Strides for Success

Tag: Aids

  • Begin to Transform Your Riding using ‘Autopilot’

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    Have you ever caught yourself mid-ride, wondering, “Wait, what am I even doing right now?”  You’re trotting along and suddenly realise your reins have slipped, your heels are up, or you’re staring at your horse’s neck. Riding on autopilot isn’t a bad thing – if what’s running in the background is actually helping you. In fact, putting the right things onto autopilot can really transform your riding.

    Because here’s the thing… You’re already riding on autopilot. The question is, what exactly is on your autopilot? Be honest, if I were to watch a short video of you riding today, and compare it to one from six months ago, would there be a positive change? Not just in your horse, but in you, the rider?

    In this episode of the Daily Strides Podcast, I want to walk you through the steps you can take to make sure that when you “zone out” in the saddle, the habits you fall back on are ones that are actually serving you. Not random things you picked up somewhere and stuck with because they “kinda worked”.

    This is the same process I guide riders through inside Connection and my live trainings. It’s how you can begin to rewire your default riding behavior — so your autopilot becomes your greatest ally, not your biggest hurdle.

    Step 1: Make It Easy

    Look — changing a habit doesn’t always require a big overhaul. Often, it starts with something as simple as checking your setup.  In fact, you could begin to transform your riding today if you paid closer attention to this… Do your gloves make it hard to feel the reins? Get a pair that actually grip. Are your reins smooth and slippery? Try ones with stops or rubber coating. Struggling to keep your heels down? Maybe your stirrups are too long. Riding on the cantle of the saddle every time? Try adjusting your stirrup length first.

    So many riders are struggling in the saddle simply because they haven’t made it easy for themselves to succeed

    Make it easier to do the right thing. So much of good riding is about removing resistance to good habits.

    Your Action Step:

    Look at your most persistent issue. What’s one small change you can make today to support a better habit? Tweak it. Set yourself up for success.

    Step 2: Use Checkpoints

    Changing habits isn’t just about doing something new — it’s about remembering to do it. That’s where checkpoints come in.  Checkpoints are anything in your riding environment that you can associate with a quick check-in. Think floodlights, poles, fence posts, shadows, jump uprights, and the corner letters in your arena.

    You already ride past the same things every day. Start using them to your advantage

    Every time you pass your chosen checkpoint, do a quick scan: How are your hands? Your seat? Your posture? Are you still riding with intention?  The more consistent you are with these mini check-ins, the faster your good habits will become automatic.

    Your Action Step:

    Pick 2–3 things you ride past consistently and assign a check-in to each one. Make it simple. Make it repeatable.

    Step 3: Stack Your Habits

    This idea became popular through James Clear and Atomic Habits, but I’ve been teaching it to riders for years. You already do things in your ride on autopilot. Things like warming up, cooling down, checking the time, or walking to the mounting block. Why not use those moments to also check in on a new habit you want to develop? Trust me, to transform your riding, you need to pay attention to these every day things.

    You’re already doing some things automatically. Why not build better habits on top of them?

    For example, during your warm-up walk, focus on aligning your posture. During your cool-down, stretch your legs and check your rein length. Every time you check your watch, scan your hand position. Simple, low-effort ways to upgrade your riding with zero extra time required.

    Your Action Step:

    Choose one routine you already have in place and attach a new habit to it. Start there and build.

    Step 4: Track & Reward

    Progress isn’t always obvious. That’s why tracking it matters.  You need a way to see your improvement over time — even if it’s slow. I recommend using a riding journal to note what went well, what you worked on, and what you’re aiming for.

    We don’t celebrate our progress nearly enough in the saddle. That needs to change

    Tracking also helps you know when you deserve a reward. Not a pat on the back, though those help!  I’m talking about something that motivates you. It might be a nice hack out, a new piece of tack, or a peaceful morning hike. You decide.

    Your Action Step:

    Start a riding journal and use it regularly. Celebrate the small wins. Give yourself a reward when you earn it.

    Step 5: Consistency, Not Perfection

    Most riders give up on new habits because they expect perfection. That’s not how this works.  Start small. Choose one habit. One change. Focus on doing it more often than not. Perfection is unrealistic — especially in horse riding, where every moment is fluid and unpredictable.

