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Recent Entries

 

Lisa's Blog post # 55

 (in: ~Lisa's Corner~)
May 18, 2012

Remember Forest Gump and Bubba?  “Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried…”

Cotton and I are having the same exact conversation – about canter transitions! (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
 

How to Half Halt While in Galloping Position

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
May 16, 2012
How to Half Halt While in Galloping Position

 uphill gallop



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. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
 

An Exercise to Prepare for Skinny Jumps in Combinations

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
May 15, 2012
An Exercise to Prepare for Skinny Jumps in Combinations

coffin complex with skinny



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 (in blue) to read full article)
 

Discussion # 21: Which rider has a more secure and balanced position dropping into water?

 (in: Educational Discussions)
May 14, 2012
Which of these two 4 star riders do you think has a more secure and balanced position dropping into water? How can you tell? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)

drop into water          drop into water
 

Video Discussion # 27: This is a good lesson to watch!

 (in: Educational Discussions)
May 13, 2012
I love how this trainer talks about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. If you are going to improve, this is something that you must do! I also love that he emphasizes encouraging the horse to bring his back up in the downward transitions by closing your legs to send the horse into the connection while lightening your seat. This can work very well for some types of horses! What do you think he means by "lighten the seat"? And what type of horse do you think this would be especially useful for? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Quiz # 7: Quick quiz! Which lead is this horse about to land on?

(in: Educational Discussions)
May 10, 2012
Which lead is this horse about to land on? How can you tell? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)

landing from jump
 

A Variation of the Spiral In and Out Exercise

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
May 9, 2012
A Variation of the Spiral In and Out Exercise

different sized circles

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 (in blue) to read full article)
 

Discussion # 20: Let's discuss the phrase "Bend your horse to make him straight".

(in: Educational Discussions)
May 8, 2012
A common phrase in the dressage world is "Bend your horse to make him straight". Who can tell us what this means? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Does Your Horse Know His ABC's?

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
May 7, 2012
Does Your Horse Know His ABC's? ABC's



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)
 

Handling Pre Competition Nerves

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
May 6, 2012
Handling Pre Competition Nerves

 cross country nerves

(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)
 

Video Discussion # 26: What caused this refusal?

 (in: Educational Discussions)
May 4, 2012
What do you think caused the refusal at :44? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Question # 68: Can you give me some specific instructions on exercises to encourage my horse to jump a little flatter and *across* his jumps, rather than giving such a big bascule?

 (in: Questions)
May 2, 2012
A recent clinician said that PJ just has a "big pop" over the top of the jumps, that anyone would have a hard time staying with. He encouraged me to ride more forward to fences and get a neck strap for PJ, to assist me in staying closer to him when he pops. My local coach didn't like this AT ALL. He is forever telling me to slow down until I feel like we are crawling, and he hated the neckstrap idea. Please help! (Vita)


Hi Vita!

I have to say, I totally agree with your clinician. When you make a horse go slow to fences, they have to really use all of their power to get over the jump - especially oxers. Which can cause riders to be jumped out of the tack. It's a little counter intuitive - but yes, really riding forward will help him jump more smoothly out of stride, rather than ballooning in the air over his jumps. And a neckstrap is a great idea! There is no drawback to using one, and no shame in using one either! Even William Fox Pitt uses one! To make one, just take a.....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
 

Lisa's Blog post # 54

 (in: ~Lisa's Corner~)
May 1, 2012

As you may have heard,  Jump a Course Month is not going well.  Therefore, Canter Month has been extended indefinitely.  Cotton and I need more time… he is still just extremely unbalanced at the canter.

I have spent some significant amount of time researching crookedness on the internet so I could get a better understanding of what is going on.  Why does he completely fall apart at the canter even though he can stay engaged and balanced in the trot?  My inquiring mind had to know!  What a paradigm shift…(Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
 

Discussion # 19: Let's discuss the infamous fence 9 at this years Rolex 3 Day Event!

