Have you ever considered that, when riding, you have been thinking about things all wrong? You have been trying to move your horse; rather than asking your horse to move. One of the areas I see riders trying to move their horse is when working laterally. Leg yielding is a great example. Riders will try to push and shove their…
I recommend 16 to most of my riders. However, maybe your’s is 12. Or 20… The number is not really that important. What is important is that you choose one and then stick to it. And what does this number represent? Your number is the number of interactions you are committing to this month with your horse. Riding, lunging, groundwork…
Have you ever tried natural horsemanship? The name is a bit of a misnomer; is anything natural about horses and humans interacting and becoming partners? It’s debatable. However, misleading name aside, natural horsemanship can really help to build your partnership with your horse. If – and this is a REALLY giant-sized if – it is done correctly and complements what…
I have a little ‘test’ for you… Can you describe, in full detail, each interaction you had with your horse 4 weeks ago? Yes, go back 4 weeks and each of the lunging or riding sessions you had with your horse, describe what happened. How was your mood? What did you focus on and how did that go? Now, I’m…
How often do you dismount and honestly have no clue what you just spent the previous 30 minutes working on? If this is happening more often than you want to admit, you’re not alone. The good news is that planning can help completely change this. The conversation between you and your horse begins with the conversation already ongoing in your…
There is an opportunity right now to choose again. To become really intentional about what you want your riding to look like and feel like for you and your horse. Because everything has changed, you are at this unique place where you can change your riding. You can decide what is working for you and what is not, and then…