    Riding is rarely perfect — but it can be consistently better. Your riding will never be 100% perfect. That’s okay. What matters is that it’s consistently improving.

    Your Action Step:

    Pick one riding habit to focus on for the next two weeks. Just one. Work on it consistently, and notice how everything else begins to shift.

    Transform Your Riding with Autopilot

    You are already riding on autopilot. The question is: What habits have you programmed into it?  Start small. Adjust your setup. Build in checkpoints. Stack new habits onto old ones. Track your wins. Stay consistent. This is how you reset your default behavior and actually enjoy the process along the way!

    If you’re nodding along and thinking, yes — this is what I need, make sure you’re on the waitlist for my Returning to Riding program. I’ll be hosting a live training soon, and this is exactly what we’ll be diving into.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    More Episodes on This Topic

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  • Are You ‘Sitting There’? How To Know if You’re Stuck in Passenger Mode!

    You hop into the saddle, ready for a great ride. But before you know it, you’ve spent most of the session adjusting your hands, correcting your position, and just ‘fixing’ yourself. All while your horse just plods along! Sound familiar? Don’t worry, you’re not alone…

    Ask yourself this: Where is the majority of your attention or focus when you ride? Think back to the very last schooling session with your horse with you in the saddle. Maybe you had a lesson, or perhaps it was just you and your horse working together alone. Who did you focus more on: you and your position, aids, tension, etc., or your horse and how well he was working?

    There comes a point for most riders when they realize that they spend more time focusing on themselves in each training session. Fixing, correcting, reminding themselves to do or be a certain way…

    This is the ‘passenger’ phase of your horse-riding journey. And while all riders must initially go through it, the challenge comes when they unknowingly get stuck there! It’s when you’re focusing so much of your energy in ‘fixing’ yourself that you’re not actually riding the horse! You’re simply ‘sitting there’.

    So, if you’ve been feeling like 80% of your time in the saddle is spent ‘fixing’ and correcting yourself – this article and episode will help you to begin making the shift from passenger to rider.

    Signs You’re Stuck in Passenger Mode

    So there are a few ways you can begin to identify this in your riding. The first and most obvious one is becoming aware of how you spend your time when you’re riding…

      • You spend most of your time in the saddle ‘fixing’ or adjusting your hands, seat, or legs – instead of focusing on your horse’s way of going
      • You actually feel like a passenger the majority of the time in the saddle – your horse is leading you, rather than the other way around, or working together as a team
      • Corners, bends, circles, or transitions seem to happen TO you – rather than because of how you set things up and asked for them!
      • You spend a lot of time trying to find your balance – instead of using your weight aids to positively influence your horse’s way of going

    The ‘Stuck in Passenger Mode’ Test

    Think back over the past 5 rides you’ve had where you wanted to work on something and achieve something with your horse. Where did your focus go for the majority of those rides? If you worked with an instructor or a trainer, what did they spend most of the time working on? You or your horse? And if they had to keep ‘fixing’ or correcting you to work on your horse – the answer is ‘you :)

    Another way to think about this is by assessing your basics in the saddle. If the majority of your time is spent correcting, fixing, stabilizing, or any of the other ‘ings’ your basics, then you are in passenger mode.

    And keep in mind that is not a ‘bad’ thing. Once you realize that this is a very real part of the journey of becoming a more skilled rider, you can start to actively work on transitioning out of it!

    The basics that you will find yourself focusing on are:-

        • Your Position
        • Your Posture
        • Your Aids
        • Bending (and creating a channel with your aids)

    Passenger Versus Rider

    Of course, when you’re stuck in passenger mode, you might wonder, ‘What else is there to actually focus on?’  And the answer is, ‘Oh, lots!’. ‘Riders’ are not spending their time worrying about and ‘fixing’ their position. Or their aids, or posture, etc. They are not obsessing over carrying their hands or keeping their heels down.

    The difference between passengers and riders is that riders are thinking about the best way to communicate and support their horses to get the desired outcome. 