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Apr 30, 2012
fence 9 Rolex 2012



This combination caused a significant amount of trouble this weekend! 9A is the vertical fence in the front of the picture. The ground slopes down considerably on landing, and 9B is a ditch one stride away. The ditch is really down low in the hollow.....more so than the average Coffin jump - even for this level. It is, however, not a big or deep ditch. There is then a slight turn with approximately three strides to 9C, which is the brush arrowhead jump in the back of the picture. All three elements caused their fair share of problems, but 9C was probably the most problematic, with numerous runouts. Why do you think this jump caused so much trouble? What was causing the horses to run out at the C element? What do you think was the most important factor in determining whether 9C jumped well or resulted in a runout? In other words, what is the number one priority when you are trying to get your horse to jump a skinny jump like an arrowhead? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)

 

Discussion # 17: Let's compare these two jumping horses and their riders.

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Apr 26, 2012
    



Which of these horses is jumping from a long spot, and which is "chipping in"? Which horse is jumping in better balance? How can you tell? How about rider position - which rider do you think is better balanced? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Video Discussion # 25: Training level test 3 Dressage test with scores and commentary from the great Bill Woods!

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Apr 25, 2012
It is always a great learning opportunity to be able to watch a Dressage test being ridden while getting instant feedback with scores and commentary. What are your thoughts on watching this video? (Video with kind permission of www.WoodsDressage.com) (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Quiz # 6: Rule quiz!

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Apr 24, 2012
Who can tell us in which circumstances it would be OK to "cross your path" between jumps on cross country, and when it would be 20 penalties to do so? (Click on Quiz Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Discussion # 18: What does this rider need to work on?

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Apr 23, 2012
jump for critique



Who can tell us what this rider needs to work on? What specific exercises should she do to improve? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

How to Show More Bend in the Corners and Turns

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
Apr 20, 2012
How to Show More Bend in the Corners and Turns

 bending



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)
 

Video Discussion # 24: Fun video to watch with great horses and riders doing extensive gridwork with some big jumps!

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Apr 18, 2012
You can see how the progressive gridwork teaches the horses how to focus on the top rail that is immediately in front of them, and to accurately measure their strides between jumps. Long grids are also great for conditioning! Compare the horses jumping form as they go through this grid. Which uses its body better? What do you think caused the slightly unbalanced jump at 1:44? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Riding the Timid Jumper

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
Apr 16, 2012
Riding the Timid Jumper timid jumper



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)
 

Video discussion # 23: Tips from Sally O'Connor on improving the canter!

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Apr 16, 2012
Let's discuss this video of a lesson with Sally O'Connor, where they are working on improving the canter to prepare for flying changes! It shows good examples of suppling exercises in the canter, such as counter canter, leg yield, and half pass. And this horse shows a great example of the rubber band exercise in the canter. Can you see the horse's canter looking more supple and through as the video progresses? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to watch the video and read this educational discussion) 
 

Question # 67: So far "Jump a Course Month" has not gone well. It seems his balancing issues at the canter are the culprit..

 (in: Questions)
Apr 13, 2012
After his fences, no matter how lovely he was cantering up to the fence, he lands on his forehand. He's very difficult to bring to a trot, he plows through his turns, and I end up pulling on him. Would you suggest I take a few steps back and continue improving his canter, or push through and keep working on jumping courses? He is responsive, and feels balanced in the trot - for the most part - but when I do get a good canter it still takes a lot of effort to keep him together. It's also difficult to get consistently good downward transitions. Even though I am anxious to reach my goal, I don't want to ruin what we have accomplished by skipping a vital part of our training that we'll need as soon as I start him over BN fences. (Lisa)


Hi Lisa!

I would continue putting groups of jumps together (jumping short courses), but have a plan to make it more clear to your horse exactly what you expect of him. When he is unbalanced, strong, and not adjustable after his jumps, instead of just letting him go through the corner somewhat out of control, I would.....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
 

Accepting the Bit VS Giving to the Bit

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
Apr 11, 2012
Accepting the Bit VS Giving to the Bit
 
behind the bit



"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)
 

Discussion # 16: Which of these working trots is better than the other and why?

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Apr 10, 2012
working trot               working trot



Which of these working trots is better than the other and why? Which rider has a better position? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Lisa's Blog post # 53

 (in: ~Lisa's Corner~)
Apr 10, 2012

Fourth and Third out of six riders each test… In the eventing world my scores translated to a 42.5 and a 36.8.   We were blessed with a sparkling, crisp day and particularly encouraging and gracious people at Gone to Ground Farm!

