"The horse is the fastest learner of all domestic animals—including children. If you stay alive by running away, you better learn fast." ~ Robert Miller, DVM
The short side of the arena is a great place to show your horse's movement off to the Dressage judge. If your horse is in lovely self carriage, push your hands forward a bit and show it off!
Your horse can feel whether or not you have a strong, detailed plan of how to ride your jumping course or dressage test. And he will gain confidence in you if he feels you are confident in your plan.
From Facebook fan Barbara Martin ~ "What happens on the ground is just as important as what goes on in the saddle. Make sure you are giving clear signals to your horse as to who is in charge. We forget this sometimes, I think!"
"I was riding in a warm-up ring with Bill Steinkraus--you know, the greatest rider America has ever produced? That Bill Steinkraus?--and I asked him, on average, how many fences on a course of ten does he get to accurately. He thought about it and said "Seven." I said "Oh." But I was THINKING: "Oh. What does that say about ME?!" ~ Jimmy Wofford
From Facebook fan Joan Dunlap ~ "If your horse's SI joint is compromised so is their ability to come through from behind with any ease."
-- This is SO important, as most horses with sacroiliac issues don't show a lot of signs, so pain in this area is often missed. If your horse is reluctant to really use himself or carry weight behind, and/or has canter lead issues, or displays bucking or balking behavior - get his SI joint checked out by a well qualified lameness vet.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1241"A horse 'held in shape' by his rider is only posturing in a seemingly correct outline, usually for the benefit of the inexperienced observers." ~ Charles de Kunffy Tip/Quote of the Day # 1240"One should avoid resistances, instead of trying to conquer them." ~ UnknownTip/Quote of the Day # 1239"Anything forced or misunderstood, can never be beautiful." ~ XenophonTip/Quote of the Day # 1238On instructors that use demeaning coaching methods ~ "Let’s not kid ourselves, despite what we see in sports films and hear in the bar, it’s almost impossible to find any research that shows consistent negativity, or a regular pattern of insults, is beneficial to learning and performance in any sport." ~ William MicklemGuest Blog post # 84: "Bring Back the Horse's Instincts" by Dr. Juliet M. Getty
The issue is free choice forage feeding...
I respect and honor the way horses are made – they are different – unique, really. In a suitable, native environment, they are quite capable of taking care of themselves. They are free to eat and roam and be, well, horses. Domestication involves removing them from their natural setting; but that doesn’t change who they are. Horses have physiological and mental needs and those needs are being ignored. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
There is no point in working on flying changes until you have the right canter. Start before they are truly ready, and you run the risk of making the flying change forever an anxiety filled movement for the horse.
Question # 304: So I have recently acquired an off track standardbred pacer. We are in the works of trotting only, and not pacing, before we even attempt the canter. The plan is for him to event lower level......maybe just pony club... although he would probably be stronger in dressage. He has free jumped beautifully though so I am hopeful! I have only about four rides on him ATM due to some health issues resolving when I adopted him... So since a lot of our work is trot and ground pole work to build up his muscles, I have been beating myself up because I cannot, for the life of me, sit his trot! I by no means am the best rider the world, but I do take pride in being able to sit a pretty bouncy trot, from my old QH mare to my warmblood mare who has so much suspension she will throw you out of the saddle at the trot. I have worked hard to accomplish this. But I cannot manage with him! Do any of you have any tips on helping myself to sit his trot?! If I ask him to slow down too much he goes into the pace again just because his muscles aren't ready for slower work yet... (Shelby)
Hi Shelby!
The first thought that comes to my mind is... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 1236If you only do a two point position when you are galloping, you don't really give yourself a chance to get fit enough to maintain this position throughout a whole cross country course. If you put in the effort and spend plenty of time in the two point in the trot as well, you will be much stronger and more solid in your position near the end of a course!The "Shoulder Yield" Exercise
Your ability (or lack thereof) to control your horse's shoulders will show up in just about everything you try to do when riding. It will often be quite evident, as it can be very hard to steer properly or keep your horse straight when you do not have 100% control of the horse's shoulders!
