Tip/Quote of the Day!

For the horse, the learning happens on the release of the aid. That means if you don't release the aid, the horse will not learn.

"Don't take the tempo down without revving the engine." ~ Chris Bartle

I don't even think about aiming a young or green horse at a jump until I have them 100% in front of my leg on the flat. If you do, and the horse thinks about stopping, you will have no recourse, and will end up teaching him that he doesn't have to jump if he doesn't want to. 

From Facebook fan Joan Dunlap ~ "Fix your position first... then the horse will adjust theirs."

Because one hind foot is always in the air while at the trot, it is harder for a horse to refuse a jump from a trot approach vs a canter approach. So it can be a good idea to trot into a spooky fence that you think your horse might want to stop at. Just make sure you keep riding that trot until your horse is safely up in the air.

Some people misunderstand the term "on the forehand," which refers to the shoulders being down and the hind legs out behind the horse - regardless of where his head and neck are positioned. A low head and neck does not mean a horse is on the forehand, any more than a high head carriage means collection.

If your upper body is leaning to the inside as you try to bend your horse on a circle or through a turn, you will likely find that your horse won’t bend very well. This is because your leaning to the inside causes your horse to also lean to the inside, rather than to bend nicely around your inside leg.

When riding a Dressage test, riding accurately to the letters and making good use of the corners of the ring shows the judge that you are aware, thinking, and have good control of your horse.

The more a horse relaxes within a lateral movement, the more gymnastic value the exercise will have on his body. 

"Just as the sculptor at first chisels the future outlines of his work of art with powerful blows out of the crude block of stone, and then lets it develop in increasingly finer detail in all its beauty, the aids of the rider must also become more and more delicate in the course of the horse's education. Every rider should always keep this strictly in mind and especially avoid destroying with crude aids, out of impatience or other reasons, what he has built in his previous work." ~ Alois Podhajsky

"I like to think about making my body longer in the front to make me sit up instead of thinking 'shoulders back,' which can make you stiff." ~ Mary King

On riding the strong OTTB at the gallop or over fences... "The horse might pull quite hard against the bit for brief moments as it seeks balance, but if the pulling is against its own neck then the rider’s balance never shifts and the solution is much easier for the horse to discover." ~ Steuart Pittman

This is where the technique outlined here becomes invaluable! 

Think of your leg, seat, and rein aids as ways to communicate with your horse. You don't physically push or pull him anywhere, you give him subtle signals. And if he doesn't initially respond to your subtle signals, you need to teach him to. EVERY horse can learn to respond to light cues, if taught properly.

The opening rein acts like a vacuum, moving the horse's shoulders easily as desired, especially when supported by the opposite leg and rein.

"When training, riders should focus on the line, but sit quietly & allow the horse to use its own initiative to jump the fence." ~ Eric Smiley

Always keep in mind that you do not necessarily need to slow down to rebalance your horse between fences when jumping. A horse can be balanced at just about any speed.You can also change the shape of the canter stride without changing the speed. And most importantly, the rhythm. 

If you think it doesn't matter if your horse drifts a tiny bit one way or the other when jumping, you are wrong. It almost always affects the horse's balance in a negative way.

Think of landing into your heels as you land from each jump. This will make you much more solid and balanced over fences. 

Everyone feels like they have the one horse that is so different and unusual that conventional and classical methods will not work for them. But the truth is, the basic principles will work on 99% of horses. Yes, every horse should be treated as an individual. But classical principles still apply, and will still work... given enough time. 

A horse that is well balanced, with the right amount of impulsion for the jump at hand, can comfortably and safely leave the ground from just about any reasonable takeoff spot.

Very often the "silly" spooker has a physical reason for acting that way - either pain or unresolved tension somewhere in their body.

"Look for a genuine coach with real coaching skills rather than a rider who may know how to do something, but not how to teach it. Also, find someone who has solid experience of working with riders of your level." ~ William Micklem

"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

Tension meeting tension will only double the tension. If your horse becomes tense, you must be able to stay relaxed, or you will make it worse.

"The blood runs hot in the Thoroughbred and the courage runs deep.In the best of them, pride is limitless. This is their heritage and they carry it like a banner. What they have, they use." ~ C.W. Anderson 

Don't make the mistake of "skipping" rising trot just because your horse is comfortable with you sitting the trot. Rising trot can be a great way to encourage more back movement and swing within the trot, for horses at any level. 

Every exercise should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Try to slow your mind up and feel each stage of the process. 

The elasticity in your connection should come from your elbows, not from having open or active fingers.

"We cannot touch the mouth until the horse is making enough energy that it’s safe to touch him in the mouth." ~ Laura Graves

If you don't give your horse something to do, he might give YOU something to do. Always have a plan for each ride, and keep your horse's mind engaged with YOUR plan.

When your horse is more difficult going to the left because he wants to carry his body too "curled" to the left, (and therefore tends to fall through the outside shoulder when going that direction), this is often best addressed by schooling on the right rein, rather than the left. If you can do some good work with your horse's body fully bending around your right leg, you are stretching the tight left side of his body, which will help him to go straighter when traveling to the left.

"If the rider can halt his horse in any lateral movement, so that it stands quietly in the same position, or ride straight forward without hesitation, it is proof that the horse was going well between hands and legs." ~ Borries von Oeynhausen

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

Horses love a routine… it gives them confidence. With the nervous or green horse, develop a warm up routine that you will use every day. And make sure it stays the same at shows.

"Once you are in the working phase, stay sitting in the saddle as the seat is a very important aid for influence; especially for long backed horses. If you sit in the saddle you can better feel and influence the horse. If the horse is weak, perhaps sit for shorter periods followed by stretching, then work sitting again." ~ Ingrid Klimke

"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

"The hind legs are brought far enough underneath the center of gravity by the rider’s legs, where they are gradually burdened with more of the combined weight of horse and rider for brief moments, which flexes their joints more. Like coiled springs, they push off with much greater elasticity afterwards than unflexed hind legs. This energetic, springy forward swinging creates a very characteristic feeling in the seat (you feel the work of the hind legs as well as the swinging of the back that it creates very clearly, yet pleasantly), which is typical for a gait with impulsion, and which signals to the experienced rider: 'Now he is moving!' I despise, on the other hand, a wishy-washy, unclear trot feeling under the saddle which is caused by dragging hind legs that hardly push off and consequently don’t make the back swing – whereas others seem to love it. De gustibus … No, this is not a matter of taste. One is correct, the other one is wrong! Thrust may be there naturally, but impulsion must be worked out - or better: into – the horse by cultivating the thrust." ~ Alfred Knopfhart

You have to be able to ride in "neutral", with no aids whatsoever, for your horse to be able to feel, recognize, and respond to the lightest of your aids.

The less you see a rider do, the better. That means they are communicating with the horse quietly, and the horse is attentive.

"The only way they learn how to go off easy aids is if we don’t resort to just strength." ~ Debbie McDonald

"Have a high standard for giving aids in a really clear, correct way. If the aids are that obvious, that’s not dressage. Educate your horse so that he responds to gentle leg pressure." ~ Steffen Peters

Riders who get the best out of the sensitive type of horse are good at being tactful. 

If you want to develop a nicely shaped crest and neck on your horse, you have to make sure your horse is truly seeking the connection - reaching into the bit, rather than backing away from it. 

When riding and training, make sure you are truly in neutral after every correct response from your horse. This means no aids!

"If you keep your hands still, you’ll start using your legs." ~ Ulla Salzgeber

"Shoulder in is a preparation for the half pass, plus shoulder in gives more connection on the outside rein. Shoulder in makes more suppleness." ~ Johan Hamminga

The intensity of a half halt is determined by the strength of the push into it.

Riding is like a marriage between the horse and rider. Don’t let the familiarity trick you into doing the same things over and over.

Stay quiet with your aids and let the exercise teach the horse.

Every time you begin a Dressage test at a show, make sure you think about making a good first impression with a forward, confident center line, and a smile for the judge! 

Some people misunderstand the term "on the forehand," which refers to the shoulders being down and the hind legs out behind the horse, regardless of where his head and neck are positioned. A low head and neck does not mean a horse is on the forehand, any more than a high head carriage means collection.

Lots of little changes of frame in your Dressage warmup… a little stretching, a little up, and repeat… can help your horse to come more through his body.

Let your plan be... to change and adapt your plan as much as necessary on course. Ultimately, you ride the horse, and not the plan.

Long slow distance work is an important part of the conditioning program for every horse. But it is especially important for older and young horses. Older horses need to keep limber, and young horses need to build a base level of tendon, ligament, and bone strength.

The rider's leg is for adding energy, and their seat governs the length of the horse's stride.

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 hindquarters on the track.

All horses are naturally crooked to at least some degree. Good, correct Dressage training should eventually fix this however.

