"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 get to a longer or shorter distance than ideal, the emphasis should be on the rider staying in the moment and conveying confidence to the horse." ~ William Fox Pitt
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 do not also release the aid, your horse will not really feel rewarded for their effort.
When a rider does not have that classic straight line from their elbow to the bit, it is nearly impossible to have a quality contact. This is just one of the many reasons that having eyes on the ground is SO important. As many riders tend to ride with their hands either above or below that line, and have no idea that they are doing it. A good rein connection will elude you until you have found just the right alignment.
Always pay attention to how you finish every single exercise that you ride. Letting yourself or your horse fall into a heap as you pull up only creates bad habits for both of you. Always finish with a proper transition into the walk.
"The goal of 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, it loses power and strength, and actually becomes smaller. Frequent rest periods, especially for a young horse at a free walk on a long rein, are necessary. The rest periods are not for a rider's fatigue, but to allow the horse to stretch and relax his muscles. The rest breaks will give you a completely new horse. This is the systematic gymnasticizing of the horse." ~ Klaus Balkenhol
Think of your leg, seat, and rein aids as the way you 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 can learn to respond to light cues, if taught properly.
The key to riding good "across the diagonal" movements in the Dressage ring is to ride deeply into the preceding corner, while keeping the impulsion through the turns, so that the energy level stays consistent throughout the movement.
If you truly do a good job of preparing for each transition that you ride, you will be able to give an aid that is as light as a whisper to execute it.
"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
If your horse feels locked in the jaw and is bracing against you, you are probably bracing and pulling against him yourself. He will probably never let go unless you do.
"It is important that the neck is open at the throat latch. Too many horses too short in the neck in all disciplines. Today’s horses are always in a frame, but often they don’t seek the contact properly, and you can’t give high marks to a horse that is behind the bit." ~ Christoph Hess
If your horse is not "hot" to your leg, and you need a lot of leg to keep him going, how will he ever hear the leg aid that asks for something more... like a lateral movement or a flying change?
As we should always be striving to make sure that our horses enjoy their work, reward and incentives should be especially generous when we are asking for things that we know are currently difficult for our horses.
A horse doesn't become supple by trotting round and round the arena. So don't stay in the same pace or movement for too long! Lots of turns, circles, and transitions will be the most beneficial.
For many riders, downward transitions happen in a bit of a blur... They try their best to prepare for them, give the aid, and then hope for the best as they wait to see how their horse will respond. Once the transition is completed, they are usually able to look back and see if it went well or not. But while their horse is actually changing gaits - as those couple of strides are actually happening, there is very little communication, feel, or awareness of what their own body is doing, or exactly what the horse is doing underneath them in that moment.
Does this sound like YOU? If it does, don't feel bad. This is really common! And the problem with this scenario is that it very often produces a downward transition that is inadequate in some way - most commonly with the horse being somewhat resistant or heavy on the forehand. And not only does that lower your score if you happen to be in the Dressage ring, but it also diminishes all of the positive effects that can come out of a well ridden and executed downward transition. (Increased hind leg engagement, longitudinal suppleness, and overall carriage)
This exercise, suitable for all levels of horses and riders, will help to show you how to stay in a state of increased feeling and awareness, allowing you to be able to use subtle yet precise communication as needed in every single step of that downward transition. It will turn you into a rider who is able to ride EFFECTIVE downward transitions - which is what is required to give you the best possible result. (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
The horse should always be the one who sets the pace of the progression of both training and competition. Pushing too hard, too soon, will usually result in having to go back and start over.
Keep your thumbs closed on the top of your hand, AND keep those thumbs pointing forward! Do not let your hand position deviate so that your thumbs point toward each other, as this will create a block in your connection.
When riding a Dressage test, you should always be thinking about damage control… Within each movement, sometimes it is best to be happy with 90% of what you are capable of, rather than risking what you have to push for that final 10%. It definitely pays to know your horse well, so you know how much you can get away with asking for at any given moment.
Riders need to understand the difference between sinking down into their heels or seat bones, and pushing down into them. There is a big difference between the two! Who can tell us what the difference is, in terms of how each effects the horse or the rest of the rider's body? (Click on Discussion Title above to read or join in on this educational discussion)
"No complicated riding before the horses are going truly forward. In dressage, the difficulties are often created by a lack of good basic work (which is the foundation of the house)." ~ Nuno Oliveira
A horse must first be able to travel in a connected long and low frame before a proper higher head carriage can be achieved. If you struggle with lengthening your horse's neck while still maintaining a soft contact - be sure to master this connection before moving on to more advanced work. If you don't, all of your more advanced work will likely be incorrect and will lack the back connection necessary for true hind leg engagement.
"Most riders know the required movements, but not the directives, and that is what we judges pay attention to. We look to see how the horse is ridden in these required exercises. Is the horse ridden to the contact? Does he maintain rhythm and regularity in all gaits? Does he show a degree of suppleness appropriate for his level? Does the rider keep a tempo that facilitates balance? Even for a simple circle the directives are explicit: 'consistent bend around the rider’s inside leg, placement and control over the size of circle, reach to the bit and the quality of the gait.'" ~ Lilo Fore
As the old saying goes, "You are only as strong as your weakest link." If there is a hole in your basics, or your horse's basics… it will hold you back. You must go back to the foundation, to find and fix any weak areas before you will truly be able to progress.
If you have short arms, you will have to be especially careful to make sure that you keep at least a little bend in your elbows at all times when riding. If your elbows become completely straight, you will lose your ability to follow your horse's movement with your hands.
When riding, always strive for the feeling that your horse is "short" behind the withers (because his hind legs are stepping deeply underneath his body), yet is "long" in front of the withers (with a neck that "telescopes" and reaches forward into the bit.) All "long" means the horse is likely strung out to some degree, and all "short" means the horse’s frame and stride are being cramped by the rider.
If you ask for too much angle in any lateral movement (more than your horse can handle at that moment,) you risk impeding the balance and fluency of the movement, which should be your top priorities.
"May every rider strive for a better connection with his or her horse by observation, closer understanding and patient groundwork. It matters not what discipline is pursued, only that there be a perfectly balanced union between the two – man and horse – so that the two become one." ~ Frederic Pinon
Always use both reins together to steer, especially when jumping. Using one rein only turns the horse's nose - but using both reins turn the horse at the shoulders, which means his body will more accurately follow your chosen line.
A variation of the Rubber Band exercise, this "rev the motor" exercise helps you to turn the energy in your horse's stride into true hind leg engagement - which is the key to building collection! Here's how to do it: (Click on Article Title above to read full article)
If you can keep your horse balanced as you gallop along between fences, you will have less "set up" work to do in front of the jumps. This means that you can be faster, smoother, and more efficient at the fences. Which will help to preserve your horse's energy on course, as well as his overall soundness.
Facebook fan Mo Jackson on teaching riders to maintain a consistent rein connection ~ "I try to teach this with pretending rider and horse are on the telephone. You are talking, oops no connection, talking again, oops no connection. This causes chaos in the horse's mind as he is trying to communicate, to be part of the conversation."
It is tempting to want to repeat something over and over when you feel like you are making some progress on a movement you have been struggling with. But it will be more productive to reward one good effort, give the horse a break, and move on to something else instead. When you come back to that exercise, your horse will remember that you did.
"If you want flawed results, go ahead and ask for collection before your horse is relaxed. This is a pretty certain way to produce a horse who needs his mouth strapped shut." ~ Jimmy Wofford
