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  • Learning To Adopt a Defensive Seat While Riding

    Learning To Adopt a Defensive Seat While Riding

    If there was a soundtrack for having a defensive seat while riding, ‘Jaws’ music would be it!  It would sufficiently set the tone for what is going on in your head.

    Anyone who has been caught off guard by their horse while in the saddle, knows what I mean about this.  It usually begins when your horse does something ‘unexpected’.  You lose your balance a little.  And this all coincides with you beginning to experience that awful feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach.

    You know, the one reserved for when your horse gets his back up a little. And, you just know, that in the next few seconds will begin to show you exactly how athletic and agile he can be!

    Having a horse buck underneath you is not a good thing!  Being able to stay on and ride your horse through this challenge is essential for many riders.  Especially if the horse in question learns to take advantage of the situation!

    Learning to Adopt a Defensive Seat While riding

    A Defensive Seat While Riding

    ‘Staying power’ is a term that describes what many riders wish for in moments like these!  The ability to remain in the saddle, moving and working forward with your horse.  Leanring how to transition quickly into a more defensive seat while riding will help you achieve this.

    So, rather than just accepting your fate.  Simply allowing your horse to push the ejector button when he feels like it, here’s a few suggestions to not only keep you in the saddle but also ride your horse through the bucking and back to working with you in the arena.

        1. Push your heels down (really down!)
        2. Bring your shoulders slightly behind your hips, stretching out the front of your body
        3. Distract your horse by riding him through the problem and get him to use this energy elsewhere!

    I have written some more comprehensive blog posts surrounding this topic that you may find helpful to read or listen to (there is a short 12-minute podcast episode on each as well).

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources To Help Equestrians:-

  • Riding on the Bit

    Riding on the Bit

    [fusebox_track_player url=”https://op3.dev/e/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/dailystridespodcast/576-Correctly-Riding-Your-Horse-On-The-Bit.mp3″ title=”Riding On the Bit” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” tweet_text=”Struggling with On the Bit? This will help…” hashtag=”horsepodcast, #equestrianpodcast” twitter_username=”strides_success” ]

    So, we’ve all been there, riding around the arena on our horse, desperately seeking the elusive ‘On the Bit’.   Pumping with our legs, ‘sponging’ with our hands; doing our level best to achieve what is beginning to feel like the holy grail of riding a horse!

    All the while hoping, praying, wishing (hey, when you are desperate you will resort to anything!) that a lightning bolt will just shoot out of the sky and, **Poof**, your horse is ‘on the bit’!

    The sad part is that the more we pump with our legs, push with our seat and plead with the Good Lord to show us mercy and deliver us from this agony that is our desperation… The less and less likely we actually are of achieving our goal!

    For many trainers, it can feel like there is a fine line when explaining this concept.  I am taking the brave (or stupid, depending on where you see the line) step of trying to decipher this massive mystery.  A feat by which so many riders define themselves.

    Riding on the Bit - Daily Strides Podcast - Strides for SuccessWhat Is ‘On the Bit’?

    The term ‘on the bit’ is an extremely misleading one as rather than focusing on your horse’s head, neck, and mouth.

    Your focus as the rider should be on what you are staying to your horse through your aids.  And then noticing how your horse is then using his body in response to this.

    The key to truly having your horse accepting your contact is the reason behind wanting him to do so.  So you can collect and then channel the energy that is being created in his hindquarters as it passes through his body to his front end.

    Developing On the Bit in Your Riding

    As this energy is then gathered and channelled, you will find both you and your horse on the bit.  You may only see glimpses at first; but over time this will develop.  you will both learn to establish on the bit earlier in the ride.  And also, maintain this contact and connection for longer periods as you both develop.

    The rider needs to begin making small adjustments. Not only their body, but their mind, so as they can become ‘feather riders’ and allow the horse to actually use his back underneath them.

    I discuss this topic in far more detail in the following blog and episodes posts:-

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources To Help Equestrians:-

  • Riding In A Small Space

    Riding In A Small Space

    Riding in Smaller Spaces - Daily Strides Podcast - Strides for Success

    There are certain times of the year when regular riding becomes a little struggle; winter can be one of them.  Sometimes summer can be equally as troublesome for many riders.

    Due to this being an issue at some point or another for so many riders around the world, I thought it would be fun to try approaching this seeming ‘drawback’ from a slightly different angle.

    [smart_track_player url=”https://op3.dev/e/traffic.libsyn.com/dailystridespodcast/SFA266-Riding-in-Smaller-Spaces.mp3″ title=”Riding in Smaller Spaces” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” tweet_text=”Confined to riding in a smaller space? Here are a couple of ideas…” hashtag=”equestrian #horseriding #arena” twitter_username=”strides_success” ]

    This episode of the Daily Strides Podcast is about useful exercises and movements that you can use in a smaller riding area.  When the weather is ‘extreme’ we often have no choice but to ride in smaller outdoors or indoor arenas, or perhaps the floodlights only cover a smaller section of the arena.

