“You think it’s quite boring, but this is the foundation. It’s like building a house. If you have a bad foundation, you’re going to have a bad house.” ~ Charlotte Dujardin
Tip/Quote of the Day # 880"A horse with impulsion will display rounder, more fluid, and more continuous action and will develop supple joints and an elastic musculature. There is a subtle vibration in the impulsive horse's body." ~ Charles de KunffyTip/Quote of the Day # 879The best way to fix a bad habit is to exaggerate the opposite for a while. So, what will YOU be exaggerating for a while?Tip/Quote of the Day # 878The more "black and white" you can be when working with horses, the more confidence they will have in you. They have to have a clear understanding of your aids and your expectations.Tip/Quote of the Day # 877To get the best out of a horse with a sense of humor, you must be a rider with a sense of humor :)Tip/Quote of the Day # 876"If you know enough, you know that it is not worth experimenting or using gimmicks, you know there is nothing you personally can invent right now, because both equine and humans structure and psychology have not changed much over the last centuries. The body of knowledge handed down to us represents the sum total of the best results from the past." ~ Charles de KunffyTip/Quote of the Day # 875Change only happens when we do things differently consistently, not just once! So cut yourself some slack when you are struggling to improve certain skills. It will take time and repetition! Tip/Quote of the Day # 874"What is most important is how the horse travels between the jumps." ~ Bill SteinkrausTip/Quote of the Day # 873
For those of you with horses that want to "run" into the canter when working on walk to canter transitions (accelerating and taking a trot step or two before picking up the canter), think "halt" as you are applying your aid to canter from the walk.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 872Remember that your "working" trot or canter should show a consistent speed and tempo throughout your Dressage test. It is a common mistake, for example, for the rider to let the trot after the walk be much quieter than the trot immediately after the canter. And this is very obvious to the judge. Tip/Quote of the Day # 871"We teach them collection for two reasons: To make your horse more comfortable to ride and to preserve his well being." ~ Major LindgrenTip/Quote of the Day # 870Counter canter is simply one of the most beneficial exercises you can do for your horse in the canter! In addition to building strength, improving balance, and increasing hind leg engagement, it also improves the horse's ability to be straight in the canter. All of which will improve your regular canter! Tip/Quote of the Day # 869Corners should be ridden as one-quarter of a volte appropriate to the level of the test (10 meters at Training-First Levels, 8 meters at Second-Fourth Levels and 6 meters above Fourth Level)Tip/Quote of the Day # 868For those of you with horses that want to run into the canter when working on walk to canter transitions (accelerating and taking a trot step or two before picking up the canter,) think "halt" as you are applying your aid to canter from the walk.Tip/Quote of the Day # 867If your horse spends a lot of time in a stall or small paddock, it is a good idea to give him extra walking time at the beginning of your warm up routine. 15 to 20 minutes of an active, marching walk will get all of his structures limber, and lubricate his joints, so that he can then move on to more serious work with less risk of injury.Tip/Quote of the Day # 866"When you relax your arms and feel the reins softly you need to feel that your horse wants to step into the contact. If you do not then he is behind your leg and seat." ~ Yvonne BarteauTip/Quote of the Day # 865Don't assume that just because a Dressage trainer has ridden through the upper levels, that they are riding and teaching correctly. There is a lot of incorrect, "front to back" riding going on out there, even at the top levels. Look for an instructor who rides and teaches in a true "back to front" manner - with quiet hands that receive the energy, instead of being used in a "busy" way to keep the horse's head down and nose in. Tip/Quote of the Day # 864When working on the zig zag movement in the half pass (changing from left to right and back again), begin with just a slight bend and a gradual changeover. And as your horse gains confidence and understanding of the exercise, you can then begin to ask for more bend and a more crisp change of bend. As with any exercise, aiming for confidence and understanding first will build a strong foundation for the movement. Tip/Quote of the Day # 863"When introducing new questions make sure they are fair, but don’t over prepare the horse. Let him find out it’s an oxer/filler/bounce when he gets there. They need to learn to react and make quick decisions." ~ Eric SmileyTip/Quote of the Day # 862“When you get on, you should feel that your 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-PittTip/Quote of the Day # 861“At home I never train the changes on the diagonal. I stick to the wall. He has changes that swing from side to side. Rather than pushing forward, he pushes to the side. By using the wall, the wall does the work for me.” ~ Charlotte DujardinTip/Quote of the Day # 860Working on changes of pace and stride during conditioning work can go a long way towards making your horse more rideable on course - as you will be creating the habit of being adjustable and responsive. Tip/Quote of the Day # 859Rhythm is the key to good jumping, whether on cross country or in the show jumping ring. Rhythm and balance go hand in hand, so one facilitates the other. Tip/Quote of the Day # 858
