Tip/Quote of the Day # 585Your arm position determines your hand position to a large degree. So you must address your arms as well when you want to improve your hands.Tip/Quote of the Day # 584"Don't take the tempo down without revving the engine." ~ Chris BartleTip/Quote of the Day # 583Impulsion is almost more of a mental quality than a physical.Tip/Quote of the Day # 582Open fingers do not equal soft hands. Soft hands come from relaxed following elbows, and a secure balanced seat. Open fingers causes the contact to be inconsistent and uninviting to the horse.Tip/Quote of the Day # 581"When selecting a French Link snaffle ensure the middle link is not too long, and that the holes are big enough for the bit to move freely – this will ensure your horse is comfortable in the contact." ~ Robert DoverTip/Quote of the Day # 580"Sometimes to foster a horse’s personality also means to accept that we can influence but never dominate him. We have to find subtle ways to control exuberant horses." ~ Ingrid KlimkeTip/Quote of the Day # 579Horses and riders should both be comfortable jumping a single, simple fence that is the size of one level above where they are currently competing. Tip/Quote of the Day # 578"If you want to hear something profound, practice being a profoundly good listener." ~ Suzanne JohnsonTip/Quote of the Day # 577“Each use of the hand has to be preceded by an action of the upper body, otherwise the rider is merely influencing the horse’s head.” ~ Nuno OliveiraTip/Quote of the Day # 576Don't forget your outside leg in the circle of bending aids.Tip/Quote of the Day # 575Shoulder in to the right really strengthens the right hind leg, which will help to improve the horse's ability to do haunches in and half pass to the left. And vice versa. Tip/Quote of the Day # 574"Only the rider who is free from any contraction will have a horse equally free from contraction. A team such as this is the ideal” ~ Nuno OliveiraTip/Quote of the Day # 573The horse should be just as much "on the aids" in the stretching frame as he is in a working frame. Tip/Quote of the Day # 572Remember that you don't "push" your horse anywhere… you give him signals.Tip/Quote of the Day # 571"Good riders forget about the bad things. Inexperienced riders think mostly about the bad things. There are many roads to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same from the top." ~ Kyra KyrklundTip/Quote of the Day # 570From Facebook fan Jennifer McGinley ~ "I'm realizing this concept more and more recently. If you establish the canter you need (balanced, adjustable) and keep the horse on his feet. Your horse can jump from anywhere. We are learning that you can actually ride forward and powerful to the base. If the set up is right, they can jump from anywhere, safely, with balance and still remain adjustable on landing to set up for B & C elements!"Tip/Quote of the Day # 569
Much like the way the horse is "in front of your leg" when he is responsive and thinking forward, he also needs to be "in front of" your inside leg to be responsive and bending properly.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 568Every time you pull back on the inside rein, you block the horse's inside hind leg from stepping fully underneath his body. Tip/Quote of the Day # 567"Every rein aid must be preceded by an action of the torso. Otherwise you only address the horse's head." ~ Nuno OliveiraTip/Quote of the Day # 566Horse and rider are not truly safe on cross country until they are both comfortable getting right to the base of the jumps.Tip/Quote of the Day # 565The intensity of your half halt is about the strength of your seat and core, and the push into the connection... not the amount of pull on the reins. Tip/Quote of the Day # 564"Suppleness in the back is the most important basic you can give your horse. When a horse is not supple in his back, it’s a big deal for him. Horses store a lot of emotion in their backs. If you have ever hurt your back, you know how painful it can be. It occupies your every thought." ~ Scott HasslerTip/Quote of the Day # 563The more balanced and collected the horse is, the more narrow the track he can travel on. The highly trained horse would be able to canter on a balance beam. Tip/Quote of the Day # 562A successful jump is more about the approach than the jumping effort itself.Tip/Quote of the Day # 561To help your horse perform a true medium or extended trot, think about maintaining some of the elevation that you have in your collected trot as you move into it.Tip/Quote of the Day # 560"The sequence of an aid is not complete until you soften it." ~ George WilliamsTip/Quote of the Day # 559
"It can be difficult to analyze your horse's performance whilst you are also concentrating on not falling off." ~ Jimmy Wofford
Tip/Quote of the Day # 558Your comfort zone will keep expanding, every time you venture just outside of it.Tip/Quote of the Day # 557The opening inside rein gives the horse the indication that the turn is about to happen. The outside aids actually make the turn happen.Tip/Quote of the Day # 556The more independent and effective the rider's seat is, the less hand or leg aids they will need to control the horse.Tip/Quote of the Day # 555“The collected trot is that which desires to be in the extended trot. Do you feel the extended trot alive in it?” ~ Robert DoverTip/Quote of the Day # 554To check that you are maintaining enough forward energy when you collect your horse, ask yourself if you could easily jump a big fence with the walk, trot, or canter that you have.Tip/Quote of the Day # 553If your instructor is the type that teaches you the reasons behind each aid or exercise used in each specific circumstance, you will become a more educated rider with a greater ability to be productive on your own time. So many do not - and with this type of instructor, you are much less likely to become an independent rider.Tip/Quote of the Day # 552You can tell how correctly a horse works on a regular basis by looking at his musculature. If his neck muscles are "upside down", or if there is any lack of topline muscle between the withers and the croup, the horse does NOT work correctly over the back on a regular basis.Tip/Quote of the Day # 551“Generally, the most dedicated and disciplined and focused athlete is the one who will win the most.” ~ Michael Barisone Tip/Quote of the Day # 550I don't even think about aiming a young or green horse at a jump until I have them 100% in front of my leg on the flat. If you do, and the horse thinks about stopping, you will have no recourse, and will end up teaching him that he doesn't have to jump if he doesn't want to. Tip/Quote of the Day # 549
The mouth is never the real problem, what you feel in your hand is a reflection of what is happening behind the saddle. Get the back relaxed and swinging, and the hind legs active, and the horse will feel like putty in your hands.
