"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
If you overdo counter bend to the point where your horse is falling in on his inside shoulder, it can quickly become a counter productive exercise. Do not let the horse’s neck bend excessively in any direction.
When riding on slippery footing, think about some of the same tactics that you would use to drive on an icy road. Go a little more slowly and don't make any sudden turns or changes of speed. Also think about stepping a little more into your outside stirrup in your turns, to help you be more effective with your outside aids. This will help your horse keep his outside hind leg more under his body, so his hind legs will be less likely to slip out from under him on the turns.
"Working over a single pole on the ground, notice if the young horse prefers to chip in a short stride or stretch for a long stride. Then remember this is the default that they will return to when things go wrong." ~ Eric Smiley
Left to their own devices, horses almost always find the easiest way to do things. And that can mean finding out that it is easier to pick up the canter by swinging the haunches to the inside, rather than staying straight and actually engaging the hind legs more to make the transition.
Why is picking up the canter with the haunches in a problem? Because it almost always means the horse is more on the forehand as he begins the canter. And it is always better to start with a good canter, than it is to try to fix that canter after a poor transition!
Now, on to how to fix the problem! First of all, make sure you are not actually causing this problem by... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1327It 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. Discussion # 153: What does this rider need to work on?? What does this rider need to work on?? If YOU were this rider's instructor, what particular exercises would you have them do? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
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.
Dressage riders should aim to mix their horse’s schooling up with hacking and even some jumping if possible, as it will help to keep the horse more fresh and interested in his work.
It is a good idea to sit back every month or so and assess your training program and its current results. Be ready to add to or change your plan if you are not seeing results.
We were working on his flying changes—a middle aged OTTB with a flock of internalized tensions and a penchant for sucking back behind the leg. I was hoping to use some combinations of canter leg yield and canter half pass to make him come forward to the hand and to lessen the surprise of the change aids. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
I find that many riders are using bits that are too big for their horse’s mouths. While certainly better than a bit that is too small, when a bit is too big there is too much movement of the bit sliding back and forth in the horse’s mouth. Horses want the bit to be still in their mouths, they don’t want it sliding left and right all the time.
The Wiggly Worm Exercise is invaluable for green horses, as it will educate them on how to turn effortlessly from feather light rider aids. It can also be a great exercise for improving suppleness and relaxation with horses at all levels. Read on to find out how to do it! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
"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
Great tip from member Sharon Fitzgerald ~ "It is only when you get completely out of your horse's way that you can feel exactly what they are doing and then have a hope in hell of influencing it. Otherwise you might be spending a lot of time just fixing what you are causing."
My preferred bit for starting young horses is... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 1317"Riders who are successful are ready for things that are not what they have planned for. They're thinking, on their toes, and reacting. They are ready for trouble." ~ Lucinda GreenTip/Quote of the Day # 1316
"The horse’s posture, his strength, and his suppleness, all influence very much the sensations that the bit creates in him." ~ Dupaty de Clam
It can be a good exercise in awareness to exaggerate both extremes of an aspect of your position, such as leaning all the way to the left and then all the way to the right. Whichever way feels easier or less awkward for you might indicate that you tend to regularly sit to that side. Experiment with that and try to find the middle.
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 right."
Even if the rider has all of their body parts generally in the right place, they will feel out of balance and out of sync with their horse's movement when the shock absorbing joints in their legs are locked and rigid.
From Facebook fan Andrea Monsarrat Waldo ~ "You can learn to take the best from different trainers, but first you have to have a "skeleton," a theoretical framework to hang it all on, and that takes time and some consistency of training, I think. Once you have a system you can add to it/alter it, but with no system it's just a jumble of random techniques."
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1306Many riders utilize leg yielding in the walk in the trot. But don't forget the canter! It can be quite useful to loosen up the horse's loin area, as well as improving suppleness and responsiveness. The Pre Purchase ExamThe Pre Purchase Exam
So you have found the horse of your dreams... and are ready to buy. You just have one big hurdle to negotiate before you can bring him home - the dreaded pre purchase exam! While they can be nerve wracking, and sometimes heartbreaking, it is always a smart investment. No matter the price, age of horse, amount of miles on his legs, etc... you will always be better off knowing what issues or potential problems the horse might have in the future.
The level of extensiveness of the vet check might vary for different situations and purposes, however. For example, I would be more likely to... (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article) Tip/Quote of the Day # 1305"Without exaggeration I make fifth leg training for the horse part of every single lesson in the same way I make ‘feel’ part of every lesson for the rider." ~ William MicklemTip/Quote of the Day # 1304
"If your horse looks carefully at what they are jumping, is able to make small alterations when getting a little too close or far away from a fence, then produces an appropriate jumping effort and copes quickly with the unexpected slip or stumble, they can be said to have a ‘fifth leg.'" ~ William Micklem
I think that riders who have access to a really good Eventing coach do better when they train all 3 phases with that trainer. Because when working with Eventing horses and riders, all 3 phases have to be trained with the other phases in mind. What do I mean by traning with all three phases in mind? (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer) Tip/Quote of the Day # 1303
"You can influence a horse but you're never really in control." ~ Chris Bartle
It is a good idea to sit back every month or so and assess your training program and its current results. Be ready to add to or change your plan if you are not seeing results.
"The rein connection should be like a solid handshake. Don’t have a wimpy handshake. You know what a bad feeling you get when someone gives you a creepy handshake, so don’t give that icky feeling to your horse." ~ William Fox Pitt
"Don't try to see a distance, your horse has a pair of eyes and you need to let him use them. The more you do in front of a fence the more you will distract them." ~ Chris Bartle
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1298The old masters learned early on that riding accurate arena patterns is key for improving a horse's balance and straightness. Always keep this in mind in your training.Tip/Quote of the Day # 1297
Riders who get the best out of the sensitive type of horse are good at being tactful.
"Contact doesn't only refer to the hands, reins, and bit, but to the whole rider. A rider must give the horse contact through his entire seat. This means that his legs must lay gently against the horse's body, his seat must be balanced and supple, and his arms and hands must follow the horse's movement quietly and evenly. This create a smooth cycle of movement as the horse takes the rider with him. Only this then creates contact." ~ Klaus Balkenhol
