Remember that whatever you are used to doing usually feels right to you. You will often have to step out of your comfort zone if you wish to improve.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 818Walk is the "explaining" pace, so whenever possible ride every exercise in the walk first. Tip/Quote of the Day # 817"When the rein back is started on demand and carried out without haste, it is a magnificent exercise which should be repeated frequently." ~ Nuno OliveiraTip/Quote of the Day # 816You should be able to change the amount of bend within your lateral work, or in a movement like counter canter. Ask for a little more, then ask for a little less. This will help to keep your horse lighter, straighter, and more responsive.Tip/Quote of the Day # 815Think about how a wind up clock or toy works. When you wind up a wind up toy, you coil the spring with a key, and then the toy moves forward with energy until the spring is completely relaxed. When the toy is moving on its own, because there is still some energy left in that spring, that is similar to a horse moving with impulsion.Tip/Quote of the Day # 814If the double bridle is used too early in training, the horse can easily learn to overbend or overflex at the base of the neck while remaining stiff at the poll. This causes a disconnect, preventing a true connection.... which once established can be quite difficult to correct. Tip/Quote of the Day # 813"Only allow the horse to stretch after the horse is off its forehand" ~ Reiner Klimke Tip/Quote of the Day # 812If your horse is spooky, be careful to make sure he never feels punished for spooking or getting tense. If you get mad, pull, kick, or do anything else that can be perceived as a punishment, the anxiety that will be created will usually make your problem worse.Tip/Quote of the Day # 811"Once the resistances of the muscles are overcome and the animals are balanced, all horses have soft mouths, as the school horses prove, often with very flat bars. If the muscles resist with full force, if the hindquarters thrust more than the forehand supports, etc., the horse will always seek his lost balance in the hand. And then all of them have hard mouths, like race horses who take an arm-numbing contact in spite of the sharpest bars and bits. Thus, the hard-mouthed horse becomes soft-mouthed, when he develops the strength to carry his neck, and the soft-mouthed horse becomes hard-mouthed under a weak rider." ~ Friedrich v.KraneTip/Quote of the Day # 810When riding with stirrups that are too long, the temptation to raise your hands, stand up, and put your weight directly against your horse is almost irresistible.Tip/Quote of the Day # 809To alter a person's (or a horse's) habits, you almost always have to shift something in their environment.Tip/Quote of the Day # 808Bending and lateral work stretches the outside of the horse's body. As with any type of stretching, increase your demands gradually as the horse becomes more supple.Tip/Quote of the Day # 807Horses with back or SI issues often do best with a canter very early on in their warm up routine.Tip/Quote of the Day # 806If you think you can (or cannot) do something, your horse will usually believe you. Tip/Quote of the Day # 805"Ride around the corner in an active, short canter, and let your horse do the jumping." ~ Andrew NicholsonTip/Quote of the Day # 804Excessive bend in the neck, whether lateral (usually to the inside), or longitudinal (behind the vertical) disconnects the haunches from the rein aids and allows the horse to remain locked up in other parts of the body, such as the poll and hips.Tip/Quote of the Day # 803Remind yourself regularly that half halts should not kill the energy in your horse's stride, but rather rebalance it. Tip/Quote of the Day # 802"The inside rein must always be ready with a good offer." ~ Reiner KlimkeTip/Quote of the Day # 801From member Karen Barbato ~ "If YOU think it's work so does your horse...when you head out to ride think of it as heading out to PLAY, giggle a lot and make it all a fun game. You and your horse will be smiling when you are done."Tip/Quote of the Day # 800From Facebook fan Liz Chilcott ~ "Preparation is 90% of execution."Tip/Quote of the Day # 799It’s just as easy to train a horse to be dull to the aids as it is to train them to be sensitive to the aids.Tip/Quote of the Day # 798From Facebook fan Sascha DeAngelo ~ "Instead of gunning it to a scary fence, hold the horses head between your hands, and his body between your legs, and keep a steady deliberate pace."Tip/Quote of the Day # 797From Facebook fan Lynn Sullivan ~ "It's easier to stay fit then to get fit.....old saying but applies to horses as well as riders."Tip/Quote of the Day # 796Those who think that riding is only about getting on and "doing," and don't make the time and effort to read and educate themselves about all the details and concepts involved, will not get very far. Tip/Quote of the Day # 795
The secret to sensitivity in horses is not in the rider's physical strength, or even their technique. It is in their commitment to thinking about what happened, being definitive about what they are asking the horse do to, and giving clear and immediate feedback to the horse after each application of an aid.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 794Definition of Cadence: Lift, an element of suspension, with an even, regular rhythm. You have to get the horse where he carries himself in balance, then you can have cadence. Tip/Quote of the Day # 793"If you get left behind jumping up a bank, your horse will HATE you!" ~ Jimmy WoffordDiscussion # 135: What do you see in these 3 drawings of a horse's hoof?Of these 3 drawings of a horse's hoof, one shows a normal, correctly shaped hoof... and the other 2 show common faults (which are farrier related.) Which one is the correct hoof? And what is wrong with the other 2? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 792From Facebook fan Alexis Soutter ~ "A steady hand with a soft, following elbow invites a steady, soft contact from the horse. Working the bit or being busy with your fingers invites a false frame."Tip/Quote of the Day # 791You will find that you become most productive when you have a specific goal for each training session. Be flexible, of course. But know exactly what you plan to work on for every ride. Aimless riding is simply exercise. Tip/Quote of the Day # 790
Many horses think walk time is "break" time. If you want to ensure that you get good scores on your walk work, you have to convince your horse otherwise in your daily work.
