greater rate of speed, but rather one that is highly adjustable, and is ridden on economical lines.
"No matter if you are a horse, a rider, a dancer, or even a tennis player, tension is your enemy. Suppleness means that the muscles contract and de-contract, and this has to go through the entire horse, it cannot be blocked in the middle of the back, and it also has to go through the rider." ~ Susanne Miesner
"Riders use the spur instead of the calf of the leg. This is wrong. As trainers and judges, we need to encourage putting the rider in front of the leg, NOT the spur." ~ Christoph Hess
"A lot of riders think that will make their jumping better by jumping as many jumps as possible. They will go and get a jumping lesson, as opposed to a dressage lesson or doing some physical exercises to teach them body awareness skills, and probably the last would help them most." ~ Andrew Hoy
"I like to think about making my body longer in the front to make me sit up instead of thinking 'shoulders back,' which can make you stiff." ~ Mary King
If your horse is truly balanced and straight, and stepping up into your outside rein, you should be able to promptly and easily create a quality shoulder in at any spot in the arena, no matter what gait or figure you are currently riding.
“When you don't have a confident position, it’s saying to people you don’t believe in yourself. So sit up, shoulders back, chin high, and ride your best test.” ~ Robert Dover
Lateral workcan be used to steady and improve the regularity of the rhythm of your horse’s gaits. Particularly with horses that want to rush and/or become irregular, asking for a little shoulder in, leg yield, or a few steps of spiral in or out, can help them wait and find more cadence in their stride.
"When you relax your arms and feel the reins softly you need to feel that your horse wants to step into the contact. If you do not then he is behind your leg and seat." ~ Yvonne Barteau
"Think of your elbows as hinges, bent, hands level and together. Sit square and even in the saddle. Open your knees, open your thigh, let the weight go to your heels, keep your knee soft." ~ Gill Rolton
If your horse is strung out and on the forehand, they will be more likely to slip, trip, or stumble at any time. Just one of the many reasons you should strive to keep your horse balanced at all times!
Point your chest in the direction that you want to go. If you turn your horse with your body position, you will probably find that you will need a lot less hand and leg to get it done.
