Strides for Success

Author: Lorna Leeson

  • Identify the Habit Holding You Back

    Identify the Habit Holding You Back

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    We all have something, right?  That thing we do that every time we catch ourselves doing it, we feel a tinge of guilt… But without fail, regardless of all the beating ourselves up, we will be back doing it again soon.

    Now, I could have been talking about anything there… any number of bad habits that you have cultivated (yes… cultivated) over the years, however today I am referring specifically to the habits we form in the saddle that are less than helpful to us as riders.

    As with anything in life, the more time you spend riding, the more opportunities you have to become complacent about the little things.  Things which, initially might not count for much but that compounding effect can be a real nightmare once it gets going in the wrong direction!

    Consistency will bring you results, regardless of what you are being consistent with.  Meaning that the old saying that practice makes perfect is definitely not always the case.  Rather ‘perfect practice make perfect’ when it comes to consistently improving your riding skills.

    Identifying the Habit Holding You Back

    However, where do we begin?  What do we start with?

    Identify the Habit

    Identifying what you are doing in the saddle is the first step to breaking the habit and overcoming the issue.

    However, before we proceed, a word of caution… Very often what we perceive as riders to be the problem is actually not really the issue at all.  It is merely a symptom of a greater flaw that is manifesting itself as the more obvious thing you are seeing.

    The quickest and easiest way to identify the root bad habit is by asking a professional riding instructor or trainer to evaluate your riding for you.  They should pick up pretty quickly what is happening to cause your problems and then also, give you pointers or exercises on how to improve this aspect of your riding.

    But, I realise that you may not have access to a trainer or instructor to help you solve this.  If this is the case, there are a few ways you can locate the core habit yourself.

        1. Firstly, find a rider that is doing what you want to do correctly.  Keep in mind that a lot of riders, while successful, may not be the best person at that particular thing… So choose wisely!
        2. Once you have found this person you are going to begin comparing yourself in similar situations to this person.
        3.  Photographs or videos of yourself riding will help you, but in order to be really successful, you will have to take quite a few over a period of time in different situations.  Compare them and begin looking for patterns in your riding.
        4. Using the photographs or videos, along with a riding diary which will record how the ride went, you can then begin to find the pattern you are looking for.

    Identify the Trigger

    So, once we have become aware of the habit, we then need to begin working backwards to identify the trigger. This is the circumstance that begins the sequence of events which leads to you falling into this pattern that you want to break in the first place.

    This will involve working backwards a little. From the point where you notice you are indeed doing it again. This is so that you can find the exact point where you transition from a correct way of riding to where you are doing the thing you wish to put a stop to.

    Is there a particular horse, or a particular movement that seems to trigger the habit more so than others?  Does riding in a certain area or with a certain person attribute to your downfall?! Or perhaps the trigger has nothing to do with riding itself and everything to do with the food you ate last night, the glass of wine you drank, the argument you had before you left the house for the stables?!

    As pleasure riders, our emotions and moods are tightly woven and integrated with our riding and time in the saddle, so don’t forget to have a look at this aspect of your life as well.

    What causes the trigger to happen?

    Just like everything else in life, your bad habits in horse riding can probably be traced back to either a perceived fear (or stress) or a lack of knowledge.  It’s hard to know you are doing something wrong if you don’t know what you don’t know!

    With regards to the knowledge aspect, this can be rectified by simply researching the subject, having lessons or classes on the topic and just finding out more about how to do it correctly.  The part that will take time is then reprogramming your habit. It involves removing the wrong way and inserting the correct way for doing that particular thing.

    If you realise your trigger is more fear-based, this may take a little more work on your part.  

    A lot of the time when we feel stressed, whether in the saddle or out of the saddle, we learn to react in a certain way that we think will benefit us.  The downside to this is that our mind is a wee bit clouded by the ‘fear’, so it may not really be the best way at all.  Identifying what is causing your fear and then thinking logically and rationally about it will help to uncover this.  Also, working on how you react in day-to-day life will also help.  Very often merely learning more about the subject that is stressing you will help to shift your mind from fear to more of healthy respect…  Which will allow you to begin acting differently.

    Cultivate awareness in the saddle

    So once you know what your habit is and what is causing you to react this way, you need to begin noticing those points in your ride!  This is easier said than done.  Remember the habit or behaviour is your ‘go-to’ action.  Noticing you are doing it or about to do it will be difficult at first.   However, it can be done.

    By consciously thinking about what you are doing and when you are doing it you will soon be able to notice little things that previously you were unaware of.

    Be aware of your body at all times in the saddle and ride the movement you are riding at that moment.  Stop thinking about 10 steps ahead and what will happen during dinner tonight!

    Instead, for the coming weeks, make your intention for each ride to be really present and in the moment throughout.

    Focus on how you want it to be

    This is where a lot of us get caught up.  We know what we don’t want to do, but ask us what we want to do….  We draw a blank!

    Just like when riding a naughty horse, rather than focusing on the bad habit or behaviour, focus your attention on the opposite.  The good action or behaviour that you want to replace it with.

    By placing your attention here, you will have a far greater chance of making this happen, repeatedly, and thus becoming your new habit.

    Use visualisation to see yourself succeeding

    Did you know that your brain does not know the difference between what you think and what you do?  Use this to your advantage by continuously visualizing yourself successfully riding the way you want to ride.

