Lesley's Corner
A Quick and Easy Rider Hand Position Self Check
Here's a quick & easy little "self check" that you can incorporate into your riding on a daily basis, to monitor your hand position! Your horse will thank you!
Lesley's Corner
Lesley is a "graduate" of Jimmy Wofford's training program, and has competed to the Advanced 4 star level in 3 day Eventing on a horse she bought off the track as a 3 year old. She has also trained through the Prix St Georges level in Dressage, and was an Equine Vet Tech at the prestigious Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, KY. A series of educational articles written by Lesley. If you have any requests for topics, please send them to: admin@myvirtualeventingcoach.com
Lesley's Corner
A Trainer's Responsibility! (That's YOU!) (Current Freebie!)
Horses are the most amazing creatures....... from their incredible athletic abilities, to their regal spirit, to their generosity and desire to please us humans, to their fascinating powers of perception. I feel like we owe it to them to carefully consider what we do with them on a daily basis.
Lesley's Corner
Use Cue Words to Improve Your Performance (Current freebie!)
Let me share an intimate personal story with you... A long time ago, I went through a brief phase in my riding, where my horse's very big jumping efforts in the Show Jumping were jostling me out of my position. As you can see from these photos, Felix
Lesley's Corner
Improving the Trot
In Dressage, it's often said the trot is the easiest gait to improve. Only through correct training and judicious use of exercises will you bring out the best trot your horse is capable of. Inside this article you will learn about lots of specific exercises to work on!
Lesley's Corner
How Centrifugal Force Affects Your Riding
Centrifugal Force will have a definite effect on horse and rider through every circle and turn they make. It may be hardly noticeable on a 10 meter circle in Dressage, yet painfully obvious when galloping through a turn on cross country. You must always be aware of it and plan to counter act it!
Lesley's Corner
An Exercise to Improve Your Ability to Coordinate Your Aids
Here is a very basic exercise that a rider at any level can do to work on improving the timing and coordination of the aids, as well as the ability to feel and process information more quickly.
Lesley's Corner
Use the "As If" Principle to Improve Your Riding (Current Freebie!)
Your mind is a powerful tool! Did you know that acting as if we already have a particular quality will help us to produce it? While not always true of course (after all, I have been "acting" as if I am a multi millionaire lately... and that does
Lesley's Corner
The Horse That Wants to Shorten Its Neck
While any horse may shorten its neck, some are prone to doing so from tension, conformation, strong reins, or being taught to "give" to busy hands or draw reins. This short neck from incorrect front-to-back riding can be really hard to fix! Learn how here!
Lesley's Corner
How Good Posture Unravels
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The Short Backed Horse
Learn all about the pros and cons of the short backed horse, and how to get the best out of this type of horse!
Lesley's Corner
Basic Suppling Exercise # 3
This is a great exercise to promote lateral suppleness, engagement, and to help to dissipate any tension in the horse. It can be done in any gait, but is particularly useful in the canter.
Lesley's Corner
Do You Give Your Horse Conflicting Aids?
It's a common scenario... The rider tries to send the horse forward while unconsciously blocking them from going forward, or tries to slow down while driving with a tight leg and seat. Learn how to fix this problem here!