    If they don’t spend the majority of their ride or training session worrying about their position. They are wondering if the horse understands what they are trying to explain. And if they think that maybe there’s a little confusion going on, they are thinking about how to clarify that. How to USE their position or aids to get the most out of their work with their horse. Not just keeping the horse between themselves and the ground!

    Passengers focus most of their energy on fixing their position or aids. Riders don’t have to think about their position; they focus on understanding how the horse is interpreting what they are trying to say…

    Transitioning from Passenger to Rider

    So the first part of creating this transition for yourself is to actually become aware that something has to change! And, hopefully, after reading this post or listening to this episode, you’re already there! The next part will be a little more time-consuming. This is because working through this transition in your riding skills requires putting your basics onto autopilot…

    ‘Riders’ don’t have to worry about their position or aids because they have already invested the time in putting the right basics onto autopilot – they just happen by themselves now and no longer need constant management

    That is a key part of the process to move away from being stuck in passenger mode and move into ‘rider’ mode. Putting the ‘right’ things onto autopilot. This is why riding instructors the world over go on and on about a good position. About good posture and self-carriage. Or can be heard shouting ‘heels down’ all of the time! These things matter.

    If you are in passenger mode now, you can begin carefully curating what you want to put onto autopilot so that you get the best possible results for you and your horse further down the road. 

    Flipping the 80/20 in Your Riding

    So, if right now, you are spending 80% of your time focused on ‘fixing’ or ‘correcting’ your basics (position, posture, aids, and bending), this is leaving only 20% of your time to focus on your horse. This needs to flip if you want to get unstuck and begin actually ‘training’ your horse the way you want.

    Moving away from being stuck in passenger mode requires you to become more aware of what you are doing so that the 80% of time you’re spending focused on ‘you’ now pays off in the long run.

    You want to turn each ride into the opposite of the ‘Passenger 80/20’:-

      • 20% self-awareness → A little time invested intentionally adjusting your alignment, position, aids…
      • 80% riding your horse → So that you can focus on supporting your horse to do his best work

    If 80% of your ride is spent fixing yourself, you’re not riding – you’re just sitting there, often stuck in passenger mode

    Where Should You Begin?

    This will vary for every single rider. Often, it can be worth getting an expert opinion on this initially if you’re unsure. I say this because you might begin to fixate on a specific thing, let’s say a swinging lower leg. When really that is merely a symptom of a forked seat. If you don’t have the knowledge or experience to identify a symptom and a cause, investing in a riding lesson with a knowledgeable instructor will be worth it’s weight in gold.

    Once you’ve figured out the root cause, start there. Spend 3 to 5 minutes at the beginning of every ride intentionally correcting this. Then, build checkpoints throughout your ride to check in on how you’re doing. 

    You will have to correct a lot initially. This is absolutely normal and to be expected. And this is often the work many riders are not willing to do! Again, this is also why riding instructors keep repeating the same things over and over. They are doing the ‘checking in’ for the riders!

    Only when you’ve been consistently doing the correct thing for a length of time will that then become a habit. Your body and brain will put it on ‘autopilot’. And this is what frees you up to focus on something else.

    Putting Your Basics on Autopilot

    If you want to move out of being stuck in passenger mode and begin transitioning into being a ‘rider’ for your horse, I can help. I truly believe that spending 9 to 12 weeks focusing on this is long enough to create a transformation in your riding.

    I can help you do this by putting the correct things onto autopilot in your riding, inside of the Returning to Riding Program. You can find more details over at https://returningtoriding.com

    The Returning to Riding Program is designed to move you out of the passenger seat and into confident, intentional riding. Join us and start riding with purpose!

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    More Episodes on This Topic

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  • Back to Riding? Improve Your Seat, Hands & Balance on Day 1

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    So you desperately want to get back in the saddle on the regular again. And you definitely feel excited. But you’re also feeling more than a little overwhelmed! The big looming question is “What do I do on that first ride?!” Stop panicking because today, I will guide you through exactly what to do on that first ride… Step by step with your horse. Remember, whether it’s been months or years, your body and mind need time to adjust.

    For your first few rides back, I want you to focus on increasing your awareness, rather than questioning if you’re ‘doing it right. Awareness over perfection! 

