Tip/Quote of the Day # 804Excessive bend in the neck, whether lateral (usually to the inside), or longitudinal (behind the vertical) disconnects the haunches from the rein aids and allows the horse to remain locked up in other parts of the body, such as the poll and hips.Tip/Quote of the Day # 803Remind yourself regularly that half halts should not kill the energy in your horse's stride, but rather rebalance it. Tip/Quote of the Day # 802"The inside rein must always be ready with a good offer." ~ Reiner KlimkeTip/Quote of the Day # 801From member Karen Barbato ~ "If YOU think it's work so does your horse...when you head out to ride think of it as heading out to PLAY, giggle a lot and make it all a fun game. You and your horse will be smiling when you are done."Tip/Quote of the Day # 800From Facebook fan Liz Chilcott ~ "Preparation is 90% of execution."Tip/Quote of the Day # 799It’s just as easy to train a horse to be dull to the aids as it is to train them to be sensitive to the aids.Tip/Quote of the Day # 798From Facebook fan Sascha DeAngelo ~ "Instead of gunning it to a scary fence, hold the horses head between your hands, and his body between your legs, and keep a steady deliberate pace."Tip/Quote of the Day # 797From Facebook fan Lynn Sullivan ~ "It's easier to stay fit then to get fit.....old saying but applies to horses as well as riders."Tip/Quote of the Day # 796Those who think that riding is only about getting on and "doing," and don't make the time and effort to read and educate themselves about all the details and concepts involved, will not get very far. Tip/Quote of the Day # 795
The secret to sensitivity in horses is not in the rider's physical strength, or even their technique. It is in their commitment to thinking about what happened, being definitive about what they are asking the horse do to, and giving clear and immediate feedback to the horse after each application of an aid.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 794Definition of Cadence: Lift, an element of suspension, with an even, regular rhythm. You have to get the horse where he carries himself in balance, then you can have cadence. Tip/Quote of the Day # 793"If you get left behind jumping up a bank, your horse will HATE you!" ~ Jimmy WoffordTip/Quote of the Day # 792From Facebook fan Alexis Soutter ~ "A steady hand with a soft, following elbow invites a steady, soft contact from the horse. Working the bit or being busy with your fingers invites a false frame."Tip/Quote of the Day # 791You will find that you become most productive when you have a specific goal for each training session. Be flexible, of course. But know exactly what you plan to work on for every ride. Aimless riding is simply exercise. Tip/Quote of the Day # 790
Many horses think walk time is "break" time. If you want to ensure that you get good scores on your walk work, you have to convince your horse otherwise in your daily work.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 789"The only way to improve/influence horses' paces is to ride forward in a balanced way." ~ Carl HesterTip/Quote of the Day # 788"Nothing is as impressive or as valuable for the training as being able to control the impulsion and the desire to go forward to such an extent that the rider is able to bring his horse to a standstill from an extended trot or canter without the slightest effort or disturbance. Conversely, departing immediately from the halt into an extended gait is an equal proof of the absolute desire to go forward." ~ Alois PodhajskyTip/Quote of the Day # 787If you don't give after your horse responds to your aids, you will find that you have to ask harder the next time. And that cycle will continue, until you end up with an unresponsive horse.Tip/Quote of the Day # 786Every time you let a horse get away with something, you're training him to do it.Tip/Quote of the Day # 785"You've chosen a sport that requires you to be motivated by failure." ~ Kyle CarterTip/Quote of the Day # 784When giving the aid to canter, let your outside leg sink back and down as the last part of your canter aid. If you lift your leg up and back to use it (as so many incorrectly do), you will end up losing your seat to some degree, and may also end up sitting crooked.Tip/Quote of the Day # 783Acceptance of the outside rein is key to resistance free downward transitions.Tip/Quote of the Day # 782If your horse does not offer to stretch near the end of a workout, there is a good chance that you didn't have him working correctly through his topline during your ride.Tip/Quote of the Day # 781The sport of riding is about 80% mental. Control of your mind is even more important than control of your body.Tip/Quote of the Day # 780Always remember that your horse might be quite different to ride in the show jumping phase when it follows the cross country. You may need to adapt both your warm up strategy and the way you ride on course.Tip/Quote of the Day # 779Secure your reins by keeping your thumbs pinched on top, but keep the rest of your fingers more relaxed. Gripping the reins too firmly with all of your fingers will tend to tighten your forearms.Tip/Quote of the Day # 778For those of you who know you ride in stirrups that are too long over fences (which is quite common), spend some time practicing with your stirrups 3 or 4 holes shorter. Then when you put them down a few holes (leaving them a few holes shorter than your initial length), you will be more comfortable with the change.Tip/Quote of the Day # 777If your horse struggles to maintain a consistent rhythm, think of using your breathing to help him stay regular. This is one reason why counting is so useful, as when you count, you will