Tip/Quote of the Day!

“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

The rein back is a great exercise for strengthening the horse, and increasing the amount of "sit" behind. But only if it is done correctly. 

"To get a good flying change, one has to perfect the original canter above all." ~ Nuno Oliveira

"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. 

"Every time you ride you are either making that horse better or making it worse!" ~ Lisa VanBuhler

"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

"If you are always talking [with your aids] how does your horse know when what your saying is important?" ~ Holly Leasor

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

A good rein connection is gentle, intimate, and magical.

"The upper body should not move back and forth in the canter. Instead, the lumbar back should become supple" ~ Nuno Oliveira

It's never a good idea to compare your weaknesses to other people's strengths.

"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!

Correct use of lateral gymnastic exercises develop the horse's symmetry. 

"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. 

"Horses are creatures of habit! Ride them the same way every time, don't confuse them." ~ Peter Atkins

Be careful not to let your hot horse train you to ride with no leg. Every horse must learn to accept both the hand and the leg. 

"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

"A three-day event is not a test of speed and endurance, it is a test of character." ~ Jimmy Wofford

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.

Your basics are the base of your success. The stronger your base, the further you will go.

"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