The transition into canter is one that always gives us opportunities to develop and improve as riders. And it can do the same for our horses as well. And yet, for many riders, improvement is frustratingly slow! The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Canter and transitions into the canter are one aspect of horse…
Getting into canter on an easygoing or lazy horse can be exhausting! And while we do love our laidback equines… Can we all be honest in admitting how, sometimes, just a little more enthusiasm would change everything? The good news is that you can quickly begin to change this in your horse. You see, often, the trot to canter is…
Riding, just like life, is about enjoying the journey rather than just the destination. However, when you’re transitioning from the trot into the canter – and your horse seems determined to show you just how fast he can actually trot beforehand; well, the journey is not all that enjoyable! I don’t know of a single rider who enjoys the ‘rush’…
There is a point in every rider’s journey where balance becomes less about staying on and more about increasing overall effectiveness. However, in order to positively influence the horse, the rider needs to begin working on developing better balance. I feel that one of the best ways to do this is by developing independent aids. Independent from both the influence…
I find it a little mind-boggling how, the longer we spend developing ourselves as riders, the more we need to unlearn. Especially when it comes to those first one or two initial horse riding lessons! Using your hands and arms to ‘steer’ the horse is one of those things. And, flexion is often one of the best concepts to help…
Have you noticed how, for many people, the longer they spend in the saddle, the less curious they become about a lot of things ‘riding related’? Now, other riders are the exact opposite, they want to go deeper and further in all aspects of riding. Which is fantastic. If you have found yourself doing something for the sake of just…
