A reader asks… How does someone get over a traumatic fall? Basically, I had a fall several years ago and got hurt. It shook my confidence, etc. It took years to come back from it, but there are times where I still struggle with it. I think it's because at that time, my coach had told someone else that I should stop eventing, because of that spill and I had to hear it from the grapevine, but never from my coach. I've had people doubt my abilities as I was recovering; yet I was still riding and trying to move on, and 'practice my guts.' That spill wasn't even the worst one that I've had, yet it is one that has stuck with me. Why?
There are several parts to your question which I would like to address. The first is the question of “Why this fall?” Many riders have numerous falls or other horse related injuries and, for seemingly no reason at all, one of those falls or injuries sticks with us more than the others. I would be disingenuous if I was to claim to know with any certainty the answer to the question “Why?” What I can do is highlight some of the factors that may help determine the impact of any one incident. (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1737"Connection is the mirror of the entire horse, it’s the mirror of his balance, and it is a mirror of the degree of collection the horse is able to offer at this point in time." ~ Susanne MiesnerTip/Quote of the Day # 1736
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.
A horse can turn lazy or become unresponsive to the aids within a single ride. It's up to YOU as his rider to make sure he is responsive to light aids!
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.
It is such a common problem for horses to fall in on the circle when lunging. Many horses do it mostly in one direction (usually when circling to the right), but others do it both ways. Why is this such a problem?? Because not only is your lunging not productive at that point, but it is very hard on the horse's body and joints to be traveling so incorrectly. And most importantly, if your horse does this on the lunge, he probably has a tendency to try to do this under saddle as well! Read on for a specific exercise to help teach your horse to stand up straight around his corners and turns. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
"The back is the bridge, and the energy is going from the hind end and the hocks over the back through the neck and into the mouth, and then back again." ~ Ernst Hoyos
Turn on the forehand and leg yield can be used to teach the horse that the rider's leg can mean something other than, "Go forward." The horse must understand this concept in these very basic movements before you will find much success with any of the more complicated lateral movements.
Question # 330: Kayla has a question about how to avoid the chair seat problem.How to find the balance between a chair seat and my new tendency to lean too far forward. Whenever I sit up straight, I fall way back on my butt again. I am finally getting back to the gym and I’ve been doing a lot of stretching because I know my hips are tight, but I swear it’s impossible to sit up straight on my seat bones and not have my feet out in front of me. (Kayla)
Hi Kayla!
You are correct in that a rider's tight hip flexors often cause the problem of the hard to fix "chair seat." Read this article for some ideas on how to help stretch them while in the saddle. The "legs away" and the "walking exercise" are two that will help with this specific problem. (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer) Tip/Quote of the Day # 1729If you rely on your knee grip to keep you in the saddle when jumping, you will usually be one stumble, buck, or sideways spook away from becoming unseated. Sinking into your heels and keeping an even leg distribution on the horse will give you the most security over fences. Tip/Quote of the Day # 1728
"I like to think of the tension in a Thoroughbred’s body as it seeks to learn the meaning of our aids as an intense desire to please us." ~ Steuart Pittman
What is Muscle Memory? If you've ever worked on your posture or a set of aids for a movement on your horse, you've probably heard the words "muscle memory.” But what is this mysterious thing? Is it something real or just a part of dressage riders’ folklore? Can we do anything to make our learning more efficient, or should we be suspicious of "automatic" riding as less creative? (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
"Most of the riders ride with their upper body very stiff – especially their shoulders. If the stomach is in balance and in the position it should be, the shoulders are allowed to relax, and should relax. You need to be loose in your shoulders. As long as the rider is breathing in the upper body he is going to be too tight, too cramped to get the horse to go forward from a relaxed seat. The rider learns to breathe in the lower stomach and everything will relax. The weight will come into the saddle and the horse moves away from the aid of the weight. But if a rider cramps in the upper body, he cramps everywhere and is effectively unable to ride his horse." ~ Ernst Hoyos
Video # 311 and Question # 329: Kayla is practicing BN test A, and has a few questions.We practiced the BN test A twice today, and most of what needed work was actually our trot transitions (excluding the horrible miss of our left lead departure... oops). Is making those better just a matter of my position through them being better? Also, his hip has a tendency to fall out to the left in our halts. Is that because he's crooked going into them? (Kayla) (Click on Video or Question Title above (in blue) to read the answer and the critique of this video)
From Facebook fan Devan Cottrell ~ "When you think you need a half halt, try releasing first....then aha, there's your real half halt. Don't let the status quo be a heavy hand!"
"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
Riding in a position that puts you in perfect balance is obviously the best place to be much of the time. But there are plenty of times that it is better to be in a defensive balance, with your center of gravity slightly behind your horse’s center of gravity (meaning that you are slightly behind the motion), and slightly behind your own feet. There is never a productive reason to be ahead of the motion however.
"Beginners are not bad riders, they merely lack experience. The only truly bad riders are usually 'experienced' in the poorest sense of that word; those who blatantly and ignorantly bully their horses." - Egon von Neindorff
"Dressage is not an easy sport, there are so many variations, but the reaction to your leg, and straightness, are so important. You just don’t see top Grand Prix riders kicking or straining for a result. Don’t tease him, tap there so quick he doesn’t know it is coming. Everything in a horse’s life should be black and white, not grey." ~ Debbie McDonald
From member Jennifer Stankiewicz ~ "When my trainer tells me to adjust my body parts, it's always with mentally including maintaining where my center of gravity is in my hips instead of just focusing on the body part I'm supposed to adjust."
