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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Horses generally mirror their riders. If your horse is tense, check yourself. If your horse is crooked, check yourself. If your horse is distracted, check yourself. If you want your horse to carry himself properly, make sure you are carrying yourself properly on his back.
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Many riders place their saddles too far forward! Make sure that the solid parts of the saddle are behind the horse's shoulder to allow for freedom of the shoulder.
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From Facebook fan Lauren Slattery ~ "Pulling will teach the horse to lean and support itself on you without working properly as well as make the horse dead to your rein aids."
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Always keep in mind that the Dressage horse is supposed to be (and look like) a "happy athlete". If the horse does not look happy in his work, that work is probably not correct.
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Don't wait until things are perfect to reward your horse. You must praise the horse when he makes even the slightest step in the right direction. Training this way will encourage your horse to love learning.
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When you need to change your stride length in any related distance, aim to do it early on in the line, so you can just maintain the rest of the line. This will give you the best chance to have a smooth jump out.
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From Facebook Fan Brenda Herzog ~ "When trying to sit the canter or trot, relax the legs down and around with each stride and to pick the horse "up" with you. This eliminates the bounce in your seat and helps to elevate the horse."
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If your horse is spooky, be careful to make sure he never feels punished for spooking or getting tense. If you get mad, pull, kick, or do anything else that can be perceived as a punishment, the anxiety that will be created will usually make your problem worse.
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The faster you are going, the more you must generally think of maintaining a contact with your horse's mouth on the takeoff of a jump.
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Be careful not to sit the trot too early on in a ride. Doing so before the horse is fully warmed up and truly moving through his topline can often be detrimental, as the horse is more likely to stay stiff and tight in his back.
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It may seem like you only need to think about a formal conditioning schedule at the upper levels, but every horse at every level will benefit from a balanced and well thought out conditioning schedule.
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From Facebook fan Nicole Cotten Ackerman ~ "I work with a lot if lower level eventers, and I tell them that when you are in the 20x40 ring you must stay bent all of the time because there's so little space between riding a corner or a circle.
