Strides for Success

Author: Lorna Leeson

Getting started Without Your Stirrups in the Saddle
What this episode is all about & how it can help you:-
- The benefits of riding without stirrups
- The difference between a ‘draped’ leg and a vice grip!
- How relaxation requires a little effort on your part
- A few ideas about getting started today
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Riding without stirrups is something many riders won’t even dare to try. They understand how important it is for their riding and the development of their seat, however the fear of the unknown (and potentially slipping off) holds them back from trying.

Relaxation when riding without stirrups is vital, but not to the extent that your position is compromised. Many riders think relax and instead begin to collapse! This can be seen when riders stop being responsible for carrying themselves in the saddle and, instead, become heavy and a burden on their horse.

Riding without stirrups is your perfect opportunity to work on draping your legs around your horses sides. Doing this lenghtens your leg, which – over time – will improve your communication with your horse.

I encourage you to start slowly when it comes to riding without stirrups. Take a step by step – one day at a time – approach and the benefits to your communication with your horse, and to your general riding experience will soon outweigh any initial confidence issues you may have had.

Happy Riding
Lorna

Links mentioned in the episode:-
- https://stridesforsuccess.com/webinar/
- https://stridesforsuccess.com/join/
Past Daily Strides Podcast episodes that will compliment this topic
- Improving Your Feel in the Saddle
- Riding Your Horse BareBack
October 16, 2017
Riding Alone; How To Keep Moving Forward
Riding alone – does this best describe you and your horse when schooling and working? If so, I understand how it can sometimes leave you feeling like you are trying to piece together a difficult jigsaw puzzle – with no ‘picture’ to help guide you! Things not quite fitting together how you would like them to.

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You’re not alone. Equestrians who are riding alone often find themselves struggling with:
- - a lack of motivation
    
    not knowing if challenges are caused by horse or rider error
    
    a lack of accuracy & consistency
    
    no accountability (“I’m just too tired to ride today”, anyone?!)
    
    riding the same 30 minutes for the last three years…
    
    the temptation to jump from A to B (without doing all the required work in between)
It can be disheartening, especially as you probably were initially so excited about riding alone and working your horse by yourself.

However, if you are struggling – there are definitely ways that you can start, today, overcoming those challenges. So before you give up, which is the unfortunate end result for many of the thousands and thousands of riders out there riding alone, I want to give you a few ideas today on how you can turn your situation around.

How you can make riding enjoyable, pleasurable, interesting, and, well, fun again for you and your horse.

1. Regular Inspiration

Now, this seems a little obvious, but a lack of motivation can often be overcome by tapping into some really small, but potent, inspiration. What is it that really gets you excited about horses and riding?

For some people, this can be a simple as doing something different, such as getting out of the arena. However, I am willing to bet that you have already wrung every drop of inspiration out of riding somewhere new – meaning a different approach is needed.
- - Podcasts | Daily Strides Podcast
    
    Magazines
    
    Blogs
    
    Local show / expo / clinic
    
    Online Communities (join mine HERE & HERE)
    
    Pinterest | Strides for Success
Different mediums work for different people, so find what works for you and then make time in your schedule to tap into that source or feeling regularly.

And remember, motivation will wear off, so it needs to be repeated on a regular basis to be effective.

2. You or Your Horse?

This one can be tough and confusing to try to figure out. You find yourself riding alone and trying to work through a specific movement, or master a particular principle. Over and over and over again you try, but it is just not coming together or happening.

If you had a pair of eyes on the ground to guide you alone, the ‘course correcting’ would be much easier, but you don’t. It is just you and your horse – and this problem!

There are two ways you can deal with this challenge and I would suggest trying both, together, in order to really gain some insights on what is going wrong and why.
- - Start a riding journal
    
    Take regular videos of your riding for comparison purposes
The riding journal can be initially a little time-consuming and bothersome. However, if you can capture a few details after every ride you will find that it becomes one of your greatest resources in identifying patterns. I have a full detailed blog post on this HERE

A riding journal will also help you pinpoint the cause, as opposed to treating the symptom.

