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 teaching, I am always on the lookout for signs that the horse might need a short stretching break. Sometimes it is something as subtle as a more anxious look in the horse's eyes. And sometimes it is more obvious, like the horse starts to become a little
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Think of your leg, seat, and rein aids as ways to communicate with your horse. You don't physically push or pull him anywhere, you give him subtle signals. And if he doesn't initially respond to your subtle signals, you need to teach him to - EVERY horse
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"They asked me at the Seminar, how should a horse look when it is coming towards you? I said to them, if you meet someone and they are looking you in the eyes, a little bit proud, nose up, not arrogant, but someone coming to you, giving you their
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When riding a Dressage test, riding accurately to the letters and making good use of the corners of the ring shows the judge that you are aware, thinking, and have good control of your horse.
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While the distance in between the jumps is a big deciding factor in the speed and stride that you should approach with... generally approaching a complex off of a shorter, bouncier stride will give you more options.
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"It's very rare to find a horse who has the bravery and heart to do what is required of him in Eventing's cross country phase and who has the careful aspect we look for in the show jumping ring." ~ Katie Monahan Prudent
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Imagine that you have a heavy wet towel laying over each knee, that helps your leg to drop down naturally and melt around your horse's sides.
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When you look down, your shoulders follow your eyes and begin to drop downward and forward. This makes it much more difficult for you to communicate correctly with your horse through your seat - often causing you to need to use your reins more than you should.
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The more a horse relaxes within a lateral movement, the more gymnastic value the exercise will have.
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"Allow your horse the opportunity to use his neck more." ~ Reiner Klimke
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Pay attention to where your whip is pointing when you ride, as that is a good indicator of your hand position.
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"For your horse to be keen but submissive, it must be calm, straight and forward." ~ Bill Steinkraus