breathe in that rhythm.Tip/Quote of the Day # 776If you are able to do a good walk to halt transition, you have a good basis for all downward transitions.Tip/Quote of the Day # 775"On the whole, there are only few mouths that cannot be taught a good rein contact by giving the horse the appropriate degree of balance, provided it is otherwise well conformed." ~ Borries v.OeynhausenTip/Quote of the Day # 774Always be aware of the amount of tension you carry when riding, and whether you are breathing softly and evenly, or holding your breath. Talking or humming quietly is a good way to ensure you keep breathing throughout your ride.Tip/Quote of the Day # 773Imagine the rider's body as a tree… the rider's seat and core need to be engaged and strong like the tree trunk, their long draped legs are the roots, and their arms are supple, movable branches. Tip/Quote of the Day # 772You must train your horse to understand that he should stay at whatever speed you put him in until told otherwise. Remember that every time you allow your horse to make a decision about his speed or energy level (or don't realize that he has done so), you are training him to make these decisions on his own.Tip/Quote of the Day # 771If you attempt to teach your horse to jump, to go through water, or to jump over a ditch when the horse is not first trained to go instantly forward from the leg, you are not setting yourself up for success.Tip/Quote of the Day # 770 Imagine an open ditch as a triple bar, so that you come close to the edge on the takeoff, and ride forward across the back edge. Doing so will make the jumping effort easier for the horse, and give him confidence.Tip/Quote of the Day # 769Dropping and picking up your stirrups at all three gaits is a good exercise to test the security of your seat. And you will be glad you practiced this regularly if you ever lose a stirrup at an important moment!Tip/Quote of the Day # 768A good trainer will know what you are capable of, and may sometimes push you slightly out of your comfort zone, asking you to do something that you would probably not attempt on your own. This can be a great opportunity to make a big "deposit" in your account of confidence!Tip/Quote of the Day # 767“The small and ring fingers can yield but never the thumb.” ~ Nuno OliveiraTip/Quote of the Day # 766Lightness is not the looseness of the contact, it is the way the horse moves over the ground - with real hind leg engagement.Tip/Quote of the Day # 765“You need to produce a walk. So work at the walk as well as the trot and canter. Get a good feeling of the body working in the walk. The walk is a mirror of the training of the horse.” ~ Christoph HessTip/Quote of the Day # 764
When working with horses, always be mindful of the feedback you are giving your horse at any given time... whether intentional or accidental. When your horse misbehaves, make sure you don't give him an accidental reward by stopping to regroup (which to him is a rest and a reward.) Keep moving, get the horse to do something (anything) well, and THEN stop to regroup if you must.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 763The outside rein should be similar to a wall... but a soft wall made of rubber. If it becomes too rigid, it will not invite the horse to move up into it.Tip/Quote of the Day # 762An exercise to check if you are sitting straight and putting your weight equally down into both stirrups is to stand straight up for a few strides, and notice which stirrup you have to consciously put more weight into to keep yourself balanced.Tip/Quote of the Day # 761Being a good rider, and being someone who understands the details of the concepts that make a good rider are two very different things. One can be both, but one does not guarantee another. This is why it is not really a good idea to pick a riding instructor based on their ability to ride. Tip/Quote of the Day # 760The mouth is never the real problem, what you feel in your hand is a reflection of what is happening behind the saddle. Get the back relaxed and swinging, and the hind legs active, and the horse will feel like putty in your hands.Tip/Quote of the Day # 759Everyone knows that we need the horse to be relaxed to perform well. But that starts with our own relaxation! A rider must be relaxed to give clear and precise aids to the horse, and to set the tone for the horse to be able to relax. Tip/Quote of the Day # 758"Given all that we ask of [our horses], the least we can do as riders is look after them well and make sure they're as happy as possible. Mine spend a lot of time out in the fields at home. I try to vary their work and not dominate them, to keep them enthusiastic and thinking for themselves." ~ Mary KingTip/Quote of the Day # 757If your horse is the type to sometimes get behind your leg in the jumping, you must start your courses with more energy in your canter than you think you need. I see so many riders starting off with a nice quiet canter, and then run into trouble because their horse doesn't respond instantly to their leg when they need them to. Tip/Quote of the Day # 756"Thoroughbreds tend to thrive on physical movement, and they are, like all horses, hypnotized by their own rhythms. Repetition of success creates a sense of peace." ~ Steuart PittmanTip/Quote of the Day # 755You don't really do yourself any favors when you cater to your weaknesses. For example, if you only like to ride with your whip in your right hand, and it feels odd and uncomfortable in your left - you need to make yourself ride with it in your left hand. And if you are uncomfortable riding amongst distractions or with people watching, you only better yourself by seeking out those conditions.
