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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Make sure there is a slight time lapse between a light aid and a correction. This gives the horse a chance to respond to the light aid... and it gives him a chance to learn from the reinforcement of that aid.
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"Our job is to prepare the line and canter, then ride forward to the jump. Riding forward to the jump is NOT accelerating to the jump. There is a difference. When riders got to a longer or shorter distance than ideal, the emphasis should be on the rider staying
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With horses, just like with people, let your actions speak for you. For example, you may think you are rewarding your horse when you say "Good boy" or "Good girl"… but if you don't also release the aid, your horse will not really feel
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"Every transition you ride at home has to be a good one." ~ Charlotte Dujardin
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Riders often get to sitting crooked when trying to "weigh" a particular seat bone. So when I am teaching, and I want riders to use the influence of their weight or a particular seat bone as an aid, I tell them to "engage" that seat bone
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"The goal of our training is to build the horse's mind and his muscles. Suppleness and relaxation require adequate muscle strength. strengthening requires both contraction and relaxation. Blood flow and oxygenation occur when the muscle relaxes. If the muscle is kept in a constant state of contraction,
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So often, riders are taught to "lean back" when going down hills and over drop fences. While this is better than leaning too far forward in either of those situations, you must remember that as a rider you are where your center of gravity is, not where your
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The key to riding good "cross the diagonal" movements in the Dressage ring is to ride deeply in the preceding corner, while keeping the impulsion through the turns, so that the energy level stays consistent throughout the movement.
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The more complex the movement, the more the basic foundation is tested. If you run into an issue when attempting a particular movement, always be ready to look back to that foundation to fix it.
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"Although breeders have created a better horse, the market has created a demand for a stronger, healthier, more powerful horse. It's easier to sell a horse that looks like a carefully developed eight-year-old, and not like a three- or four-year-old just beginning his career." ~ Klaus Balkenhol
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If your horse feels locked and braced against you, you are probably bracing and pulling against him yourself. He will probably never let go unless you do.
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"It's very important, especially in the first two years of training, not to specialize the young horse. Training should include a variety of activities, including trail riding, which is good for the mind as well as building strength with hill work. It should include jumping, either free