"The better the rider’s balance in the saddle, the better the communication. There are two things the rider must be – balanced, and supple. The less good the rider’s seat, then the more often the rider is in the saddlery shop buying new saddles, new stirrups. The rider has to find his balance in the saddle, not being held in position by a saddle in which you cannot move." ~ Christoph Hess

Transitions act as a test of your connection, and your horse's balance. If the quality of your connection is lacking as you begin a transition, it will be particularly evident as you execute it.

"I think it is most useful if you ask yourself if you could release one or two reins at any time during your ride. If you can, then you are on your way to self-carriage." ~ Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel

"You can influence a horse, but you're never *really* in control.” ~ Chris Bartle

Push yourself away from your hands, instead of bringing your hands back to you. 

"Make him proudly independent of you so that he understands his job so well you merely walk the course and then show him the way. Tell your horse what you want him to do, and then allow him to do it." ~ Jimmy Wofford

"Don’t get drunk on speed." ~ Jimmy Wofford

"Let the neck fall down, don’t pull it down, create a situation in which the horse wants to let go his body and relax his neck." ~ Johan Hamminga

The horse's jaw unlocks when their back muscles relax and begin to swing with the movement.

"Not all of us are lucky enough in our lifetime to have great horses. When you do get one, it's just the best feeling in the world." ~ Carl Hester

If you follow your horse's mouth with a truly consistently elastic feel, they will learn to trust your hand so fully, that they will lose the desire to escape it.

Keep your leg aids light. Too much leg becomes something similar to white noise. It is unfair to expect your horse to hear your aid above the noise.

"We must be careful when making the horse straight not to bend it in front of the withers. We must not loosen the muscles in front of the withers for we need to build them up on either side of the neck so it is steady in front of the withers." ~ Reiner Klimke

A horse will respond best to an aid when the rider has the ability to give it smoothly and within the rhythm of the horse's stride.

It is quite common for riders to accidentally teach their horses undesirable behavior by releasing the pressure of an aid at the wrong time. Be mindful of only reinforcing behavior that you actually want.

“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

"I like to think about making my body longer in the front to make me sit up instead of thinking ‘shoulders back,’ which can make you stiff." ~ Mary King

"Get comfortable with centerlines. We ride centerlines all the time in dressage, so make them your friend. Remember, nothing changes on centerline." ~ Steffen Peters

"Imagine hanging a wet towel over your horse's back. The pressure of your leg aids needs to be similar to the pressure of the towel on the sides of your horse. Your horse should go on his own with this passive leg aid, and if he does not, you need to give him a firmer reminding aid." ~ Steffen Peters

When a horse has true impulsion, they become easy to steer and keep straight. And being able to perform perfect geometrical figures (the ability to be straight on curved lines) proves your ability to maintain a consistent level of impulsion.

Square turns aid in building improved balance and collection, whether dressage or jumping.

"Flexibility and self-carriage are the source of the horse's agility. Good turns, which develop its agility, are obtained only by making the horse flexible, putting it into balance, and thus giving it self-carriage. This involves not merely the lateral flexion of the entire spinal column but more so the flexibility of the hind legs. Only the latter enables the horse to perform quick and reliable turns under the rider, since the forehand is able to turn and change direction easily without danger for the health of its limbs only from the always secure support of the hindquarters." ~ Gustav Steinbrecht

There is no substitute for eyes on the ground when you are trying to improve your riding - whether that is in the form of an instructor on the ground, videos, or virtual coaching. Things often look very different than they feel.

The more you can leave your horse alone through gymnastic work, the more he will actually learn from it.

"You have to always ride up to an oxer-vertical combination." ~ McLain Ward

"I’m a big fan of ground lines. I think it teaches the horse to have better technique in front. Everything that we do is connected — the way we start on the cross rail to this, it all connects. We're building through our training." ~ McLain Ward

Tension meeting tension = double the tension. If your horse becomes tense, you must be able to stay relaxed, or you will make it worse.

Always be aware of the amount of tension you carry when riding, and whether you are breathing softly and evenly or holding your breath. Talking or humming quietly is a good way to ensure you keep breathing.

Riding shoulder in steps immediately before the half pass brings the inside hind leg deeper underneath the horse's body, to be a more solid balance point, which allows for a bigger lift and reach across with the legs on the outside of the horse's body. 

If you don't ride and train in such a way that your horse learns to listen to your seat, you will usually find that you have to use a lot more hand to get things done.

"Tempo enables dressage to become dancing. Rhythm is the regularity of the pace. Tempo is the speed of the pace." ~ Hilda Gurney

"First, [the rider] has to be ambitious. Mentally, he has to be well balanced and consistent. He has to be tougher on himself than on the horse. If he gets after the horse too much, he will not get far. One must really be able to push oneself harder than one ever pushes a horse. Then, success will follow." ~ Ernst Hoyos

If you don't give your horse something to do, he might give YOU something to do. Always have a plan for each ride, and keep your horse's mind engaged with YOUR plan.

True bending from nose to tail requires that the horse understands all three of these things: how to move away from lateral leg pressure, how to move into the connecting outside rein, and the aids for inside flexion.

Everyone feels like they have the one horse that is so different and unusual that conventional and classical methods will not work for them. But the truth is, the basic principles will work on 99% of horses. Yes, every horse should be treated as an individual. But classical principles still apply, and will still work... given enough time. 

If you and your horse have been having the same problem for a while, chances are the two of you have developed a set of reactions that serve to trigger each other's behavior. You will need to figure out what those are to get past it.

"When the rein back is started on demand and carried out without haste, it is a magnificent exercise which should be repeated frequently." ~  Nuno Oliveira

When the horse is at a level where they are ready for it, mixing up a few strides of shoulder in, a few of half pass, a few more of shoulder in, to a few steps of renvers is a great way to keep your horse sharp to your aids. It is also a great test of the horse's lateral balance.

When doing a turn on the haunches or a pirouette, the rider must keep their weight centered over the horse, with an engaged inside seat bone.

I see far too many riders (at all levels) letting their weight fall to the outside, which is a hindrance to their horse in those movements. Every step or two within the movement, think of sitting over and engaging your inside seat bone. 

"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

"In defining 'collection,' I like to use the word 'compression' because when you compress something such as a spring, it wants to push back. If you take a spring that’s 12 inches long and you compress it 1 inch, it wants to push back that 1 inch. If you think of collection as 'fluid compression that wants to push back,' you’re ahead of the game, so don't lose that concept!" ~ Scott Hassler

Correct lunge work provides a solid foundation for your work under saddle. It helps young horses to develop confidence in their handlers, helps them to find their own balance at all three gaits, and builds their strength for carrying a rider. 

Nearly every rider will experience plateaus in their training. Only those that have the patience to keep a good attitude while pushing through them will ever get there.

"Riding half halts with the smallest give after each while the horse gets rounder and lighter but still reaches for the bit has been my tool to develop the basic gaits." ~ Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel

Lightness is NOT about loose reins, it is about the way the horse is moving over the ground - with real hind leg engagement.

Your rein connection is a line of communication that connects your brain to your horse's brain. When done correctly, your horse should feel every nuance of your seat both in the saddle and through the reins.

"Necks that are pulled in stop the muscles of the back developing and interfere with the natural paces." ~ Reiner Klimke

From Facebook fan Alexis Soutter ~ "A steady hand with a soft, following elbow invites a steady, soft contact from the horse. Working the bit or being busy with your fingers invites a false frame."

It is impossible to create a correct rein connection when the horse is not truly thinking forward. You must create a situation where the horse wants to move forward into the connection.

When jumping in muddy or deep conditions, you need extra impulsion. Make sure you have it before you need it.

If you can't do that 4 stride line WELL in both 4 and 5 strides, you have not been doing enough homework. A rideable and adjustable horse is the key to success when jumping.

If you don't give after your horse responds to your aids, you will find that you have to ask harder the next time. And that cycle will continue, until you end up with an unresponsive horse.

The use of "half steps" in your training can be very beneficial, as it can help the horse to understand the idea of engagement without increasing speed.

Energy ultimately begins in the horse's mind, not his hindquarters. Make sure you have your horse's mind engaged.

"Not all of us are lucky enough in our lifetime to have great horses. When you do get one, it's just the best feeling in the world." ~ Carl Hester

A calm yet mobile mouth means that the horse is light in the hand, and relaxed through the jaw and neck, which allows for easy swallowing.

Dressage is the very best physical therapy that you can do with a horse. But ONLY if it is done 100% correctly!

When you are able to give a little on the inside rein as your horse is picking up the canter, you give your horse the best chance to make a soft, smooth canter transition.

You will find that you become most productive when you have a specific goal for each training session. Be flexible, of course. But know exactly what you plan to work on for every ride. Aimless riding is simply exercise.

For those of you who know you ride in stirrups that are too long over fences (which is quite common), spend some time practicing with your stirrups 3 or 4 holes shorter. Then when you put them down a few holes (leaving them a few holes shorter than your initial length), you will be more comfortable with the change.

The horse's loin area (behind the saddle) is loosened and suppled with each good lateral step behind. Just one reason of many why lateral steps are a very important part of training horses. 

