You have to keep your horse straight in the body when you ask for lateral flexion at the poll, in order to actually get true lateral flexion at the poll.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1528When turning off of the center line in the Dressage ring, be careful to NOT let your horse drift right before turning left, or drift left before turning right at C. This is such a common mistake, and is an unnecessary way to lose points. Tip/Quote of the Day # 1527
"The quality of the [rider's] seat determines whether we can even speak of 'riding', or whether the horse simply has to 'deal with' the load on his back." ~ Kurt Albrecht
After your initial halt at X, don’t be in a hurry to move off, just because the judge is watching you. Keep thinking about what your horse needs at that moment. If you need to stand for another second and ask for flexion at the poll towards your horse’s stiff side, for example, that extra moment taken can help you move off with a better connection. However, if you feel like your horse is getting antsy, and wants to move, then it can be best to go forward like it was your idea.
"Use exercises that naturally encourage collection without mentally forcing it." ~ Christine Traurig
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1524A tip for instructors - Turn on the forehand can be a great way to teach your students about the importance of the outside rein.Tip/Quote of the Day # 1523"We are trying to teach gymnastics through a tactile language." ~ Hilda GurneyTip/Quote of the Day # 1522"Tempo enables dressage to become dancing. Rhythm is the regularity of the pace. Tempo is the speed of the pace." ~ Hilda GurneyTip/Quote of the Day # 1521
"Energy from the hind engine must be coupled with mental and physical suppleness." ~ Christine Traurig
"How can the rider expect the horse to have confidence in his hands when this piece of metal is constantly moving in his mouth?" ~ HLM Van Schaik (Dutch Olympic Medalist)
"Your horse’s desire to go forward must be greater than your need to remind him. But he must stay calm in his mind and loose in his body." ~ Christine Traurig
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1518Everyone feels like they have the one horse that is so different and unusual that conventional and classical methods will not work for them. But the truth is, the basic principles will work on 99% of horses. Yes, every horse should be treated as an individual. But classical principles still apply, and will still work... given enough time. Tip/Quote of the Day # 1517"If you struggle to maintain power in the trot, just think about riding medium trot without actually performing medium trot. Having a medium-trot mentality should create a better trot." ~ Charlotte Bredahl-BakerTip/Quote of the Day # 1516"Think during your course walk. Ask yourself: 'What is difficult for my horse?'" ~ McLain WardTip/Quote of the Day # 1515
No one is in charge of your riding except for YOU.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1514"Cavalletti work is so helpful to developing the horse over the back, and we can change the distance between the obstacles to encourage some shortening or lengthening of strides." ~ Ingrid KlimkeTip/Quote of the Day # 1513"It’s important to watch lots of top riders and watch lots of videos. Pick the riders you want to emulate and really analyse what they do. Always have that vision in your mind." ~ Bettina HoyTip/Quote of the Day # 1512
From Facebook fan Gabby Ballin ~ "Some rides are going to be perfect. Some rides are going to have you wondering why you don't quit riding. When that happens, take a deep breath and go back to something you know you and your horse can do easily."
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1511Make sure your inside leg is quietly on the horse before you begin a turn. Even though your outside aids actually turn your horse, your inside leg is the post that he needs to bend around. Many riders are caught out with their inside leg completely off, and only put it on when they find their horse is falling in through the turn. By that time, it is much harder to correct.Tip/Quote of the Day # 1510On being ridden with conflicting aids - "Some horses can cope while others develop serious behaviour problems. As riders and trainers, we don’t always notice because horses don’t yelp and scream, they just show conflict behaviour. As humans, we often interpret that as ‘naughty’ behaviour. Perhaps one day it will be part of every horseman’s tool box to identify conflict behaviour in all its forms and see the horse as an entirely blameless participant in the training process." ~ Dr Andrew McLeanTip/Quote of the Day # 1509"One of the goals of dressage is to recreate the natural beauty of the horse’s gaits under the rider, so that the horse moves as beautifully under the weight of the rider as he does at liberty. In order to achieve this, the swinging of the horse’s back has to pass through the seat of the rider undiminished. The back has to be able to rise and fall with the same ease, regardless of the rider’s presence. If the rider merely sits passively, his weight alone can sometimes be enough to diminish the freedom of movement of the horse’s back. In these moments, the rider has to enhance the upswing of the horse’s back with an active contraction of his abdominal muscles, which helps the rider’s pelvis to swing more forward-upward, without tilting forward, however." ~ Thomas RitterTip/Quote of the Day # 1508
From Facebook fan Annette Gaynes ~ "The love affair with two point continues, and galloping in two point in the desert has us starting changes as I learned by accident how naturally she does them. So let the horse loosen up and go, even if you're a dressage rider, and good things may happen."
