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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If your horse is not "hot" to your leg, and you therefore need lots of leg to keep him going, how will he ever hear the leg aid that asks for something more, like lateral work or a flying change?
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"Your corners and short sides are what make your movements. Nine times out of ten, you have to do something out of a corner. If you ride a bad corner, you ride a bad movement." ~ Charlotte Dujardin
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Even the stiffest horse can reach around and bite at a fly on its rump. The neck is already one of the most supple areas of the horse's body, and does not need any further suppling. Horses are also naturally supple in the poll and jaw. What we
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Train amongst distractions if you want to be able to perform with them.
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When jumping on rolling terrain, be careful that you do not underestimate the effect of the terrain on your horse's stride and impulsion level.
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“You should always ride travers after the shoulder-in and not as often and long.” ~ Michael Jung
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Always have a plan when jumping. Each exercise should have something to teach your horse. Don't waste jumps by jumping simple jumps with no purpose - other than for warm up, or if the horse needs them for building confidence.
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"People can make looking after horses so complicated. They're happiest out in the field, living out and being worked in the field. Whereas people keep them in and feed them so many additives that it's ridiculous. They feed them this and that and so many
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Riding backwards (too much hand and/or not enough leg) when the horse is "having a look" at a fence can easily cause a stop.
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To be a great cross country rider, you have to be able to ride aggressively when needed - yet you have to be patient at the same time. You have to be assertive and positive without actually hurrying the horse off the ground.
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The most successful riders stay very much "in the moment", and are very attuned to feeling exactly what their horse is doing at any given moment.
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A very common mistake riders make when performing the movements haunches in, half pass, or turn on the haunches is sitting too much towards the outside of the movement. To prevent this, think about stepping into the inside stirrup at the beginning of each of these movements, and again every
