As a rider, it can be easy to think that the only way you can improve your skills is to ride. And yes, riding is important; obviously! However, you can also use lunging as a way to develop your coordination and aids. And not just on the ground, but also to benefit you and your horse when you’re in the…
For some reason, many riders have a negative story around artificial aids. And yet, most riders use artificial ads on a daily basis, whether riding or on the ground with their hose. What is important to remember is that artificial aids are neither positive nor negative. They just are what they are. And you can use them to create a…
Sprinkled liberally all over the arena and every ride. That is how important the half halt is to your riding. However, it is also an important aid on the ground with your horse. And, it consciously practicing it on the ground can really help to clarify the aid for you, as a rider. So many riders think that the half…
It’s probably one of the first things you were told on your first ride. It is also, for many riders, a misunderstood concept. The truth of ‘heels down’ is that once you can correctly master it, it is an absolute game-changer for everything else in your riding. It is that important. How much your heel is down will depend on…
Have you ever thought about what you can feel, in the saddle as you ride your horse? The physical connection points you have with your horse each time you’re in the saddle. Often we can become so caught up with our aids and what we ‘should’ be doing, that we forget to focus on the actual points of physical connection…
The canter to trot transition is the one transition that so many riders don’t ever think about until they are in the midst of it. So much focus and attention are put into getting into the canter, and yet the ‘getting out of the canter’ is just left to chance. Today I want to give you a few ideas to…