    Today, as we ride together, you will make some small but mighty shifts in how you sit, move, and connect with your horse. These strategic adjustments will make all the difference in rebuilding your confidence and comfort. And they will also help to keep your mind from wandering too much!

    So, obviously, this can be listened to while you are riding. But you can also listen before you mount up and then use what you learn to make your first or next ride really count in your journey back to regular riding.

    Settling Into the Saddle: Find Your Balance

    Once you are mounted up, and before you start making changes, let’s take a moment to pause. Take a deep breath and simply notice what’s happening in your body. Can you feel an excess tension creeping into specific areas?

        • Seat & Weight Distribution – Do you feel ‘even Steven’ in the saddle, or is one side heavier?
        • Legs – Are your legs resting naturally or gripping? Let them drape softly like curtains
        • Hands & Reins – Are you holding tension in your fingers? Keep your contact elastic, imagine holding a sponge and wanting to keep some water in the sponge!
        • Breathing – Are you breathing deeply, or are you holding your breath? Talking or singing to your horse can really help here…

    “Your first ride back isn’t about fixing—it’s about noticing. So often you will bring old habits back to the saddle with you. This is the perfect opportunity to make lasting changes to those!”

    Moving With Your Horse: Feel the Rhythm

    From here, ask your horse to begin to walk forward. Use these initial first few steps to first of all congratulate yourself for mounting up! And then, begin to scan your body. Your only job right now is to become aware of how you feel. As your horse walks, tune in to their movement. Are you following the motion or blocking it? Are you syncing or sinking the whole ship?!

        • Your Seat and Lower Back – Is your seat moving freely with your horse, or are you stiff and blocking the movement? Let your horse move your hips and seat. Think of a bicycle peddling backward.
        • Upper Body & Chest– Are you collapsing through your upper body? Or are you focusing on the feeling of ‘standing’ rather than ‘sitting’ through your upper body while in the saddle?
        • Shoulders & Arms Are your shoulders creeping up towards your ears?! Are your elbows sticking out in front of you (like a sleepwalker!)?  Do you have enough (or too much) bend in your elbows?
        • Balance & Symmetry – Are you centered, or are you more to one side or the other? How does the weight feel in your stirrups? And your knees; are they symmetrical? How about your hands…?

    “Your body is constantly giving signals to your horse—make sure they’re the right ones. Too much or too little tension in your body can have a massive impact on your horses way of going”

    The goal is to move with your horse, not against him. It’s like dancing. You want your horse to ‘lead’ you at this point in your riding. Don’t shove, or resist. Just relax, find neutral, and allow your body to be led. When you do, your horse will feel more relaxed and willing. It will feel like the energy is flowing. Rather than riding with the handbrake on!

    Small Adjustments for a Big Difference

    Once you’ve become more aware of what you’re doing in the saddle, you can begin to make small adjustments to how you are riding and interacting with your horse. I am going to suggest beginning with evening out tension levels throughout your body, correcting your posture, and aligning your position to where is best for the application of your aids. When you’re in the right place, it makes ‘talking’ to your horse so much easier!

        • Head, Shoulder, Hip, Heel Line – If I could magically click my fingers causing your horse to disappear, would you land on your feet? Or would you end up on your face or your bum?! This line is IMPORTANT!
        • Elbow, Wrist, Thumb, Rein, Bit Line – Have you got a lovely straight line from your elbow to your horse’s mouth? Or do you have a V or a lightning bolt going on?! Your hand, wrist, and lower arm are extensions of the rein – no bends or angles, please!
        • Symmetry & Weight Distribution – Are you sitting on your seat bones? And are each of your seat bones an equal distance from the middle of the saddle? Adjust your seat bones so that they point directly below you (click your fingers rule), and that there is an equal amount of your body on both sides of the saddle. If you do feel off-center, try shifting your weight slightly to rebalance yourself

    “The smallest adjustments often create the biggest improvements. And by starting off with making sure the basics are right, you are creating a strong foundation to build from in future rides…”

    Awareness of Your Horse & Your Habits

    As you make these changes, check in with your horse. Is he responding differently? How about relaxation; how are the tension levels in his body? And responsiveness? When you’re in the right place, he has a much better chance of understanding what you’re trying to say.