    Include in there all the good habits you wish to cultivate, all the skills you want to learn.  When you are visualising yourself doing it, don’t just see it, feel it as well.  

    Perhaps you can just sit on a chair and imagine your body moving as you want it to move.  Spend your time travelling to and from the stables thinking about how it will feel to ride that movement correctly and with confidence.

    If you are struggling to even imagine yourself changing your current habit, imagine someone you know of who can easily do what you want to do.  

    Once you have this person in mind, visualise yourself copying or mimicking how they react in a situation or ride a particular movement.  Slowly, it will become easier and easier for you to picture yourself doing the same.

    Safety and Success in Numbers!

    Things are always more fun when done with a friend…  Breaking a habit is no different!  Get a partner or a friend to help you overcome your bad habit, either by pointing it out each time you do it or working on a habit or behaviour of their own that they wish to change.

    Hold each other accountable, support each other and when either of you slips up or revert back be there to offer support and motivation to try again tomorrow.
    Identifying the habits holding you back

    Change the circumstances or situation

    Finally, if you are still struggling to overcome your bad habit I suggest changing things up a little.  Get out of the arena or paddock you usually ride in.  Try that movement in a different place in the arena.  Build up to it with a different exercise.

    The choices are endless with regards to how you can make differences in your ride and often just changing one small circumstance is enough to form a crack that will eventually break the habit.

    Time… Oh, Time… Time…

    Remember not to overdo it at the beginning… It will take time to replace the pattern that you are currently doing with a new and better way, but remember that you can do it.

    Also, what will seem difficult at the beginning will soon become second nature to you as you soon make your new habit the go to one when that trigger occurs.

    Go easy on yourself and acknowledge that you will have some slip-ups along the way.  When they do happen, remember the fact that you are now noticing them happening is half the battle to changing your patterns.

    Then simply set a new rule about how you will react in that situation going forward.

    Happy Riding

    Lorna

    Additional Resources on This Topic

     

  • Solving Leg Yield Problems

    Solving Leg Yield Problems

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    How many times have you asked your horse to leg yield, moving forward yet sideways, only for it to become frustratingly obvious a few steps into the moment that what is happening underneath you is definitely not what you had in mind?!

    Asking our horses to leg yield is one of the first introductions they will have to lateral movement.  It introduces our horse to the concept of not just going in straight lines and moving forward, but also adding in some lateral or sideways movement as well.

     

    It is a wonderful exercise for supplying our horses and has the added benefit of being easy enough to introduce to younger or less schooled and developed horses who have not yet achieved collection in their gaits.

    What is Leg Yield?

    A true and correct leg yield happens when your horse moves forward and sideways, along a diagonal line, keeping their back straight with a slight flexion of the poll away from the direction you are travelling.

    So, if we were traveling down the center line and wanted to leg yield to the right, back to the track…  Your horse will flex his poll to the left. Your left leg and hand will be your inside. While your right leg and hand will be your outside.

    Leg yield is when your horse is moving forwards AND sideways.  While maintaining rhythm, tempo, balance, and forward impulsion or energy in a consistent way throughout the movement. No change…

    Solving Your Leg Yielding Challenges

    What Can Go Wrong?

    While the leg yield is seen as a basic movement and, as mentioned, an introduction to more advanced and challenging lateral movements, there are many factors that can go wrong both before, during, and then after the movement.

          • Your horse’s hindquarters may trail or lead the shoulders
          • Too much bend through his neck or back
          • Loss of rhythm and tempo
          • Loss of forward movement or impulsion
          • Lack of preparation by rider before the movement
          • The rider leaning or ‘shoving’ the horse using shoulders or hips
          • The rider’s reins being too long

    Does Your Horse Understand?

    Before we get into how to solve each of these problems, I think it is important to first make sure your horse understands what is being asked of him as he is performing the movement.  You can do it on the ground. Simply ask for sideways movement.

    For example, in the stable, while grooming, you will ask him to move ‘Over’. As you ask, apply pressure with your hand on the area that you will later apply similar pressure with your leg while riding.

    You can also take your horse into the arena or schooling area and again, using pressure from your hand with the simple ‘Over’ command, ask him to move away from that pressure.  This then translates well into the saddle, when you can again ask for ‘Over’ and apply the pressure with your leg where you have been training your horse to move away from with the same voice command using your hand.

    I have a full program Groundwork for Riding that teaches you how to do this and more HERE

    Improving the Quality of the Leg Yield

    Once your horse begins to recognize and understand what ‘Over’ is and what you require of him to perform the movement, you can then begin focusing on the quality of the movement.

    As mentioned, one of the big challenges is keeping your horse straight throughout the movement.  Simply put, his shoulders must remain square in front of his hind quarters throughout the leg yield.

    It will be your horse’s natural inclination to rather have his hindquarters trailing his shoulders, which will mean that he is either bending through his back or that he is falling out through his outside shoulder.  Keep in mind that your horse must remain straight through his back at all times.

    One of the easiest ways to keep focused on where you are going is to keep your horse’s shoulders square to something while keeping his back parallel to another marker.  This way, you have a reference point of sorts by which to measure the quality of the forward and sideways movement.  

    I suggest beginning on the quarter line, shoulders square to the end of the arena, and then asking for a leg yield back to the track, all the while keeping his back parallel to the outside track while the shoulders remain square to the end.