    For more details about what to focus on when riding in your smaller arena, I have another episode and blog post HERE.  In there you will learn how to turn this initial ‘constraint’ in your training, into an actual tool to help both you and your horse make progress.

    During these times, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that we have no alternative but to sacrifice our horse’s schooling and work; however, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

    Exercise 1 for a Small Arena

    The first exercise I suggest you ride is 10-meter circles and shallow 5-meter loops between those circles.  The whole time you are riding this, either in walk or trot, pay close attention to what your body is doing, particularly that you are not getting ahead of the movement, which is very tempting to do when riding smaller movements and figures.

    I also want you to focus on not allowing your horse’s attention to wander, and you do this by continuously asking different questions and changing the movements and patterns we are riding to keep his concentration on you, the rider

    Exercise 2 for a Small Arena

    Once you have managed to get your horse consistently riding in and out of the circles and loops, begin working on a 20m square.  Start this in walk and, once you have established and can maintain a rhythm, you can add trot.

    If you horse is developed enough mentally and physically, you can also ride this exercise in canter.  

    Again, it is imperative that we are continuously asking a different question so horse horses don’t begin to anticipate, but also don’t become bored and dull.

    You can also begin incorporating a lot of half halts and transitions into your ride, as well as some grids that are specifically created for a smaller working space.

    Happy Riding

    Lorna

    Additional Resources To Help Equestrians:-

  • Keeping a Horse Riding Journal

    Keeping a Horse Riding Journal

    You have just finished cooling down from what, in your mind, was the best lesson you have had in months…  As you are tending to your horse, that afterglow feel is radiating from you.  The feeling of achievement and success.

    And this is exactly when you need to record all that happening in your horse riding journal!

     You see, what you will probably notice is that while you can look back over your lesson and remember all the details now; this won’t last! Over the coming two or three days, when you are trying to replicate that feeling, you will often struggle to repeat what did to actually achieve it all in the first place.  This leads often to frustration, which leads to stiffness, which leads to a downright unsatisfactory ride.

    Your Horse Riding Journal

    This is why I suggest having a horse riding journal or notebook packed in your tack box.  This will ensure it is ready at the first available opportunity to use.  Usually, this will be after you dismount and have taken care of your horse. Give yourself space to then write down the important aspects of the lesson or ride you just had.  I emphasize the ‘in your tack-box‘ because even just waiting until you get home will lead to important information being forgotten and lost.

    So, why is this process so powerful in us repeating that initial ride?  Keeping track of the smaller details helps us to see patterns emerging in the long run between what is causing particular outcomes in our lessons or schooling sessions.  

    We can begin to create a better picture of what is working.  And, as a result, actively avoid what is not!  There is also a higher chance that we write down and capture specific pieces of information relayed to us by the instructor. Information that would otherwise be forgotten in the business that is life.

    I recommend using a separate notebook or journal for this sole purpose and each time you ride capturing these 6 specific pieces of information:-

    1.  Details, Location, and Weather

    Here you can quickly jot down the date, time, arena, horse, instructor, and what tack you used.  You can also note the weather, how you were feeling before the lessons, and how your horse is acting before and during the lesson.

    This information is useful to begin seeing patterns such as wind, or times of day, or indoor versus outdoor, etc.

    2.  An Overview of Your Warm-Up

    Noticing what constitutes a successful warm-up for a specific horse or discipline, is powerful.  You can soon begin being more active in riding a warm-up plan that will best prepare you and the horse for a specific schooling session or lesson.

    You can also begin tracking the other factors listed in item 1 to see if they do, in fact, influence the warm-up.  

    If you record that they do indeed seem to play a part, you can begin making changes.  Do this by formulating a plan to counteract those negative influences or incorporate more of the positive ones.  You can also begin to plan specific warm-ups for specific exercises, such as jumping, dressage, etc.

    3.  The Overall Theme of Your Ride

    What specifically were you trying to achieve with that ride?  If you had a lesson, your instructor should have outlined this at the beginning for you to understand where you were trying to go.  Sometimes we won’t actually reach the end destination we had in mind for that particular session.

    However, if this is the case, it is important to note how far you managed to get.  Also, note a few ideas as to what was holding you back regarding achieving the goal.  

    Often it will take four or five sessions towards one particular goal in order to actually reach it…  What a waste if you are not documenting the small steps towards achievement along the way.  Not only will you learn more, but you can also refer back to this if you encounter a similar problem in the future.

