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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When turning in the air over jumps, don't start your turn until the horse is at the top of the arc. In other words, once the horse has lifted both shoulders fully, and the knees are up, it is safe to turn. Turning before that moment can cause
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"Only a horse that goes on a light contact can be attentive..." ~ Steffen Peters
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"Never ceases to amaze how many riders think they can get the neck forward by tweaking and twiddling with the reins." ~ Peter DeCosemo
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"You are going to meet a fence one of three ways - short, right or long. Therefore you want to meet it on a stride that the horse can work from - a bouncy energetic canter - then he can add if he needs to and pat the ground,
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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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"Good riders land over an obstacle, go the the next jump and make a good arrangement. Great riders land with their horses already arranged for the next obstacle." ~ Bill Steinkraus
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Your horse should always be "ready" for a halt as you canter along between jumps. If he is low and heavy, and you know it would likely be hard to stop him smoothly at any point, then you really need to halt and fix it. Show him through
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On jumping around from trainer to trainer, "Any system beats no system." ~ Jimmy Wofford
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“First, [the rider] has to be ambitious. Mentally, he has to be well balanced and consistent. He has to be tougher on himself than on the horse. If he gets after the horse too much, he will not get far. One must really be able to push oneself harder than
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Cross country riders always need to have a "plan B" in their heads while on course. And sometimes a plan C and D as well.
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Remember that whatever you are used to doing usually feels right to you. You will often have to step out of your comfort zone if you wish to improve.
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Walk is the "explaining" pace, so whenever possible ride every exercise in the walk first.
