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 # 452To develop cadence, you must get to the point where your horse is in true self carriage. Tip/Quote of the Day # 451"I often wonder why people think they have to kick and pull a horse who can feel a fly land on his neck." ~ Jimmy WoffordTip/Quote of the Day # 450When we get the feeling that our horse is improving, the color of the ribbon pales in significance.Tip/Quote of the Day # 449Competitions are a test of our progress as horsemen, they are not an end in themselves.Tip/Quote of the Day # 448If your horse is tense in his topline while jumping, he wil likely be slow with his knees and hang his legs. Use judicious flatwork between jumps to encourage him to relax and let go.Tip/Quote of the Day # 447Be careful with jaw flexions. If not ridden forward over the back into the flexion, they create a false frame with no real connection. You might think he is correctly connected because he feels soft in your hand when his jaw is flexed. But true lightness is not in the looseness of the contact, it is in the way the horse moves over the ground.Tip/Quote of the Day # 446Turn your horse from the middle of his body by using your seat. And use both reins together to turn him from his shoulders. Turning with the inside rein only turns his nose, leaving the rest of his body to derail.Tip/Quote of the Day # 445There is no substitute for eyes on the ground when you are trying to improve your riding - whether that is in the form of an instructor on the ground, videos, or virtual coaching. Things often look very different than they feel.Tip/Quote of the Day # 444The stirrup bar placement on your saddle can make or break your position. Make sure you choose a saddle that will allow you to be in balance. Tip/Quote of the Day # 443Remember that whatever you are used to usually feels right to you. You will often have to step out of your comfort zone if you wish to improve.Tip/Quote of the Day # 442Self carriage is not just for Dressage! Your horse should carry himself as much as possible in all three phases! Never attempt to hold your horse up!Tip/Quote of the Day # 441"The rider has to do something. The horse must not only understand what you want. He has to feel motivated to take you up on your offer. You can sit there all day and dangle your hook in the water, but if your horse isn’t interested, you’re going to come up empty, fish-wise." ~ Bill WoodsTip/Quote of the Day # 440Lateral work is most beneficial when the horse stays relaxed in its body. It is not generally a good idea to "push through" a movement with tension present. It's a much better idea to come out of it, circle, improve your connection, and start again.Tip/Quote of the Day # 439“A good hand is the one that can resist and yield when necessary and receive with precision the action created by the legs.” ~ Salomon de la BroueTip/Quote of the Day # 438Always sit the trot for a least a few strides before asking for a transition to canter or walk.Tip/Quote of the Day # 437Work on a horse and that horse gets better. Work on yourself and all your horses get better.Tip/Quote of the Day # 436"His mouth foams, plays with the bit, and the beauty of his position shows that he is proud of himself under his rider. And this is the concept of the true rein contact; it is based on the previously achieved balance which relieves the forehand so much that the hand feels merely a steady, regular and light contact with the mouth." ~ Borries v.OeynhausenTip/Quote of the Day # 435"School figures should not be regarded as an end in themselves but rather as a stage in a particular aim, that of control of the horse. Initially, they will be practiced in the school but an early opportunity should be taken to perform them outside so that the rider may learn to cope with extraneous influences which can distract his horse and prevent it concentrating (for example, his horse not wanting to leave its stable or move away from other horses." ~ W. MuesslerTip/Quote of the Day # 434"If a horse becomes more beautiful in the course of his work, it is a sign that the training principles are correct." ~ Colonel PodhajskyTip/Quote of the Day # 433If you are riding with short stirrups in a saddle that was not really designed for shorter stirrups (i.e. an all purpose saddle), you will usually find that your leg gets pushed backwards when landing over fences.Tip/Quote of the Day # 432A rider needs to have loose, supple hips in order to have that coveted deep seat and long draped leg.Tip/Quote of the Day # 431From Facebook fan Suzan Mchugh ~ "I used to put a tiny smiley face sticker on the crown piece of the bridle. When I saw it I took a breath! It worked and relaxed me. If you breath your hips relax!"Tip/Quote of the Day # 430"The relaxing of the legs and the hands of the rider is the proof of the real collection, and the collection is the poetry of the impulsion." ~ Nuno OliveiraTip/Quote of the Day # 429When the rider leans back and pulls on the reins like a waterskier, the horse usually obliges and becomes the motorboat... dragging the rider around by the reins.Tip/Quote of the Day # 428Check for self carriage often throughout your work. Each time you do, you will get clear and accurate feedback as to whether or not your horse is carrying himself properly.Tip/Quote