(My recent visit with the master of success, the great American Pharoah)
I was fortunate to be forced by some educational reasoning to read “Their Eyes Were Watching God” over winter break. This really equates to forcing myself to procrastinate and read the whole book in two days as is my tradition. It is my belief that procrastination really means “being a pro at the last minute” thus its definition is easier to live by. None the less my unhealthy habits are not the moral of my story. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
There are lots of different ingredients that add up to good jumping... but no matter what type of approach you are making, or what kind of jump you are approaching, there is one golden rule that you must follow as a rider to have a good jump! Read on to find out what it is! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 956“When you get on, you should feel that your [jumping length] stirrups are a little bit short,” he said. “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-PittVideo # 87: This is my lesson from today. This is my new 4 year old OTTB (never raced, just race trained)....As you can tell in the beginning the construction going on had her a bit nervous. We also jump fairly well off the right lead, but really struggle going to the left. I'm starting to feel a bit better about staying with her over the jumps, as long as we are cantering. Wondering if you have any exercises for myself to help me stay with her better and learn her jumping style as well as anything you see she needs improvement on in her jumping/flatwork. Thanks! (Kayla) (Click on Video Title above (in blue) to read the critique of this video)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 955Too often I see riders asking their horses to be forward and in front of their leg, and not getting the response they are looking for - yet they still move on to the next thing they had planned! Whether the next thing you plan to do is a jump or a dressage movement, your best bet would be to put that on hold for a moment, and really insist that your horse responds 100% to your leg. You won't get much else done without that quality.OC Question # 2: How can you tell if a horse is ready to move up a level?
How can you tell if a horse is ready to move up a level? (Click on OC Question Title above (in blue) to read their answers)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 954Always remember that what you do habitually will feel normal to you, whether it is right or wrong.Video Discussion # 90: This video shows the various lateral movements in detail, and demonstrates the great exercise of transitions back and forth between shoulder in and renvers.This video shows the various lateral movements in detail, and demonstrates the great exercise of transitions back and forth between shoulder in and renvers. What are your thoughts on this video? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to watch video, and read this educational discussion) Tip/Quote of the Day # 953"When working on your horse's balance, keep in mind that horses can't be balanced under unbalanced riders. We always need to begin with the education and balance of the rider." ~ Debbie McdonaldTip/Quote of the Day # 952Your 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.Tip/Quote of the Day # 951You drive your horse heavily into your hands when you lean back even slightly behind the vertical.Lauren's Blog post # 3European Adventure!
My adventure through Europe was nothing short of extraordinary. The sights, the tastes, the culture, and, of course, the horses were all incredible, and traveling with locals meant it wasn’t any sort of typical tourist vacation. For two whole weeks I immersed myself in an atmosphere, not to mention language, which was completely foreign to me- and I loved every second. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)Tip/Quote of the Day # 950
“I start by stretching the horse and trying to make him relaxed and supple. It’s a bit like gymnastic with a horse, dressage is. You wouldn’t expect a gymnastics person to just go and start their workout; they do a nice stretch in the warm-up first.” ~ Charlotte Dujardin
Tip/Quote of the Day # 949When your horse is impressed by a jump, and gathers itself a bit to look on the approach, you have a free half halt. Do not get caught taking back in this situation, or you may cause your horse to stop. Think "keep the hind legs moving" all the way to the base of the jump to ensure that you maintain sufficient forward energy as the horse looks. Yet don't push them out of balance by trying to run at the jump.Different Half Halts For Different Situations
The key to doing any movement well lies in the preparation for that movement. And half halts are a very important part of the preparation for just about every movement or transition. However, you need to know exactly how to best utilize the half halt at that particular moment. While the essence of the half halt remains the same across the board, the ingredients and focus of your half halt may need to be adapted slightly to suit each individual situation, to give you the best result. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
It sounds like you are dealing with the very common problem of... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer) Tip/Quote of the Day # 947The horse that wants to fall out on circles should work more often on a square figure than a circle, until the rider has better control of the outside of the horse's body.Discussion # 142: A rather random Dressage thought for the day on riding precise circles!A rather random Dressage thought for the day on riding precise circles... Remember the old game "Operation"?? Where you had to use something similar to a tweezers to do surgery and remove "organs" from your patient? And you had to be very focused on the shape of your borders of the hole on all sides, because if you touched one side - BEEP, the alarm would go off, and his nose would light up! Riders who are sometimes challenged with the shape of their circles should try thinking about that game when they are doing their circles. Each circle should have 4 equal quadrants. And if you move to the outside on one quadrant, BEEP, an alarm should go off in your head! Kind of silly and random, I know! But it may click with someone, and help them to pay more attention to the precision of their circles! What do you think? Might this visual help you to think about and be more aware of any tendency to bulge out on parts of your circle? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
“Should you find a wise critic to point out your faults, follow him as you would a guide to hidden treasure.” Buddha (really, it is a Buddha quote, no fooling!)