With the videos, I have written a full blog post on this and how to implement it in your riding HERE

3. Increasing Your Accuracy & Consistency

This is actually one of the easiest pieces of the riding alone puzzle to begin putting together. There will be a little work up front, but overall it will be something that can be put onto ‘auto-pilot’ pretty quickly in your riding.
- - Install ‘markers’ around your arena or riding space
    
    Identify potential ‘markers’ if working outside the arena
Now, many riders think that they have to get the expensive markers, or they feel that they must have an actual arena. But ‘markers’ can be as basic as a large rock or a tyre and as sophisticated as professional dressage markers.

And regardless of where you ride, this is something you can make work for you. You can even go so far as to use trees, electricity poles or (yes, I am Irish, so don’t judge me here) potholes in the road as your markers!!

What is important is that there is something or somethings that don’t move and you must ride past. Then begin planning your transitions, your halts, your bends, your circles, your school movements, your leg yielding, your lengthening, your shortening (the list is endless) at those markers.

Accuracy happens when you can do what you want to do at the exact point you want to do it. This is when your body passes the marker, not your horse’s head or tail. You.

Now, you can also use these markers to improve consistency by creating little challenges for yourself. “Every time I pass a marker, I will half halt and rebalance”. Simple, yet effective.

Implementing Change to Move Forward

So there you have it. We have covered the first three challenges on our original list and I really hope that you get some ideas here on how to move things forward.

You can also download a free plan HERE to show you how to use One Exercise Mulitple Ways

In there I will show you how you can begin mapping out some work for your riding. There will be an actual plan you can use. I will also be showing you how you can begin adding more outside accountability into your riding and how you can get out of frustration and move into clarity when riding alone.

Happy Riding

Lorna

Additional Links to Help You:-
- - Planning Your Rides – Part 1 Fun
    
    Planning Your Rides – Part 2 Partnership
    
    Planning Your Rides – Part 3 Training
    
    Planning Your Rides – Part 4 A Free Exercise for You to Use
    
    Lunging for Riding
    
    Online Community for Equestrian focusing on Planning and Mindset
    
    Online Community for Riders Working Alone or with an OTTB
    
    Stop Wasting and Start Investing Time with Your Horse
    
    What’s Your Number in Your Riding?
    
    A Plan for 7 Days in Your Riding
    
    Plan Your Ride with These Simple Steps
    
    Transform the Next 12 Weeks in Your Riding
    
    Connection; the Online Membership for Equestrians
July 10, 2017
The Training Scale for You & Your Horse

It is always nice to have a plan or a map to follow when learning something new. The training scale is that map for many riders when they begin schooling their horse. However, the training scale can be equally as valuable for you, the rider. It is a road map to help keep you on track with your riding.

So before we begin, let’s be clear about what the training scale actually is. The training scale is sequence of different aspects of training which, when worked through, has been found to develop horses correctly for being ridden.

While each step is an individual aspect of training, none of them will be worked on individually. There is a relationship between all of the steps – and that association must be maintained throughout the horses training.

For the sake this blog post, we are going to call each of these aspects ‘steps’. Another way to look at them is as blocks. One must be laid down in order for the next to be placed on top.

They take a horse from the very foundational ‘basics’ of rhythm and relaxation and, when used correctly and thoughtfully, build up to the ‘pinnacle’, which is collection.

Many riders think of the training scale as being a ‘check list’ of sorts. They feel that once they have reached step 1, they should only focus on mastering step 2 and so on. When you consider the training scale, it is worth noting that no one step can be correctly achieved when another step has been ignored or cast aside in order to do so.

The training scale should rather be approached with a more holistic mindset. Yes, the bottom steps need to be in place in order to successfully build on the next step – but while mastering the bottom steps, a keen eye should be kept on all the steps. This same principle applies when working on the top steps, the bottom steps need to be the basis of that work.

No one step of the training scale can be taken and worked on independently and in a vacuum

So taking this all into account, let’s have a quick overview of those steps and how they look for both horse and rider moving forward.

The Foundation – Relaxation

Relaxation is often included with or instead of the first two steps of the training scale. However, I believe that relaxation starts before a saddle is ever even place on the horse. The term relaxation is a confusing one for many riders; mostly due to our pre-programmed ideas of relaxation including a swimming pool, a lounger and a beverage!

