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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"Your horse will tell you when he’s ready to learn something new when he responds to the aids more readily. He will be able to do that once his physical conditioning improves and the work gets easier for him. Don’t make the mistake of trying to advance
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Every well ridden corner is a suppling exercise, and should be recognized as such.
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Trotting into bigger fences teaches both horse and rider to wait for the base of the jump, as well as teaching the horse to use technique and bascule to jump rather than momentum.
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"If I ride a bad corner, I’m going to ride a bad movement. The short sides and corners are what set you up for every movement." ~ Charlotte Dujardin
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"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
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Your 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.
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Bounce fences teach horses to be quick thinking — an essential quality in an event horse.
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"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
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"The jump is the product of your last three strides, always." ~ Michelle Strapp
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If you ask for too much angle in any lateral movement (more than your horse can handle at that moment,) you risk impeding the balance and fluency of the movement, which should be one of your top priorities.
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"If the sport goes down the track of more and more CICs, shorter more technical tracks, more emphasis on the showjumping, then the type of horse that is ideal for the sport, may change." ~ Chris Bartle
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"Travers improves the horse’s bend and makes him more obedient and attentive to the calf aid." ~ Ernst Friedrich Seidler