Always remember that horses are herd animals and read the emotional status of their herdmates to know when there is danger lurking ahead. Every time you ride or handle a horse, you become a part of your horse’s herd. When you tense up, he expects trouble. When you keep your cool, he takes confidence from you.
"Lightness, whose characteristic lies in the elastic and springy flexibility of all joints and muscles, can only be acquired after all resistances have completely disappeared, that is, with the disappearance of all inopportune contractions." ~ Alexis François L’Hotte
"On the whole, there are only few mouths that cannot be taught a good rein contact by giving the horse the appropriate degree of balance." ~ Borries v.Oeynhausen
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1502"You have to be able to change your seat, get up out of your saddle and let a blood horse open up his stride, You can’t force a blood horse to open his stride — he will punch out the front rail of every oxer, I promise you. You have to just allow him to do it." ~ Mclain WardTip/Quote of the Day # 1501
From Facebook fan Alysa Tarrant ~ "The best punishment for your horse is not to engage, so that he has no good reason to fight back."
"To the degree that the horse perfects his flexibility, his obedience increases and opposition decreases. As soon as the horse is completely flexible and through, his unconditional obedience is secured as well." ~ Ernst Friedrich Seidler
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1498"Let the horses jump, don’t interfere with their mouths, then you will see the difference in their expression, their ears are pricked, they are focused and going." ~ Clayton FredericksTip/Quote of the Day # 1497
An exercise to check if you are sitting straight and putting your weight equally down into both stirrups is to stand straight up for a few strides, and notice which stirrup you have to consciously put more weight into to keep yourself balanced.
"Regular stretching is so very important. Without it, the horse will not develop a correct, well muscled top line, especially the muscling behind the saddle." ~ Carl Hester
"Horses have taught us that progress in learning takes place in an environment of contentment. Fear and tension block success. Boundaries must exist, be clear, and be consistent. Within those boundaries our horses are encouraged to express themselves." ~ Steuart Pittman
"Just because your horse goes around with his nose in, doesn't mean he is on the bit. And just because you can make him go sideways doesn't make him Second Level." ~ Bill Woods
Try to make it a habit to always pet with your inside hand when rewarding your horse under saddle. There are several reasons for this. First of all, you want to be in in the habit of keeping your outside rein connection consistent. And it is also a good way to create a habit of softening the inside rein - which is something a rider should do often.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1491True harmony between horse and rider can only be achieved when BOTH horse and rider are balanced and in self carriage. A rider cannot give clear and precise aids when they are not independently balanced. And a horse cannot answer a riders aids very well when not in balance and self carriage. Tip/Quote of the Day # 1490
Tightly clamped thighs make you lose your nice deep seat, and drive the horse's back down into a hollow position.
From Facebook fan Jenny Ferro ~ "When schooling babies over XC make sure you make it fun, enjoyable, encouraging, and let them figure out how to get themselves out of a bind. Sit up, look up, and kick on!"
"I love hot horses. I hate kicking. I’m a lazy rider. I love to just sit and steer." ~ Charlotte Dujardin
Tip/Quote of the Day # 1486The concept of collection is often best introduced to the horse in the canter, as that is often the gait that the horse finds it easiest to learn how to "sit" more behind. Tip/Quote of the Day # 1485
The old masters learned early on that riding accurate arena patterns is the key for improving a horse's balance and straightness. Always keep this in mind in your training.
If you want your horse to build the right topline muscling, you need to ensure that they are truly connected and moving correctly through their bodies while you do things like hillwork and cavaletti. If you do these things with a horse that is hollow backed and not using his body correctly, you will only build the muscles that push the horse along, not those that help him carry himself properly with ease.
"A good rider lives on the small number of good steps and he builds on them. He forgets about the bad things. Inexperienced riders think mostly about the bad things." ~ Kyra Kyrklund
The purpose of transitions is not just to get from one gait to the next. But to do so in a way that further gymnasticizes the horse, and improves his carriage.
“If the leg is required at every stride to maintain the impulsion then it is necessary to return to the basic priorities again in order to teach the horse to remain active and forward thinking without constant use of the leg.” ~ Chris Bartle