True relaxation is when horses and their riders lack excess tension, physically and mentally

Some tension is needed in order for the horse to carry himself. This is also true of the rider, a certain amount of tension is necessary. It is the excess tension, caused by anxiety, stiffness, fear, nervousness, excitement and a whole list of other basic feelings, that causes the lack of true relaxation in the horse.

The amount of relaxation required will depend on both horse and riders level of training. Relaxation is relative, however it is also essential to correct riding – in both horse and rider.

Step 1 – Rhythm

Rhythm can be defined as a “strong, regular, repeated pattern of movement or sound”. The key words in that description are regular, repeated pattern. Each horse has their own natural rhythm. This is equally true of riders.

Rhythm, like relaxation, starts on the ground. The rhythm of the routine you have created for your horse. What works, what doesn’t. Learning to know your horses natural rhythm begins here

In the saddle, the repeated pattern is the footfalls or hoofbeats. The rhythm should not change. It can be repeated more or less in a given time – and this the tempo that is being changed – but the rhythm itself should remain the same.

As a rider, you must learn to first follow the rhythm. Many riders try to force a rhythm on their horse, however forcing the rhythm will actually break your horses natural rhythm.

Rhythm must initially be worked with, not worked on

A loss of rhythm will immediately direct your attention to a loss of balance. It is learning to pin point that very first beat out of your horses natural rhythm that will determine your success as a rider. Once the break in rhythm is identified, you can work at re-establishing it again.

Rhythm & relaxation must be present in all other steps of the trainings scale in order for them to be correct and true

Step 2 – Suppleness

Suppleness, rhythm and relaxation are often shuffled around on the first two steps, depending on what training scale you are working from. However, rather than allowing this to confuse you, think of all three as being equally as essential in order to begin building things further. Visually, it would look like a triangle, all parts being necessary to maintain each other.

Suppleness is the elasticity or ‘loosey gooseyness’ that your horse needs in order to use himself to the best of his abilities. It is the ease at which he can perform the work required of him

Many riders think suppleness is address solely in the warm up phase of riding and schooling, however your horse must have suppleness throughout all his movements when being ridden.

Stiffness will stop the energy flowing through your horse; and in order to truly connect your horses back-end and front ends together, that energy must be allowed to flow as easily as possible

From the riders perspective, a lack of suppleness will negatively impact the horses way of going. Riders often make the mistake of focusing only on their horses suppleness. They then become frustrated as their progress seems to stall. The rider must try to consistently improve their own suppleness if they wish to be effective in the saddle. Remember, the training scale is equally as important for the rider as it is for the horse.

Due to its direct impact on the flow of the energy through your horse, suppleness, along with relaxation and rhythm, must be present before your horse can begin working on step 3 of the training scale.

Step 3 – Contact & Connection

Once both you and your horse can perform work to a certain level while effectively maintaining relaxation, rhythm and suppleness, you can begin working on improving your contact and connection.

I like to think of the contact as being a conversation with your horse. A good conversation has a certain give and take, and ebb and flow, to it – and it is important to consider this when it comes to your contact

Many riders think of contact as being the thing that creates the ‘head carriage’ in their horses ‘frame’. Unfortunately if you approach contact or connection in this way, you will actually set your training – and your riding – backwards.

Contact must first of all be established and then maintained as the horse is being ridden. It requires soft hands, soft elbows and also good posture and position in the saddle. A fixed contact will lead to the disappearance of the relaxation and suppleness in both you and your horse.

Contact and connection are like the ‘banks’ of the river that is your horses flow of energy. They are how you can begin to direct, influence and channel that energy as your horse is working

For this reason, it is important to consider your overall position, seat and leg aids as being a part of the contact. If you seat is heavy or if you are pushing, or shoving with your seat, that energy cannot flow, which will then prevent you from having that elastic contact you need in order to correctly work your horse.

Steps 4, 5 and 6 – Impulsion, Straightness & Collection

As your horse works through the first three steps of the training scale, rhythm, suppleness and contact, it is important to keep the next steps in mind.