    4.  What Went Wrong?

    If you had an instructor or trainer present in the arena with you, writing the most repeated critique here will help you focus on what to try to improve next time.  If you are working alone, try to take an honest look back at your ride. What did you struggle with?  Where did you feel challenged?  What did you feel could have been better?  Writing these things down not only identifies the issue at hand, but it also allows you to look back weeks and months from now.

    You will see past difficulties and a plan for how you finally overcame them.  

    All the current challenges will soon become small wins and those wins are important to fuel your desire to keep improving your skills.

    5.  Homework or Exercises

    So you have identified your weaker points.  It is important that you begin to formulate a plan to overcome them.  This will involve doing some ‘extra time’ on the issue at hand.  Your extra time, if you only have access to a riding school horse once a week, maybe to watch videos on how others overcame the same sticking point.  Or, if you have your own horse, it may just be practicing more of the same throughout the week in preparation for your next lesson.

    What is important to keep in mind here is that while you are riding any exercises, make sure you are holding yourself accountable for doing it right.  

    Practice, no matter how much you do,  will not make perfect if it is the wrong kind of practice!

    6.  Outline your Goals for your Next Ride

    We all need to look forward and have a reason to master what is currently troubling us.  Therefore outlining your next goal will help keep you moving the ball down the field. This works by keeping your focus firmly locked on the bigger picture.  The temptation to get caught up in the smaller details, particularly when we are starting out, can sometimes be the actual problem itself.  Keep inspiring and motivating yourself by looking to the future, even if that future is only the next ride!

    I strongly urge you today to go out and if you don’t already have one, purchase a nice notebook or journal . Then begin keeping track of your riding.  

    It will help you get more bang for your buck from your lessons by capturing details and information that will otherwise be forgotten.  It will also help inspire and motivate you during those tougher times that we all experience when learning something new.  And finally, it will help you begin to notice and recognized small patterns or details that can make all the difference between a successful ride and one that leaves you feeling less than accomplished.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources on This Topic

  • Rewarding Your Horse While Riding

    Rewarding Your Horse While Riding

    Think back to a time when you were in the midst of learning something new…  We know that when we learn, different feelings come up.  Some are positive and others are not so much… However a simple well done when you make even the tiniest progress can be a game-changer.  In fact, it is often all the fuel that is needed to power through the obstacles or difficulties and keep trying.

    It is a wonderful thing when someone gives us recognition for our attempts and efforts. A simple well done goes a long way to helping us push through the frustrations which might otherwise cause us to give up

    Well, the same can be said for your horse. Do you make a point of rewarding your horse for every small step in the direction?  How, maybe it wasn’t perfect, but it was a good attempt or try.   Do you make a fuss, or make much of him when he really tries and reaches for something new and difficult?

    Rewarding Your Horse While Riding

    Rewarding Your Horse

    It is incredibly easy to become so laser-focused on the end goal, that we often miss those small opportunities along the way to ‘refill the happy tank’ for our horse. Rewarding your horse will encourage him to persevere and continue trying. Often when we think of rewarding our horse, the picture of patting your horse on the neck comes to mind. Or a comforting, encouraging word or three.

    However, all efforts to reward your horse are not the same.  And one of our responsibilities is to find a way that works for you. 

    For example, if you are in the middle of a difficult movement; halfway through a dressage test, or even have 5 fences left in your showjumping round, a pat on the neck is not always an option. The same applies in dressage;  encouraging words will not go down well!

    Offering The Inside Rein

    My suggestion is to begin working towards using your inside rein to communicate a reward with your horse.  You can train your horse to understand a softening or offering of the inside rein to be the reward itself.

    Now, it takes time for your horse to grasp that this softening of the rein on its own, with no voice, or pat or scratch, is the actual reward. However, investing the time to teach your horse the meaning of your actions, is one that will pay back dividends in the long run.

    I have found that there is a process to doing this.  If practiced consistently, this will lead your horse to the eventual realization that the offering of the inside rein is the actual reward.  From there, begin to have all the positive effects that we spoke of earlier.

    Start with Your Voice

    The first part of training your horse to understand this starts with being aware of the tone of voice you use with your horse in different situations. We use a higher pitch when we are rewarding our horses.

    I have found that what you say is not half as important as how you say it in your horse’s eyes

    So the next time you are rewarding your horse, maybe with a gentle rub on the neck or a well-placed scratch, for a job well done both on the ground and from the saddle try this. Begin using a higher pitch to your normal ‘Good boy’ or ‘Good girl’ or whatever it is that you say to your horse when they please you!

    As I mentioned, consistency is the key.  The only way your horse will really begin to make the connection to your voice and the ‘reward’ is that it happens every single time.  Together and simultaneously.