    The more aware you become, the more effective your riding will be. And the stronger your basics are, the more quickly and effectively you can build your skills as a rider. 

    It is always worth remembering that a lot of the ‘bad habits’ we cultivate as riders are actually symptoms of something else going on. Try to focus on ‘tweaking’ the cause, rather than drive yourself mad trying to treat the symptom! It won’t go away completely until you address the cause!

    Cooling Down & Reflection

    As you finish your ride, take a moment to reflect. Ask yourself:

        • What did I notice about my position and balance?
        • Where did I feel excessive tension?
        • How well did I carry myself – especially my hands and my upper body?
        • Where did I feel the most connected to my horse through our movements together?
        • What small changes made the biggest difference?
        • Are there any habits from before that have followed me back into the saddle again?

    “Every ride is a chance to learn something new about yourself and your horse… It’s your level of self awareness that allows you to make each ride an opportunity to improve”

    And, if you’re feeling up to it, you can try all of this again, but at the trot. I’m going to suggest listening to this episode again and applying the same awareness to your rising trot. Think of the basics, position, posture, weight distribution, and your ‘lines’.

    What’s Next? Choose Your Focus…

    Okay, so the first ride is done and dusted. However, now you need to build a little momentum. Choose one of the three following suggestions to work on for your next ride so that you can keep improving and truly make the most of this opportunity to be back in the saddle again.

        1. Learn to Begin Controlling Your Seat – Neutral, Go, and Whoa are all real ways you can influence your horse using your seat. I have an episode on this topic HERE
        2. Applying the Click Your Fingers Rule – Those lines are really important for both keeping you in the saddle and also how well your horse can listen to and understand your aids. I have got an episode on this HERE
        3. Developing Your Riding Fitness – Maybe you felt that you lacked the suppleness to move with your horse… If so, I strongly suggest diving into walking and yoga-based free 21-day Equestrian Fitness Challenge HERE

    Finally, I would love to hear from you… Which one of the above exercises felt the most impactful for you in your ride today? Pop over to the Daily Strides Podcast Online Community on Facebook and let me know! I’d love to hear about your experience.

    “Progress isn’t about doing everything at once – it’s about improving one small thing at a time.”

    And if you’re looking for more ways to make the most of your time with your horse, grab my free 80+ Ideas to Do with Your Horse in 15 Minutes or Less by CLICKING HERE

    Everything is neatly divided into categories for you to choose from depending on your vision, intention, or focus for your riding.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    More Episodes on This Topic

    Online Training to Help Your Riding

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  • 5 Reasons You’re Struggling with Lunging – Part 2 Your Horse

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    If lunging is just not working for you and your horse, there is a whole element that you are missing out on when it comes to your training and your work together. In the previous Daily Strides Podcast episode and post, I spoke about 5 ways that you, the person lunging, might be struggling. In this post, I want to explore this from your horse’s perspective.

    Riding is a team sport, lunging is the same. If your horse does not understand the concept, the questions, or the expectations around lunging, he will struggle… And you will most likely as well!

    Here are 10 reasons that your horse might be struggling with lunging and why this is blocking any progress for you both in using this method in your work together.

     1. What’s a Circle?!

    For so many horses, up to the point where we introduce lunging, they have always worked with either their ‘rider’ beside them or on their back. So it makes sense that standing 6 or so meters or yards away from them is a completely new concept! Couple this with the idea of staying on a consistent track, or circle… It’s easy to see how things can go wonky! Corners are cut, horses turn in, or drift out…

    Your horse needs to understand that even though you are ‘further away’, you are still asking questions and expecting certain responses from your horse. This will take time, consistency, & patience on your part. 

     2. Consistent Rhythm & Balance

    Many horses become familiar with their rider’s always being there to ‘correct’ things. However, when working on the lunge, your horse must now begin to take responsibility for maintaining and correcting himself a little more.  Add to this the challenge of being on a constant bend or curve! Also keep in mind that this can be due to a lack of development or fitness if young, green, or coming back to work after a break.

    Is your horse struggling with maintaining a consistent rhythm or tempo, or is regularly unbalanced while working on the lunge? If so, it’s important to give him time to understand how to begin taking more responsibility for this himself. And to develop physically and mentally. 

