Tip/Quote of the Day # 1376In a Dressage test (and definitely when schooling), it is better to focus on the quality of your transitions, rather than insist that they be right at the letter. The judge would rather see a smooth, well balanced transition a little before or after the letter than a stiff, unbalanced transition exactly at the letter.Tip/Quote of the Day # 1375
"I study my horse, and my horse studies me. If I am a coward, he is one. If I am lazy, he is lazy. If I am impatient he is impetuous. If I am lost in thought, how dreamily he pursues his way!" ~ Unknown
"If you keep your hands still, you’ll start using your legs." ~ Ulla Salzgeber
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1373"Look for the contact: The horse needs to trust and look for the reins in order to begin proper work. Try to let him chew. He should look for the reins, so don’t throw away the reins." ~ Isabell WerthTip/Quote of the Day # 1372On teaching the horse to be more careful over fences - "Let him hit it [the fence], don't make him hit it, let him hit it. The best teacher of the horse is the horse - he is his own best trainer." ~ George MorrisTip/Quote of the Day # 1371"Your horse will tell you when he’s ready to learn something new when he responds to the aids more readily. He will be able to do that once his physical conditioning improves and the work gets easier for him. Don’t make the mistake of trying to advance him before he is ready. You can’t approach the training by thinking, Today is the day I’m going to do half pass. If your horse isn’t ready, he will resist and the whole system breaks down. If he’s unhappy in his work, he’s telling you something. Perhaps you are pushing before he’s ready. Is he balanced enough to do what you’re asking of him? Is he physically and mentally ready to do what you want?" ~ Cindy IshoyTip/Quote of the Day # 1370
Every well ridden corner is a suppling exercise, and should be recognized as such.
Trotting into bigger fences teaches both horse and rider to wait for the base of the jump, as well as teaching the horse to use technique and bascule to jump rather than momentum.
"Don't delude yourself into thinking that you have light, soft hands, if you ride with loose, almost dangling reins on a strung out horse. That can be done with insensitive hands as well. A soft hand requires the rider to feel whether the horse is softly on the bit, chewing, and whether it responds to a light pressure, in other words, whether it has an active mouth. If he rides with loose reins, the horse can have a dead mouth, which will only show up when you use the reins to stop or to shorten the strides, as it will either let you pull its nose onto its chest, or it will invert, and in both cases it will open its mouth." ~ Oskar M. Stensbeck
Discussion # 154: Good vs bad extended trotThese two drawings show the difference between a good and bad extended trot. The horse on the left is extending hind and front legs equally, while the horse on the right is tight in his back, and heavy on his forehand. His hind leg does not match his front leg reach, and his shoulders are low and not free like the horse on the left - hence the toe flipping. What other differences do you notice between the 2 drawings? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Your weight or seat aid trumps your leg and hand aids at all times. So if you are unconsciously giving conflicting aids with your weight/seat and your legs or hands, your horse will usually not do exactly what you expect him to do.
"It’s so important that these horses enjoy every day of their work. Our routine is that we train in the school four days a week. On Monday and Tuesday they work, and then on Wednesday they go hacking on the road, and that means every horse—every horse in the yard hacks. Then Thursday and Friday they do schooling sessions, probably not longer than 45 minutes. Saturday they hack again, and Sunday is a complete day off. They all go in the field, even Valegro. They all have a normal life; we don’t wrap them up in cotton wool." ~ Charlotte Dujardin
If you ask for too much angle in any lateral movement (more than your horse can handle at that moment,) you risk impeding the balance and fluency of the movement, which should be one of your top priorities.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1361"If the sport goes down the track of more and more CICs, shorter more technical tracks, more emphasis on the showjumping, then the type of horse that is ideal for the sport, may change." ~ Chris BartleTip/Quote of the Day # 1360
"Travers improves the horse’s bend and makes him more obedient and attentive to the calf aid." ~ Ernst Friedrich Seidler
Some horses ride a bit differently when show jumping on grass vs sand. Make sure you practice for both, if there is a chance you will eventually have to compete on both.
"You should recognize that your equine partner has an eye of its own when jumping and allow a good horse to have some role in the decision making process." ~ Frank Chapot
Question # 311: After reading your article on whether to look for a distance or focus on the quality of the canter, I have a few questions for you.......Do you think it applies equally to xc and stadium? I mean do you ride the same with just a different canter or can you try to be more accurate in show jumping without messing up your horses initiative? Also, if you do have a good canter and your line is good and you can see moving up or holding slightly would improve your take off spot, can you do anything? Or do you really just let the horse deal with it. Or by leaving them alone to they learn to do it themselves? (Anonymous)
These are great questions, as I think so many riders are confused and unsure about this subject, with so many different and opposing opinions out there. You can definitely... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer) Tip/Quote of the Day # 1357
Eventers are usually adrenaline addicts, and the more nervous you feel before you start off on cross country, the bigger the rush afterwards!
Many of us are followers especially in a circumstance that’s new to us, a circumstance where we may lack surety or self-confidence. “If you don’t know where to go, go where someone has gone before!” But this approach won’t always work to your benefit. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)Tip/Quote of the Day # 1356
The horse should feel like the reins are connected to the rider's back/seat/core, not their arms.
