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The "hold their head up and gallop" approach to training your horse to jump ditches may get you over, but it can easily cause your horse to be somewhat afraid of ditches for the rest of their life. It is much better to go slow and let them
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“Happy horses get high marks. Good basics get high marks. Too many horses do the movements held and forced, and this will get low marks.” ~ Christoph Hess
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“Event horses need to learn to jump facing into crowds and other spooky things. At home, I have my horses jumping into banners on the fence line and other things to get them used to that idea.” ~ William Fox Pitt
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When running cross country in muddy conditions, always look for a fresh track to run on between fences. Not paying attention to this detail and letting your horse gallop in the tracks made by previous horses will increase your horse's workload... adding to unnecessary fatigue, as well as
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There is much debate these days about the “best” jumping position. For over thirty years now, it has been very common for riders in the hunters, equitation divisions, and even the jumpers to favor a position in which they lean their upper body well forward onto the horse’s neck.
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With horses, just like with people, let your actions speak for you. For example, you may think you are rewarding your horse when you say "Good boy" or "Good girl"… but if you don't also release the aid, your horse will not really feel
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The amount of weight involved in your elastic rein connection can be anything from a firm bungee cord type feel to a thin, lightweight rubber band. And the horse's level of balance is what will determine exactly what that weight will be.
Lesley's Corner
The serpentine is a great exercise in itself. But this simple variation, suitable for all levels of horse & rider, adds some very important benefits!
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When lunging, pivot with one foot so that you keep yourself still and centered in the middle of your horse's circle. This way, he will learn to make an actual circle shape, rather than an odd shape.
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“Most horses are either slightly lazy or crazy. We hope to find one that is somewhere in the middle.” ~ William Fox Pitt