Once again I found myself at another, "Give-Peace-a-Chance-Breathe-Deeply-Envision-a-Perfect-Ride" sports psychology seminar focused on Anxiety in the Rider. Yes, horse related practices once again... (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Everyone knows that riders need to develop an independent seatto be effective, and to be able to move fluidly in harmony with their horse while giving them precise and invisible aids. But did you also know that we need to have independent hands? I am not talking about simply having quiet, still hands that follow the horse's motion because of the shock absorbers in the rider's elbows. This is more specific to the hand itself, and is surprisingly not often discussed! In fact, this may be what has been themissing keyto your ability to establish a good rein connection with your horse! Read on to find out about this essential skill! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 942The horse points his nose at what he wants to see in focus. This is why we want our horse's head and nose UP on the approach to their fences, and why we need to allow them to lower their heads and look at the takeoff of an open ditch or a drop fence.Tip/Quote of the Day # 941What do we want from our horses over fences? Consistency and balance. If we as riders are more consistent and balanced with our own position as we ride a course, we make achieving that with the horse much easier.Tip/Quote of the Day # 940When your horse is spooking, don't stare at whatever it is that they are looking at. Look where you want to go, and don't let any of his antics change your focus. Tip/Quote of the Day # 939One of the biggest reasons riders meet resistance when attempting to control their horse's canter is that they stop following the motion of the horse's head and neck with their elbows.Tip/Quote of the Day # 938There must always be a medium trot or canter within your collected gait. If you feel that you could not simply release your collected trot or canter into a medium gait, then you do not have true collection - you merely have a horse that is going slowly.Tip/Quote of the Day # 937Especially in front of really wide rampy jumps, it is tempting for riders to soften the reins too much, to sort of "help" the horse to go forward. The bigger the jump, and the faster the speed on the approach, the more important it is for the rider to maintain the feel of the horse's mouth in the last stride.Guest Blog post # 66: "Fit Bit-itis" by Bill WoodsFit Bit-itis
I began this morning with a roll of the eyes, one which I shared with the instructor who passed this vignette along to me. Seems her student was watching her school a promising 2nd/3rd level horse and observed that she was giving him a lot of short walk breaks during their work. (An approach, by the way, heartily endorsed by Steffen Peters)... (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)Tip/Quote of the Day # 936Riders with short arms need to ride with longer reins.Tip/Quote of the Day # 935"Don't take the tempo down without revving the engine." ~ Chris BartleAdding More *Scope* to Your Lateral Work - For Better Dressage Scores!
