Tip/Quote of the Day!

"Many riders in the name of impulsion, put too much tension in their horses. Others in the name of lightness, have their horse 'abandoned' (without a sufficient connection). The truth of equitation is in between those two extremes." ~ Nuno Oliveira

The quality of the contact that the horse will give you is largely dictated by the amount of hind leg activity at that moment, and how much the energy from that activity is able to flow in an uninterrupted way through the horse's supple and permeable body into your hands.

Many horses are more brave and confident when truly on the aids, as they feel more truly connected with their riders.

The old masters learned early on that riding accurate arena patterns is the key for improving a horse's balance and straightness. Always keep this in mind in your training.

"Through the energy of impulsion mobilized from within himself, the horse is now prepared, in his physique and emotional attentiveness, to respond instantly to the slightest indications to change his tempo, posture, direction or gait." ~ Waldemar Seunig

When you have a good contact, your horse can feel your thoughts transmitted through the reins.

From Facebook fan Sarah Feathers ~ "When your horse likes to run and/or buck before and after jumps, it is much better to 'hold' with your core than snatch your reins."

"A horse's response can never be better than the rider's aids. And the rider's aids can only be as good as their seat." ~ Helen Langehanenberg

"You can see suppleness by observing how the rider can sit on the horse and not on top of the horse." ~ Susanne Miesner

"Whenever a horse has learned a new movement or a new aid in its basic form, the rider should give him a break and deliberately ride something else for a few days or weeks. When he returns to the movement, he will notice how much more easily the training will proceed." ~ Reiner Klimke

"Every horse is different, but you learn to compare, what to do in this moment with this particular horse, and that takes time. Dressage doesn’t go fast, this is the difference between our young riders and our more experienced riders." ~ Reiner Klimke

"If the leg is required at every stride to maintain the impulsion then it is necessary to return to the basic priorities again in order to teach the horse to remain active and forward thinking without constant use of the leg." ~ Chris Bartle

"Energy from the hind engine must be coupled with mental and physical suppleness." ~ Christine Traurig

"It is good to ride with closed eyes once in a while." ~ Nuno Oliveira

A word about the double bridle: The curb bit is a tool for refining the aids, not for applying more force. If the double bridle is used because otherwise the rider can’t ride his horse on the bit or because he can’t control it, neither the horse nor the rider is ready for the double bridle.

"Working-in is one of the most important aspects of dressage. You want your horse to be long, round and stretching before you start more taxing work, to get the muscles in front of and behind the saddle soft and working – gymnasts don’t hop straight onto the top bar! Ideally, walk for 10 minutes to start with, but if your horse is fresh, it is best to trot on to settle him down." ~ Carl Hester

"The inside leg assures that he is consistently looking for the outside rein. Come on, get him sensitive. If you’re too busy with your inside rein, it takes the focus off the inside leg. Try to get rid of the thinking that everything will fall part if you give the inside rein." ~ Stefan Wolff

If you feel that you have to push your horse to the jumps, your horse is behind your leg. 

"Stretch. And more stretching. It's good for him and he will like it." ~ Ingrid Klimke

From Facebook fan Gabby Ballin ~ "Just because something went bad once doesn't mean it'll go bad again. If you anticipate a problem, your horse will too."

"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

"Horses have taught us that progress in learning takes place in an environment of contentment. Fear and tension block success. Boundaries must exist, be clear, and be consistent. Within those boundaries our horses are encouraged to express themselves." ~ Steuart Pittman

"It is not dressage that is difficult, it is making it look easy that is difficult. Some horses are born with presence, while others you can train presence. Either way, dressage is about improving the paces." ~ Carl Hester

“A good horse should be able to sort out his own feet at the jumps.” ~ William Fox Pitt

On asking the horse to work for an hour... "Don’t forget he has 23 hours to sleep." ~ Carl Hester

"It is so important that you do a proper warmup and make sure everything is loose and supple, then give a walk break – and then you can start sitting." ~ Ingrid Klimke

"The first thing to think in half-halt is to make it invisible to those watching on, which is easier said than done." ~ Carl Hester

"The difference between an incorrectly compressed horse and a collected horse is that the collected horse can put his nose toward the ground (stretch) while staying round." ~ Nuno Oliveira

When training a young horse you should be fairly single minded. Your main goal should be to build your horse's confidence in you, so that they think of you as a fair but strong leader.

Your ability to develop following hands and arms depends on the quality of your independent seat, which is required to allow you to give precise aids while following your horse's movement.