"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
From Facebook fan Mikki Schattilly ~ "I have struggled with my right leg/side since I broke my ankle my trainer had me working on my hip position and my leg got better. It's not always where you think you have the issue that fixes it."
Question # 328: Kayla has a question about trotting fences.We have been trying to trot more of our fences, but even at 2’, my horse still tries to treat them like trot poles, and mows them down every time. At a canter, he’s fantastic and jumping really well and carefully, but that whole jumping-from-a-trot thing seems to be lost on him. How do I teach him differently? (Kayla)
Hi Kayla!
With horses that tend to be expert "energy conservationists", getting them to jump well over little fences from the trot can be quite difficult! I always say that it is a great test of the rider's skill to create a good jump over little fences, as many horses don't try very hard. Here are a few things you can try! (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 1715
"It is easier for horses to relax their muscles when there is no hand in their mouth." ~ Stefan Wolff
You have to think about how you can get into your horse's head, to win him over to your side, rather than trying to muscle him around. Horses usually seek where they are most comfortable. Always keep that in mind.
Recently a friend and trainer Lesley Stevenson posted a question on her Facebook page asking how people recover from a bad ride. I loved reading the responses. Sharing ideas and experiences with each other is an essential part in maintaining our resilience in the face of challenge. I also admired the wealth of knowledge, creativity and humor in everyone’s responses. As I read each comment, I started thinking about how the responses naturally fell into several categories which reflected the strategies for recovery recommended by sport psychology consultants. As a tribute to all the riders that responded to that post, I thought I would try to summarize those strategies here so we all might benefit. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
"The less we do on cross country, the easier we are on our horses. Learn how to be more still, touch their mouth only when you need too, plan your turns. The lighter we are with them galloping between fences we save their bodies and legs." ~ William fox Pitt
I am sure a lot of other riders will be silently thanking you for this question, as I bet there are a lot of riders in your situation - where you are just getting into Eventing without having a budget that would allow you to just go and buy anything that you want!
My answer to your question is... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 1712
"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
Lateral work can be used to steady and improve the regularity of the rhythm of your horse’s gaits. Particularly with horses that want to rush and/or become irregular, asking for a little shoulder in, leg yield, or a few steps of spiral in or out, can help them wait and find more cadence in their stride.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1709"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 HoyosTip/Quote of the Day # 1708"Think of your elbows as hinges, bent, hands level and together. Sit square and even in the saddle. Open your knees, open your thigh, let the weight go to your heels, keep your knee soft." ~ Gill RoltonTip/Quote of the Day # 1707
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.
Control the length of your reins by keeping your thumb closed tightly on top of the reins. If you attempt to do so by keeping ALL of your fingers closed very tightly, you will risk tightening your forearms as well.
"I would like to know if you have any strategies for dealing with intense anxiety. I become anxious just thinking about a jump lesson, let alone a show or event. My anxiety amps up my horse, and then we don’t do nearly as well as we could. My horse is a saint and takes very good care of me over jumps, but he does feed off my anxiety. My main instructor and several clinicians insist that I am extremely well prepared for the level at which I’m competing, so I’m not overfacing myself or my horse. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide!" ~ Erin
Erin – One of the several bright spots in your story is that your intense anxiety, while impacting your performance, is not preventing you from participating in the sport. This opens the door for one of the most time honored and empirically validated approaches for tackling anxiety. It is called “In Vivo Systematic Desensitization,” more commonly known as exposure therapy. “In Vivo” refers to direct or live exposure to the anxiety provoking stimulus. “Desensitization” is exactly as you would imagine. It refers to inhibiting avoidance reactions long enough for you to “get comfortable” with the problematic situation or stimulus. “Systematic” refers to a compassionate measured approach where you start with situations that evoke milder anxiety, and then work your way toward more challenging situations as you master the less provoking ones. (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
Studying riding theory will make you a better rider or trainer in many ways. Trainers need a knowledge base broad enough to enable them to apply the appropriate system for each horse/rider combination in front of them. Riders need to thoroughly understand what they are trying to do and why.
Riding the horse with its head and neck low is only beneficial to the horse if there is a connection over the back.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1701On stretching the horse ~ "My father always said, think of stretching the nose to the sand. Think that as a rider you can always give more and more, the horse will tell you how much he really needs to open up, from the tail, right through the vertebrae, through the neck, really stretched and round like a ball." ~ Ingrid KlimkeTip/Quote of the Day # 1700
"The outside rein keeps the horse straight, it controls the outside shoulder, it helps in the halts, it must always be a connecting feel. If the connection is too strong it blocks the inside hind leg. The contact must be elastic in both reins." ~ Gill Rolton
"For me to work with a horse, I have to like their movement, and the expression they have – and I don’t like mares. With a mare only one person can ride them, if you change the riders with a mare you will always get problems. I am not home enough for this. I have to leave horses at home when I go to competitions, so no mares." ~ Ulla Salzgeber
