Tip/Quote of the Day # 4608
You should feel like you have to ask your horse to stop, rather than simply "letting" him stop. If he stops when you let him, he is behind your leg.
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Tip/Quote of the Day # 4607
To successfully maintain the elusive forward feeling hands, imagine that you are pushing a shopping cart as you ride forward into the bit.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 4606
Horses speak through their actions. Try to listen to what they are telling you.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 4605
Spend time on the basics, such as straightness and suppleness, and the more difficult movements will fall into place naturally.
Interval Training For Conditioning the Event Horse
In the sport of Eventing, ensuring that our horses are truly fit for our level of competition is one of the best ways to prevent unnecessary injuries.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 4604
For a good rein connection, the wrist should be part of the straight line that extends down the rider's arm. So the knuckles should point towards the bit as well as the rider's arm. Only if it follows that line exactly can the connection be true.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 4603
Maintaining the Horse's Length of Neck in Transitions (Current Freebie!)
I will never forget the first time that I attended the USET training sessions down in Ocala, Florida many years ago..... I was so excited to watch all of the top Event riders receive dressage instruction from Grand Prix dressage trainer Sandy Pflueger Phillips, who was the dressage coach for
Tip/Quote of the Day # 4602
"We want to GUIDE and SHAPE [our horses], we do not want to create straight jackets and do hostile take overs." ~ Manolo Mendez
Monitor Your Horse's Stress Levels, For Best Results in Training
Horses become incapable of learning when they go past a certain level of fear, anxiety, or stress. This means that if you keep hammering away at the horse, trying to teach them something when they are currently overwhelmed with stress, it will not work.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 4601
“Suppleness is the result of riding in the correct position for years." ~ Richard Watjen
Tip/Quote of the Day # 4600
"The goal of 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
Lesley's Corner
The Ultimate Rider Hand Position Fix!
Here is a highly effective exercise, that will fix any hand position flaw that you may have!
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An Ian Stark Jumping Exercise (For the Very Brave!) That Will Sharpen Up Every Horse!
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One Sidedness in Riders
We riders spend a lot of time working on making our horses more ambidextrous. But what about ourselves? How can we ride our horses straight if our own bodies are one sided? It will definitely be much easier for them if we make an attempt to be more even and ambidextrous. Learn how here!
Lesley's Corner
The Horse That Carries Tension in its Back
Tension in the horse's back is very paralyzing to the rest of its body, inhibiting the hind legs from coming underneath to balance itself. It can cause back soreness, spooky, and disobedient behavior. Let's talk about how to tell if your horse is tense in the back and what you can do about it.
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Exercises to Improve Your Horse's Suppleness
Lateral suppleness is the horse's ability to bend easily from side to side. Few horses are naturally ambidextrous, so a major goal of dressage is to make the horse more even on both sides & truly straight. Here are specific exercises to improve lateral suppleness, from most basic to most difficult!
Lesley's Corner
A Little Trick That is Helpful in the Training of Hot or Nervous Horses
The hot or anxious type of horse can be challenging to ride and train, but if patiently handled, they can be the very best competitors! This exercise will help you get better results with your nervous horse. And it’s so simple, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been using it!
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The BEST Exercise to Loosen Up Your Horse's Tight Lower Back Area
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Square Exercise # 3
One of the most common problems riders face when turning is losing control of the horse's outside shoulder. This exercise is a great way to get more control over that outside shoulder to help make more accurate turns - which will help you come out of the turns straight and in better balance.
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Making Related Distances Work For You
With a little planning and forethought, you CAN make related distances work for you. You just have to focus on these key points!
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The Responsibility Exercise
Your horse will never truly be in self carriage if you give constant aids. Train him to take responsibility to maintain the gait or movement with minimal input from you. It must become a state of mind, so that he truly understands this responsibility. Learn how to teach this here!
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Introducing the Counter Canter
Counter canter is simply one of the most beneficial exercises you can do for your horse! In addition to building strength, improving balance, & increasing hind leg engagement, it also improves the horse's ability to be straight in the canter. Which will improve all of your canter work.
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Ride the Horse You Are on at the Moment
Most horses are a work in progress, becoming more confident, wise, and educated. Riders should constantly adapt to these changes, but often have a hard time letting go of old "baggage." They tend to ride the horse they used to have, which means the horse will tend to revert back to how he was.