We all know that lateral work is a very important part of the training of the Dressage or Event horse. Well ridden lateral exercises make a horse more responsive, strengthen and gymnasticize his body, and lead to improved carriage by increasing the level of hind leg engagement. Read on to learn about some specific exercises that you can do within your lateral work, to help you to maximize these benefits by increasing your horse's suppleness, range of motion, and the overall scope of his movement. All of which will lead to better scores in the Dressage ring! (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 934"Cross country rides best when you attack it. Don't let IT attack you." ~ Jonathan HollingTip/Quote of the Day # 933Put your leg on just before you start to shorten your reins after the free walk or the stretching trot circle. This way you can ride forward into that shorter rein (as well as asking for bending) even as you are shortening them. The increased activity of the hind legs will lift the horse's head and neck naturally from your stretching position, and that allows you to shorten the reins with minimal fuss. If you start to shorten your reins with your leg off, and your horse will be more likely to hollow his back and resist. Discussion # 141: Check out this cross country complex! This sure is quite an interesting and challenging water complex, with a lot going on visually for the horses to digest! Who can tell us what the pros and cons are for being able to see the white skinny fence underneath the first element as you approach it? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 932Always look for the feeling of a shoulder fore positioning in your half pass. This will help to prevent the haunches from leading, or the horse from leaning heavily on the inside shoulder. And it will also help to keep more engagement in the inside hind leg, with more impulsion overall in the movement.Tip/Quote of the Day # 931Prepare for a flying change by making sure that your horse is responding sharply to what will be your new inside leg. Make sure he feels very active and responsive to that aid, while staying loose through his body, before you ask for the change.Tip/Quote of the Day # 930You cannot make your horse jump cleanly, so don't try to pick him up with your hands and legs, and attempt to throw him over the fence with your body, Instead - set them up for success, and then let them jump cleanly.Tip/Quote of the Day # 929"Sometimes we have to surprise the crazy ones to make them do a nice test, and either do no warm up or do something random, but overall, horses love a routine." ~ William Fox PittQuestion # 278: I am a dressage rider who is currently working on 2nd level. I have some days where I am really capable of connecting my seat to sit the trot very fluidly and straight...... (as I have a problem of tending to put too much weight on my right seat bone). This usually happens when I am able to fully soften and relax my spine. I have been doing several exercises to release and stretch my psoas muscles, but I just find that if I try to sit the trot multiple days in a row, my muscles get progressively tighter and unwilling to relax and move with the horse. I am wondering if you have any additional thoughts that help individuals to relax into the sitting trot, exercises, or stretches that you find particularly helpful. As sometimes I feel extremely connected, straight, and relaxed in the sitting trot, and some days I cannot figure out how to get back to that feeling, so if you have any advice, it would be much appreciated! (Berott)
Hi Berott!
It sounds like your tendency to want to sit a little crooked causes some tension in your muscles... or the tension in your muscles is causing you to sit crooked! Sometimes it can really be like the story of the chicken and the egg... which came first? Without seeing this happen to you, I couldn't begin to guess which problem is causing the other. But it really doesn't matter anyways - as you have to fix them both! (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 928Frequent quality transitions are the best way to confirm that your horse is listening equally to both the driving aids and the restraining aids.Tip/Quote of the Day # 927On the question of "Should I use a stronger bit?" Jimmy Wofford says, "The correctly trained horse should be able to compete in a plain snaffle and simple cavesson in all three disciplines. However, it takes a long time to train your horse correctly, and you have to live through the short-term to prove that I am right in the long-term."Tip/Quote of the Day # 926From Facebook fan Donna Peters ~ "Once you feel what it feels like when the withers rise and the back fills up the space under your seat and thighs, you never forget it."Tip/Quote of the Day # 925"The horse needs to learn how to jump from a bad distance. How is he going to learn if you don't practice this?" ~ William Fox PittTip/Quote of the Day # 924Does your horse regularly hit rails behind? Check that you are not hanging onto his mouth, or taking back on the reins on the descent of the jump.Question # 277: I would like advice on how to get comfortable switching from longer Dressage seat stirrups to Stadium and XC short stirrups as a middle aged working amateur rider? ...I am blessed with two horses and ride 3-4 times a week = 6-8 chances to adjust stirrup length/week. I usually hack a hole longer and adjust up for jumping. I also ride without stirrups a few minutes every ride. But I never feel secure unless I concentrate on one discipline or the the other. (Nancy)
Hi Nancy!
This is a great question, and I think that this is an issue that many amateur riders struggle with! What I suggest is... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
