You can feel it when your horse ‘hollows’, right? And I bet you can also feel it when your horse ‘grows a hand’ and begins to carry himself. There is either a feeling of contraction or expansion. Okay, so because we agree on that, it makes sense that your horse can probably feel the same thing… Right? And yet, so…
It is one of the most frustrating experiences as a rider when you notice that you’ve stopped improving. Progress has stalled! You’re doing ‘all the things’ but, seemingly, to no avail whatsoever. This is a common place that most riders can find themselves in at some point or another. And the good news is that there are things you can…
It can feel bumpy, right? A little more space than what you’re used to feeling. And, if there are two or more poles, well, it can all get a little unbalanced! For you and your horse. I preach all the time about the benefits of groundpoles when used correctly. And, one of those benefits comes from riders learning what to…
Timing… It’s an important element of great conversations. You can give all the correct responses, but if the timing is off – they are not as meaningful. And this affects the connection and flow. Horse riding is the same. After all, horse riding is just a word we use to describe the conversation between the rider and the horse. As…
Landing on the correct diagonal can be hit and miss for many riders. Let’s face it, there’s a chance you’ll get it right 50% of the time! And while most riders are pretty well versed on their diagonals in the trot… It’s ‘feeling’ the diagonal that causes confusion. Trotting has a two-time beat. The 1,2,1,2,1,2,1,2,1,2 that you experience and feel…
It can often sound like a jackhammer… Rrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Instead of the 1,2,3…1,2,3…1,2,3… that the canter should produce when you listen for the rhythm. And once either a horse or a rider has become ‘used’ to a different way, it can be a real challenge to get things back on track. Or on beat, as the case is when the rhythm…