     3. Doesn’t Understand Your Aids

    So often we ‘think’ or ‘assume’ that everyone understands everything we say or mean – only to find out that they don’t! Lunging, just like riding, is about communication. And your horse, just like you, needs to learn what everything means and how to communicate this way together.

    If your aids are unclear, misunderstood, or contradictory, lunging will not happen the way you want it to! Take time to explain your aids and check that your horse understands them.

    4. Anxiety around the Whip

    I’ve spoken about this in the previous post, how often riders are misusing (whether intentional or not) the whip while lunging. Unfortunately, many horses already have anxiety about the whip due to past experiences with other riders, so this may not be your fault. help your horse to understand that a whip is a tool to either ‘point things out’ or ‘extend your aids’.

    If your horse associates the whip with a negative experience, rather than removing it from your training,work on desensitizing your horse to it. It’s neutral. And in your hands, it’s not going to hurt him. 

     5. Too Much or Too Little Energy

    The final challenge we will cover today is either the lack of forwardness or motivation some horses tend to have. Or the rushing, overly excessive energy other horses have when working on the lunge. Both will make it extremely difficult to create quality work. And both will require your horse to think and act differently going forward.

    Just like riding, relaxation is a key requirement for you and your horse when lunging. And when it comes to horses, relaxation is another way of saying ‘managing tension’. The right amount for the current focus and job.

    Help Your Horse Enjoy Lunging

    Our horses can’t ‘talk’ to us. They often communicate through their behaviors. It’s important to take the time to try and understand why your horse is reacting or responding the way he is. When you can figure out what’s going on, you can help him to understand lunging.

    Addressing any of the struggles that show up will require clear, consistent communication, patience, and commitment with time to building your horse’s confidence and understanding. This way, lunging can become a really helpful part of both of your journeys.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    More on this Topic:-

    Online Training to Help Your Riding

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  • A Retraining Plan if Your Horse Rushes & Runs!

    A Retraining Plan if Your Horse Rushes & Runs!

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    While many people associate driving a Ferrari with happy things, most riders know that ‘riding’ the Ferrari of the yard is not that enjoyable at all! Riding a horse who rushes and runs everywhere is usually frustrating and challenging!

    And, assuming that you have ruled out physical issues, if your horse is rushing and racing, it’s time to focus on retraining.  This will not be an easy process, it will take time and patience on your part while you go right back to basics.  And it will require you to look at yourself and your horse.

    Start With You

    One of the frustrating elements of working with this challenge is that, often, your riding might actually be reinforcing your horse’s undesirable behaviour!  This is especially true if you’ve been riding this horse for longer than a few weeks or months.

    Take a moment to evaluate your riding position and aids – without judgment. Have you begun to ‘modify’ the basics of your position & posture because you’ve been riding a ‘rusher’ for some time?

    Are you gripping with your legs, leaning forward, or relying heavily on the reins?  This last one, especially, can all become ‘side-effects’ of riding a horse that rushes. And because all of these habits can signal tension to your horse, they actually often contribute to the rushing!  Start with yourself first and correct any issues there before turning your attention to your horse.

    Your Position & Posture

    Consistency through your aids is key when retraining a horse with ingrained habits. This is really difficult to achieve when your posture or position is working against you. Start with your posture; are you sitting tall with a secure seat and steady lower leg?

    From my own past experience with a ‘rushing’ pony, I found that my lower leg wanted to creep forward – all the time! This obviously affected everything; balance, posture, aids, ‘quietness’, etc..

    Working to correct this challenge took time, patience, and a commitment to focusing on myself.  Part of this was because of riding this way for so long, it felt ‘better’ that way! So, I had to not only physically retrain my lower leg, but also my mind and thoughts about what was ‘comfortable’.  Every time I moved my lower leg to where it should be, it felt awkward and uncomfortable. I think this took longer than the physical retraining! However, I managed to do it, so I’m pretty sure that you can as well and that it will be well worth the effort.

