How often do you dismount and honestly have no clue what you just spent the previous 30 minutes working on? If this is happening more often than you want to admit, you’re not alone. The good news is that planning can help completely change this. The conversation between you and your horse begins with the conversation already ongoing in your…
Did you know that almost anything you can do from the saddle, with your horse, you can do from the end of the lunge line? And the words lunge line there are important. I often chat with riders who believe in free lunging or loose lunging. They are not lunging! Lunging is when you are using your aids, both natural…
There is an opportunity right now to choose again. To become really intentional about what you want your riding to look like and feel like for you and your horse. Because everything has changed, you are at this unique place where you can change your riding. You can decide what is working for you and what is not, and then…
Do you have 5 or 6 poles that you can use in the arena? They don’t have to be the same length or width. In fact, the more variations you have, the better. If so, I am going to encourage you to ride this exercise a few times this week and begin noticing the differences. It is one of the…
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…
