What will you be doing with your horse this week? Seem’s like an innocent enough question… ‘Ah, a bit of this and a dash of that’… And there is the problem. If you committed to actually planning out the answer to this question for the coming 4 weeks in your riding, you can, potentially, change everything. The Same Thing =…
Have you ever considered that, if something is not ‘working’ in your riding, the reason might just be a lack of forward? We spend a lot of our focus on making sure we have established relaxation and rhythm. Yet, working forward is actually essential for either of those two to be present and working for you in your riding. Here…
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…
