Unless otherwise noted, all quotes on this page are the work of Lesley Stevenson. Please ensure proper attribution when sharing. Thank you!
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"It is very important to train a horse to connect between hand and leg so that when jumping you can get from A to B with no fuss — if you don’t have this connection, you will find it is very hard to ride in a straight line, which
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"Self-carriage is really easy to see. 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
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"If you are jumping down a drop, you need to stay behind the motion. Speed magnifies mistakes. The slightest bobble on landing will be enough to dislodge you, unless you are riding defensively." ~ Jimmy Wofford
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"Have a high standard for giving aids in a really clear, correct way. If the aids are that obvious, that’s not dressage. Educate your horse so that he responds to gentle leg pressure." ~ Steffen Peters
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No moment of riding without stirrups is ever a waste of time!
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If you fall into using loud aids, and don't have a plan to make your horse more sensitive, you will probably always need loud aids.
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The elasticity in your connection should really come from your elbows, not active fingers.
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When you find yourself thinking a negative thought about your riding, cancel it out by following it with a positive one.
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Whenever you are facing any type of jump with a ditch in front of it, think of it as a "free" front rail, or a rolled out ground rail. Focus on the top of the jump (ignoring the ditch), and ride freely forward to it in a balanced,
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"Only use the spur to correct. The spur is not intended to ride a movement. It cannot just support the gait or the movement. Make a clear correction with the spur. If you are constantly giving your horse an aid, he will get numb to it. " ~ Steffen Peters
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"Get comfortable with centerlines. We ride centerlines all the time in dressage, so make them your friend. Remember, nothing changes on centerline." ~ Steffen Peters
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"Cadence is thrust and power within rhythm." ~ Hilda Gurney
