Lesley's Corner
Lesley's Corner
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"If I want my horse to be steady and up to the bridle then I have to provide a steady target [quiet hands] and use leg to keep him up there."
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"Push him to the contact, release and then push to the contact again." ~ Carl Hester
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Horses usually add a stride when jumping uphill. Make sure you wait for it… with your leg on.
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"I make my students ride in gallop position in trot and canter with no rein contact and no hands on the neck, as there is no point in trying to progress until a good balance is in place. It is a great concern to me that so many riders
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The rider's leg creates the energy in the horse's stride, and their seat is what controls that energy.
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"Lightness, whose characteristic lies in the elastic and springy flexibility of all joints and muscles, can only be acquired after all resistances have completely disappeared, that is, with the disappearance of all inopportune contractions." ~ Alexis François L’Hotte
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"Shorter reins generally allow for a better connection and less delay of the aids." ~ Reiner Klimke
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"Keep it calm. Ignore the wrong answers, praise the little wins. Horses cannot learn when stressed." ~ Sandi-Leigh Norris
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An exercise to check if you are sitting straight and putting your weight equally down into both stirrups is to stand straight up for a few strides (at all three gaits), and notice which stirrup you have to consciously put more weight into to keep yourself balanced.
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To help your horse make a softer, more balanced canter depart - set him up for it, and then think of allowing him to canter, rather than asking strongly. If you push too strongly, your horse is more likely to push hard with his hind legs into the canter, and begin