    Begin in Walk

    Start your preparations in the walk, as like many riding movements, it is easier to perform the leg yield in the walk first and then work up to trot.  Focus on establishing a rhythm that has your horse moving forward in the walk.   Pay attention that you are moving with your horse, following the movement and that you are sitting correctly in the saddle, weight equally distributed across both seat bones.

    As you ask your horse to yield to your leg, keep this phrase in mind…  “Leg yield, not rein yield!”  

    Often we become so focused on our horse moving sideways that we forget it is primarily off the leg rather than the hand or rein. Remember to use your inside rein to merely ask for a slight bend through the poll, a small flexion to the inside (which will be in this case the side your horse is yielding to).  For example, when leg yielding from the left to the right (a leg yield to the right), your left side will be your inside.

    Engage Your Outside Rein

    Also, remember that your outside rein is there to help regulate the rhythm. And also ‘gather up’ the movement created from your inside leg.  Very often when riders are asking their horse to leg yield, they overuse the inside rein. This creates too much bend to the inside, while at the same time completely forget about the outside rein.  This results in a loss of rhythm, perhaps even a break in the gait, and generally allows the energy to fall out through the outside shoulder.

    Your outside rein will help hold the work you have put in during the preparation all together while your horse leg yields

    Another important point to keep in mind is the reason you are asking your horse to leg yield, to begin with.  It is not just a means to an end, but rather an exercise which when ridden correctly will improve your horse’s overall way of going.   This means that while the quality of the leg yield itself is important, so too is how your horse finishes the movement and, even better, if it has improved his overall way of going afterward.

    Your Outside Leg

    Correct use of your outside leg will ensure you reach the end of the leg yield movement with the same impulsion and energy you had created and prepared while going into it.  Very often riders are so focused on their horses yielding to their inside leg, that they completely forget about the outside leg. They only apply it to ‘end’ the leg yield and the sideways part of their horse’s direction.

    Your outside leg is much more than this.  It should be used to make sure your horse’s outside back leg remains engaged, pushing off and creating energy.  

    The inside back leg will cross over in front of the outside back leg each stride if the leg yield is being performed correctly.

    However if the outside back leg is not then coming forward and underneath the horse with each stride, the horse will begin to move more exclusively sideways, rather than forward and sideways… Which is what’s necessary for a true leg yield

    Rhythm; Step by Step…

    Focus on riding the movement step by step.  Rather ride two or three strides of correct leg yield than ten steps of mediocre or even bad quality.  Make sure you are carrying your body, your hands and that your hips and pelvic area are relaxed and supple enough to allow both you and your horse to move.

    Finally, make sure you are not leaning to one side or the other.  

    You should aim to remain perfectly upright, poised, and light in the saddle.  Therefore allowing that improvement in your horses’ way of going that the leg yield will cultivate when prepared and ridden correctly.

    Happy Riding

    Lorna

    Additional Resources on this Topic

    Solving Leg Yielding Challenges

  • The Correct Diagonal In Trot

    The Correct Diagonal In Trot

    Finding the Correct Diagonal in Trot

    There you are, happily trotting around the arena, delighted at the fact that you can ‘post’ correctly; until someone goes and bursts your bubble by pointing out that you are on the wrong diagonal…  “Sit for two” they shout your way…  And you’re thinking ‘Come again?’!

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    What is the Diagonal in the Trot?

    Being on the correct diagonal is to do with rising or posting to the trot.  We know that when our horse trots, his legs move in diagonal pairs, the front inside with the back outside and the front outside with the back inside.

    Your horses way of travelling, in diagonal pairs, is what creates the two-time beat that we experience in trot.  The 1,2,1,2,1,2…  or, when we rise or post to the trot, the up, down, up, down, up, down.

    Posting or rising on the correct diagonal in trot is when you are sitting or down when your horse’s outside shoulder (and inside hind leg) are on the ground.  This means that you are rising or posting when the same outside shoulder and inside hind leg and moving forward.

    There is a well-known ‘rhyme’ to help riders remember which diagonal pair is the correct one to post.  It goes ‘Rise and fall to the leg by the wall’.  This pertains to the front leg closest to the wall, or the outside shoulder, which when we are first being introduced to a diagonal, is the easiest way to establish if you are correct or incorrect.

    So, Why Worry About Which Diagonal You’re On?

    Remembering which diagonal is the correct one is important.  However, understanding the reason you ride on one diagonal or the other will help you move forward in your riding training.

    It actually has little to do with the outside front leg, or shoulder.  It has more to do with the inside hind leg, the other half of the diagonal pair to the outside front leg, which is creating the energy and impulsion in the trot.

    As your horses inside hind leg comes onto the ground, this is the point where he is most balanced.  

    Your being ‘down’ at this point will help to maintain this balance, particularly around turns, bends and circles.

    Using Diagonals to Help with Equal Development

    The other consideration or factor with riding the correct diagonal is that you are equally conditioning or working your horse’s back and hind end.

    As your horse trots, his hind legs are constantly pushing him forward.  If you were to always ‘sit’ or be in the ‘down’ part of your rising trot on the same hind leg, that constant one sidedness would begin to show itself over time in a lack of suppleness through your horse’s back.

    Therefore, while you are in an arena or an enclosed space and assuming you are working your horse equally on both sides, you can use the wall or fence as your ‘outside’ reference.  