It is very important that your horse does not learn how to run out on skinny jumps or corners. Because once they have learned to associate either type of jump with running out, it can be very difficult to correct. Do not take the schooling of these type of jumps lightly, for this reason.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 857Tightly clamped thighs make you lose your nice deep seat, and drive the horse's back down into a hollow position.Tip/Quote of the Day # 856"If you keep your hands still, you’ll start using your legs." ~ Ulla SalzgeberTip/Quote of the Day # 855"Don't delude yourself into thinking that you have light, soft hands, if you ride with loose, almost dangling reins on a strung out horse. That can be done with insensitive hands as well. A soft hand requires the rider to feel whether the horse is softly on the bit, chewing, and whether it responds to a light pressure, in other words, whether it has an active mouth. If he rides with loose reins, the horse can have a dead mouth, which will only show up when you use the reins to stop or to shorten the strides, as it will either let you pull its nose onto its chest, or it will invert, and in both cases it will open its mouth." ~ Oskar M. StensbeckTip/Quote of the Day # 854"Use a repetitive process to help young horses learn. You may have to repeat an exercise many times but it will be worth it." ~ Eric SmileyTip/Quote of the Day # 853Do not make the mistake of always practicing over perfect distances at home. Sometimes practice meeting a jump on a half stride on purpose... and learn to do it well. This will make you and your horse a safe pair out on cross country. Tip/Quote of the Day # 852 Stay quiet with your aids and let the exercise teach the horse.Tip/Quote of the Day # 851When you have an awkward fence on course, more often than not you were losing some quality of the canter on the approach. Keep the quality of the canter the same, and all of the jumps on your course will ride in a similar manner.Tip/Quote of the Day # 850“It’s so important that these horses enjoy every day of their work. Our routine is that we train in the school four days a week. On Monday and Tuesday they work, and then on Wednesday they go hacking on the road, and that means every horse—every horse in the yard hacks. Then Thursday and Friday they do schooling sessions, probably not longer than 45 minutes. Saturday they hack again, and Sunday is a complete day off. They all go in the field, even Valegro. They all have a normal life; we don’t wrap them up in cotton wool." ~ Charlotte DujardinTip/Quote of the Day # 849When working with a horse that does not have a great natural lengthening, make sure that you don't ask for too much too soon. Compare this to a singer who is training their vocal cords… they gradually expand their range until they hit their limit. This helps to prevent them from overextending themselves, and builds up confidence in their abilities. Tip/Quote of the Day # 848"Don’t set the horse up when cantering over a pole — allow the horse to make mistakes and learn to adjust its own stride to negotiate the pole." ~ Eric SmileyTip/Quote of the Day # 847“We get the horses as loose as possible before we ask them to do more work in their bodies. if they’re not loose in the beginning, they’re not going to be loose and supple in their proper work.” ~ Charlotte DujardinTip/Quote of the Day # 846Your 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 # 845Always perform the halt and salute in your Dressage test with aplomb. It shows the judge that you have confidence, and it makes for great show photos!Tip/Quote of the Day # 844If you are riding with short stirrups in a saddle that was not really designed for shorter stirrups (i.e. an all purpose saddle), you will usually find that your leg gets pushed backwards when landing over fences.Tip/Quote of the Day # 843The relationship between horse and rider is somewhat similar to a marriage. Don’t let familiarity trick you into doing the same thing over and over.Tip/Quote of the Day # 842“Bad jumping can happen at any speed. I have watched some of the most brilliant, stylish jumping I have ever seen at the Maryland Hunt Cup, where the fences vary from 4 feet to 4-foot-10 in height and the average speed for this 4-mile race is about 800 meters per minute. At the same time, I have watched novice eventing riders skidding around like a hog on ice at 350 mpm. The thing I want you to remember is that speed and balance are not mutually exclusive." ~ Jimmy WoffordTip/Quote of the Day # 841
Give your brain something positive to think about when you are worried.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 840Always introduce new exercises in a slow and progressive manner, so you are building confidence and not inviting problems.Tip/Quote of the Day # 839“When you circle the arena to go in, think to yourself, 'Here I come Mr/Mrs Judge – just you watch this’ " ~ Heath RyanTip/Quote of the Day # 838Keep your elbows to your sides to help your horse feel your seat aids through the reins. This will also help you to use your core properly.Tip/Quote of the Day # 837"Riders of all levels must allow their horses to make their own decisions when jumping, as even good riders don’t always get it right." ~ Eric SmileyTip/Quote of the Day # 836Things will not get better on their own... it's up to us as riders to ensure progress.Tip/Quote of the Day # 835"If you want flawed results, go ahead and ask for collection before your horse is relaxed. This is a pretty certain way to produce a horse who needs his mouth strapped shut." ~ Jimmy WoffordTip/Quote of the Day # 834Both horse and rider need to be fit for this sport, as "Fatigue makes cowards out of us all."Tip/Quote of the Day # 833"Indeed, in most horses, it is only one part of the 'machine' that is working, i.e. the limbs – the neck, the back, the loins, the croup remain uninvolved, because they are braced and stiff. Is it a surprise under those circumstances, if the horse wears out his legs early on?" ~ J.-C.Dubois BoisgilbertTip/Quote of the Day # 832When working on flying changes, don't be tempted to ask for the change on the diagonal just because you are coming to the end of it and therefore running out of room. Always try to wait until you feel that your horse is balanced, straight, and ready to change. It is better to stay in counter canter than to ask for a change when you know your horse is not properly set up for it.
