Tip/Quote of the Day # 303From Facebook fan Maddison Craye ~ "Riding defensively makes the horse equally defensive. Consistency and softness = a happy horse."Tip/Quote of the Day # 302A horse has to be honestly on the aids before they can stretch properly over their entire topline.Tip/Quote of the Day # 301The more weight the hocks carry, the less a horse will look for support from the rider's hand.Tip/Quote of the Day # 300The evenness of the contact reveals the straightness of the horse.Tip/Quote of the Day # 299Balanced riding makes for a sound horse. If a horse is unbalanced or crooked, and is loading some joints more than others, the joints with increased loading will feel increased stress. As an example, the horse that is lazy behind about engaging the joints of the hind legs, will be overly stressing the joints of the front feet and ankles by being heavy on the forehand.Tip/Quote of the Day # 298From Facebook fan Anne Johnson ~ "No matter the level, never be afraid to go back to basics. A flaw in the foundation will cause problems down the road eventually."Tip/Quote of the Day # 297From Facebook fan Deborah Carr ~ "It is OK to be the rider that I am today." Tip/Quote of the Day # 296
It takes enormous lumbar strength for a horse to carry itself in an uphill frame with a rider on its back for any length of time. Asking for too much too soon can cause tension, resistance, and resentment. Allow frequent stretching breaks.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 295If the rider leans back and water-skis off of the horse's mouth, the horse will usually oblige, and become the motorboat that tows them around.Tip/Quote of the Day # 294In Dressage (as in life), think of every transition as a new beginning, not an end. In other words, you are not "stopping" the trot when performing a trot to walk transition, but beginning a quality walk. Tip/Quote of the Day # 293The rein back is a great exercise for strengthening the horse, and increasing the amount of "sit" behind. But only if it is done correctly. Tip/Quote of the Day # 292Did you know that horses push upward with their front feet to begin a jumping effort? That is why it is so important that you don't make a move forward with your body as the horse is trying to take off. Your weight leaning up the neck at this crucial moment hinders the horse's ability to raise the front end.Tip/Quote of the Day # 291When training a young horse you should be fairly single minded. Your main goal should be to build your horse's confidence in you, so that they think of you as a fair but strong leader.Tip/Quote of the Day # 290All change is usually hard at first, often messy in the middle, and usually worth it at the end.Tip/Quote of the Day # 289The key to success when shortening the reins is for the rider to be able to keep the hand forward feeling. Think short reins, long arms.Tip/Quote of the Day # 288When on a cross country course that is partially on wooded paths, always keep in mind that you are never going quite as fast as you feel you are when you are in the woods. The trees may be whizzing by, but if you slow down too much you may find it hard to make the time up on the more open areas.Tip/Quote of the Day # 287It can be really helpful to get someone to regularly video you while you are riding, so you can actually see what you are doing right or wrong. Sometimes it can be even more beneficial than having someone on the ground. As when you can really see the problem yourself, you will be even more determined to fix it.Tip/Quote of the Day # 286Stiff shoulders cause a rider to have tense, tight hands. To relax your shoulders, take a deep breath in, and exhale... looking for the feeling that your shoulders and elbows drop and become supple.Tip/Quote of the Day # 285Let your plan be... to change and adapt your plan as much as necessary on course. Ultimately, you ride the horse, and not the plan.Tip/Quote of the Day # 284Sometimes on a cross country course, they will mow the grass to form a path from jump to jump. Do NOT get suckered into always staying on that path on your approach to the jumps. If it would give you a better approach to move off of that visually inviting path, then do so.Tip/Quote of the Day # 283Courage is like a muscle. The more we use it, the stronger it gets.Tip/Quote of the Day # 282"Dressage is not just for competition. It is gymnastics for horses and all horses can benefit from it, as they are more likely to stay sound with a long, stretchy neck, soft body and easy movement." ~ Carl HesterTip/Quote of the Day # 281Remember to breathe... it's a lot easier to remember your Dressage Test or Jumping course with the benefit of a little oxygen.Tip/Quote of the Day # 280When a horse collects, his shoulders will come up naturally. Don't attempt to artificially raise the front end.Tip/Quote of the Day # 279Lunge 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 # 278"There are many horses that can only be taught through lateral bending, especially second degree bending, to let the rein aids go through to the hind legs." ~ Sigismund v. JosipovichTip/Quote of the Day # 277On roundness - "If you have the body, you have the head - if you have the head you don't (necessarily) have the body." ~ Jack LeGoffTip/Quote of the Day # 276When jumping, imagine that the jump is coming towards you on a conveyor belt... and just focus on keeping the rhythm and the quality of the canter consistent, while you wait for the jump to come to you. Tip/Quote of the Day # 275Always keep your eyes up when walking a course. See exactly what your horse will be seeing for the first time.Tip/Quote of the Day # 274From Facebook fan Gabby Ballin ~ "Just because something went bad once doesn't mean it'll go bad again. If you anticipate a problem, your horse will too."Tip/Quote of the Day # 273We want the horse to understand that he is not to go against the rider's hand. But we do not want him to think that he should give to the hand. If he learns to give to the rider's hand, he will tend to want to tuck his nose when the rider is attempting to create a connection, rather than truly moving into the bit and seeking that connection. Tip/Quote of the Day # 272To steady your horse between jumps, many times it is sufficient to square your shoulders and stretch up your body in a poised way... opening up kind of like a sail on a sail boat. Tip/Quote of the Day # 271"Frankly, everyone from intermediate on can and should learn to jump with a following hand. The crest release may be fine for the beginner, but it is a very limited technique for anyone who aspires to ride really well." ~ William SteinkrausTip/Quote of the Day # 270Under developed muscles need building slowly. Tip/Quote of the Day # 269The more the rider listens to the horse, the more the horse will usually listen to the rider. Tip/Quote of the Day # 268A common cause of knockdowns in the show jumping is the rider being too "handsy" in front of jumps. The more you fuss with the bit in the last few strides, the more you take your horse's focus off of the jump. Try to keep your contact as consistent as possible to allow your horse to stay focused on the top rail of the jumps as you approach them. Tip/Quote of the Day # 267When your horse backs off or gets a little weak over a fence, you must have an immediate reaction. Send him sharply forward on the landing, to help him think more forward at the next fence. To do nothing makes your horse feel like he has a passenger on his back, rather than a confident leader. Tip/Quote of the Day # 266Walk is the "explaining" pace, so whenever possible ride every exercise in the walk first, until your horse thoroughly understands. Tip/Quote of the Day # 265"To get a good flying change, one has to perfect the original canter above all" ~ Nuno Oliveira Tip/Quote of the Day # 264When approaching a plain drop jump with no log (or other defining factor) on top, it is usually wise to trot the last few steps before takeoff, as well as allowing him to look by softening the reins. Cantering off of a plain step makes it more likely for the horse to make a mistake, and mis-judge where the actual edge of the ground is. And this can cause him to be inaccurate with his footwork on the takeoff. Tip/Quote of the Day # 263As my horse's leader, it is my job to always try to be aware that I am the leader, and act accordingly. Tip/Quote of the Day # 262"A good rider rides from transition to transition, a great rider rides from half-halt to half-halt !" ~ Robert Dover Tip/Quote of the Day # 261"If you get left behind jumping up a bank, your horse will HATE you!" ~ Jimmy WoffordTip/Quote of the Day # 260A tense, tight back is a blocked "bridge" for the energy that should be moving from the horse's hindquarters to the rider's hands.Tip/Quote of the Day # 259"Your back must stay strong in a canter/walk transition, but your hands must stay low so that your horse will stay through." ~ Stephen ClarkeTip/Quote of the Day # 258It is not wise to add pressure to the situation when the horse is already tense. Use quiet, soothing exercises that the horse is already familiar with, rather than push for anything difficult, to help him relax.Tip/Quote of the Day # 257"You know it ́s impossible to achieve great riding success with a horse that ́s stiff, crooked, weak, and unbalanced, but have you ever stopped to think that a horse has just as difficult a time achieving great success with a rider who ́s stiff, crooked, weak, and unbalanced?" ~ Daniel StewartTip/Quote of the Day # 256To get the best canter to walk transitions, you need to have a canter so collected that you can canter at walk speed.Tip/Quote of the Day # 255Always keep in mind that you need to engage your horse's brain to get him to truly think forward. Your goal should not be to merely get his feet moving, but to ignite the area of his brain that makes him decide to want to move forward. Only when your horse really wants to go forward do you truly have a forward horse... no matter how fast you are actually traveling. Tip/Quote of the Day # 254 "Success isn't magic or hocus-pocus - it's simply learning how to focus." ~ Jack Canfield