    However, as soon as you leave the arena and perhaps are on the trail or the road, there is no ‘outside’ or ‘inside’.  When posting to the trot along a long straight road, it can be easy to forget about diagonals.  This can potentially be an issue for your horse.  This is because your outside and inside may not change for long periods, if ever.

    Therefore it is important that you are consistently changing your diagonal periodically throughout the ride.

    Learning to Feel which Diagonal You Are On

    Learning to feel which diagonal you are on at any given time takes consistent effort and focus on your part.  You should aim to eventually be able to literally feel which diagonal you are riding on at any given stride.  I will explain more about that later in this post.

    However, initially I recommend using  your eyes to make sure you are indeed riding on the correct diagonal.  Seeing is much easier than feeling initially. And you can use your sight to ‘train’ your feel over time. 

    I suggest beginning in walk where you can learn to distinguish, using a glance of your eyes, where your horse’s outside shoulder is at any given time.   The term glance is an important one here/  This is because if we begin to lean or even tilt our head down to see what is going on with the shoulder, it changes our weight in the saddle.  This will, in turn, unbalance our horse.

    So, while you are walking, glance down at the outside shoulder and notice it going back and forward.  Many instructors will recommend noticing the forward and coupling this with your ‘rise’ or ‘post’.

    In my experience it is far easier for you as a rider to notice the ‘back’ part of your horse’s stride.  Once you have that pinpointed, you simply couple this with the ‘down’ or ‘sit’ part of your rising trot.

    While in the walk practice your posting or rising to correlate or synchronise with your horse’s outside shoulder position in every stride.  It also helps to say it out loud; “back,    back,    back,     back” and again, match this with your ‘down’ action.

    Putting This into Practice in the Trot Itself

    From here you can begin to pick up working trot.  However, this time, before you give any notice to your horse’s shoulder, I recommend you say “back” each time you are down or sitting as you are going through the motions of your posting or rising to the trot.  Saying it out loud, will help as well.  Once you have been repeating this for a few strides, where it becomes almost like a rhythmical mantra of sorts, you can then begin to glance down and see where your horse’s shoulder is.

    The reason I suggest repeating your new ‘back, back, back” mantra out loud is that you may find it difficult to keep paying attention to what you are doing, while also figuring out where your horse’s shoulder is!  It all happens quite fast when actually working through this.

    So, while you are repeating “Back” each time you sit, you can begin to see if this does indeed align with your horse’s shoulder being back at the same time.   If it does, fantastic, you are on the correct diagonal.

    Changing Your Diagonal

    However, if you see that you are rising on the incorrect diagonal, you can simply sit for two.  This means that as you are going up, down, up, down, up, down with the trot, you will put two downs in there.  Your sequence will be up, down, up, down, down, up down, up, down.  

    By sitting for two beats, or indeed any even number (four, six, eight etc) you will swap your diagonal and when you go ‘up’ again, it will be on the opposite diagonal.

    Developing Your ‘Feel’ For Your Diagonal

    Once you are able to tell which diagonal you are on with just a quick glance, you can begin to develop your ability to feel the correct diagonal.  Again, I am going to suggest beginning in the walk.

    First notice how your seat bones move backwards and forwards.  It can initially feel like they are moving together, but try to isolate this a little more; they are actually moving individually.

    Then begin to take notice of how they move up and down as well.  For example, as your left seat bone moves forward, it will have ‘dipped’ lower than your right seat bone. As this is happening, your right seat bone will also be on the move.  It will be moving backwards, and will be higher than your other seat bone.

    This backwards, forward, up and down feeling you are noticing is happening because your horse is moving.  His hips are moving your hips and seat bones.  What is important is to recognise that his hips are moving, because his hind legs are moving.

    Therefore, if you start to become mindful of how your seat bones are moving and where they are moving to, you will know exactly what is happening with your horses legs.

    Feeling the Movement in the Sitting Trot

    Once you can feel this movement in the walk, you can begin working in sitting trot.  Many riders think of sitting trot as being a purely up and down movement, however, this will change when you begin to focus your attention on your hips and what they are doing as you ride the sitting trot.

    You will feel that at each ‘bounce’ (beat one) of the trot stride, one of your hips will be higher than the other one.  The next bounce (beat two) will produce the same result, but on the opposite side.

    This is caused by the diagonal pairs of your horse’s legs in the trot moving underneath you.  From here, you can begin to isolate what your outside hip is doing.  When it is up, you can begin to rise at that point in the trot.  This will be the posting part of your trot.

    You rise as your horse’s inside hind leg is moving forward underneath you and as his outside shoulder is moving forward.  You will then ‘sit’ as your horse’s inside hind leg and outside shoulder are on the ground and your horse’s body is moving over them.

    The Correct Diagonal Impacts Your Horses Development

    As mentioned, when you are riding on the correct diagonal, your horse more balanced on turns and circles.  However, the correct diagonal will also affect your horses way of ‘going’.

    When on the correct diagonal, as his inside hind leg moves up and forward, you are rising along with it out of the saddle.  This literally frees up more ‘space’ for your horses inside hind leg to move into.  

    The more developed both you and your horse become, the greater the importance of this ‘space’.  As riders, we want to give our horse instructions, aids, when they will be most effective for our horse to take action on.

