Recent Articles

A Gentleman, A Dragon, And A Dreamer

Well I am days away from leaving life as I know it. I have made the decision to pack up my perfect little life here in Ohio and drag two horses to... (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)

When your horse gets tense about feeling your legs wrapped around him, do not take your legs off. That would only validate his attempted evasion. Keep your legs quietly on his sides, and do an exercise (circle, transition, or lateral step) that will encourage him to focus and relax.

Very careful horses are more likely to lose their confidence during both training and competition, so be careful to always set them up for success.

Just because you can't see your grass growing doesn't mean it's not, and the same can be said of your progress as a rider. Much of the time it is not noticeable until you stop and look back at where you came from.

To successfully maintain the elusive forward feeling hands, imagine that you are pushing a shopping cart as you ride forward into the bit.

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.

Peanut butter? No, in this case PB stands for personal best. Once again I want to revisit the notion of why we go showing and what we get out of it. For a certain group dressage IS showing, and showing means trying to win... (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry) 

Spend time on the basics, such as straightness and suppleness, and the more difficult movements will fall into place naturally.

"There's no such thing as Dressage for Eventers and Dressage for Dressage riders. It's all just Dressage." ~ Carl Hester

A rider hanging onto the inside rein can create stiffness, resistance, head tilting, and loss of the horse's outside shoulder.

You don't really do yourself any favors when you cater to your weaknesses. For example, if you only like to ride with your whip in your right hand, and it feels odd and uncomfortable in your left - you need to make yourself ride with it in your left hand. And if you are uncomfortable riding amongst distractions or with people watching, you only better yourself by seeking out those conditions.

"The horse is so honest.... they live in the moment. And what they do, whether they need to protect themselves or whether they need to accept you really is directly relative to how you make them feel." ~ Buck Brannaman

"Cross country is the only time when life catches up to the speed of my thoughts." ~ Reed Ayers

From Facebook fan Brenda Nelson Jensen, on finding a good instructor ~ "The most important questions to ask yourself after training with someone are: Am I enlightened or confused after sessions? Are my horse and I progressing safely and confidently? If I clinic with a nationally known good instructor do they build off of (not contradict) your regular instructors program?" 

You should know where your horse is going to land from a jump before he takes off. How? The type of canter in the final strides of the approach will dictate the shape of your horse's jumping effort, and the trajectory of his jump. 

If your horse gets heavier in the reins as you increase your collection, he is NOT going correctly.

"That they stay loose is the most important, the most mistakes are made when the riders start to collect them. Collection is not slower or shorter, collection is more cadence, more energy behind, and that only works with a really loose back, with suppleness – and that is what they lose. We have so many super super good three and four year old horses, you see them moving at the Bundeschampionate, and it is unbelievable how many super super good horses – but how many go on to the sport later? Because most riders when they go to collect them, make them too stiff, too tense, too often it is only with the hand, that they only make the neck up, short, instead of making them lower behind. To collect them, you have to start behind, and not in front." ~ Hubertus Schmidt

"Up your game, ask for more!" ~ Stephen Clarke 

From Facebook Fan Trisha Francisco ~ "As I’m working my way back in to horses, I'm reminded constantly by little things here and there & discussions that there's a reason classics are classics... There's a reason they're still around, as they still work... Remarket it and repackage things all you want but classical dressage and classical horsemanship usually can't be beat no matter how hard you try... They are recipes for success."

Always keep your spine stretched upward when riding. When you slump, your head and shoulders will become heavy, and your horse will likely become heavy in your hands.

From Facebook Fan Anne Rawle ~ "Never teach a horse something you don't want him to learn." 

From Facebook Fan Tricia Carr ~ "In a recent lesson my mare reminded me that when approaching a fence, my mind set and my aids have to agree. I can "think" I want to go over the fence, but if I ride defensively, and my aids, (or lack thereof) don't match my what my brain is thinking, that equals a run out. I'm pretty timid over fences and sometimes it gets the best of me."

From Facebook Fan Annette Gaynes ~ "Believe in classical Dressage, particularly if you have a horse who is a tough subject. Eventually, it will pay off and you will have a happy, healthy, sound horse who wants to do the work."

Lots of things stand in the way of someone becoming a really good rider. Among amateurs high on the list is guilt—guilt for not riding as elegantly as Charlotte DuJardin (or whomever their hero might be). Maybe you are beyond this stage, but many amateurs always want to have their horse and them  look like the finished product, when skill level aside, they are really just a work in progress. (Click on Blog Title above to read full entry)