Make sure your inside leg is quietly on the horse before you begin a turn. Even though your outside aids actually turn your horse, your inside leg is the post that he needs to bend around. Many riders are caught out with their inside leg completely off, and only put it on when they find their horse is falling in through the turn. By that time, it is much harder to correct.

The rider that helps the horse to carry himself in the best balance in the canter is poised and still in the upper body, while remaining supple and following in their hips and elbows.

Collapse in a heap at the end of your transition, and you train your horse to do so as well.

If you attempt to teach your horse to jump, to go through water, or to jump over a ditch when the horse is not first trained to go instantly forward from the leg, you are not setting yourself up for success.

Horses will usually add a stride when jumping on an uphill slope. Make sure you wait for it, while still revving those hind legs if necessary.

Don't forget that the way the distance rides between two jumps changes as the fence height changes. The horse will land further into a line or combination when the jumps are larger, which makes the distance effectively shorter.

Imagine an open ditch as a triple bar, so that you come close to the edge on the takeoff, and ride forward across the back edge. Doing so will make the jumping effort easier for the horse, and give him confidence.

"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

From Facebook fan Gabby Ballin: "Some rides are going to be perfect. Some rides are going to have you wondering why you don't quit riding. When that happens, take a deep breath and go back to something you know you and your horse can do easily."

Don't copy successful riders' bad habits. Instead, look at what they do WELL. Just because they can pull off success with quirky form doesn't mean you can.

Take your time when riding transitions. Many riders seem to rush through them just to get them done. Be conscious of preparing for each one, and feeling all of the details while you are making the transition - being ready to abort the transition if things start to go wrong.

When riders stiffen their shoulders it can cause them to also have tense, tight arms and hands. To relax your shoulders, take a deep breath in, and exhale fully... looking for the feeling that your shoulders and elbows drop and become supple.

Those riding a strong horse on cross country should generally ride with their stirrups on the short side. The increased angles give the rider more strength to deal with a puller. 

"Dressage is the passionate pursuit of perfection by the obsessively imperfect."

Ride TO the bit with your seat and leg, and do not use the reins to lower your horse's head!

The horse's back is like a bridge that connects its front and hind legs. It is the rider's job to keep that bridge stable and consistently level, or even better slightly lifted into an "UP" position like an arched bridge. When the horse's back is regularly allowed to remain in a hollow position with a rider's weight on board, the horse's back will be damaged... eventually. 

"The first step to getting our horses in self-carriage is getting ourselves in self-carriage. Core strength is a big part of that." ~ Carl Hester

Always use both reins together to steer, especially when jumping. Using one rein only turns the horse's nose - leaving the rest of his body to derail. While using both reins together turn the horse at the shoulders, meaning his body will more accurately follow your chosen line.

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, and notice which stirrup you have to consciously put more weight into to keep yourself balanced.

"It is not our horse's job to understand our language. It is our job to understand theirs." ~ Reiner Klimke

The opening rein acts like a vacuum, moving the horse's shoulders easily as desired, especially when supported by the opposite leg and rein.

"Adopt a classical position, resist all fads and gadgets, and ride the horse quietly and softly between the two straight lines of the stirrup leather and the elbow to the horse's mouth. It's simple. It's just not easy." ~ Jimmy Wofford

While it is important to have a plan when riding, you should be ready to adapt that plan as necessary. Ultimately, you ride the horse and not the plan!

If there is a jump on your cross country course that you are worried about, you certainly don't want to have to face it twice! So ride it like you are mad at it, and "get 'er done"! 

"When your horse has reached its potential, leave it. It's such a nice feeling when you and your horses are still friends." ~ Reiner Klimke

From Facebook fan Mary Apfel-Vandeyacht ~ "Riding is a lot like driving a manual transmission... You may be able to make it go (when learning how to ride), but you're going to break it and look like a schmuck unless you learn to do it right."

"We all experience struggles, but your attitude is what makes you a winner, not the trophies or ribbons." ~ Mellisa Davis Warden

"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

The use of "half steps" in your training can be very beneficial, as it can help the horse to understand the idea of engagement without increasing speed. 

Only precise riding trains the horse correctly. Be exact in your geometry, figures, and lines.

From Facebook fan Stacey Ellen, "At dressage shows I like to watch the [good] pros; their hands are in serving tray position and they always seem to be offering something to their horse not containing them."

Be extra careful when conditioning both young horses and older horses. Young horses have tendon/ligaments/bones that have not yet been strengthened. And the older horse’s ligaments and tendons tend to become less elastic and resilient over time.

"I'm a big fan of ground lines. I think it teaches the horse to have better technique in front. Everything that we do is connected — the way we start on the cross rail to this, it all connects. We're building through our training." ~ McLain Ward

Keep breathing. It is much easier to remember a Dressage test or a course of jumps with the benefit of a little oxygen. If you have difficulty with this, try talking out loud while on course, or in your head during a Dressage test. This will help you to relax and breathe naturally.

You should always be at least a touch behind the horse's motion when jumping at a high rate of speed.

The difference between good riding and bad riding is that good riding is difficult to see.

Confidence is something you need to build for yourself. It is something you have to actively pursue and proactively work to maintain.

When you ride powerfully "forward to the base" of your jumps you allow your horse to jump in such a way that is actually the easiest and most natural for him. Powerful, but not necessarily fast. This is about impulsion, not speed.

Building the horse's power right to the base of the jump means that he stresses his hocks less on the takeoff. The horse that is underpowered has to push that much harder to get over that jump. And being balanced with his hind legs well under him means less stress on his front legs on the landing side.

Cross training is SO good for horses. Horses will likely enjoy their job even more after a "change of scenery", or by trying something new. Much as we often do our jobs with a better attitude after doing something different for a while and then going back to the job.

"Believe in classical dressage, particularly if you have a horse who is a tough subject. Eventually, it will pay off and you will have a happy, healthy, sound horse who wants to do the work."

Keep the horse's back up into the halt by riding each step from behind into your hand.

When you first begin to work on movements like shoulder in and haunches in, always start out with minimal angle and focus more on the quality of the bend.

"Sit on your bum. If you do that you’re part of the movement. If you squeeze with your thighs you can’t sit. Stay soft in your hips, draw yourself into the saddle and keep the calf just against his rib cage." ~ Bettina Hoy

If you are nervous right before you enter the show ring, take a moment to talk to and pet your horse. And make it genuine, no matter how your warm up went! It will relax both of you, and help you to focus.

Without understanding and some degree of feel, you will have a hard time reproducing the good moments that you might achieve in lessons. This is why it is so important that your instructor has the ability to help you understand the details of each training concept, and to help you to learn how to feel those details.

"If the rider can halt his horse in any lateral movement, so that it stands quietly in the same position, or ride straight forward without hesitation, it is proof that the horse was going well between hands and legs." ~ Borries von Oeynhausen

"A horse doesn't get collected through hand and spurs, but through exercises." ~ Georg Theodorescu

You should strive for the feeling that you can feel your horse's hind legs in your hands in your connection.

Too much repetitive motion has a tendency to inhibit muscle symmetry. Always aim to mix things up in your training (whether horse or human), so that you can develop balanced musculature. 

Training a horse can sometimes be quite a long process! But it's worth it. And you don't get the same feeling from shortcuts.

If you hold too much rein contact on the approach to a fence that your horse is suspicious of, or is "having a look" at, you can easily cause a stop. If a jump is backing your horse off even slightly, that is a free half halt. All you have to do is ride forward!

"The more horses you ride, the better your horsemanship." ~ Michael Jung

In order to do successful lateral work, a rider must have an independent seat, so their aids can work precisely and independently.

"A good horse should be able to sort out his own feet." ~ William Fox Pitt

Test your horse's balance with a half halt and a test for self carriage before asking for any transition.

"You have to constantly refine your program and train with the best people that you can find so that you’re always growing and staying competitive." ~ Jessica Phoenix

The halt (and half halts) must come from the body of the rider, not the reins.

To improve your security over jumps, think about sinking into your ankles as you land.

Think of your brain as a densely wooded area with paths running through it. Whenever you are trying to learn how to do something new, you have to blaze new pathways in your brain.

If you need to use a double bridle to keep your horse in a frame, your work is very incorrect.

Every well ridden corner in the Dressage ring is a suppling exercise, and should be recognized as such.

A rider's hands can only be as good as the arms they belong to.

Turn on the forehand is a great tool to improve your connection and to teach your horse to engage the inside hind leg. Used early on in your warm up it will mobilize your horse’s lumbar back and hips, and will give you a chance to improve his response to your lateral aids.

The more thoroughly you have prepared for a movement or transition, the more you can just allow it to happen, rather than making it happen.

Your engaged core is what allows your position to be unaffected by your horse's changes of speed.