    How our horse engages or uses his inside hind leg is one of the biggest factors in the quality of the gaits our horse produces.  The balance, rhythm, tempo and just overall performance.  Therefore knowing where your horse’s hind legs are at any given time, regardless of the gait you are in, will help you to begin timing the application of your aids more effectively. 

    Developing Your Ability to Ride the Correct Diagonal in Trot

    Effective application of aids and timing of aids leads to clearer communication between horse and rider.  It has a direct impact on the overall quality of the conversation in the saddle.

    Therefore it makes sense to take the time to begin learning what is moving when underneath you; and then implementing that in your day-to-day riding.

    Happy riding!

    Lorna

    Links to related content & freebies:-

  • Working Long and Low

    Working Long and Low

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    So often when we are riding, relaxation for both ourselves and our horse is one of the goals for the ride.  This being so, you may have tried working him long and low. And probably during warming up or cooling off.

    However, you may also have noticed that asking your horse to work long and low can be pretty hit and miss…  He might get faster and faster as he becomes really unbalanced and begins falling onto his forehand…

    What is Long and Low?

    Working your horse long and low involves stretching and elongating his topline, from the tail to the poll.  

    It helps to build his topline, strengthening the ‘suspension’ muscles underneath you and also, create more longitudinal suppleness, which will benefit your horse greatly while being ridden.  So often when riding we think of suppleness as bending and flexing from left to right and while this is true, this is lateral suppleness.

    Working your horse long and low helps with his elasticity and flexibility from tail to poll, along his back, which is essential to his correct development.

    Riding your horse long and low

    Increasing Flexion with Long & Low

    When riding your horse in a long and low frame, you will feel his hindquarters swinging underneath you.  This is due to the muscles in his back becoming more supple and loosening up.  This can only happen when your horse relaxes enough through is back, allowing the energy to flow and connect.

    This results in your horse developing an increased range of flexion and movement in his joints, which will allow for a bigger, more flowing, step or stride. And a more sound horse!

    Your horse should remain balanced, in rhythm and have a consistent forward movement while he is working in the long and low way, whether in walk, trot or canter

    Riding ‘the Rainbow’

    When you are correctly working long and low, think of your horse’s back as being a rainbow. And you’re perched on the top of that rainbow!  And just like with a rainbow where the ‘colour stripes’ begin at one end and follow through right to the other end, your horse’s energy should do the same.

    From the hindquarters, right through the back and to the contact with your hand in front.

    First Forwardness…

    First and foremost, there must be forward energy or impulsion happening in the gait.  This must come from the horse’s hindquarters coming in underneath him and ‘pushing’ off with each step.  It is also vitally important to maintain contact with your horse’s mouth.

    As your horse reaches forward and stretches down, your hands must follow.  Otherwise, you restrict him and may cause him to lean and get on his forehand.  

    Your job is to help keep the impulsion and the contact consistent while the horse is working long and low, all the while being light in the saddle. This is so his back can rise up and almost ‘arch’ underneath you.

    However, often riders do not understand the mechanics behind this frame and this generally results in a few different ‘variations’ of the movement. A lot of these ‘variations’ will result in your horse failing to maintain the balance, rhythm and forwardness that is required.

    Front-Wheel Drive Verus Rear Wheel Drive

    If the hindquarters are not stretching in underneath him, your horse will quite simply be in ‘front-wheel drive’. This is when he is pulling himself along using his shoulders rather than ‘rear wheel drive’; pushing from behind.  Horses that are in front-wheel-drive cannot then elevate their back due to there being no real support behind for the ‘suspension’ to happen.  They also cannot elevate their front end, which must lighten if true connection and suspension are happening.

    Simply put, if there is no forward energy or impulsion coming from the hindquarters to keep pushing that energy through, the ‘rainbow’ that is your horse’s back will cease to exist, making long and low impossible.

    Dropping the Contact

    Another incorrect method of the long and low movement being ridden that is often seen is the rider literally throwing the reins at the horse and hoping this will result in the horse stretching himself.  The rider completely fails to keep contact with their horse’s mouth.

    When asking your horse to transition into a long and low shape, the contact with your horse’s mouth is essential at all times.  Your horse must stretch into and reach for that contact.

    Even though your horse’s head and neck are much lower than where they are usually positioned when working, maintaining a consistent contact is essential if you are to contain the energy that is being created behind.  

    Your horse will reach down and almost stretch into the contact, which will see you lengthening your reins gently, stride by stride, as your horse stretches more and more.  However, your lengthening of the reins must happen in unison with your horse stretching, and most certainly not before!

    Blocking with Your Body

    One of the other, often seen ‘variations’ is the rider leaning forward with their upper body. They somehow think that if they themselves stretch long and low, their horse will follow suit!   Not only will this inevitably unbalance both the rider and the horse, but you are also literally ‘blocking’ your horse’s back from rising up to meet you.

    Remember, part of your horse working in the long and low frame comes from him engaging his tummy muscles to lift himself.  

    You must rather think of your riding position as lightning up with your horse. However, it is more of an up stretch, allowing for your horses back to then come up and meet you there than a forward lean.

    Start when Cooling Down

    I suggest that if you and/or your horse are new to this way of going to rather try after you have finished working your horse and are cooling down.  This way your horse is more inclined to want to stretch his back into the long and low shape and also, you will more likely to be working nicely in a balanced, rhythmic movement.

    While you can ask your horse to work like this in walk, trot and canter, I personally think trot is generally the easiest gait to ask in.