The line where collection begins is a blurry one. It's further complicated because too many of us who try to produce it don't quite know how to, and for mercenary reasons some horses are rushed into tests which require collection before they have the strength or understanding to pull it off correctly. (Click on Blog Title above (in blue) to read full entry)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 789"The only way to improve/influence horses' paces is to ride forward in a balanced way." ~ Carl HesterTip/Quote of the Day # 788"Nothing is as impressive or as valuable for the training as being able to control the impulsion and the desire to go forward to such an extent that the rider is able to bring his horse to a standstill from an extended trot or canter without the slightest effort or disturbance. Conversely, departing immediately from the halt into an extended gait is an equal proof of the absolute desire to go forward." ~ Alois PodhajskyDiscussion # 134: What common mistake is this rider making? And what effect will this have on her horse? What common mistake is this rider making? And what effect will this have on her horse? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
Good for you for being aware of this situation! I see many riders who don't seem to notice that their horses have insufficient topline muscles - and they sometimes ask or expect too much of them, resulting in unnecessary resistance. Making the time and effort to build up your horse's topline strength will go a long ways towards turning him into a happy partner and a willing performer! (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)Tip/Quote of the Day # 786Every time you let a horse get away with something, you're training him to do it.Tip/Quote of the Day # 785"You've chosen a sport that requires you to be motivated by failure." ~ Kyle CarterTip/Quote of the Day # 784When giving the aid to canter, let your outside leg sink back and down as the last part of your canter aid. If you lift your leg up and back to use it (as so many incorrectly do), you will end up losing your seat to some degree, and may also end up sitting crooked.Tip/Quote of the Day # 783Acceptance of the outside rein is key to resistance free downward transitions.Basic Suppling Exercise # 4
This basic suppling exercise is particularly useful for horses that sometimes have difficulty with changes of bend, and for those that tend to want to fall to the inside on their turns! It is suitable for riders at all levels. (Click on Article Title above (in blue) to read full article)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 782If your horse does not offer to stretch near the end of a workout, there is a good chance that you didn't have him working correctly through his topline during your ride.Discussion # 133: Which rider has a better lower leg position coming off of a drop fence, and why? Here are two top riders with very different leg positions coming off of a big drop. Which is stronger and why? With the rider in the weaker position, what will be likely to happen to the rider's position after landing? (Click on Discussion Title above (in blue) to read this educational discussion)
I think the best thing to do in this situation is to... (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer) Tip/Quote of the Day # 780Always remember that your horse might be quite different to ride in the show jumping phase when it follows the cross country. You may need to adapt both your warm up strategy and the way you ride on course.Photo # 68: Hailey would like a conformation critique for her horse, a 16.2 hand Appendix! (Click on Photo Title above (in blue) to read the critique of this photo)
Tip/Quote of the Day # 779Secure your reins by keeping your thumbs pinched on top, but keep the rest of your fingers more relaxed. Gripping the reins too firmly with all of your fingers will tend to tighten your forearms.Tip/Quote of the Day # 778For those of you who know you ride in stirrups that are too long over fences (which is quite common), spend some time practicing with your stirrups 3 or 4 holes shorter. Then when you put them down a few holes (leaving them a few holes shorter than your initial length), you will be more comfortable with the change.
