Tip/Quote of the Day # 253Always remember that horses are herd animals, and are experts at reading the emotional status of their herdmates to know when there’s danger lurking ahead. Every time you ride or handle a horse, you become a part of your horse’s herd. When you tense, he expects trouble. When you keep cool, he takes confidence from you.Tip/Quote of the Day # 252What you are used to doing will often feel right to you. However it is worthwhile to make sure it really is correct, before you practice that way so many times that it becomes an ingrained habit that will be difficult to change.Tip/Quote of the Day # 251Lunge lessons are extremely invaluable, as they allow you to focus more on learning to feel what your body is doing, since you don't also have to worry about controlling the horse.Tip/Quote of the Day # 250One of the most important things for you to think about during your Dressage Test is to maintain a consistent rhythm and tempo throughout. Even if other things are not perfect, maintaining that consistency will produce the best possible score. Tip/Quote of the Day # 249If you don't take the time to do things right, you will usually have to take the time to do things over.Tip/Quote of the Day # 248Don't "sort of" have a contact. Try to either ride with a connection, or with a loose rein. That "in between" area, where there is sometimes a feel and sometimes not, is where horses learn to fear and/or evade the contact.Tip/Quote of the Day # 247Great quote from Facebook fan Lisa Hamilton-Smith ~ "Contact is a living breathing thing. It's elastic from the elbow and has little to do with the hands. Imagine your elbows are holding the rein, and that your contact is then held by your seat/trunk rather than the hand in any way. The hand merely holds the rein."Tip/Quote of the Day # 246If your horse tends to lean heavily on his inside shoulder when making transitions, think about a few steps of spiral outbefore asking for the transition. Tip/Quote of the Day # 245The key to training horses is patience and consistency... stick with it and you will get there!Tip/Quote of the Day # 244Remember to take advantage of any hills you may have to build your horse into a stronger athlete. Progressive hillwork done several times a week, with days in between for muscle recovery, will build your horse up to a peak level of strength... which of course will make his job easier for him. Tip/Quote of the Day # 243When learning movements like shoulder in and haunches in, always start out with minimal angle and focus more on the quality of the bend. Tip/Quote of the Day # 242Asking a horse to bend before instilling a basic understanding of lateral aids is like asking a child to read sentences before he first learns the alphabet. Tip/Quote of the Day # 241For those of you who don't get a lot of riding time, but want to build up strength in your legs, riding in a standing position while pedaling on a bicycle works the leg muscles in a similar way to riding.Tip/Quote of the Day # 240From Facebook fan Anna-Lindsay McIntyre ~ "If my abs don't hurt throughout my ride, I know I'm doing something wrong."
Of course this may not be true once you are really fit and strong, but it is always a good sign when you can feel your core muscles after a ride. :)Tip/Quote of the Day # 239"A three-day event is not a test of speed and endurance, it is a test of character." ~ Jimmy WoffordTip/Quote of the Day # 238Sometimes it's hard to tell exactly how close you are to success. That's why you have to keep going... to find out.Tip/Quote of the Day # 237Activity doesn't really start in the horse's hind legs... it starts in his brain. He has to decide to create activity before it will appear. Why is this significant? You need to train his brain to understand and respect your light leg aids, rather than try to physically push him anywhere. Tip/Quote of the Day # 236Make it a habit to pet your horse with your inside hand when you reward or give the rein. That way you can be in the habit of maintaining a consistent connection on the outside rein.Tip/Quote of the Day # 235If you really think you can (or can't) do something, your horse will usually believe you. Tip/Quote of the Day # 234On cross country, riders always need to have a "plan B" in their heads while on course. And sometimes a plan C and D as well. Being ready to change your plan in an instant can make or break your success.Tip/Quote of the Day # 233“Learn to cease the aids.” ~ Nuno OliveiraTip/Quote of the Day # 232Imagine that you have two headlights on your chest, and turn your headlights slightly into the the direction of the turn, while still keeping a level and erect beam of light.Tip/Quote of the Day # 231"Riding is simple - it's just not easy." ~ Jimmy Wofford