The first test was a complete bust.  Cotton acted like a red-neck visiting The Big City!  (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
 

Question # 66: My horse goes forward nicely on loose reins, but the minute I take a contact he is behind my leg. What can I do? (Kristen)

 (in: Questions)
Apr 9, 2012

Hi Kristen!

This is a very common problem! And it shows that the horse is not accepting the contact. First make sure that you are not unintentionally blocking in your arms or wrists, which can make any horse reluctant to go forward into the connection. Read this entry to check your hand position, as having an incorrect hand position is one of the most common ways that riders block a horse. Tight elbows that don't follow the horse's motion are also a common blocker. If you are going to give your horse an inviting connection to move into, you must be able to keep your part of the connection (which is everything between your shoulders and your fingers closed on the reins) elastic like a rubber band or a bungee cord.

If you are fairly sure that your hand position is correct, and that you are able to keep your connection elastic - but your horse still won't go forward into the connection, you have to.....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
 

How Dressage is Similar to Baking a Cake

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
Apr 8, 2012
How Dressage is Similar to Baking a Cake



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 (in blue) to read full article)
 

Lisa's Blog post # 52

 (in: ~Lisa's Corner~)
Apr 6, 2012

At least we ended on a good note!

Because last month’s canter sessions over little fences had gone so well I thought we’d be able to pick up where we left off…(Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
 

Video Discussion # 22: Jumper round with rail down.

(in: Educational Discussions)
Apr 5, 2012
Some of this is pretty far away, but the mistake at the end is close enough to see what went wrong. Who can tell us what caused the rail down at 1:13? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Show CLEAR Transitions in the Dressage Ring

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
Apr 4, 2012
Show CLEAR Transitions in the Dressage Ring extended canter



I very often see riders losing unnecessary marks in the Dressage ring, just because they are not thinking about making sure their transitons are clear. What do I mean by clear? (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
 

Question # 65: I read an article that said to ask for bend our inside hip should be forward, which encourages the horses inside hip to go forward, and causes the riders weight on his inside seatbone to increase. Is this correct? (Lisa)

 (in: Questions)
Apr 2, 2012

Hi Lisa!

There is a general rule in dressage that we want to always keep our hips in line with our horse's hips, and our shoulders in line with our horse's shoulders. When we want our horse to bend around a circle to the left, we want him to keep his.....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
 

Question # 64: I tend to have "chicken wing" elbows when I jump. How do I fix this problem? Tie my elbows together with a bungee cord?? (Briana)

 (in: Questions)
Apr 2, 2012

Hi Briana!

Like most rider flaws, this one can be traced back to a defect in your base position. Most of the time, when a rider turns their elbows out in classic "chicken wing" position over a jump, it is because they have.....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
 

Video Discussion # 21: Jumping with placing poles

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Mar 28, 2012
This video shows a good example of the use of placing poles for jumping. Who can tell us what are some of the many benefits of using placing poles in jumping training? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Quiz # 5: Rule quiz!

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Mar 27, 2012
You are in the middle of your show jumping round, and you briefly forget where the next jump is! Ack!! And before you realize where the next jump is, you have passed the line that you needed to take to approach it. So you will now need to make a circle to get there. How will this effect your score? And is there anything you can do to prevent penalties should this situation happen in the future? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Question # 63: Do you have a remedy for the horse who sometimes jumps a jump and then does about one canter stride and stops, props and bucks? (Vita)

 (in: Questions)
Mar 27, 2012

Hi Vita!

Oh that's never fun! When ever you have a horse that has any tendency to do this, you need to....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)

 

Field Dressage

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
Mar 26, 2012
Field Dressage    field



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)
 

Lisa's Blog post # 51

 (in: ~Lisa's Corner~)
Mar 25, 2012

Lesley schooled Cotton for me yesterday.  I felt like I was sitting in the principal’s office with my child who had just been caught misbehaving..... (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
 

Leg Yielding

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
Mar 22, 2012
Leg Yielding leg yield
                                    (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)
 

Quiz # 4: Rule quiz!

