Recent Articles

"Under no circumstances (except to save your life) is see-sawing on the bit ever allowed. Nor is sneaky jiggling. The bit should only be moved by the chewing action of the horse." ~ Catherine Haddad Staller

A new student in her first lesson with me was making all sorts of freeform ring figures. A requested circle she translated as a randomly placed oval. A volte from the track came out like an egg of indeterminate size. When I began to explain about the arena’s dimensions and how the figures related to the dressage letters, she interrupted me, “Oh, I’m not interested in competing.” (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)

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

"Don’t set the horse up when cantering over a pole — allow the horse to make mistakes and learn to adjust its own stride to negotiate the pole." ~ Eric Smiley

"Practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect." ~ Jimmy Wofford

Training horses is sometimes like peeling an onion - make some progress in one area, and your next project makes itself obvious...

"A tense horse's lateral suppleness can be improved by very forward canter leg yields." ~ Carl Hester

From member Catherine Norman ~ "One element of a combination at a time with a greenie, even one that is very experienced with stadium fences if they are new to XC. And if you aren't sure, ride forward, because underpace is not only harder for the horse it makes fences dangerous at the higher levels... Fences are made to be taken at a certain speed, not much more and certainly no less."

With many horses, it can be helpful to take a deep breath and exhale in a sigh as you begin the walk portion of your Dressage test. This can help to dissolve any tension that the horse may be holding, that might otherwise make for a “jig” step, or an accidental transition into trot.

As I look back on the hundreds of blog posts I have written, one recurring theme is the need to be clear and definite in the way you communicate with your horse . . . not to be passive, to be the Alpha, not just to ask but to be sure your horse understands, responds, and is rewarded.

Now and then I meet a trainer who has not only taken that advice to heart but has doubled down on it to the extent that he (or she) needs to dial it way back. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)

"The distance between your ears and shoulders needs to be as big as possible." ~ Bettina Hoy  

So keep your head tall and your shoulders down and relaxed.  :)

The quieter you become with your aids, the more detail you can hear and feel.

"Riding correct lines is half the marks you get in the dressage test. So, getting into the corner and getting onto a really good centerline is very important. Use the space you’ve got." ~ Bettina Hoy

"In the half pass you should feel that the outside hind leg is carrying the load forward." ~ Nuno Oliveira

"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

A great instructor is always thinking and learning about new ideas and concepts, and is always looking for new ways to impart those ideas to their students. The minute one stops learning, one stops growing - and can become stagnant. 

Sitting with Major Lindgren at the Aachen show in Germany one day he jocularly observed that international judges only needed to know four words – “more,” “less,” “faster,” and “slower” to accomplish their task. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)

Your seat shouldn't stop the horse's hind legs, it should send them actively up into your hand to stop the horse on its hindquarters.

Think about keeping your head up and still throughout the jumping motion to help keep your upper body more quietly poised.

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.

"School figures should not be regarded as an end in themselves but rather as a stage in a particular aim, that of control of the horse. Initially, they will be practiced in the school but an early opportunity should be taken to perform them outside so that the rider may learn to cope with extraneous influences which can distract his horse and prevent it concentrating (for example, his horse not wanting to leave its stable or move away from other horses.)" ~ W. Muessler

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.

A rider's rigid elbows will cause the horse's back to become correspondingly rigid.

Give your brain something positive to think about when you are worried.

Trainer Relationships: Caustic or Constructive? 

"Milder bits make many horses happier." ~ Jackie Smith

From Facebook fan Dana Ferguson ~ "I was lucky enough to get to attend a clinic with Reiner Klimke and he loved to use the halt as a test. I loved it because I ride a lot on my own with no mirrors. So if the halt is square, closed and at the letter, your horse has to be balanced and on your aids. It was surprising how many upper level riders were having a problem with this and it showed simply what basics were being over looked."

When jumping, let the turn into the fence be a part of your half halt.

"We get the horses as loose as possible before we ask them to do more work in their bodies. if they’re not loose in the beginning, they’re not going to be loose and supple in their proper work." ~ Charlotte Dujardin

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.

From Facebook fan Jessica Fuller Stewart ~ "When my horse is truly forward he can not bulge his shoulder in the corners as easily. If I let him back off just a little in the corner he can then bulge very easy. Forward is everything!"

When it comes to the fundamentals of riding and helping our horses perform at the peak of their potential, it almost always boils down to the physics and biomechanics of horse and rider. 

At the most basic level, a horse and a rider pair is comprised of two things: the horse (the object exerting motion), and the rider (the one maintaining, or attempting to maintain, equilibrium with the object in motion). In an ideal world the rider is in complete control, has absolute synchronicity with the horses’ motions, and need not work overbearingly to maintain this equilibrium. This scenario, though attainable, takes years of development and training on behalf of both parties. Breaking it down into its simplest form, however, can take a lot of the guesswork out of the question "where should my body be in relation to my horse?" (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)

From Facebook fan Joan Childs ~ "Your hands must be free in order to use them effectively. You can not pull, push, follow, open or close your reins if they are busy being a source of your balance."

From Facebook fan Lynn Sullivan ~ "It's easier to stay fit then to get fit.....An old saying but applies to horses as well as riders."

"Acceptance of the bit happens in the haunches, not in the mouth." ~ Thomas Ritter

Practicing movements incorrectly will create an ingrained habit in both horse and rider that can be hard to break at a later date. Make sure you have eyes on the ground (whether that is in person, or virtually through online coaching) to make sure you are on the right track.

Never “go for the long one” at any jump into water that involves height. If you do, one of 2 things are likely to happen: 1. The horse will (quite rightly) ignore you and add a stride. 2. The horse will listen to you and take off early, but will probably hit his stifles hard on the fence on the way down.

“The best stretch can be achieved on a circle when you feel the horse is balanced laterally and longitudinally. Slowly allow the reins to lengthen and see if your horse will lengthen his neck forward and downward. This will feel like a clear release and you will be able to see how the neck fills out and gets wide when you look down.” ~ Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel