Recent Articles in Tip/Quote of the Day!

One of the most important things for you to think about during your Dressage Test is to maintain a consistent rhythm and tempo in each gait throughout. Even if other things are not perfect, maintaining that consistency will produce the best possible score.

In a good connection, you should strive to feel your horse's hind legs in your hands.

"The horse is the fastest learner of all domestic animals—including children. If you stay alive by running away, you better learn fast." ~ Robert Miller, DVM

"Don’t ride to a jump, looking for a spot.  You don’t jump a spot, you jump a jump." ~ Unknown

The short side of the arena is a great place to show your horse's movement off to the Dressage judge. If your horse is in lovely self carriage, push your hands forward a bit and show it off!

Your basics are the base of your success. The stronger your base, the further you will go.

From Facebook fan Jodi Waldrip ~ "I've learned that a saddle that truly fits can give you a totally different horse to ride."

Your horse can feel whether or not you have a strong, detailed plan of how to ride your jumping course or dressage test. And he will gain confidence in you if he feels you are confident in your plan.

From Facebook fan Barbara Martin ~ "What happens on the ground is just as important as what goes on in the saddle. Make sure you are giving clear signals to your horse as to who is in charge. We forget this sometimes, I think!"

"I was riding in a warm-up ring with Bill Steinkraus--you know, the greatest rider America has ever produced? That Bill Steinkraus?--and I asked him, on average, how many fences on a course of ten does he get to accurately. He thought about it and said "Seven." I said "Oh." But I was THINKING: "Oh. What does that say about ME?!" ~ Jimmy Wofford 

From Facebook fan Joan Dunlap ~ "If your horse's SI joint is compromised so is their ability to come through from behind with any ease."

-- This is SO important, as most horses with sacroiliac issues don't show a lot of signs, so pain in this area is often missed. If your horse is reluctant to really use himself or carry weight behind, and/or has canter lead issues, or displays bucking or balking behavior - get his SI joint checked out by a well qualified lameness vet. 

When a horse is crooked his energy gets stopped up like water in a hose with a kink in it.

If your horse is behind your leg or inattentive, he is challenging your authority to some degree.

There is no point in working on flying changes until you have the right canter. Start before they are truly ready, and you run the risk of making the flying change forever an anxiety filled movement for the horse. 

From member Sharon Fitzgerald ~ "I have learned that if I want my horse to be steady and up to the bridle then I have to provide a steady target [quiet hands] and use leg to keep him up there."

Speed magnifies mistakes. Therefore your basics had better be fairly solid before you start jumping at speed.

Groundwork can help build a better relationship between horse and rider. The trust and respect built during work in hand will carry over to your under saddle work IF you approach it the same way.

The extra thrust created by lengthenings will solidify your connection if it was correct to begin with. The extra impulsion created can then be turned into real collection.

From Facebook fan Jodie Stowell Potts ~ "Every horse must be treated as an individual, and what was fine a couple of weeks ago may not work today."

Just putting in the time does not guarantee success. You have to be practicing correctly to improve.

We all know it is a bad thing for the horse to carry its poll too low. But too high can be a problem as well. If the height of the poll does not match the amount of true collection behind, the horse will be moving with a hollow back, and the gaits will become flat... losing their supple, elastic swinging nature. 

Never forget that our goal as riders should be to do as little as possible. Allow the horse to perform.

You can't balance or collect energy that you don't have. Forward first!

"I like to think of the tension in a Thoroughbred’s body as it seeks to learn the meaning of our aids as an intense desire to please us." ~ Steuart Pittman

Throwing the reins away to the point that they are so loose that there are loops in them is not the answer to solving your problem of being too strong/tense/rigid in the hands and arms. You must keep a connection, and learn to be elastic within that connection. That is the only way to advance.

In no way does holding a horses neck in a position build up correct muscle. The horse has to actually be using those muscles correctly to improve musculature in the topline. 

"Allow your horse the opportunity to use his neck more." ~ Reiner Klimke

If becoming a great rider wasn't hard, everyone would be able to do it. It's the hard that makes it great.

The horse should be in front of the leg and carrying itself without support from the rider - every stride.

Bounces teach horses to be quick thinking - an essential quality in an Event horse.

A good halt is square because it was a good halt. Not because the rider has taught the horse the "trick" of squaring up after an unbalanced halt.