For example, there is a certain amount of energy needed to come from behind, impulsion, in order to truly maintain a working contact. There is also a certain amount of straightness needed when working on truly suppling your horse.

I will go into more detail on the other three steps of the training scale next week. However, I strong suggest working on your relaxation and rhythm with the end in mind.

It is also worth noting that, as I mentioned at the beginning, the training scale is not a checklist. You cannot forget about rhythm as soon as you begin working on suppleness, or even collection. Each of the steps need the previous steps to be in place and operating correctly in order for that step to be mastered. Collection cannot happen without rhythm being present.

And all of the steps have the potential to test the abilities of both you and your horse, even at the most basic levels of your training. Investing the time and effort in learning to master the basics will see both you and your horse progress correctly later.

If you download the free poster of the training scale, I will send you some information on each of the ‘steps’ in more detail. It is 100% free and you can sign up HERE to access it.

Happy riding
Lorna

May 23, 2017
How Well Does Your Horse Understand Your Aids?
Have you ever become frustrated when someone is failing to understand and respond appropriately to your requests and communications? Have you ever experienced this in the saddle? For many riders, they noticed that, even more frustratingly, this often occurs when they feel their riding should actually be improving.

You’re not alone. Many riders begin to feel this way after they have taken action to improve their skills in the saddle. It could be that you invested in extra lessons, attended a clinic, joined Daily Strides Premium, completed the 30 Day Rider Fitness Challenge… Perhaps you have studied a little more deeply as to the hows and whys of particular aids and the timing of them. Whatever it is, you will have recently done something to take your skills in the saddle to the next level, but it actually seems that things are going backwards!

The first thing that comes to mind for many riders is their horses responsiveness, or the lack thereof, when they apply their aids. However, I want you to ask yourself, is it a responsiveness issue or a basic language breakdown you are experiencing?

Often we improve our riding, but fail to update our horse on the fact that the situation has changed

Now before we go any further, firstly I think it is fantastic that you are working towards better communication with your horse. But remember, your knowing what to do and then you doing it is only one half of the equation.

Your horse has not attended the same ‘study group’ and, if we think of our aids as a language, he has no idea that the dialect has changed…

Part of improving your skills in the saddle is to effectively communicate with your horse in order to update his ‘responsive’ and ‘listening’ skills as well. However, before you rush out and begin ‘retraining’ your horse, you need to first figure out exactly what he understands, and what has gotten lost in translation.

I suggest starting at the beginning with the basics. How effective are the simple ‘stop / go’, ‘steady’ and ‘turn’ commands working? Very often we learn how to better control our seat when directing our horse, however our horse is still listening for the ‘old aids’.

Next time you are in the saddle, work on establishing the basics again:-
- Half halt
- Moving forward and slowing down
- Bending and turning
From here, you will need to test how well your horse is truly understanding your aids. Knowing what he understands and what is being ‘lost’ will give you a good starting point to move on from.
- Test the walk to halt
- Test the walk to trot
- Test the canter transitions
- Test the ability to adjust the length of the stride
- Test how your horse understands the lateral aids
Once you know where you stand with your horse, you can then look at how you can begin to educate or train your horse to understand your aids, giving you both clearer communication in the saddle.

To help you with this process, I have created audio programs for you to download, for free, that will take you step by step through this process.
May 2, 2017
Riding alone? Are you Making Progress in Your Riding?

Have you ever noticed how things are less fun when it consists of the ‘same old, same old’ day in and day out? Many riders make the mistake of thinking that making progress in their riding only pertains to riders who compete, or desire to do so…

However, having had a riding school and livery yard for 12 years now, I can tell you first hand that the biggest reason people give up on their horse riding dreams is lack of progress.

Getting your first horse, whether it be a lease horse or actually purchasing a horse is one of the most exciting and memorable times in the life of a horse lover. A chance to do what they love – whenever they want!

Unfortunately your first horse will also tend to coincide with more time spent riding without a trainer or instructor in the arena with you. There is no longer someone there planning out your rides, guiding you along and keeping you and your horse ‘on track’.

Now, I say unfortunately because while this may indeed be fun and a bit of a novelty initially, this can all change quite quickly. Why? Well, like anything we do where we don’t have someone holding us accountable, if we are not disciplined and focused it becomes very easy to take our eye off the ball, or in this case the goal – which is progress.