    Balance Your Aids

    Unfortunately, when a horse feels like it’s always running off with you, the natural tendency as a rider is to pull the horse to stop!  And, along with that forward lower leg, this means that, over time, riders can develop an overdependence on their rein aids. Coupled with little to no use of all of the other available aids!

    This over-reliance on the reins can lead to a “tug of war”.  And it only further reinforces the rushing and running behaviour.  It’s a vicious cycle!

    Again, this comes back to you and first changing your habits.  Aim to integrate all your aids, including seat, legs, voice, and weight, into your communication with your horse. By using your entire body, you can begin to more clearly explain things to your horse. And help your horse to begin changing as well.

    Transitions & Half-Halts

    Okay, so once you’re clear on what you’re doing in the saddle and have corrected any habits that need work, then you can turn your attention to your horse.  Start with simple transitions between walk and halt. Practice keeping these transitions light and relaxed.

    If you’ve been using one aid too heavily (usually the reins or hands), this is an opportunity to begin incorporating all of your aids into each ‘ask’ or ‘question’ you have for your horse.

    Think about creating and using softer, more synchronized, and holistic ways to ask the same question.  And keep in mind, if you have been riding a certain way for any length of time, your horse will need time to adjust to your new way of riding. Meaning that both of you will need time to adapt to doing things differently.

    Essentially you are both learning a different language when it comes to applying, understanding, and responding to aids. This will take time. 

    Simple School Movements

    Once you have begun to feel that there is a rhythm and understanding to this ‘new’ approach, you can start to test it by introducing basic school movements. Think about simple patterns such as serpentines, loops, or figure-eights to help both of you maintain focus and balance.

    These movements will help to keep your horse’s attention focused on the job at hand. And they will allow you to reinforce your ‘new’ aids while encouraging responsiveness.

    I am going to strongly suggest limiting things to walking and halting initially.  Think slow and steady for both rhythm and tension levels. The key here is to reinforce your more ‘holistic’ approach to your aids. All while your horse learns to enjoy working in a slower and more relaxed way. Clarity and control rather than speed!

    Focus on Quality

    Finally, while working on these simple school figures, notice the quality of the walk. The walk is a powerful gait for training. And if your horse has a habit of rushing, there’s a good chance that the walk might be choppy and tense.

    Think about encouraging a steady, four-beat rhythm.  Another way to think of this is to look for longer, more relaxed strides. Notice how your seat, especially, can help your horse to create this. 

    It seems so basic and simple, but being able to establish and maintain a good-quality walk with consistent rhythm and tempo will lay the foundation for so much more.  It will help both of you to ‘come back’ and work together, especially when you begin to introduce trot, and later canter, into your work.

    Progression to Other Gaits

    Finally, once you have reestablished your own position, posture, and aids. And your horse is willing and responsive to them, you can start to move up a gear or two.  This will simply involve working on the same exercises at the trot, and eventually the canter.  Keep it simple, but consistent.

    Remember, rushing is often a long-standing habit, so this process will take time. Control what you can first; you. And then help your horse to understand your ‘new’ way of using your aids. 

    When you give both of you the time to retrain those old habits they are more likely to stay.  The key is being able to maintain your ‘new’ way of going without reverting to the old habits and ways. Especially when things go off plan – which they will!

    Avoid Quick Fixes

    And a quick word of warning… Quick fixes rarely work in the long term.  Yes, often changing a piece of tack or equipment can sometimes yield a quick response… This response is usually a band-aid solution. At the first signs of pressure or stress, it will come off!

    Consider whether your horse’s rushing stems from fundamental training issues. A bit or noseband swap might offer temporary relief, but true improvement will come from consistent retraining.

    Remember, building lasting change takes time. Retraining both you and your horse to respond in calm, controlled ways requires patience. Expect setbacks, especially when new or unexpected situations arise. Over time, both of you will begin to default to these new, calmer responses—even when things go ‘sideways’!  This retraining process is the foundation of a lasting change that allows for safe, confident, and enjoyable rides.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Re-schooling Rushing Jumps on the Flat

    If you have been struggling with this challenge, the month of October 2024 in Daily Strides Premium is dedicated to working on this. This episode is the first lesson from a week of audio horse riding lessons titled “Re-Schooling the Basics for Both Horse & Rider on the Flat”.