Tip/Quote of the Day #548Great advice from member Kate Pacey Saulle! ~ "When you let go of the fear, the fear lets go of you. I am ( after a few years of struggling with it) fear free when faced with jumping. It is so overwhelming wonderful. So, my advice, don't give up! How did it happen? A little background, I am a lifelong rider. In my mid-late 30's I had an erosion of confidence. Too much riding alone, green horses, no trainer to help. A mess! I moved, started fresh, found a dressage/eventing trainer. Still something was not right, more erosion. Nothing I knew was right and unknowingly I was not making the forward progress I needed. So, enter the beginning of the solution. This is where it gets good! Find someone to ride with. Not a trainer, a good, steady confident rider. Someone who has your back. Someone that at the drop of a hat would pony you, hop on your horse, turn around and start home because your nerves are shot . Very important here, get out of the ring! Go ride terrain. Go up hills, down hills, through woods, creeks . Do it at a walk, then trot, then canter and finally fast. Next thing, this one is hard to swallow for many, ride the right horse. This might not be the horse you own. You will not conquer your fear if you fear your horse. I gave my young, I spent too much time on being afraid of horse, to a talented young rider and I got myself a horse I can be successful on. It has been life changing! Final step: jump. I have many straps to hold onto but with the right horse and the fitness gained from riding terrain, I jump stuff without fear. It is so much fun, I am addicted. So, ladies, it can be done but some hard decisions and choices must be made. Good luck."Tip/Quote of the Day # 547I can tell much about the level of rideability you will have at the jumps by watching you perform simple changes of lead through the trot.Tip/Quote of the Day # 546The more you can leave your horse alone through gymnastic work, the more he will actually learn from it.Tip/Quote of the Day # 545Proper hand position will help you to remain loose and supple in your arms. Deviating in any way from the perfect hand position will immediately cause your arm muscles to tighten.Tip/Quote of the Day # 544When you realize that you are meeting a jump on a half stride, it can be challenging to keep a calm, clear head! Give yourself something constructive to think about, and tell yourself to just stay still and keep riding your horse's hind legs all the way till the takeoff. Tip/Quote of the Day # 543Many riders place their saddles too far forward! Make sure that the solid parts of the saddle are behind the horse's shoulder, to allow for freedom of the shoulder.Tip/Quote of the Day # 542Many riders have a tendency to throw away the rein contact when asking for an upward transition. All that does is encourage the horse to make the transition by throwing his weight forward onto the forehand. Stay still, and make the transition by asking the horse to step up INTO your contact from behind to start the transition. Tip/Quote of the Day # 541A trick to help you find your "bearing down" core muscles when riding is to cough quietly.Tip/Quote of the Day # 540The more well trained the horse is, the more often the rider can sit in "neutral", with no aids on whatsoever. Tip/Quote of the Day # 539"When you have really long legs, don't be swinging them around and using them like clubs." ~ Catherine HaddadTip/Quote of the Day # 538"Adopt a classical position, resist all fads and gadgets, and ride the horse quietly and softly between the two straight lines of the stirrup leather and the elbow to the horse's mouth. It's simple. It's just not easy." ~ Jimmy WoffordTip/Quote of the Day # 537Every galloping fence is an opportunity to awaken your horse's initiative, and show him how FUN it is to run and jump - and should be used as such.Tip/Quote of the Day # 536Ask, insist, reward.