Now there are a few obvious solutions to this – like get an instructor – but sometimes this is not always possible. And sometimes you might just enjoy riding alone with your trusty steed…

There are ways to make sure you are making the progress you want with your horse while riding alone. Here are a few ideas to get you started:-

Begin with where you are

In order to really begin identifying the key areas you should be focusing your attention on, you first need to asses where you are right now with your riding.

Many riders make the mistake of never considering that something might be holding them back, which leads to them never progressing at all with their skills and knowledge in the saddle.

Ask yourself a few questions…

How much progress have you made in the past 6 months?

Sometimes progress can be difficult to quantify, particularly when we don’t have regular lessons or compete regularly.

However, it is just a matter of knowing what to look for, to see if you are indeed progressing as a rider…

You should always be progressing in both physical capabilities and in mindset and thought

Think of your last ride. What part of the ride felt the most natural for you? What part did you feel could improve? Now, think of yourself and your riding 6 months ago… Ask yourself the same questions – and if you have the same answers then, yes, something is a little ‘stuck’ with your progress.

Imagine what a trainer would say to you if you stayed at the same level, despite consistently getting into the saddle. The sad fact is that many riders do not see their time in the saddle as an investment. Your time

There will always be something you are working on improving in your riding. There will always be something that needs more attention in order to happen with greater ease and softness. HOWEVER, these things should change as you improve as a rider.

How much progress as your horse made in the last 6 months?

Horse riding is a team sport, you and your horse. This is why it is important to assess the whole team when we are looking for obstacles to progress and success. This can be difficult when you are riding alone, however it is certainly not impossible. Again, it all comes down to knowing what to look for…

Assess your horses progress as you would your own. Is your horse still struggling with the same challenges? Is the training progressing and building your horse, both physically and mentally? Is your horse learning new skills and refining the older ones?

Where would you like you both to be 6 months from now?

Once you have a clear picture on how the past 6 months have impacted your riding and training, let’s turn your attention to the coming 6 months.

Knowing what the ‘destination’ looks and feels like

So often we allow ourselves to become ‘stuck’ where we are. Either we cannot see a way to go forward, which is usually mindset and confidence issue. Or we have set big goals and don’t have a plan to actually make them happen.

Either way, becoming ‘unstuck’ can be as simple as really knowing what you truly desire in your riding.

Is it the ability to have a ‘secret conversation’ with your horse? Is it the feeling of confidence in both your own and your horses abilities? Is it that feeling of connection which, up to now, has proved elusive in your riding?

Once you have a starting point, start fleshing it out… Ask yourself a few questions about what this ‘desire’, when achieved, will look like. Where will you be? What horse will you be riding? Who will be there with you? How will it feel?

Simple questions that start to move you mentally, from where you are to where you need to start going.

Riding alone does not have to mean the end of progress when it comes to your skills as a rider. Becoming clear on what you want – and how that will feel – is the key to making your time in the saddle, whether it be with an instructor or if you are riding alone, ‘worthwhile’ in the greater scheme of things.

It is so much easier to move forward when there is something wonderful pulling you there. The desire to be a better rider is a strong one. Harness it in your riding by going a little deeper and figuring out what you truly want in your riding.

Happy Riding
Lorna

April 24, 2017
Whats Holding You Back in Your Riding?

Seems like a simple enough questions, doesn’t it? And when you read the above question, ‘what is holding me back in my riding?’, you probably instantly answered it in your head.

What was your answer?

Now, most of the time I am all for taking the first answer that jumps into your head, the intuitive answer. Except today, I want you to dig a little deeper…

Why?

Well, because very often what is holding you back in your riding is either a story you keep telling yourself and others, or an excuse that you have formulated to protect yourself from something ‘uncomfortable’…

It sounds harsh and it is probably not what you wanted to read when you started this post. However, in order to really uncover what is holding you back, you need to begin to become very honest with yourself and identify why you are really allowing things to stop you from progressing with your riding.

Unmasking Your Stories

Have you ever noticed how what you continue to tell yourself, will usually become a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts?