"Permeability can only exist when, on the one hand, the thrust and impulsion from the hind legs reach the forehand undiminished, and on the other hand, when the weighting and flexing half-halts fully reach the hind legs. This requires the forehand and hindquarters to be aligned in such a way that, on a single track, the horse always adjusts his spine to the straight or curved line of travel, so that the hind legs follow in the same line as the front legs." ~ Waldemar Seunig

Don't half halt or make an adjustment in front of a fence unless you need to. So often I see riders that ruin their good canter on the approach by taking back unnecessarily. And the same holds true on the flat…. If you have a good trot or canter, leave it alone!

Some people misunderstand the term "on the forehand",  which refers to the horse's shoulders being down, regardless of where his head and neck are positioned.

Be careful not to sit the trot too early on in a ride. Doing so before the horse is fully warmed up and truly moving through his topline can often be detrimental, as the horse is more likely to stay stiff and tight in his back.

Soften and let your horse lengthen his neck, while trying to maintain the feeling that he stays sitting behind, with a lowered croup and well engaged hind legs.

The more successful you are in getting your horse to relax and swing through his back muscles throughout his work, the less likely he will be to lose focus and spook.

Since it is rather easy to forget to do so, challenge yourself to focus more on maintaining an even rhythm when doing figures of any kind.

"Learning to ride is a test of one's character." ~ Steinbrecht

"If you ride and train for a living, have something else that you do. Don’t make this your whole life. The bad days - and there are always bad days - will eat you up and spit you out. Have something that you do that has nothing to do with horses, to help put yourself back together again." ~ Lauren Sprieser

"I do not ask the rider to alter the horse’s step in front of the pole because I want to awaken the horse’s initiative. Whether he takes a slightly long step or adds a step before the pole, I am equally satisfied. If he steps on the pole, the chances are good that he will learn from the experience and not do it again. If he continues to step on the poles on the ground, I ­suggest that the rider find another prospect, as this one is probably too dumb to improve over obstacles." ~ Jimmy Wofford

"Don't raise your hands. The poll should be higher than the rider's hand." ~ Stefan Wolff

A calm yet mobile mouth means that the horse is light in the hand, and relaxed through the jaw and neck, which allows for easy swallowing.

"Expressive and relaxed collected work shows that the rider has understood the steps that led up to it." ~ Klaus Balkenhol

Rhythm is the key to success in ALL riding disciplines.

"Nothing is as impressive or as valuable for the training as being able to control the impulsion and the desire to go forward to such an extent that the rider is able to bring his horse to a standstill from an extended trot or canter without the slightest effort or disturbance. Conversely, departing immediately from the halt into an extended gait is an equal proof of the absolute desire to go forward." ~ Alois Podhajsky

"Dressage is the art of teaching the horse to carry you. Riding is the art of learning to be a good load to carry." - Richard Weiss

A horse can only be truly straight when they are equally laterally supple on both sides.

A horse that is well balanced, with the right amount of impulsion for the jump at hand, can safely and comfortably leave the ground from just about any reasonable takeoff spot.

When a horse and rider have an apparent "miss", that causes a rail down or even a fall, the problem is the balance of the canter on the approach, NOT the takeoff spot. Riders who ride the quality of the canter instead of looking for a takeoff spot are the ones who never miss!

The inside rein can easily become a crutch. Try to use it as little as possible. 

Eventers need a saddle for cross country that allows them to move their center of gravity back for drop fences or anything on a downhill slope. Make sure your saddle has enough room for this to happen.

If you don't have forward, you won't be able to achieve a true half halt. And without an effective half halt, it will be hard to improve the horse's balance. 

"Relaxation is first mental, then physical. A horse in pain or one who fears you will never relax his body." ~ Charles de Kunffy

"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

"I’m a big fan of ground lines. I think it teaches the horse to have better technique in front. Everything that we do is connected — the way we start on the cross rail to this, it all connects. We're building through our training." ~ McLain Ward

Always have a plan when jumping. Each exercise should have something to teach your horse. Don't waste jumps by jumping simple jumps with no purpose - other than for warm up, or if the horse needs them for building confidence. 

As you complete a halt, lighten your seat slightly to invite your horse to keep his back up underneath you. This will allow you to move off after the halt without the horse hollowing and dropping his back.

Quiet hands are only possible when the rider has an independent seat. So if you are looking to improve your hands, check your seat first.

"A steady hand with a soft, following elbow invites a steady, soft contact from the horse. Working the bit or being busy with your fingers invites a false frame." ~ Alexis Soutter

The most successful riders stay very much "in the moment", and are very attuned to feeling exactly what their horse is doing at any given moment.

Your horse should still be connected when stretching. No loose reins! Only when they are honestly seeking the connection and moving with power from behind into the contact will the stretch be across the full topline of the horse.

If your trainer is not truly supportive.... find a better one! I am always baffled at how many riders stick with trainers who belittle them, and very often don't even really have their best interests at heart. Some trainers don't teach because they love teaching, but because they love to stroke their own ego!

"There is one way to check that you are on the right way – in the high collection you must be able to stretch them so they follow the bit and they are not stuck up there. In every situation you must be able to stretch them – even a piaffe or a pirouette, even then, I must be able to do it." ~ Hubertus Schmidt

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.

Make sure you understand the difference between energy and stored energy in your horse when riding. It is the difference between speed and impulsion.

If you want to have a really solid position over jumps, practice your two point position a lot. Really put in the effort, if you truly want the results! 

"The quality of a good canter: round, energetic, straight, cadenced, light. You have to feel in the strike off that the horse lifts his forehand without throwing himself forward." ~ Nuno Oliveira

"As dressage riders, we require our spine to remain in a neutral position where all the vertebrae are evenly stacked, one upon the other. We need to maintain this dynamic balance as the horse moves under us." ~ Rebecca Ashton

The inside rein is like the directional in your car. You use it to indicate the direction that you plan to go, but not to actually turn your car.

"You need to have a good seat to be able to use a spur correctly. You should not use them unless your horse is in front of your leg. They are not to be used to get your horse forward." ~ Hazel Roberts

When you do a lengthening, whether in trot or canter, you should move up to your lengthening within a few strides. Then maintain that exact level of lengthening until the end of your line, where you take just a few strides to (clearly!) show your transition down.

"There is no point in asking for connection until responsiveness from the leg has been achieved." ~ Laura Graves

"In the warm-up, I mostly ride curved lines so that I can work on lateral suppleness along with getting the horse relaxed over the back. I spend as much time as it takes for the horse to feel relaxed and willing to lower and stretch from his withers. I do circles, serpentines and figure eights. There is no point in going on with movements if the horse is not supple over his back. I also use leg yields as part of the warm-up to help get the horse responsive to the inside leg and connected to the outside rein." ~ Charlotte Bredahl-Baker

"We try to have discipline and attention to detail in everything we do. Being aware of all these little details gives me an advantage. And if I get a little edge everywhere more often than not I am going to be ahead." ~ McLain Ward

When riding a timid jumper, you might need to rev the engine between fences at times, to bring out your horse's inner lion!

"A coachable student is like a trainable horse. Willing to listen, try, put forth effort, and accept/implement instruction and criticism." ~ Katharine Henricksen Coleman

"No complicated riding before the horses are going truly forward. In dressage, the difficulties are often created by a lack of good basic work (which is the foundation of the house)." ~ Nuno Oliveira

"The rider's seat is a 'transformer' whose role is to modify the energy emitting from the horse's haunches." ~ Charles de Kunffy

Lightness is not the looseness of the contact, it's the way the horse moves over the ground.

Always keep the cheeky type of horse busy by giving them lots of little tasks to do, or they may look for a way to amuse themselves.

"It is not our horses job to understand our language. It is our job to understand theirs." ~ Reiner Klimke

"Giving is hard on a horse that has go. But once you do, miracles happen." ~ Diane Grant-Schott 

Having sufficient energy in your canter allows the horse to jump more smoothly and easily. Make sure you are truly riding forward!

"Concentrate on the transitions, forward and back, build the activity from behind. When you bring the horse slightly back, you still have to push her forward to the hand, you can keep riding as long as you can feel the hind legs in your hand." ~ Susanne Miesner

Systematic, progressive training is like stacking one building block squarely on top of another, to eventually build a strong, solid building. Done this way, you have a solid foundation, and can simply go back a step if you run into difficulties.

While riding, be careful that you don't let your horse change your posture in the saddle. 

In a movement like shoulder in, where the horse is likely to try to evade the difficulty of bending his body by swinging his quarters out, it can sometimes be helpful to bring your dressage whip forward, and touch the horse with it right in front of the saddle. This helps to reinforce your inside leg which should be up at the girth, and shows him to yield in that part of his body.

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

"All riders need very loose joints - loose hips, loose shoulders, loose elbows, loose knees, loose ankles. When I say loose I don’t mean uncontrollably loose, but they need to have a very good range of motion, and an absence of unwanted tension. A lot of riders when they are not comfortable in forward seat tend to grip with their knees, and tend to have a little stiffness in their ankles." ~ Tad Coffin

Always refresh the forward after any period of lateral work.