    In this group of lessons, we begin working towards re-training a horse who is rushing fences by working on the basic aids, responsiveness and, equally as important, how the rider thinks.

    Remember, re-shooling a horse usually involves also re-training the rider to think and act differently as well.  The horse will respond better if the rider changes their approach and is consistently correct in what they are doing and asking…. These lessons will help you to develop better habits and responses.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Similar Episodes to Help with this Topic

    Online Training to Help Your Riding

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  • Tailoring Your Aids to Your Horse

    Tailoring Your Aids to Your Horse

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    Just like us, all horses are different. They all interact with the world in their unique way. Their reactions and their responses. What would happen if you tailored your interactions with your horse specifically so that your horse can best understand and follow along? If each ‘horse conversation’ was a special one? If you could tailor your aids to your horse?

    When you begin to become mindful about tailoring your communication to your horse; your training, partnership, and skills will improve much more quickly

    So it makes sense to begin studying your horse – and figuring out what he really listens to in your riding. Especially if you’re noticing that your horse is not focused when working together. Or you’re just not getting the results you want in your riding.

    Become Self Aware

    The only thing you can control or really change is yourself. And then by controlling or changing yourself, you can have a different influence over your horse. So start with you.  What are you ‘doing’ that your horse is responding to, and what are you ‘doing’ that he is not?

    When you pay close attention to what you’re doing – and what your horse is telling you based on that – you can begin to tailor your communication to what your horse responds to. 

    The Balance of Aids

    So you know that you have a whole host of aids at your disposal when it comes to working with your horse.  You have your natural aids (they are part of you and go with you everywhere you go!). And you have your artificial aids (you can leave these down or behind in the yard).

    From here you also have ‘obvious aids’ that anyone can see you use or interact with your horse.  And you have subtle aids, which are either ‘invisible’ or can only be noticed by someone who knows what to look for…

    Imagine a pie chart, and each individual aid having a portion of that chart. These portions will differ in size depending on your horse, what you’re asking, the circumstances, etc. One of your responsibilities as a rider is to figure out what is the best proportions of the aids for that exact moment with your horse. This is the ‘balance of aids’. 

    Notice What Works

    Once you can start to see what your horse responds to, you can start using your aids in different ways that put more emphasis on what your horse currently responds to. In order to truly ‘train’ or ‘develop’ your horse, you need to begin in a place where you can both ‘speak’ to each other. You must really adapt your aids for your horse.

    Try actually speaking out loud what is working for your horse. Actually talk to your horse… It helps to bring your awareness to your own actions and helps you hone in on your horses responses. 

    By noticing what works, you can then set a foundation. And from that foundation, you can refine things even more.  You may find that your horse doesn’t really respond to your voice aids for example. But is very responsive to your position (whether on the ground or in the saddle).  As you discover more about your horse, you can ‘balance’ or adjust your aids and approach accordingly.

    Tailoring Your Aids to Your Horse

    So if all horses are different, you’ll often find individual horses who just don’t enjoy being ‘spoken to’ in a certain way.  And rather than forcing a conversation that the horse has no interest in being part of… Learn what that horse does respond to and become ‘good’ at conversing that way.

    Your horse is an individual, just like you. And I can bet that when someone takes the time to focus and speak to you in a way you respond to, the conversation flows. Your horse is the same…

    Start today by noticing what you’re doing, and if it gets a response or not.  From there, simply notice and tweak as you learn more about you and your horse.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    More Help for Riders:-

    Equestrian Fitness Challenge ’24

    Work on improving your overall strength, fitness, and stamina as a rider. The all-new and free 2024 Equestrian Fitness Challenge is a great place for you to do this.  It is walking and yoga-based (no workouts), so it will ease you into becoming a better version of yourself in the saddle gently. You can sign up HERE or by visiting https://equestrianfitnesschallenge.com/24 
    There will be a daily walk, a 10 minute daily yoga practice, and lots of tips, ideas, exercises, and ways to improve so that you can show up as the best version of you – for you and your horse.
    Sign up today and let’s transform your riding – one stride at a time! 100% FREE 2024 Equestrian Fitness Challenge

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