There is an exercise called "shoulder yield" (which is really more of a jumper term than a Dressage term), that tests your ability to control your horse's shoulders. You can also use it to teach your horse to be more responsive to the aids that control the shoulders, making for precise and effortless turning. Here's how to do it: (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
This is a great question, as it is SO important for your horse to be (and stay!) in front of your leg. Not much can be achieved without it! Those that don't truly have it, yet are working on more advanced concepts are only fooling themselves. They will only continue to struggle until they go back and fill in that big hole in their horse's foundation. (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 1234
From member Sharon Fitzgerald ~ "I have learned that if I want my horse to be steady and up to the bridle then I have to provide a steady target [quiet hands] and use leg to keep him up there."
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1233Lateral work can be done in rising trot, and can be a good idea for young horses, horses that are still developing basic strength in their toplines, and horses that tend to lose forward energy in their lateral work.Tip/Quote of the Day # 1232
Speed magnifies mistakes. Therefore your basics had better be fairly solid before you start jumping at speed.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1231"All riders need very loose joints - loose hips, loose shoulders, loose elbows, loose knees, loose ankles. When I say loose I don’t mean uncontrollably loose, but they need to have a very good range of motion, and an absense of unwanted tension. A lot of riders when they are not comfortable in forward seat tend to grip with their knees, and tend to have a little stiffness in their ankles." ~ Tad CoffinTip/Quote of the Day # 1230“Unless he is standing still, then from the moment you get on him, the horse is in a rhythm – it can be regular or irregular – but everything in riding has rhythm to it. Rhythm is a very integral part of horsemanship.” ~ Tad CoffinVideo Discussion # 98: Great video working on half halts and the almost walk exercise. What did you learn? Great video working on half halts and the almost walk exercise. What did you learn? (Click on Video Discussion Title above (in blue) to watch video and join in on the discussion)Tip/Quote of the Day # 1229"When your horse has reached its potential, leave it. It's such a nice feeling when you and your horses are still friends." ~ Reiner KlimkeTip/Quote of the Day # 1228"It is the difficult horses that have the most to give you." ~ Lendon GrayDiscussion # 151: How would you jump this fence??This odd skinny fence offers a somewhat unusual challenge. Who can tell us what it is? What would you have to be especially careful of when jumping this fence?? Is there any option in how you can jump it? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to join in or read this educational discussion)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1227If you want to develop a nicely shaped crest (the top of his neck muscling) on your horse, you have to make sure your horse is truly seeking the connection - reaching into the bit, rather than backing away from it. Tip/Quote of the Day # 1226
Groundwork can help build a better relationship between horse and rider. The trust and respect built during work in hand will carry over to your under saddle work IF you approach it the same way.
The extra thrust created by lengthenings will solidify your connection if it was correct to begin with. The extra impulsion created can then be turned into real collection.
We all know it is a bad thing for the horse to carry its poll too low. But too high can be a problem as well. If the height of the poll does not match the amount of true collection behind, the horse will be moving with a hollow back, and the gaits will become flat... losing their supple, elastic swinging nature.
"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
Throwing the reins away to the point that they are so loose that there are loops in them is not the answer to solving your problem of being too strong/tense/rigid in the hands and arms. You must keep a connection, and learn to be elastic within that connection. That is the only way to advance.
In no way does holding a horses neck in a position build up correct muscle. The horse has to actually be using those muscles correctly to improve musculature in the topline.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1213When your horse isn't jumping well, 9.9 times out of 10 you don't have a jumping problem, you have a canter problem. Work on the quality and balance of your canter, and the jumping problem will fix itself.Tip/Quote of the Day # 1212
"Allow your horse the opportunity to use his neck more." ~ Reiner Klimke
If becoming a great rider wasn't hard, everyone would be able to do it. It's the hard that makes it great.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1210Michael Jung puts particular emphasis on checking his horses’ heart and respiratory rate once before and twice after each ride, the first time immediately after work and the second time after the horse had time to recuperate.
