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Tip/Quote of the Day # 605
“Only the rider who is free from any contraction will have a horse equally free from contraction. A team such as this is the ideal” ~ Nuno Oliveira
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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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Tip/Quote of the Day # 604
The "hold their head up and gallop" approach to training your horse to jump ditches may get you over, but it can easily cause your horse to be somewhat afraid of ditches for the rest of their life. It is much better to go slow and let them
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Tip/Quote of the Day # 603
“Happy horses get high marks. Good basics get high marks. Too many horses do the movements held and forced, and this will get low marks.” ~ Christoph Hess
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Tip/Quote of the Day # 602
“Event horses need to learn to jump facing into crowds and other spooky things. At home, I have my horses jumping into banners on the fence line and other things to get them used to that idea.” ~ William Fox Pitt
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Tip/Quote of the Day # 601
When running cross country in muddy conditions, always look for a fresh track to run on between fences. Not paying attention to this detail and letting your horse gallop in the tracks made by previous horses will increase your horse's workload... adding to unnecessary fatigue, as well as
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Tip/Quote of the Day # 600
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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Tip/Quote of the Day # 599
The amount of weight involved in your elastic rein connection can be anything from a firm bungee cord type feel to a thin, lightweight rubber band. And the horse's level of balance is what will determine exactly what that weight will be.
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Tip/Quote of the Day # 598
When lunging, pivot with one foot so that you keep yourself still and centered in the middle of your horse's circle. This way, he will learn to make an actual circle shape, rather than an odd shape.
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Tip/Quote of the Day # 597
“Most horses are either slightly lazy or crazy. We hope to find one that is somewhere in the middle.” ~ William Fox Pitt
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Tip/Quote of the Day # 596
When strength is needed, such as when riding a strong horse, a rider needs to be able to find their strength in the center of their body - their core. Many times they attempt to find their strength in their arms or shoulders instead, and this is counter productive. As instead
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Tip/Quote of the Day # 595
“Often people think that the easy way of stopping the horse from charging is by putting on the handbreak — and that’s actually the cause in the first place." ~ Harry Meade
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Tip/Quote of the Day # 594
From Facebook fan Elizabeth Owens ~ "I finally realized that my horse's lead issues were due to the fact that I sit crooked. It's rarely the horse's fault... look to the rider's faults first."