    Once this is established, which can be as quick as a few days with some horses and as long as a few weeks with others, you can begin to while riding, use your ‘reward’ voice coupled with an offering of the inside rein while riding.

    It is important to keep in mind that you are merely using your voice initially to build the association.  Over time, your horse won’t need to hear your voice to understand the reward.  Just the softening.

    Consistent with Softening

    The offering of the inside rein is something that also needs to be done correctly and with thought…  You will move your inside hand, from the elbow, gently and softly in the direction of your horse’s mouth.  I think it is important to note the use of your inside hand, not your outside hand.

    The reason being that your outside hand will still hold everything together.  It will ensure that all that wonderful energy you are creating in the back-end does not fall out the ‘front door’ while you offer the inside rein.

    Once the rein has ‘slacked’ a little, you can gently begin to take the contact back. In the beginning, it is important to use your voice to back up the intention of a reward from your horse’s perspective. It is also important to note that both the offering and the retaking of the rein are very subtle and gentle movements.  No snatching at the rein, and with it, your horse’s mouth!

    Over time, your horse will again, begin to associate the softening of the inside rein as a reward, and slowly you can begin phasing out the ‘vocal’ reward.  Once you have thought your horse to understand this simple yet effective reward, it is of paramount importance that you use it at every given opportunity.

    By letting your horse know that he is on the right track with regards to what you are asking, no matter how small the progress, it goes without saying that your chances of actually getting to where you want to go increase exponentially.

    Creating a Secret Conversation

    What is fantastic about this is that you can use it mid-movement, mid-jumping round, mid-dressage test. Basically anywhere while you ride.  And all without losing your contact with your horse. And without anyone noticing. Think of it as a silent nod of approval; a secret language between you and your horse when he has ‘done good’ :-).

    I would love to hear your thoughts on the above, particularly any success you have had with this method.

    If you would like to learn more about this, you can subscribe to my podcast, The Daily Strides Podcast for Equestrians where Episode 226 | Getting the Best from Your Horse Through Rewarding, deals exclusively with this.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources for Equestrians:-

  • Are All New Clients Worth Your Time and Effort?

    Are All New Clients Worth Your Time and Effort?

    Whether you are a riding instructor, trainer, barn owner, or manager; growing your business is important.  And, as you grow your business, your time will begin to become more valuable.

    Finding new clients is key to growth.  However, are all new clients equal?  In order to best utilize your time and skills, this is a question that you must, ask yourself.

    Your New Clients Aspirations

    Often when equestrian professionals have trouble with customers, it is due to not being clear on this.  Many equestrian entrepreneurs do not take the time at the beginning of the relationship with each new client to really get to know their wants, desires, aspirations, etc.

    In life, most of us aspire to always give our best, not just the expected standard of what our job is. As entrepreneurs, this becomes even more important, that special touch, the secret sauce, that is your own personal standard…

    In order to grow our business, we should aim to grow ourselves. This means having a standard that will be better tomorrow than it is today.

    Different Standards

    Different clients expect different standards. So taking the time to sort through every individual new client’s values, goals, wishes, desires, and dreams is important. From there, you can decide very early if they align with how you currently operate. And, if not, advise them to go elsewhere!

    While this seems very harsh when written in black and white, it will save so much time and hardship on both sides further down the line.

    Your first step in figuring out if a new client is indeed worth your time and effort are determining their main objective. Said differently, what is that client hoping to achieve or obtain by working with you.

    You can do this by both listening and observing what they say and do.  The next step is equally as important. You must try to evaluate if their actions, in general, are in alignment and congruent with what they say they want.

    In order for you to help anyone, there needs to be a strategy. As a professional, it is usually up to you to create this action plan. Then tweak it for each specific new client.

    However, they must then be committed to achieving this by putting in the necessary time and effort. They also must be willing to make the necessary sacrifices. They must be diligent with their intention and focus and at all times being true to the vision of what they desire.

    If they say one thing and then begin to do another… then, no I honestly do not believe they are worth the frustration and stress you may be feeling because of them.

    Values

    Your value comes from the knowledge and experience you are providing… However, it is up to each new client (and existing clients) to take what you are providing and do the work!  They must begin implementing it in their riding or management skills. Whatever each individual case may be.

    Some people always want to better themselves & their horse. Some are happy with how things are right now and want to just have fun. Neither is right or wrong, but you have to understand that they are oceans apart in terms of what they expect from you!

    My advice to you is to begin by sorting people out first. Get to know your potential new clients first.  Find out what they want to achieve. Then make sure this aligns with the skills and talents you have.

    It seems like a lot of hard work initially but, trust me, once you see they are striving for that goal, then yes, they are definitely worth putting your best time and effort into.

    If you would like more help with finding new clients for your equestrian business, reach out. You can do this privately on Instagram @lornaleeson.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

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