One of the fun things about canter is the ‘moment of suspension’. Except when this ‘moment’ applies to the rider, not just the horse! Yes, there is a moment when the horse will be ‘off’ the ground; suspended in midair. However, we definitely don’t want you to experience this bouncing in the canter. Becoming airborne whenever your horse strides in…
Getting into the canter can be a challenge! For so many riders the transition into the canter can be a truly bumpy, hair-raising, rushed, and flat experience. There is none of the upward, poised, clean, and intentional 1 that leads to the 2, 3 for the canter stride. It is just a matter of creating enough momentum with a flat,…
Your hands are an aid in your riding. So understanding why the way you hold your reins and how to judge the height of your hands when riding is important. And realizing how much your hand aids are impacting and affecting your riding can change everything. As riders, one of the first things we learn is how to ‘hold’ the…
Rhythm is genuinely one of those things that can seem so simple on the surface. And, don’t get me wrong, rhythm is a fairly simple concept. However, when we begin applying it to horses and riding, it is truly eye-opening just how deep we can go with the idea. A little like groundwork for horses… And, because rhythm is something…
Contact can often look effortless for some horses and riders. And yet, for many other riders, consistent contact can seem like an enigma. Any efforts at consistency tend to lead to heaviness. Or a complete lack of any contact! So where is this fine line between consistent, quality contact and washing lines? In order to develop contact with your horse,…
So you are a place in your canter where you want to begin to do a little ‘more’. After a quick ‘google’ of all the different exercises, you see a canter to walk pop up a few times. Canter to walk?! Without a handbrake?! Yes, and even better, this will begin to prepare you and your horse for so much…
