Tip/Quote of the Day # 388Impress the Dressage judges by showing a clear difference between riding a corner and part of a circle.Tip/Quote of the Day # 387For shows it can be helpful to write up a time schedule for the day, working backward from your ride times. For example, if your dressage ride is at 11am, you might plan to be on and warming up at 10:15, tacking up at 10am, grooming at 9:30, braiding at 8:30, etc. Having a schedule completely thought out and written down can help ease any anxieties that you may have about what to do when.Tip/Quote of the Day # 386The last couple of strides before a jump belong to the horse. Don't interrupt him.Tip/Quote of the Day # 385One of the most important things to remember in this sport is that we do this for FUN! Make sure that you remind yourself of this often. If you access more of the fun in your riding, your horse will usually go better.Tip/Quote of the Day # 384"Dressage is not just for competition. It is gymnastics for horses, and all horses can benefit from it, as they are more likely to stay sound with a long, stretchy neck, soft body and easy movement." ~ Carl Hester Tip/Quote of the Day # 383Positive reinforcement is a very powerful way to train horses. And because of this, you must be very careful that you are actually reinforcing the right things.Tip/Quote of the Day # 382Your training goal for the "hot" or high strung horse should be to get him to learn how to control his energy. Don't try to wear him out. That will never work with the truly hot horse.Tip/Quote of the Day # 381"If you control the hind legs, you control the horse."Tip/Quote of the Day # 380From Facebook fan Anne Rawle ~ "Never teach a horse something you want him to forget."Tip/Quote of the Day # 379Dressage is the passionate pursuit of perfection by the obsessively imperfect. ;)Tip/Quote of the Day # 378"Breathe deeply and calmly in the canter. Expand your rib cage" ~ Nuno OliveiraTip/Quote of the Day # 377Always keep your eyes up when walking a course. See exactly what your horse will be seeing for the first time.Tip/Quote of the Day # 376"Through gaining competence, we gain confidence” ~ Erik HerbermannTip/Quote of the Day # 375“When the horse is resisting the left rein, try to substitute the left rein aid with the left leg.” ~ Nuno OliveriaTip/Quote of the Day # 374Get out of the arena as much as possible. It will do your horse good both mentally and physically.Tip/Quote of the Day # 373Give your horse direction by telling and showing him what TO do, rather than what not to do.Tip/Quote of the Day # 372Keeping your thumbs on top and your palms facing each other stabilizes your upper body.Tip/Quote of the Day # 371 Smooth, flowing transitions only happen when the horse is balanced and engaged behind.Tip/Quote of the Day # 370 A still tail carried close to the horse shows the inactivity of the back muscles in the loin area. Tip/Quote of the Day # 369Let the turn into the jump assist with your half halt.Tip/Quote of the Day # 368Too much use of the inside rein will almost always make a horse fight. If your horse is fighting with you in any situation, check that you are not hanging on it unconsciously. Tip/Quote of the Day # 367Talking to your horse when on course keeps you breathing!Tip/Quote of the Day # 366From Facebook fan Erin Kavanaugh Kirkley ~ "If you don't know how to use your core, look up some core strengthening Pilates moves. You will discover the transversus abdominis and your riding will improve in many ways."Tip/Quote of the Day # 365When you need to perform a shoulder in down the long side of the arena in a Dressage test, make a point to ride extra deep into the previous corner to help set up for the movement.Tip/Quote of the Day # 364Always remember that the release of the aid is what teaches the horse that he did the right thing.Tip/Quote of the Day # 363A half halt should not kill any of the energy in the horse's stride, but rather rebalance it.Tip/Quote of the Day # 362Remember that change is a process, so go easy on yourself and your horse.Tip/Quote of the Day # 361A horse's energy flowing through a turn is similar to water flowing through a tunnel. Just as the outside wall of the tunnel is paramount, a good connection on the outside rein is crucial to a successful turn. Tip/Quote of the Day # 360Horses generally mirror their riders. If your horse is tense, check yourself. If your horse is crooked, check yourself. If your horse is distracted, check yourself. If you want your horse to carry himself properly, make sure you are carrying yourself properly on his back.Tip/Quote of the Day # 359Many 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 # 358From Facebook fan Lauren Slattery ~ "Pulling will teach the horse to lean and support itself on you without working properly as well as make the horse dead to your rein aids."Tip/Quote of the Day # 357Always keep in mind that the Dressage horse is supposed to be (and look like) a "happy athlete". If the horse does not look happy in his work, that work is probably not correct.Tip/Quote of the Day # 356Don't wait until things are perfect to reward your horse. You must praise the horse when he makes even the slightest step in the right direction. Training this way will encourage your horse to love learning. Tip/Quote of the Day # 355When you need to change your stride length in any related distance, aim to do it early on in the line, so you can just maintain the rest of the line. This will give you the best chance to have a smooth jump out.Tip/Quote of the Day # 354From Facebook Fan Brenda Herzog ~ "When trying to sit the canter or trot, relax the legs down and around with each stride and to pick the horse "up" with you. This eliminates the bounce in your seat and helps to elevate the horse."Tip/Quote of the Day # 353If 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 # 352The faster you are going, the more you must generally think of maintaining a contact with your horse's mouth on the takeoff of a jump.Tip/Quote of the Day # 351Be careful not to sit the trot too early on in a ride. Doing so before the horse is fully warmed up and truly moving through his topline can often be detrimental, as the horse is more likely to stay stiff and tight in his back.Tip/Quote of the Day # 350It may seem like you only need to think about a formal conditioning schedule at the upper levels, but every horse at every level will benefit from a balanced and well thought out conditioning schedule.Tip/Quote of the Day # 349From Facebook fan Nicole Cotten Ackerman ~ "I work with a lot if lower level eventers, and I tell them that when you are in the 20x40 ring you must stay bent all of the time because there's so little space between riding a corner or a circle. The bend will automatically quiet the horses' impulsion, so plan to go forward throughout the entire test. This will keep the horse connected and keep the test from "deflating"."Tip/Quote of the Day # 348To sit the trot or canter well, you must think about letting your hips be moved by the horse's motion.Tip/Quote of the Day # 347"Only the best trainers should be allowed to ride in draw reins, but the best trainers know they do not need them." ~ Ingrid KlimkeTip/Quote of the Day # 346Your horse's stride can only be as long as his neck is long. So try not to shorten the neck, but rather look for the feeling that your horse is reaching forward into your connection with his head and neck.Tip/Quote of the Day # 345The use of "half steps" in your training can be very beneficial, as it can help the horse to understand the idea of engagement without increasing speed. Tip/Quote of the Day # 344Position your horse in a slight shoulder fore before every movement or transition, to help him engage his inside hind leg and really step through from behind. Tip/Quote of the Day # 343Riding on undulating ground really helps to develop a rider's seat and balance - and of course, the horse's balance as well!Tip/Quote of the Day # 342The more contact you hold on your horse's mouth between jumps (or indeed on the flat), the more work you may have to do to half halt or stop. Try to be as light as possible, so that when you do ask for something, your horse will hear you.Tip/Quote of the Day # 341Sometimes do your flatwork in your jumping length stirrups, and mostly up off of your horse's back. It is harder to be as effective on the flat this way, but only by working on it will you get better at it.Tip/Quote of the Day # 340If you learn the *whys* behind each aid or exercise used in each specific circumstance, you will become a more educated rider with a greater ability to be productive.Tip/Quote of the Day # 339"To understand the extent of damage caused by overbending, think of a horse’s “broken” neck as of a garden hose slashed between faucet and nozzle. Like the stream of water, the impulsion can no longer reach your hand in full. Proper head position is determined by its elevation and the direct flexion at the poll which must remain the highest point of the neck. This elevation must be such that the bars, which we subjected to the action of the bit, are situated at a horizontal passing at about the upper third of the chest. By such a head carriage, the horse’s mass in its entirety is affected by the rider’s hand, however light its action, and the head in turn receives the slightest forward shift of the horse’s weight." ~ Jean Froissart