of the Day # 427Everyone knows that we want to keep a straight line from our elbow to the horse's mouth, but did you know that it means when viewed from above as well as from the side? And that it also includes your wrists and fingers?Tip/Quote of the Day # 426Keep your leg aids light. Too much leg becomes something similar to white noise. It is unfair to expect your horse to hear your aid above the noise.Tip/Quote of the Day # 425The free walk is a test of your connection in the walk. If it is true, the horse will take the bit down and forward in a relaxed way when offered. So you don't fix the free walk by working on the free walk... you fix it by working on your connection in the preceding medium walk.Tip/Quote of the Day # 424When working on flying changes, don't be tempted to ask for the change on the diagonal just because you are coming to the end of it and therefore running out of room. Always try to wait until you feel that your horse is balanced, straight, and *ready* to change. It is better to stay in counter canter than to ask for a change when you know your horse is not properly set up for it.Tip/Quote of the Day # 423When your horse challenges you, try to not engage in a fight, so that he has a reason to fight back. Instead, ignore the bad behavior, and ask him to do something easy, that you know he can and will do. This way you can reward him, which will help to re-establish peace in your relationship. Tip/Quote of the Day # 422Any rounding of the shoulders is a weakness that immediately disconnects the rider's arms from the back and seat.Tip/Quote of the Day # 421Your legs should lie softly on your horse's sides like "al dente" noodles - draped around your horse with soft, supple precision.Tip/Quote of the Day # 420"A rider must never put his own ambitions above the horse's needs." ~ Klaus BalkenholTip/Quote of the Day # 419You must be able to interpret the feedback/information your horse is sending you during your rides, without reacting emotionally.Tip/Quote of the Day # 418The horse should feel like the reins are connected to the rider's back/core/seat, not their arms/hands.Tip/Quote of the Day # 417"The goal is not to raise the neck, it is to lower the hips .” ~ DecarpentryTip/Quote of the Day # 416"If a horse won't stretch at the beginning of session, work on a contact sooner then stretch when he is ready" ~ Carl HesterTip/Quote of the Day # 415Lunge lessons allow you to focus more on learning to feel what your body is doing, as you don't have to worry about controlling the horse.Tip/Quote of the Day # 414Too much inside rein is a common cause of horses missing their lead changes behind.Tip/Quote of the Day # 413"To understand the extent of damage caused by overbending, think of a horse’s “broken” neck as of a garden hose slashed between faucet and nozzle. Like the stream of water, the impulsion can no longer reach your hand in full." ~ Jean FroissartTip/Quote of the Day # 412"As a result of the appropriate gymnastics and training of the horse, the appearance and the movements of the horse will be more beautiful." ~ Colonel Alois Podhajsky
And if it's not, there is probably something wrong with the training methods!Tip/Quote of the Day # 411When jumping in muddy or deep conditions, you need extra impulsion. Make sure you have it before you need it.Tip/Quote of the Day # 410The rider's inside leg is just as important as their outside leg in the aids for half pass or travers (haunches in.)Tip/Quote of the Day # 409
"It must not be forgotten that, in order to maintain precisely the same tempo and the momentary balance, the hind legs must step more under to the extent that the center of gravity is located more forward and the head and neck are positioned lower. The more the horse is elevated, on the other hand, the less he needs, nay, the less he is able to step under with his hind legs.
It is especially this work with a low neck carriage without reducing the collection that forces the horse to step under as much as possible. It flexes, strengthens, and hardens the hind legs the most by increasing the load they have to lift." ~ Otto De La Croix
The important thing to take from this, in my opinion, is that it benefits the horse to work in different frames throughout your work. Good long and low work with active hind legs and a real connection over the back will help to increase the range of motion of the joints, and build strength for the more collected work.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 408Use lots of forward and back transitions within the gaits to activate the horse's hind legs.Tip/Quote of the Day # 407Since the buckle is the weakest part of your reins, it is a good idea to tie a knot in the very end of your reins for cross country. This way, if your hands ever slide the reins all the way to the buckle quickly, you don't have to worry about your reins coming apart.Tip/Quote of the Day # 406Riding is so much more than getting on and doing… you have to do a lot of thinking and planning to actually get somewhere!Tip/Quote of the Day # 405
The sign of a good rider is that their aids are so light and invisible that you can barely notice them.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 404 Thinking "little toes up" can help you to sink more naturally down into your heels.