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Mar 21, 2012
You are about to start cross country, and the starter is counting you down from 10. Your very excited horse blasts out of the start box just before the starter can actually say "GO", so you think you may have a false start. What do you do? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Ride Every Fence!

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
Mar 20, 2012
Ride Every Fence! cross country jump



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)
 

Video Discussion # 20: Let's discuss this jumper round!

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Mar 19, 2012
This horse and rider make a very nice team as they do their 1st round and jump off. There are, however, 2 jumps on their first round that could have had a better approach. Who can tell us which ones they are? And what she could have done differently to make those jumps better? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Question # 62: I've been doing Training level, and doing well, and then last November we had a fall - my horse caught his leg in an oxer going for the long spot, and we tumbled.

 (in: Questions)
Mar 14, 2012
I was fine, but he had a bone bruise from where the pole hit his stifle. We've both come back, and we did a Novice event this past Feburary, and finished on our dressage score. We're about to go to our next event, at Training, and I THINK we're ready....but how do you know for sure? There are times I feel like we are a fantastic team, and that we can do it with no problem...then there are times I wonder if I'm doing the right thing. HE seems ready. But how do you know for sure? (Becky)


Hi Becky!

From everything that I have seen of you and your horse, you are both definitely ready for Training level. I think you make a great team! Mistakes happen to everyone - at all levels. You have to recognize exactly what happened, learn from it, and then move on! When you say your horse "caught his leg in an oxer going for a long spot", that tells me that the mistake that you made was.....(Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
 

Video # 25: Laura's lovely new horse presents a problem.

 (in: Videos)
Mar 13, 2012
My new Wonder Pony and I are having a couple of steering issues. I can't quite figure out what it's all about. The first time he did it, was because when we turned to a jump the rain was blowing in his precious little face, and he basically refused to jump into the rain. My coach was there and said to just put him up (the wind and rain was getting worse.) We went over the jump away from the wind fine, but he wouldn't jump into it. This video was the next time I jumped him. No rain that time. I think he may be just "testing" his boundaries, but I'd love your opinion. (Laura)  (Click on Video Title above (in blue) to read the answer)
 

Video discussion # 19: Another dressage test with scores and comments!

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Mar 12, 2012
It's always educational to watch Dressage tests while being able to see the Judge's scores and comments. What are your thoughts on this video? (Video with kind permission of www.crawforddressage.com) (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

An Exercise to Help You Find Your Seat Bones

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
Mar 12, 2012
An Exercise to Help You Find Your Seat Bones


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)
 

Quiz # 3: Rule quiz!

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Mar 11, 2012
You are competing at a recognized horse trial, and are in the middle of your show jumping round. In the middle of the course, you and your horse don't see eye to eye on when to take off for a big square oxer. Your horse chips in a little extra stride, and lands in the middle of the oxer at a standstill - knocking the whole jump down. In the heat of the moment, you don't know whether this is actually considered a refusal.....or just penalties for the rail down. So you don't know whether you will need to jump that jump again, or if you should just keep going. What should you do? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Video Discussion # 18: Let's watch this video of Steffen Peters warming up at the World Dressage Masters!

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Mar 9, 2012
Note the progression from long and low work to high collection. I love the school canter at 8:20, where he is softly cantering almost on the spot. And  his left canter pirouette at 10:05 shows great collection. This horse was so much on his hind legs in this movement that you almost get the feeling that his front feet are barely touching the ground - yet he is soft and relaxed. What are your favorite parts of this video? (Video with kind permission of www.woodsdressage.com) (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

Video Discussion # 17: Here is another video of the great Andrew Hoy!

 (in: Educational Discussions)
Mar 7, 2012
Andrew is one of the smoothest and classiest cross country riders out there! You can learn a great deal just from watching the best do their thing! But if you watch carefully, you will see that even the very best usually have one or two fences on course that are not perfect. On this video there are a few clear examples of slightly unbalanced jumping efforts on the horse's part. One where he is long and a bit weak, and so makes a slightly unorganized lunge at the jump. And one where he is heavy on his forehand, and jumps over his front end. Who can spot them?? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
 

How to Engage Your Core When Riding

 (in: ~Lesley's Corner~)
Mar 5, 2012
How to Engage Your Core When Riding perfect position



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)
 
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