"Travers improves the horse's bend and makes him more obedient and attentive to the calf aid." ~ Ernst Friedrich Seidler

When you halt and salute the judge at a competition, remember to smile! This will send the judge the message that you are confident about your performance, which can impress the judge and may even influence your scores in a subconscious way. 

"Riding the upper levels becomes less and less about who is the most naturally talented ... It becomes more of who is the best mental competitor. Who can take the competition down mentally, and have the ability to stay focused on the task at hand regardless of what happens, that's what true upper level talent is." ~ Stephanie Shepherd Ezzo 

A running martingale that fits correctly does not come into play unless the horse tosses its head, or tries to stick it straight up in the air. It should NOT be used to keep the horse's head down.

Since the various available lateral movements all work to supple the horse's body in a slightly different way, it is a good idea to use bits of all of them in your training. Don't just do your favorites.

Everyone talks about engaging the horse's inside hind leg - but the key to a good quality canter is sufficient engagement of the outside hind leg… as that is how each canter stride begins.

So many riders seem to ride with tight elbows, and BUSY hands. Instead strive for relaxed and mobile elbows, and quiet and still (yet supple) hands!

Proper hand position will help you to remain loose and supple in your arms. Deviating in any way from the perfect hand position will immediately cause your arm muscles to tighten.

When trying to improve the activity and engagement of your horse’s hind legs in downward transitions, think of a trot in place and dancing your way to the walk or halt.

"One of the good things about our sport is that while getting older might slow your reflexes down, the knowledge you have enables you to continue to improve, and handle the challenges better." ~ Shane Rose

If there is a jump on your cross country course that you don't particularly like, you certainly don't want to have to face it twice! So ride it like you are mad at it, and "get 'er done"!

The majority of amateur riders who think they have no natural talent may not be as quite as well taught as they think they are. In other words, if you are not improving as a rider, you may want to think about trying another instructor. 

When jumping, the horse's bascule is what allows him to more easily get his body up higher in the air.

When you have a problem in your jumping, 9 times out of 10 what you really have is a problem with the quality of your canter. 

Whenever you are nervous about something during your ride, make a very clear plan of what you are about to do in your mind. Then put your focus on the execution of that plan to override your nerves. 

The quality of your walk to halt transitions will tell a lot about the quality of all of your work.

When you are looking down you will have even more of a tendency to ride from your hands. Looking up will help to remind you to ride from your seat.

It can be a clever time to work on the beginning of a piaffe, or "half steps", when you are out hacking and your horse gets a bit excited and "prancy." Take advantage of the moment, to ask them (and allow them) to do what they are offering you in their excitement. And don't forget the reward.

Always strive to keep the feeling that two thirds of the horse is in front of you. This means staying behind your horse's shoulders, and allowing the horse to have as long of a neck as possible. This allows the rider to have a greater amount of security, and gives the horse the best chance to stay in good balance.

Horses that tend to rush or hurry often do best when ridden at a slower than ideal pace until they are rhythmical and relaxed, and are no longer trying to hurry.

If your horse struggles to maintain a consistent rhythm, think of using your breathing to help him stay regular. This is one reason why counting is so useful, as when you count, you will breathe in that rhythm.

Riders who do not stretch their horses are missing out on the full body suppling and gymnasticizing effects that a real stretch over the back will provide.

"With excellent timing of your release of the aid, you can train prompt response to incredibly subtle aids, all while improving understanding and relaxation." ~ Alexis Soutter

Overbending the neck is especially problematic in lateral work, as it causes the horse to displace their weight to the outside.

"A lot of riders think that will make their jumping better by jumping as many jumps as possible. They will go and get a jumping lesson, as opposed to a dressage lesson or doing some physical exercises to teach them body awareness skills, and probably the last would help them most." ~ Andrew Hoy

The basic rule of riding is that energy is created with the legs, directed by the rider's seat, and guided by the reins.

"Dressage is the art of putting one crooked body on top of another crooked body and making them both straight." ~ Richard Weis

"With the bend on the circles and in the travers, it is important to use as little inside rein as possible. If you need the inside rein, there is something wrong with the earlier work." ~ Christoph Hess

"If the horse is straight, not with the haunches in or out, it depends not on the neck, but on the body. The body is from the shoulder and that’s how you get the horses straight, you get both sides in the same length, that’s it." ~ Wolfram Wittig

You will never regret taking your time with training your horse. 

"Many people think, what is piaffe, piaffe is something the top riders do in Grand Prix – no, no, no, that is not right. Piaffe is something you use to train your horse, to make the horse more together and more balanced. You can start the piaffe right from the beginning, even with a five year old horse, you can start to do it in the hand on the ground, or also when you are riding, and that helps make the steps of the horse more controllable, and out of that you have a much more beautiful stride forward, and a much more beautiful stride sideways." ~ Rafael Soto

When Grand Prix show jumper Rodney Jenkins was asked whether or not he also rides on the flat, he responded with, "Well, yes ma'am, that's the only way to get from one jump to another." 

The balance and shape of your canter stride is what determines the kind of take off spot that develops. A long, strung out stride usually means either a long spot or a "chip". And a shorter, more balanced canter with the hind legs well under the body will generally either place you perfectly, or will allow your horse to safely "pat the ground" in the shorter spot.

The horse's poll relaxes naturally when his back muscles relax & swing, unless the rider is hanging rigidly on their mouth.

You cannot judge how "light" a horse is entirely by the feel of the reins. Many times riders are fooled into thinking they have found true lightness, when in fact the horse is just posing in a false frame.

"The volte is one of the most important movements you can ride. It is teaching the horse to bend in his ribcage, within his body, and then to maintain a rhythm – in the future this movement will become a half pass. We are working on control over the balance of the horse so that it is learning to maintain a rhythm." ~ Ernst Hoyos

Riders are often incorrectly told to lean back and against the reins when their horses get strong. Not only will this not work, but it will usually make the horse even heavier in their hands.

"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

"It is true that when the training is slow, the progress is quick, when the training is quick, the progress is slow." ~ Unknown

Riders with short arms have to be especially careful to keep their elbows bent at all times.

The better the rider's seat, the more easily the horse can understand the rider's aids. So make working on developing and maintaining an independent seat a top priority!

As you finish jumping a course, ask yourself if you are finishing with the same pace that you started with. If the answer is no… the next question you need to ask yourself is which speed was better for your horse's jumping - the way you started, or the way you finished? Then make sure you use that information on the next course that you jump.

Always refresh the forward after any period of lateral work. 

Everyone talks about engaging the horse's inside hind leg... But the key to a good quality canter is sufficient engagement of the outside hind leg, as that is how each canter stride begins.

In addition to the suppling benefits, basic lateral work helps the horse to understand that the rider's leg creates engagement of the hind legs, rather than merely speed.

"Dressage is the art of putting one crooked body on top of another crooked body and making them both straight." ~ Richard Weis

"Riding forward to the jump is NOT accelerating to the jump. There is a difference." ~ William Fox Pitt

Don't let the quality of your transitions suffer in your effort to be accurate. While both are important, it is more important to perform good transitions, than to perform them exactly at the letter.

"Relaxation is first mental, then physical. A horse in pain or one who fears you will never relax his body." ~ Charles de Kunffy

With horses that like to curl their neck and become over bent, the rider needs to be careful not to get their reins too short. This will cause the horse to stay too short in the neck. Think of having longer arms that are always reaching towards the horse’s mouth.

We must not forget that the horses we ride today are descended from the ones who did NOT get eaten by the mountain lion at the water hole. In other words, it is perfectly normal for horses to be spooky.

Work on a horse and that horse will get better. Work on yourself as a rider, and ALL of your horses will get better.

"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

"Don't take the tempo down without revving the engine." ~ Chris Bartle

"When working on your horse's balance, keep in mind that horses can't be balanced under unbalanced riders. We always need to begin with the education and balance of the rider." ~ Debbie Mcdonald

"Contact has to be just that, contact. People think 'oh this horse is very light I have nothing in my hand' – this is wrong because then you have no contact to his hind legs." ~ Jean Bemelmans

"Only when the horse is straight, the hind legs can be induced by correct collection to carry more weight and, correspondingly, be gymnasticized by increased flexion. This improves the balance and the suppleness, and it strengthens the haunches for the greater demands to the necessary degree." ~ Podhajsky

"A horse which doesn’t relax the mandibular and the tongue muscles cannot be entirely relaxed. That is why it is so important that the horse accepts the bit, and the sign of that is the actively and relaxed chewing." ~ Christian Thiess

"The purpose of dressage is to enhance our ability to control our horses; hopefully, after a long period of consistent training, our horses will calmly and generously place their forces at our disposal." ~ Jimmy Wofford

"Let the neck fall down, don’t pull it down, create a situation in which the horse wants to let go his body and relax his neck." ~ Johan Hamminga

The horse that wants to fall out on circles should work more often on a square figure than a circle, until the rider has better control of the outside of the horse's body.

Good, correct, and active stretching work helps to lift and engage the horse's back muscles. 