    This is due to the walk often not moving forward enough (with a great potential to get sticky and choppy) and the canter going the opposite way and moving too forward initially!

    When you are asking your horse initially, begin by doing something ‘different’ with how you ride, so your horse can see a difference.  One way of creating this difference is by positioning your hands differently.

    Try keeping your hands wide and lowered, but again, only as your horse reaches down into the contact.

    Maintain Forwardness & Flexion

    Remember to keep the forward energy happening throughout the movement.  Use a circle or bend to help with the flexion and suppleness, which even though more lateral, will help him also loosen up longitudinal as well.  You can begin to encourage this by using your inside rein to ask for some flexion through his poll towards the inside of your circle.

    Only ask for  3 or 4 strides of long and low initially, as your horse will have to develop himself to carry this frame for any length of time.

    Maintain Your Posture

    Keep in mind that you must be sitting up and allowing him to arch his back and bring it up. This is as his hindquarters come underneath him and as he stretches his head and neck down.

    If you are heavy or collapsed in the saddle in any way, you will block this energy resulting in your horse hollowing his back rather than lifting or arching it.

    Stay in rising trot rather than sitting trot.  This is because if you tend to bounce, the sitting trot will cause you to ‘dig’ into his back and encourage him to duck and hollow his back away from you, not lift his back up underneath you

    Maintain Contact

    Focus on keeping an unbroken line from your elbow to your horse’s mouth.  As your horse lowers his head and neck, you too will have to lower your hand to maintain this line.

    However, equally as important to remember not to completely straighten your elbows as this will cause a jarring effect on your horse’s mouth and again, result in him becoming hollow along his back and trying to evade your contact rather than trust it.

    When he has begun to drop his head and neck and stretch down, focus on your position.  Feel his back rising or growing in height underneath you and use this to remind yourself to continue to sit tall in the saddle and stay light.  Focus on balancing your shoulders above your hips, not leaning forwards, backwards or to either side.

    You’ll Know When You Feel It…

    Finally, remember to enjoy the amazing sensation when your horse correctly works long and low.  If you are wondering if you got it right or not, trust me, it is one of those things that once you achieve it, you will definitely feel it :)

    How long it takes your horse to understand what you are asking will really depend on your horse.  Some horses have become so used to leaning on the rider’s hands. Travelling on the forehand like this will take some time for them to build up the trust and strength to work long and low.  Other horses love it and almost naturally transition there after work to ‘stretch out’ their muscles.

    Either way, you must remain consistent through your aids and patient while asking your horse.

    Your horse must first learn to accept your contact before you can begin asking him to work in a long and low frame.  

    From there, it is up you to maintain the impulsion and forward movement that is necessary to maintain the balance and rhythm, that will result in your horse reaching for the contact and truly stretching his topline.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources on This Topic

    Working Long and Low

  • Riding a Clean Flying Change

    Riding a Clean Flying Change

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    Think back to the last time you were cantering along on your horse and a change of rein was coming up.  You began the task of preparing to drop back a gear into a trot to change the canter lead.  “Better than losing rhythm and balance through a flying change…”  However before you even got there, your horse (being the clever guy that he is) decided to take matters into his own hands. And with what felt like a skip, Voila, he had performed the flying change all by himself…

    The flying change is one of those things that we tend to, as riders, overthink in our heads.

    However, the simple truth of the matter is that flawless flying changes happen when we focus on the preparation and then allow our horse to perform the change without interference from us in the saddle.

    Riding a Clean Flying Change

    What is a Flying Change?

    A flying change is when your horse changes from one canter lead (let’s use right canter lead for this example) to the left canter lead without having to return to trot to do so.  It is essentially a ‘skip’ or suspension mid-stride.

    And during this ‘suspension’ your horse will change the sequence of his footfalls resulting in him swapping leads.

    Before you begin working on flying changes it is important to make sure you and your horse are ready.

    Pre-Requisites for Flying Change

    You should be both capable of riding a balanced canter. This means moving with your horse as he moves. Also, you should have an independent seat when cantering.

    I would also insist on the ability to tell, by feel, what leg is where underneath you as your horse canters. This is important for timing the change correctly.  

    Your horse must have sufficient strength for a balanced, rhythmical canter, during which he is truly straight.  He must also be responsive to your aids. As in, waiting for ‘further instructions’ from you throughout the canter.

    It is also an advantage if both of you can correctly lengthen and shorten your strides while cantering, maintaining impulsion, rhythm and balance while doing so.

    Physical Strength & Development

    Asking your horse to perform a flying change before he is physically and mentally ready can result in confusing him and even training him to only half perform the change, changing only in front rather than in front and behind.

    If your horse is not quite ready yet, perhaps he does not have enough physical strength, you can still use the following exercises in walk and trot to build up to a flying change later.

    As I mentioned before, the preparation of the quality of the canter leading up to the flying change is vitally important to ensure a clean change.  This simply means that your horse changes both his front and back legs to the new sequence of footfalls for the new canter lead at the same time.  Investing your training time in this preparation will ensure a clean change when you do eventually ask for it.

    Timing of Your Aids

    The timing of the aids for flying change is also essential and in order for your horse to have enough time to receive your signals and then to act accordingly. SImply put, you must ask for the flying change at the right time.