It is so important as a rider to become aware of the internal conversations you are having every day – and editing them where necessary.

The reason these ‘conversations’ become a reality is that your brain will actively seek out ways to confirm and validate your beliefs. If you think that you cannot canter due to an injury you had twenty years ago, guess what? You probably won’t be able to canter because of that injury you had twenty years ago!

However, if you start to tell yourself a new story, your brain will – over time – begin to look for ways to confirm that. This allows you space and room to begin moving away from the old, original story.

Over time you can completely change your beliefs about what you can or cannot do. You can mould your beliefs into you need them to look like in order to move forward.

Now, it is important that we don’t actually go out and tell ‘porkies’ or lie to ourselves and others here. But rather turn the story around. Your old ‘I can’t canter due to old injury’ story can become ‘I’m working towards learning to canter again’.

This is a true story; in fact it was exactly what you were doing all along, it is just how you have phrased it or ‘told the story’ that has changed.

So, start with becoming really aware of what you are telling yourself and others, and editing where necessary to suit how you want your riding to progress.

Unmasking Your Excuses

Ohhh, this one will make me a little unpopular! However many of the ‘reasons’ we tell ourselves things are the way they are – are actually excuses in disguise.

A reason is an explanation of what happened and why it happened. It is logical.

An excuse is a reason that tries to justify what happened. Blame is usually placed somewhere – and rarely is it correctly placed.

Most people find that when they are using excuses to justify something, they have to defend it. It is not just stating the facts of the situation. They feel they must hammer the point home.

If we take the transition out of the canter back to trot, for example, the excuse might look like “my transitions are not smooth because the trot is too bouncy when I transition down”. A reason would look like “I struggle to remain balanced as the horse transitions back to the trot.”

The difference? The excuse puts the responsibility of the problem out of your control. The reason states the facts – and gives you a focus point on where to begin working on your riding, the balance.

As you ride today, put all your ‘challenges’ through the excuse / reason filter and begin editing where necessary in order to put the ball back in your court. Taking responsibility is the only way you can begin to actively improve your riding.

Honesty and Compassion

Once you have begun to get clear on what you are telling yourself and others, it is important to make sure you don’t fall into the trap of beating yourself up.

There is a fine line between taking responsibility for your riding faults and depreciating your abilities in the saddle.

We are all on a journey with our riding. Your journey is unique to you. Beating yourself up over a lack of progress will only serve to damage your confidence in your abilities in the long run.

These exercises are to help you get ‘unstuck’ when it comes to your progress. Make sure that the ‘excuse pendulum’ does not swing back the opposite way and you begin laying all the blame at your own feet.

There is a balance in riding. There are many moving parts. There can be many reasons things are not working out… Explore all the different possibilities before creating a plan to move forward.

By being really honest with yourself and then compassionate enough to accept that you will not be immediately brilliant at everything you do, you will open to the door to explore what things you do need help with.

Your mindset is the first key to begin making changes in your riding. Spend the next few days being aware of the stories you are telling and the excuses you are using in your riding. These are the keys to beginning to really unveil whatever it is that is truly holding you back in your riding.

Happy Riding
Lorna

Once you are figured out what is holding you back, taking action on removing that block is essential. Knowledge is only power when we use it to make something happen.

Join our free Facebook group, filled with riders from all over the world on a journey to improve their riding – one step at a time. Sometimes letting someone know that you intend to take action on something is enough to start that ‘change’ ball rolling.

Share your story HERE and let me know what your first ‘action step’ is to get over what is holding you back from being the rider you want to be.

Good luck!
Lorna

Returning to Riding

Are you returning to riding? Are you feeling a little overwhelmed with it all? I may just have the thing to help you get back into the saddle – and enjoying yourself there again!

The Original Returning to Riding Plan is a complete step by step audio program that takes you from ‘not riding’ to regularly riding and enjoying yourself again. The plan is laid out over 6 weeks, however, you have lifetime access to go over it again and again as you want in the coming weeks, months, and years.

You can find all the details HERE. And I wish you all the best in making your ‘Returning to Riding’ as enjoyable and successful as you dreamed it would be :)

April 18, 2017