"Since the criteria of a correct seat are the same as the criteria of good posture in general, being constantly attentive to one’s bearing when standing or walking is excellent training. A correct vertical posture of the head and the trunk on horseback is not a special posture applicable only to riding." ~ Kurt Albrecht

Use the corner after the jump to get your horse back to you if necessary. Use the corner on the turn into the next jump to elevate the horse's front end.

When your horse stretches down, try not to follow him with your posture by rounding your shoulders and leaning forward. Because if you do, you will be encouraging him to fall onto the forehand. 

While the distance in between the jumps is a big deciding factor in the speed and length of stride that you should approach with... generally approaching a combination or complex off of a shorter, bouncier stride will give you more options.

"Push yourself away from your hands." ~ Stephen Clarke

The quality of your turn into the jump will greatly affect the quality of that jump.

Don't wait until the horse is doing something perfectly to reward. You must reward the horse when he begins to go in the right direction of the correct response, however slightly that may be.

Many riders place their saddles too far forward! Make sure that the solid parts of the saddle are behind the horse's shoulder, to allow for freedom of the shoulder.

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 hindquarters on the track.

"The goal of all dressage riding should be to bring the horse and rider together in harmony... a oneness of balance, purpose, and athletic expression." ~ Walter Zettl

"I want any rider approaching any jump to concentrate on rhythm. They should concentrate on HOW they get there, not where they get to." ~ Jimmy Wofford

Eventers need to make sure that the saddle that they use for cross country is truly suitable. The flap needs to be forward enough to give you room to easily push your feet out in front of you for security whenever necessary (such as galloping downhill, drop into water, deep mud on a downhill landing, etc.) 

The intensity of your half halt is about the strength of your seat and core, and the push into the connection... not the amount of pull on the reins. 

Horses want you to say what you mean, and to mean what you say, with both your aids and your body language. 

Proper hand position will help you to remain loose and supple in your arms. Deviating in any way from the perfect hand position will immediately cause your arm muscles to tighten.

A successful jump is more about the approach than the jumping effort itself.

"The inside rein must always be ready with a GOOD OFFER." ~ Reiner Klimke

"I do a lot of cavaletti work also with my dressage horses because then I can really make them active behind, over the back, stretching into your hand, and really supple in the back." ~ Ingrid Klimke

"Allow your horse the opportunity to use his neck more." ~ Reiner Klimke

The half pass helps to develop the brilliance of the medium and extended trot, by increasing hip and stifle flexibility, and freeing up the horse's shoulders.

Ride in counter flexion to correct over bending, on circles AND on straight lines, as needed. 

Always keep your spine stretched upward when riding. When you slump, your head and shoulders will become "heavy", and your horse will likely become heavy in your hands.

Sometimes you can make your circles better by not working on circles! Work on squares, 90 degree turns, and diagonal lines for a while, and maybe some nose to the wall leg yield. Then come back to your circles, after you have worked on better use of and response to your outside turning aids.

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.

"Don't look at your steering wheel, look at the road." ~ Chris Bartle

"Good contact is like having a conversation with a friend in a cozy coffee shop. Bad contact is like being hollered at by a stranger at the DMV."

The more incorrectly someone rides and trains a horse, the more veterinary maintenance intervention they will likely need for that horse. 

To balance a horse does not necessarily mean to slow it down. Horses can be balanced at just about any speed.

Only if the shock absorbers in your hips are working properly, will you be able to keep your hands and upper body quiet as you sit the trot or canter.

Don't ride faster than you can think.

Always be ready to stop jumping and do a few minutes of flatwork when you run into a problem. Good flatwork will fix most jumping problems.

Horses that have the spirit and the natural drive to excel at the top levels of jumping or Eventing are usually much more opinionated and difficult to train by nature. They are very often totally worth the extra time, effort, and patience that it takes to develop them to their true potential. 🙂

"The jump is the product of your last three strides, always." ~ Michelle Strapp

The less you see a rider do, the better. That means they are communicating with the horse quietly, and the horse is attentive and responsive.

"Stay dedicated to the quality of the basic gaits—the suppleness and balance of the walk, trot and canter. Then as you cultivate the movements, those gaits improve." ~ Volker Brommann

Cantering ground poles are simply a smart way to practice just about every single skill you need to jump well, while minimizing the stress and strain on your horse's legs.

The most difficult horses are almost always the best ones in the end. Often because they are so darned SMART.

When teaching, I am always on the lookout for signs that the horse might need a short stretching break. Sometimes it is something as subtle as a more anxious look in the horse's eyes. And sometimes it is more obvious, like the horse starts to become a little more fussy about the contact, or starts to get a little lower in front and/or heavy in his rider's hands. It is wise to give your horse a short stretch at whatever gait you are working in, exactly when your horse needs it. This keeps his body more comfortable, keeps him enjoying his work, and most importantly - builds the amount of trust that he has for his rider, and the idea of training in general.

Think of your leg, seat, and rein aids as ways to communicate with your horse. You don't physically push or pull him anywhere, you give him subtle signals. And if he doesn't initially respond to your subtle signals, you need to teach him to - EVERY horse can learn to respond to light cues, if taught properly.

"They asked me at the Seminar, how should a horse look when it is coming towards you? I said to them, if you meet someone and they are looking you in the eyes, a little bit proud, nose up, not arrogant, but someone coming to you, giving you their hand, with a very positive attitude. That’s the way a horse should come to you – when he enters the arena, he should say, Hello, here I am." ~ Sven Rothenberger

When riding a Dressage test, riding accurately to the letters and making good use of the corners of the ring shows the judge that you are aware, thinking, and have good control of your horse.

While the distance in between the jumps is a big deciding factor in the speed and stride that you should approach with... generally approaching a complex off of a shorter, bouncier stride will give you more options.

"It's very rare to find a horse who has the bravery and heart to do what is required of him in Eventing's cross country phase and who has the careful aspect we look for in the show jumping ring." ~ Katie Monahan Prudent

Imagine that you have a heavy wet towel laying over each knee, that helps your leg to drop down naturally and melt around your horse's sides. 

When you look down, your shoulders follow your eyes and begin to drop downward and forward. This makes it much more difficult for you to communicate correctly with your horse through your seat - often causing you to need to use your reins more than you should.

The more a horse relaxes within a lateral movement, the more gymnastic value the exercise will have.

"Allow your horse the opportunity to use his neck more." ~ Reiner Klimke

Pay attention to where your whip is pointing when you ride, as that is a good indicator of your hand position.

"For your horse to be keen but submissive, it must be calm, straight and forward." ~ Bill Steinkraus

Riding with your thumbs on top keeps your hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders in a "neutral" position, which allows your joints to move most freely for an elastic rein connection.

You can tell, just by looking at a horse's topline, how correct that horse's flatwork has been.

"I do hundreds of transitions, loads of them, so transitions become like 'pouring cream.'" ~ Carl Hester

Every exercise should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Try to slow your mind up enough so that you can actually feel each stage of the process.

You shorten and collect the stride with exercises that change the horse's balance - not by pulling on the reins. 

"When a horse startles or shies, he becomes tense and stiff. Making him supple again starts with first calming his mind." ~ Charles de Kunffy

A strong back is necessary for the horse to be able to achieve and maintain self carriage and collection for any length of time under a rider. Asking for too much too soon can cause your horse to resent his work.

"So what do we see when we watch these masters at work? We learn what it means to become a good rider. It means to be picky, detail-oriented, motivated for your whole life, paying attention to every stride, having a system but with the flexibility to adjust it. Even before you can control the horse, you have to first control yourself (99 percent of problems with a horse are caused by the rider). Finally, a good rider needs the willingness to say, 'I made the mistake. The horse didn't make the mistake.'" ~ Christoph Hess

Make sure the horse can travel in a balanced way on a circle in trot and canter BEFORE the added challenge of a rider (with good lunge work.) Then when the rider gets on, they can improve things from there.

"There is no miracle, there is no magic wand. It is just education, trying to be as clear to the horses as you can. When I give an aid, is the horse going to understand?" ~ Emile Faurie

Too much repetitive motion has a tendency to inhibit muscle symmetry. Always aim to mix things up in your training (whether horse or human), so that you can develop balanced musculature. 

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

A truly adjustable horse can transition easily, smoothly, and quickly back to a good canter on the landing from any jump, when needed.

If you want your horse to be smart about his feet and look after himself when jumping, you must train in such a way that he learns these things.

"The horse needs to learn how to jump from a bad distance. How is he going to learn if you don't practice this?" ~ William Fox Pitt

"A horse's energies are gathered up from behind and by yielding on the reins and giving him the room to step through to the center of gravity, the neck will shape to reflect the activities in the haunches. Trying to achieve collection by working on the horse's neck cuts the horse off in the front, confining him and preventing the hind legs from lifting, suspending and powerfully supporting the rider's balance." ~ Charles de Kunffy

"The legs bring the horse to the seat, and the seat brings the horse to the hands. When the teacher says 'shorten the reins' it needs to be translated into: 'engage the hind legs, sit on them, and then take the slack out of the reins', because if you shorten the reins from front to back, the horse will only resist." ~ Thomas Ritter

"Keep your hands down in front of the jump. Stop trying to control him with your hands, and control him with your seat." ~ Chris Bartle

Rather than simply holding in a combination or when riding down a line of jumps, individual half halts performed in time with the horse's stride will be more effective.