    The correct time is just before the inside front leg or leading leg touches down on the ground in the canter stride.  This is the 3 in the 1,2,3 beat of the canter.  This is why being able to tell what is happening underneath you at any given time throughout your time in the saddle is so important to clean, balanced transitions and changes.

    I suggest beginning your work on a 15m circle on the left rein in a walk, mimicking your position as it would be in canter.

    By practicing in the walk, you can begin to condition your body to respond in the manner you desire at the correct time.

    Your inside leg (left leg) will be on the girth, your outside leg will be slightly behind the girth.  Your inside seatbone (left seatbone) will be slightly in front of your outside seatbone and your inside shoulder (left shoulder) will be slightly behind your outside shoulder.

    You will have a consistent contact through your outside hand and your inside hand will be soft and offering, so as your horse’s inside shoulder can move forward in the canter stride.

    Practice in Walk & Trot

    Now, as you are on the circle, choose a place where you can at an imaginary X, straighten for 3 strides before tracking right onto a 15m circle to the right.  Don’t move onto the circle initially, but be aware of where the X is as you are riding.

    Beginning planning your ‘change’ by noticing the footfalls.  If necessary, glance down to your horse’s shoulder and to make sure you are indeed ‘asking’ when your horse’s front inside (in this case left) shoulder is moving forward and preparing to touch down on the ground.

    I suggest building to this by riding a few half halts, as you would when you canter and then at the desired place, begin straightening your horse just as the inside front leg reaches forward and quickly and quietly swap your inside to your outside and vice versa.

    Work on moving your legs and hands first, and then following with your seat and shoulders.  Your legs and arms will help straighten your horse through the ‘transition’, while your seat and shoulders will then shift as your horse makes the change, following along with his movement.

    Moving to Canter…

    Work on this a few times in walk and then begin working in trot. Change rein on the circles if necessary to ensure your horse does not become bored.  When you feel you are in control of your body, you can pick up the canter on the circle.

    As mentioned before, the quality of the canter is vitally important. Ride some transitions. Also lengthen and shorten the canter on the circle to help engage your horse’s hind quarters.

    If your horse has a tendency towards a flat canter, you will have to work on adding more ‘bounce’ into the canter in order to perform a clean flying change.  Again, transitions up and down between canter, trot, and walk as well as within the canter gait itself will help with this.  Also, remember to use your half halts to help rebalance and engage the hindquarters.

    Once you feel your canter is of good enough quality, you can begin again planning the change of rein from one circle to the other however you are going to initially ‘gear down’ to walk or trot in order to change canter lead.

    Take the time to ensure your horse does not lose balance and also that you are not shuffling or shifting your weight in the saddle while your horse is in the area around X.

    Pay attention to asking your horse to straighten before asking for the canter on the new lead.  Once you have ridden this a few times, using the walk or trot as a catalyst between canter leads, your horse will begin to anticipate what is happening.  Use this to your advantage.

    Asking for the Flying Change

    Prepare the canter and, making sure you are timing it correctly, make the changes and ask for the flying change.  It should be a clean ‘strike’ which will feel like a skip underneath you. Work on then maintaining the rhythm of the canter on the new lead as you continue around the circle.

    Once you have mastered the flying change between circles, you can begin working them into other areas of your schooling.  Canter down the center line and again, at X ask for the flying change.

    This is particularly eye-opening to see how straight your horse is during the transition and how balanced he is on the new lead.  You can use poles if necessary to help keep you straight as you move down the centerline.

    Things to Watch Out For…

    Make sure that you are not leaning with your upper body through the transition.  Many riders think an over-exaggerated ‘lean’ or ‘push’ with their upper body is the key to riding a flying change. However, this will only serve to unbalance your horse and confuse the situation.

    If your horse is struggling, or if he is changing in front and not behind, take things back a few steps and try again.

    Often, most of the problems that show up surrounding the flying change are a result of not enough ‘suspension’ in the canter, meaning that your horse does not have enough time to change the sequence of footfalls.

    If you are sure that your canter leading up to the change is sufficiently energetic, consider that perhaps you are leaning, particularly with your upper body while asking for the change, which is throwing your horse off-balance.  Focus on sitting up through the transition and ‘allowing’ it to happen underneath you.

    The flying change is a wonderful movement to ride, however asking too early in your horse’s training will do more harm than good in the long run.  once again, make sure your horse is sufficiently strong enough to ride the movement before you start.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources to Help with This Topic

    Riding a Clean Flying Change

  • Applying the Rein Aids while Riding

    Applying the Rein Aids while Riding

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    Do you find yourself becoming confused and frustrated about how you are supposed to be using your rein aids while riding?  Do terms such as soften your rein, fill up your rein, hold with the rein, lighten the rein leave you baffled?  Not to mention how much pressure is good and how much is too much?!

    I want you to take a quick trip down memory lane and back to your first ride on a horse…  Chances are that back then, before you knew any different, you thought of your reins as the means to steer and stop your horse.

     However, you soon began to realize that while your reins make up part of the system to do this, in order to really have a happy contact with your horse, you needed to reframe how you think of your reins. And what you use them for.

    Applying Your Rein Aids while Riding

    What are Rein Aids For?

    Your reins are, first and foremost, the way that you collect the energy your horse creates in his hindquarters and back, so you can then channel it where you want it to go.

    This is done through you have a consistent contact on the rein. This allows your horse to build trust in you that you won’t catch him or drop him while he is working into that contact.

