Lesley's Corner
Interval Training For Conditioning the Event Horse
In the sport of Eventing, ensuring that our horses are truly fit for our level of competition is one of the best ways to prevent unnecessary injuries.
Lesley's Corner
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
Lesley's Corner
Horses become incapable of learning when they go past a certain level of fear, anxiety, or stress. This means that if you keep hammering away at the horse, trying to teach them something when they are currently overwhelmed with stress, it will not work.
Lesley's Corner
The key to doing any movement well lies in the preparation. Half halts are an important part of preparing for almost every movement or transition. While the essence stays the same, the ingredients and focus may need to adapt to each situation for the best result. Learn all about it here!
Did you know that there are 3 related but distinctly different ways of controlling your horse's shoulders?? Many riders are in the habit of using only one of these 3 methods. So they continue to struggle to accurately control their horse's shoulders in turns, circles, and lateral work.
You look to be a very solid rider, with a strong seat and leg. At times you look to be quite tense in your shoulders. Which is likely caused by the fact that your head and neck tends to jut forward, well ahead of your spine. Look at this drawing:
No matter what riding style or discipline you choose, you should be able to prove the solidity of your basic foundation by passing this simple test. And rather shockingly, there are many horses and riders at all levels would NOT pass this test!
Expert Coaching and Guidance for You and Your Horse!
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
From Facebook Fan Brenda Herzog ~ "When trying to sit the canter or trot, relax the legs down and around with each stride and to pick the horse "up" with you. This eliminates the bounce in your seat and helps to elevate the horse."
A rider's hands can only be as good as the arms they belong to.
Horses become incapable of learning when they go past a certain level of fear, anxiety, or stress. This means that if you keep hammering away at the horse, trying to teach them something when they are currently overwhelmed with stress, it will not work.
Every time your horse spooks, remind yourself that horses in the wild that didn't spook at that rustling bush often got eaten by lions.
If you have short arms, you will have to be especially careful to make sure that you keep at least a little bend in your elbows at all times when riding. If your elbows become completely straight, you will lose your ability to follow your horse's movement with
The key to doing any movement well lies in the preparation. Half halts are an important part of preparing for almost every movement or transition. While the essence stays the same, the ingredients and focus may need to adapt to each situation for the best result. Learn all about it here!
The quieter you become with your aids, the more detail you can hear and feel in your riding.
To get the very best out of every horse when show jumping, riders need to really think about the specific way that each individual horse needs and wants to be ridden between the fences. Let me help you to figure out what kind of horse you have!
Practicing transitions on a circle allows you to utilize the bend and increased engagement from the circle to improve the connection in your transitions.
This great exercise, direct from the Spanish Riding School, will increase the collection in your horse's canter. It will also improve your counter canter work, and is a great way to build towards canter pirouettes. Get ready for better scores in your horse's canter work!
"In every sport, life goes in waves, up and down, keep rowing the boat and you’ll meet the next wave coming up, but don’t jump out of the boat!" ~ Chris Bartle