Train your horse to be responsible for maintaining the gait or movement you put him in, with no nagging from his rider.

What do we want from our horses over fences? Consistency and balance. If we as riders are more consistent and balanced with our own position as we ride a course, we make achieving that with the horse much easier.

Be VERY careful who you train with! It only takes a single poor decision or moment of bad judgement to nearly ruin a horse!

"I don't want riders who work physically hard. Work by thinking." ~ Nuno Oliveira

"A significant portion of the art of dressage lies in your ability to differentiate between the positive tension of focused athletic effort, and the negative tension of resistance, fear, and anxiety." ~ Katherine Bateson Chandler

Horses that are truly moving with a relaxed and happily swinging back will not give you a feel of a "locked jaw" in your hands. Any resistance that you feel in your hand while riding ALWAYS starts in the horse's back.

To get the best out of a horse with a sense of humor, you must be a rider with a sense of humor. 🙂

When a horse is equally laterally supple in both directions, it will be evident in the ease of which you are able to perform changes of bend and direction. 

Too much repetitive motion (of any one thing... trotting, cantering, circling, hills, jumping, leg yielding, etc) can easily cause fatigue, soreness, boredom, or a sour attitude. It is best to mix things up in your training. 

"When introducing new questions make sure they are fair, but don’t over prepare the horse. Let him find out it’s an oxer/filler/bounce when he gets there. They need to learn to react and make quick decisions." ~ Eric Smiley

"All riders need very loose joints - loose hips, loose shoulders, loose elbows, loose knees, loose ankles. When I say loose I don’t mean uncontrollably loose, but they need to have a very good range of motion, and an absence of unwanted tension. A lot of riders when they are not comfortable in forward seat tend to grip with their knees, and tend to have a little stiffness in their ankles." ~ Tad Coffin

Both horses and riders ultimately learn from and cement behaviors through repetition. This is why you need to make sure that you are repeating things CORRECTLY.

Maintain your good score for your trot or canter lengthenings by performing a clear, precise, and active transition back to the working gait at the end of the lengthening.

Many times riders ride each stride to a jump, but then sort of "freeze" right when they get there. Usually this is because of nerves, or because the rider is worried about trying to make some preconceived takeoff spot happen.

Make sure you ride each stride, including the takeoff, and even over and across the jump if necessary. Don't "jump ship" and leave your horse feeling alone right when he needs you most.

If you want to develop a nicely shaped crest (the top of the neck muscling) on your horse, you have to make sure your horse is truly seeking the connection - reaching into the bit, rather than backing away from it. 

Riders who can accept and learn from criticism will generally improve the most.

I once heard Ingrid Klimke call a galloping jump a "rhythm fence." And that is a perfect way to look at it!

"Don't ride to other people's ability – always ride to your ability and your horse's ability." ~ Andrew Hoy

Good lengthening and extended work requires straightness in the form of even loading of the hind legs.

"Since the criteria of a correct seat are the same as the criteria of good posture in general, being constantly attentive to one’s bearing when standing or walking is excellent training. A correct vertical posture of the head and the trunk on horseback is not a special posture applicable only to riding." ~ Kurt Albrecht

"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."

If you do all of your training on the exact same kind of footing, (i.e. either all firm ground, or all sand), you might be putting your horse at an increased risk of possible injury. Training on a variety of different surfaces will develop both the strength and the elasticity of tendons and ligaments, which will help to prevent injury.

"It’s important that the rider doesn’t disturb the horse – leaning this way or that – and that is the same with this pulling and pushing. You give a half halt, but half halt is not just pull back and then let go. First of all you have to push the horse into your contact, and while you do a half halt, the horse should not get tighter in the neck and not get slower in the hind legs. Actually we want to engage the hind legs. It’s something you have to work on all the time, and get to feel it. When you tell the rider, now this, now that, you are already too late. You have to practice this, so that the riders get to feel it themselves." ~ Monica Theodorescu

The half pass helps to develop the brilliance of the extended trot, by increasing hip and stifle flexibility and range of motion, and freeing up the horse's shoulders.

Horses learn by a process of trial and error based on trying to make themselves more comfortable.

True lightness does not come from playing with the bit until the horse feels lighter in your hand. Only real hind leg engagement and lowering of the quarters will bring about the true lightness that you are looking for.

"You are connected with your seat to the horse’s back, connected with your legs to the horse’s body, and connection can only work if it goes through the whole horse and into the rider’s body, and from the rider’s body back to the whole horse." ~ Susanne Miesner

"I discovered that the horse is life itself, a metaphor; but also an example of life's mystery and unpredictability, of life's generosity and beauty, a worthy object if repeated and ever changing contemplation." ~ Jane Smiley

"Dressage is the art of teaching the horse to carry you. Riding is the art of learning to be a good load to carry." ~ Richard Weiss

Both horses and riders ultimately learn from and cement behaviors through repetition. Make sure you are repeating things correctly to avoid cementing incorrect responses. 

You have to have your core muscles engaged when riding, so that the horse's movement doesn't displace you.

"A horse's energies are gathered up from behind and by yielding on the reins and giving him the room to step through to the center of gravity, the neck will shape to reflect the activities in the haunches. Trying to achieve collection by working on the horse's neck cuts the horse off in the front, confining him and preventing the hind legs from lifting, suspending and powerfully supporting the rider's balance." ~ Charles de Kunffy

Success isn't about how far you get, but the distance you traveled from where you started.

"Sit on your pockets like you got a million bucks in there." ~ Unknown

Technically it isn't correct to be sitting all the way on your back pockets. This can, however, be a good thing for a rider who has a tendency to lean too far forward to think about doing!

Forward and speed are two different things. And balanced speed is not inherently dangerous. But if there is a fundamental problem in the horse or rider's basics, speed will make it more apparent.

"Riders of all levels must allow their horses to make their own decisions when jumping, as even good riders don’t always get it right." ~ Eric Smiley

The horse's jaw unlocks when their back muscles relax and begin to swing with the movement.

"The main reason that I'm 150% behind mares is that they will give you 150% in return once they trust you. I think they will work harder for you, because once they learn to trust you they develop a bond with you that's completely unlike any other bond with any other rider. You become their person." ~ Rebecca Rigdon-Blake

"Young horses are like a blank slate. In my experience they naturally give you the right answers often, especially when you first start riding them." ~ Bridget Hay

"I think riders can very easily lose the ability to comfortably ride out in the open at more than a walk if they lock themselves into a dressage arena. I feel so strongly that the horses need to be allowed out of the arena from time to time." ~ Lauren Chumley

"Ask often, be content of little, reward always." ~ Nuno Oliveira

"All equestrians, if they last long enough, learn that riding in whatever form is a lifelong sport and art, an endeavor that is both familiar and new every time you take the horse out of his stall or pasture." ~ Jane Smiley

"A horse will never tire of a rider who possesses both tact and sensitivity because he will never be pushed beyond his possibilities." ~ Nuno Oliveira

"You get that horse to really operate as if he's your legs and you can take that anywhere you want. You can dress up in any kind of clothes you like. You can be a jumper, dressage rider, trail rider, cowboy, anything." ~ Buck Brannaman

"Just as experience dictates to the ballet teacher the length of time necessary to train his students, so the horse, too, needs time to mature into a great four legged dancer." ~ Alois Podhajsky

"There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse." ~ Robert Smith Surtees

"The goal of all dressage riding should be to bring the horse and rider together in harmony...a oneness of balance, purpose, and athletic expression." ~ Walter Zettl

"Far be it from me to force anyone into either chess or dressage, but if you choose to do so yourself, in my opinion there is only one way: follow the rules." ~ Lars von Trier

"The basic techniques, or what they call basics, are more difficult than what comes later – this is the Trap of Dressage. Correct basics are more difficult than the piaffe and passage." ~ Conrad Schumacher

"I couldn't imagine not working with horses. I think if horses didn't exist, I would have invented them." ~ Klaus Balkenhol

"In training we must be encouraged to first establish the principles and only then to tackle the details." ~ Reiner Klimke

"We must be fully aware that a lifetime isn't long enough to come to know all about horsemanship." ~ Egon von Neindorff

"Through gaining competence, we gain confidence." ~ Erik Herbermann

"The art of riding was like entering a convent. It was a full dedication." ~ Nuno Oliveira

"Treat every mistake as a training opportunity." ~ Steffen Peters

"What must the hand and arm be able to do? Yield, sustain, resist. What they do not need to do is pull, because no rider has ever won a pulling contest with a horse. In order to sustain and resist, the hands must be supported from the rider’s elastically braced back and, to the necessary degree, from the support of the upper arm against the side." ~ Bill Steinkraus

"I often wonder why people think they have to kick and pull a horse who can feel a fly land on his neck." ~ Jimmy Wofford

"What is Feel? Feel is the invisible quality in every good rider who is communicating with her horse in harmony. She can perceive where the horse is during every step because he accepts the rider’s seat, leg and rein aids through the connection. The rider can then communicate with the horse in a stable, sensitive and relaxed manner." ~ Sarah Geikie

The rider's elbows should at all times act as a hinge, following the horse's movement much like the rubber donut in side reins. 

