Recent Articles in Tip/Quote of the Day!

Things will not get better on their own - it's up to us as riders to ensure progress. This means being proactive, working hard, and using every available tool to improve your knowledge and skills.

We always talk about not riding with too much inside rein, but it is also possible to ride with too much outside rein. Holding too strongly on the outside rein will prevent the horse from bending to the inside, and may cause him to tilt his head. 

"My father always said, 'Things just take time.' He did not believe in quick tricks or things like draw reins. Rather than using such things, he said it is better to go on the circle and do things like half-halts and transitions to get the horse under himself and light in your hand." ~ Ingrid Klimke

"Great horses bring an unquenchable love for the game, and a fierce competitive desire to every competition." ~ Jimmy Wofford

Strive for the feeling that two thirds of the horse is in front of you.

"Necks that are pulled in stop the muscles of the back developing and interfere with the natural paces." ~ Reiner Klimke

Be extra careful when conditioning both young horses and older horses. Young horses have tendon/ligaments/bones that have not yet been strengthened. And the older horse’s ligaments and tendons tend to become less elastic and resilient over time.

"If we ask novice riders how much of their focus is on the horse’s head, most of them, if they are honest, might say 80 percent. But the head is perhaps 10 percent of the horse’s body, so be sure you are not using 80 percent of your focus on 10 percent of the horse. Ride his body and influence it." ~ Kyra Kyrklund

When jumping into deep water, you must approach at a slower pace. Too much speed jumping into deep water will make it much more likely for the horse to fall on landing.

Riders who ride with stirrups that are even slightly too long are often the first ones to stand up and jump up the horse's neck when they get to a jump!

Always keep in mind that narrow fences, angles, and corner jumps can feel even harder near the end of your cross country course. Mental and physical fatigue (of either horse or rider) can make a stupid mistake more likely to happen.

From Facebook Fan Joan Dunlap ~ "They are horses first ... beautiful, living, breathing beings ... what they do for us is secondary and should come from their heart .... don't ever let the ribbons or money rule (or ruin) your relationship with them." 

From Facebook Fan Ginger Kathleen Coombs ~ "Just because a horse isn't limping, it doesn't mean they feel good. By the time you get pinned ears, lameness, or bad behavior, you may have been missing little signs or have seen and not understood them."

When you ride with a stronger bit, your goal needs to be to use it as little as possible.

A rider's leg should lie on their horse's sides like slightly "al dente" noodles.

"Acceptance of the bit happens in the haunches, not in the mouth." ~ Thomas Ritter

"For riders: It is hard work, takes more time than you have, and requires more money than you thought. You will learn more than you ever thought possible when you began in the sport, but you will never learn it all. You will never be as good as some, but you will probably not be as bad as others if you are willing to work. It is the best thing you could ever do, and even when you fail you learn, and even if you never get a ribbon it is still worth it. Stick it out." ~ Brian Sabo

"As riders, our problem is that too often we try to provide all the upward activity ourselves instead of allowing our bodies to use the bounce provided by the ground. You can become aware of this upward energy. You cannot hold it in reserve; if you do, you'll lose it... Center yourself and become aware of this energy as your ride." ~ Sally Swift

Think of your reins as lines of communication that connect your brain to your horse's brain. The more finesse you use with your contact, the more intimate the communication with your horse will be. 

What you allow a horse to do, you teach him to do.

“Thoroughbreds tend to thrive on physical movement, and they are, like all horses, hypnotized by their own rhythms. Repetition of success creates a sense of peace.” ~ Steuart Pittman

“The best thing you can do for self-carriage is the give and re-take of the reins. It is amazing how you forget to do that when you ride on your own.” ~ Carl Hester

With horses, the slow way is the fast way in the long run. Give it time.

"If your riding and handling of horses begins and ends at the mounting block, you may be a rider, but never a horseman." ~ CW Anderson 

From Facebook fan Claire Webb ~ "Attitude determines practice, practice determines performance."

"Every rein aid must be preceded by an action of the torso. Otherwise you only address the horse's head." ~ Nuno Oliveira

"I see photos of even top level riders turning or doing lateral work with the inside rein going backwards, and just want them to see the photos and realize, this is neither bend or engagement, but crooked and blocking the engagement and the ability to ask the horse to "track true" and for the horse and rider to start to learn to collect and carry themselves uphill." ~ Peter Shaw

Every time you pull back on the inside rein, you block the horse's inside hind leg from stepping fully underneath his body.

Land from a jump thinking about what you are going to do next. Don't land thinking about what you just did.

“Push yourself away from your hands.” ~ Stephen Clarke

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.