    However, before you can even begin thinking about this, we must first discuss how your hand will come to meet the rein and the effect this has on you and your horse.

    An Extension of Your Core

    While your hands are holding the actual reins, it is good to keep in mind that they are merely acting on behalf of your body.  

    This means that any aids happening through your core are connected to the conversation you are having with your horse down the rein with your hands.

    A practical example of this is a pony trying to eat grass while being ridden.  Riders that depend on the strength of their arms to apply rein aids will be pulled forward out of the saddle when the horse puts his head down.  However, a rider that is connected through their seat and core, merely using their arms and hands as an extension of this, will sit tight as their core will come into play rather than their arms.

    Your Hands and Arms

    It amazes me that so many riders still believe they are strong enough through their arms to ‘win’ a pulling match against their horse.  The sad part is that the pulling match should never happen to begin with.

    Your hands have an important job of gathering up the energy created by your horse, however, this can only be achieved if your horse trusts your hands enough to connect that energy with them

    Next time you are in the saddle, become aware of the fall of your arms as you ride.  Is it a natural fall?  Are you perhaps overarching your back? Is this resulting in your elbows being slightly behind your body?  Or maybe you are collapsing your upper body causing your elbows to be in front of your body?  How supple and flexible are your elbows?

    Your arms should fall from your shoulders in a natural position.  

    Being supple and soft means that there will be little tension in them, just enough to carry your hands, which should be on a straight line between your elbow and your horse’s mouth along the rein.  Your wrists should be straight, never clawed or bent.  In fact, if you have to claw your wrist to ‘activate’ the rein, your reins are too long!

    Your fingers and hands should also be soft and supple.  Try not to clench your fingers into a fist.  Rather use your thumb as a ‘clamp’ to hold the reins which will allow your fingers to follow and communicate with the rein and your horse’s mouth.  Keep the pads of your finger tips as the touch point with the palm of your hand.

     

    Suppleness Through Your Body

    If your horse trusts you to be consistent and considerate with the rein, he will ‘seek’ the rein by moving his poll forward and down into the contact.  A horse trying to evade or get away from a sharp hand will rather move his head up and back, causing his back to hollow.

    Focus on keeping your hand and elbow supple and elastic.  Move with your horse

    So often horses that have been labeled as lazy or not very forward are this way because of a rider that failed to follow with their hand.  Turning your knuckles on top, rather than your thumb, causes a similar scenario.

    When you think of giving with your hand, think of allowing through your fingers first and then, if necessary through your elbows.  It should be a slight, subtle communication with your horse.  Work on how you can ‘allow’ using your fingers and next time you ride see if your horse responds to this more subtle direction.

    The same applies when you think of taking or restraining; imagine moving the pads of your fingers closer to your wrist or ball of your thumb, gently closing your fingers rather than stiffening or clamping your fist.

    Building Responsiveness

    As you are practicing this, pay attention to how much pressure you are applying and how your horse responds.  This can be a confusing principle for many riders.  And it is often compounded by the fact that their horse may have already become a little hard or unfeeling through his mouth due to being ridden with hard hands before.

    I suggest that rather than thinking about applying pressure, reframe that into what is necessary to ride your horse at that time in order to achieve or maintain the desired outcome.  Then, over time, make adjustments and refine how you are applying the aid

    The amount of pressure in your hand will directly correlate to how your horse is going. From the hindquarters through the back. And then resulting in where his head and neck are positioned due to this way of going.

    Rein Aids & Self Carriage

    The more true collection your horse has achieved, the lighter he will be in your hand. This is because he is now carrying himself. The result is that his poll having lifted up and is now situated closer to your hand.  When working in a more relaxed outline, there will be a more consistent pressure.

    Your job, as the rider, is to maintain that balance between your hand and your horse’s mouth through the rein.

    However, if your horse is heavy on the forehand or leaning, you will feel a distinctly heavy and uncomfortable amount of pressure or weight down the rein.  This is due to your ‘carrying’ him, rather than, as we just mentioned with the collection example, him carrying himself.

    Consistent Contact (versus ‘Piano Fingers’)

    The final point I want to talk about is ‘piano fingers’!  Many riders think that by opening their fingers completely on the reins, they are somehow being nicer to their horse.  Bear in mind that contact through the rein is a conversation.  And conversations are a two-way street…  Opening your fingers stops you from hold up your end of the chat!  Rather work on being more supple and following through your hand, elbow and shoulder.

    From there, when your horse learns to trust your contact, you can begin refining the pressure and movements in your communication.

    I also feel it is important to note that this consideration of your horse’s mouth should colour all aspects of your time in the saddle.  From gathering up the reins initially. To shortening and lengthening the reins (which we have a video on). And even to rewarding your horse by softening or giving with your inside rein.

    Subtlety is the key to success where your horse’s mouth is concerned…  Be gentle, soft and kind at all times.

    Your Responsibility…

    It is worth repeating again that in order for your horse to truly accept the contact you are providing down the rein, you must first guarantee him that you are going to provide a steady, soft, consistent contact to begin with.

    And just like your horse having to strengthen himself in order to build up to a more collected way of going, you will too.  This means finding ways to develop an independent seat. And practicing on making changes and adjustments gently and softly

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources for Equestrians:-

    Applying Your Rein Aids while Riding