What does this mean to you?Tip/Quote of the Day # 230"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 # 229"Dressage is the art of putting one crooked body on top of another crooked body and making them both straight." ~ Richard WeisTip/Quote of the Day # 228When you hurry a horse, you usually just get to the wrong place faster.Tip/Quote of the Day # 227From Facebook fan Annette Gaynes ~ "Scott Peterson gave me advice of thinking of myself as a chimney and letting my horse's tension pass through my body and out instead of holding it in so it could build." Tip/Quote of the Day # 226"The horse’s response cannot be to say to his rider, 'You blinked. I can’t jump when you blink. I can’t work under these conditions!' Oh, no. The fact that you needed three-sixteenths of an ounce more pressure with your reins or that your heels could have been down another five degrees has nothing to do with it. He knows how to jump. You arranged an obstacle in his path, and his job is to jump—first time, every time." ~ Jimmy WoffordTip/Quote of the Day # 225You can give the rein without throwing away the contact. As with most things in riding, giving the rein should be subtle. Tip/Quote of the Day # 224“Teaching is more than imparting knowledge, it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts, it is acquiring understanding.” ~ William Arthur WardTip/Quote of the Day # 223Always be on the lookout for the horse's natural tendency to step to the outside of its body with the outside hind leg in circles and turns, in an attempt to avoid loading the hind legs. Only by truly bending in the ribcage and staying on the track with the hind legs will riding figures cause the horse to carry more weight behind. Tip/Quote of the Day # 222Riders who can accept and learn from criticism will generally improve the most. Tip/Quote of the Day # 221If you keep your horse balanced at the gallop 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. Tip/Quote of the Day # 220You cannot judge how "light" a horse is entirely by the feel of the reins. Many times riders are fooled into thinking they have found true lightness, when in fact the horse is just posing in a false frame. Tip/Quote of the Day # 219Systematic, progressive training is like stacking one building block squarely on top of another, to eventually build a strong, solid building. Done this way, you have a solid foundation, and can simply "go back a step" if you run into difficulties.Tip/Quote of the Day # 218Do not let your hot horse train you to ride with no leg. Every horse must learn to accept both the hand and the leg. Tip/Quote of the Day # 217Don't wait until the horse is doing something perfectly to reward. You must reward the horse when he begins to go in the right direction of the correct response, however slightly that may be.Tip/Quote of the Day # 216If you can maintain an elastic, bungee cord like connection with the reins, no matter where the horse goes with their head, they will more quickly learn to accept that contact. Tip/Quote of the Day # 215"Dressage is the art of teaching the horse to carry you. Riding is the art of learning to be a good load to carry." ~ Richard WeissTip/Quote of the Day # 214"Whenever a horse has learned a new movement or a new aid in its basic form, the rider should give him a break and deliberately ride something else for a few days or weeks. When he returns to the movement, he will notice how much more easily the training will proceed." ~ Reiner KlimkeTip/Quote of the Day # 213Transitions engage the horse's mind as well as his hind legs.Tip/Quote of the Day # 212Always refresh the forward after any period of lateral work. Tip/Quote of the Day # 211"Travers improves the horse’s bend and makes him more obedient and attentive to the calf aid." ~ Ernst Friedrich SeidlerTip/Quote of the Day # 210"First and foremost is attitude. You have got to have the right attitude to succeed. How bad do you want it?" ~ George MorrisTip/Quote of the Day # 209“For a horse to be in balance, it has to be relaxed - which is why it must not be compressed.” ~ Nuno OliveiraTip/Quote of the Day # 208
It is very important to treat each horse... and each situation, individually. When problems arise - sometimes the best answer is time, patience, and encouragement. While at other times, strong corrections might be in order. A big part of success in interacting with horses is being able to read each situation accurately. And that comes with experience.
Tip/Quote of the Day # 207In addition to the suppling benefits, basic lateral work helps the horse to understand that the rider's leg creates engagement of the hind legs, rather than merely speed.Tip/Quote of the Day # 206People often tend to forget their outside leg in the equation of the bending aids. If you want to achieve true bend in the horse's ribcage, your outside leg must keep the hind quarters on the track. Tip/Quote of the Day # 205"Most people bend the neck because the neck is more flexible than the back, but in truth, you’re supposed to bend the horse with your inside leg in his ribs. You make the horse straight by bending on curved lines.” ~ George MorrisTip/Quote of the Day # 204From Facebook fan David Wilson ~ "Communicate more effectively - not necessarily more vigorously."