"The criteria of a good rider is a rider that we cease to notice, and we only watch the horse." ~ Nuno Oliveira

"First, [the rider] has to be ambitious. Mentally, he has to be well balanced and consistent. He has to be tougher on himself than on the horse. If he gets after the horse too much, he will not get far. One must really be able to push oneself harder than one ever pushes a horse. Then, success will follow." ~ Ernst Hoyos

"Make him proudly independent of you so that he understands his job so well you merely walk the course and then show him the way. Tell your horse what you want him to do, and then allow him to do it." ~ Jimmy Wofford

The best way to build self confidence is often to do what you are afraid to do.

From Facebook fan Joan Dunlap ~ "Every barn should have an Emotion Bucket for riders to deposit their bad vibes before handling a horse."

"When you are in the Comfort Zone, you can ride without thinking. In the Stretch Zone, you are working on something you can’t do by habit. In the Panic Zone, you can’t think clearly and are paralyzed. These zones apply to both horses and riders. If both horse and rider go into the panic zone, they lose control, and it spells trouble for the future. Some horses go into the Panic Zone very quickly. They need riders who are comfortable." ~ Kyra Kyrklund

"To become a rider it is not enough to be able to sit elegantly on a horse. Even a good seat and balance does not make you a ‘rider’. To be able to ride you must be able to influence your horse and to extract the best performance from him." ~ Christian Thiess

"To ensure correct bend in the haunches-in, imagine wrapping your horse’s body around your inside leg." ~ Charlotte Bredahl-Baker

"The volte is one of the most important movements you can ride. It is teaching the horse to bend in his ribcage, within his body, and then to maintain a rhythm – in the future this movement will become a half pass. We are working on control over the balance of the horse so that it is learning to maintain a rhythm." ~ Ernst Hoyos

Rows of small bounce fences are a great way to build strength in your horse's canter. 

"The goal of our training is to build the horse's mind and his muscles. Suppleness and relaxation require adequate muscle strength. strengthening requires both contraction and relaxation. Blood flow and oxygenation occur when the muscle relaxes. If the muscle is kept in a constant state of contraction, it loses power and strength, and actually becomes smaller. Frequent rest periods, especially for a young horse at a free walk on a long rein, are necessary. The rest periods are not for a rider's fatigue, but to allow the horse to stretch and relax his muscles. The rest breaks will give you a completely new horse. This is the systematic gymnasticizing of the horse." ~ Klaus Balkenhol

"Routine becomes even more important when you are somewhere that you’ve never been." ~ Tonya Johnston

When you hurry a horse's training, you just get to the wrong place more quickly.

"Land in your feet from every jump to avoid tipping forward." ~ Chris Bartle

A horse has to be straight to have true impulsion. Any stored energy leaks out where the body is crooked, changing the energy in the stride from impulsion to merely forward momentum. 

A correct inside bend in the horse's body is truly evident only when there is a soft, almost loose inside rein.

"The most important thing is for the horse to be thinking on its own. Unless you’re Michael Jung, you make mistakes and things go wrong. You have to teach the horse the stride isn’t always right, the line isn’t always right, and that’s why we start from trot." ~ William Fox Pitt

It is very important that your horse does not learn how to run out on skinny jumps or corners. Because once they have learned to associate either type of jump with running out, it can be very difficult to correct. Do not take the schooling of these type of jumps lightly, for this reason.

The extra thrust created by lengthenings will solidify your connection if it was correct to begin with. The extra impulsion created can then be turned into real collection.

"The goal is not to raise the neck, it is to lower the hips." ~ Decarpentry

"Counter canter teaches the balance, and confirms the aids, and that balance means collection and self carriage." ~ Waldemar Seunig

On roundness: "If you have the body, you have the head - if you have the head you don't (necessarily) have the body." ~ Jack LeGoff

Every well ridden corner is a suppling exercise, and should be recognized as such.

Ride forward within the stride you have to the jumps, vs pushing horse out of its stride and disrupting balance. 

"The legs bring the horse to the seat, and the seat brings the horse to the hands. When the teacher says 'shorten the reins' it needs to be translated into: 'engage the hind legs, sit on them, and then take the slack out of the reins', because if you shorten the reins from front to back, the horse will only resist." ~ Thomas Ritter

"There is one principle that should never be abandoned when training a horse, namely, that the rider must learn to control himself before he can control his horse. This is the basic, most important principle to be preserved in equitation." ~ Alois Podhajsky

"A mounted horse must convey the impression that horse and rider are cast in one piece and inspired by the same will." ~ Waldemar Seunig

The sign of a good rider is that their aids are so smooth, light, and invisible that you can barely notice them.

Remind yourself to breathe before and after every difficult exercise. Of course you need to breathe while riding each exercise as well! But thinking about checking your breathing before and after is a good first step.

Remind yourself to breathe before and after every difficult exercise. Of course you need to breathe while riding each exercise as well! But thinking about checking your breathing before and after is a good first step.

"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

True lightness does not come from playing with the bit until the horse feels lighter in your hand. Only hind leg engagement and lowering of the horse's quarters will bring about true lightness.

If your horse does not offer to stretch near the end of a workout, there is a good chance that you didn't have him working correctly through his topline during your ride.

When working with a horse that does not have a great natural trot lengthening, make sure that you don't ask for too much too soon. Compare this to a singer who is training their vocal cords… they gradually expand their vocal range until they hit their limit. This helps to prevent them from overextending themselves, and builds up confidence in their abilities.

We first have to teach the horse to enjoy learning from humans. 

Only precise riding trains the horse correctly. Be exact in your geometry, figures, and lines.

"Relaxation is the bread and butter without which you cannot advance to stage two, balance." ~ Charles de Kunffy

"The volte is one of the most important movements you can ride. It is teaching the horse to bend in his ribcage, within his body, and then to maintain a rhythm – in the future this movement will become a half pass. We are working on control over the balance of the horse so that it is learning to maintain a rhythm." ~ Ernst Hoyos

Whenever you are facing any type of jump with a ditch in front of it, think of it as a "free" front rail, or a rolled out ground rail. Focus on the top of the jump (ignoring the ditch), and ride freely forward to it in a balanced, rhythmical gallop.

If you want to improve your medium and extended gaits, improve your collected work. The more your horse can "sit" behind, the more expressive your mediums and extensions will be. 

"Let your horse be your teacher, pay attention to his invaluable feedback." ~ Lilo Fore

Activity doesn't really start in the horse's hind legs... it starts in their brain. They have to decide to create activity before it will appear. Why is this significant? You need to train your horse's brain to understand and respect your light leg aids, rather than try to physically push him anywhere.

"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."

"Push him to the contact, release and then push to the contact again." ~ Carl Hester

Horses usually add a stride when jumping uphill. Make sure you wait for it… with your leg on.

"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 are out of balance between fences, and then too stiff and upright on the approach to the fence" ~ William Fox Pitt

The rider's leg creates the energy in the horse's stride, and their seat is what controls that energy. 

"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

"Shorter reins generally allow for a better connection and less delay of the aids." ~ Reiner Klimke

"Keep it calm. Ignore the wrong answers, praise the little wins. Horses cannot learn when stressed." ~ Sandi-Leigh Norris 

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.

"There's no such thing as Dressage for Eventers and Dressage for Dressage riders. It's all just Dressage." ~ Carl Hester

Excessive bend in the neck, whether lateral (usually to the inside), or longitudinal (behind the vertical) disconnects the haunches from the rein aids and allows the horse to remain locked up in other parts of the body, such as the poll and hips.

"Don't teach your horse to need you every stride." ~ Donna Monagle

Horses that have a smooth and naturally balanced gallop stride often have longer careers in this sport. Keep that in mind when looking for an Eventing prospect.

In any lateral movement, keep your eyes pointed to the spot that you want your horse to go to.

Riding lots of transitions back and forth between trot and canter is a good way to loosen up a horse that is tight or stiff in the loin area.

"We all experience struggles, but your attitude is what makes you a winner, not the trophies or ribbons." ~ Mellisa Davis Warden

The use of "half steps" in your training can be very beneficial, as it can help the horse to understand the idea of engagement without increasing speed.

Position your horse in a very slight shoulder fore before every movement or transition, to help him engage his inside hind leg and really step through from behind. 

"There's no such thing as Dressage for Eventers and Dressage for Dressage riders. It's all just Dressage." ~ Carl Hester

"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.