Many performance horses work hard for a living. And since horses don't have the ability to verbally voice their complaints, it is 100% up to us as owners, riders, and trainers to make sure they are truly comfortable in their jobs. While an obvious lameness is usually fairly easy to see, it becomes a whole lot more tricky when the horse isn't outright lame, yet is NQR, or "not quite right."
Sometimes this is due to a bilateral lameness, meaning both front feet or both hocks hurt equally, which creates a situation where the horse might not actually "limp," because both sides hurt. And sometimes the horse has soreness somewhere in his body, that is unlikely to make him limp, even if it is quite sore. This is a tough situation for some horses, if their owners are the type to say, "If he's not limping, he's fine." Not only is it unfair to the horse to be made to work when he's sore, very often when minor problems are overlooked, they can turn into big problems down the road.
Here are some things to think about, and 15 different signs to watch for, to help you make sure your horse isn't working with pain in his body: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Some horses ride a bit differently when show jumping on grass vs sand. Make sure you practice for both, if there is a chance you will eventually have to compete on both.
A good trainer will know what you are capable of, and may sometimes push you slightly out of your comfort zone, asking you to do something that you would probably not attempt on your own. This can be a great opportunity to make a big "deposit" in your account of confidence!
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1352The sensitive type of horse is always aware of your breathing when you are riding them. Focusing on keeping your breathing calm and regular will give your horse confidence. Tip/Quote of the Day # 1351
Doing the same thing day after day hinders growth. Think about how that might apply to your riding.
As you are about to come down the centerline of a dressage test, briefly think about something that you know will make you smile. You and your horse will both relax, which will make for a happier performance. The judge will see the difference!
There is a great debate in the Eventing world, almost exclusively in the US... over whether or not riders should "look for a distance" for their horses when coming into their fences. While it is commonplace for Hunter/Jumper riders to do so (and this is where this idea comes from), Event riders need to think a bit differently for one very important reason! Because our cross county jumps are solid, we HAVE to train our horses with the mindset of nurturing their ability to think for themselves. Read on to find out how and why! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1348"When a horse startles or shies, he becomes tense and stiff. Making him supple again starts with first calming his mind." ~ Charles de KunffyQuestion # 309, and Video # 97: This is Susanne! We have been working on our canter all winter and I do feel like my ability to compress his stride is improving. I wanted to send you a recent video of us jumping, I can get him back and balanced after the fences but it takes me several strides and as he gets more excited about jumping I noticed that he likes to lunge forward in the last stride to the jump jumping at vs. up and over. I have read your article about how to get your horse to spend more time in the air and I will use all of those suggestions at home. Just wanted to see if you have any other tips or things that we need to address. (Susanne) (Click on Question or Video Title above (in blue) to read the answer and critique of this video)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1347When 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." Question # 308: Wondering if I could get some advice on choosing a bit to try for a horse of mine. He's an ottb who is not far into retraining and is a fantastic horse with a great brain but I'm a bit stumped on what to try for a bit.......In the walk and trot he is light as a feather. Maintains an incredible contact for the amount of training he has had and is soft in the hands and very responsive. When we get into canter, he maintains his connection and pace but becomes a bit of a freight train. He isn't "hanging" on the bit and diving down, but is just very strong, and has a tendency to lose his right shoulder when passing the by the entry gate. He will try to "bolt" (not full bolt but really cock his shoulder out and drift) towards the gate even when on a 20m circle on the opposite end of the arena. Even with a VERY strong outside rein and really putting on the leg, I feel he could break for the gate if he really wanted to and I don't have full control. With how gentle, willing, and soft he is in the walk and trot I hate to "upgrade" to some of the stronger bits, and wondering if there is something you know of that will give a little more control and help shut down his shoulder without being consistently harsh. (Samantha)
Hi Samantha!
From what you are saying, my advice would be to... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 1346
What you do with your seat when you ask for the canter will effect the quality of the canter transition. If you stiffen your hips and back as you ask for the canter (as many riders do when they ask for the canter too strongly,) the horse’s movement will be stifled. If you allow your hips and lower back to be supple and follow the horse’s motion while you are asking for the canter, the horse can respond with more active hind leg engagement in the transition.
"When you get on, you should feel that your stirrups are a little bit short. As you warm up, as you come out of the saddle and come forward and jump, you should feel that you’re coming into a more comfortable position. If when you get on, you’re comfortable in your stirrups, they’re invariably too long." ~ William Fox-Pitt
Make sure there is a slight time lapse between a light aid and a correction. This gives the horse a chance to respond to the light aid - and it gives him a chance to LEARN from the correction.
"Dressage is not just for competition. It is gymnastics for horses and all horses can benefit from it, as they are more likely to stay sound with a long, stretchy neck, soft body and easy movement." ~ Carl Hester
"Connection is often misunderstood. The horse must be taught to go from the seat and leg to the hand for it to be correct. But some riders will try to force it by working their hands and arms to 'work the horse’s neck back and forth to achieve that lightness,' which is incorrect." ~ Lilo Fore
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.
"What is essential is not to tighten the legs during the dressage training, but rather to use them without effort while allowing them to hang softly near the horse’s sides." ~ Nuno Oliviera
