It can seem like something that only novice or beginner riders would worry themselves with; revisiting the basics. After all, surely there’s a point where, as riders, we can ‘set and forget’ a couple of things in our riding? Basics like position and the aids. Or trotting and cantering… And I think a lot of this stems from the fact…
Do you have days where, after you get home, sit down, and think over the day’s events, you think to yourself “Why did I react like that?!”? I know I do, even now. I find that if I allow my emotions to run things, the chances of everything turning out exactly as I would have two chances. Slim and none! …
There are some things that many of us simply accept in life. Rainy days. Horsehair is everywhere in Spring. The rhythm in the canter. And yet, while we cannot change the weather (okay, debatable) and we definitely cannot get around the necessary loss of the winter coat… The Rhythm in the canter is definitely something we can have a more…
Hours and hours… This is how long most riders devote each week to developing and training their horse. And yet, many riders fail to realize that they are the ‘cap’ on their horse’s further progress. Eventually, your effectiveness as a rider will determine what your horse can actually do with all the training you devote to him or her… So…
It seems pretty simple, navigating a corner or bend with your horse. And yet, for many riders, this becomes a complicated task really quickly. The issue is not the turn or the bend. No, the issue is that they are trying to turn their horse, rather than simply setting things up and allowing their horse to turn. As the rider,…
Have you ever ridden in an open space, a large open space? A space with no boundaries, or fences, or hedges, or any natural ‘this is the end of this space’ obstacles. It takes a lot more focus to ride accurate shapes and straight lines. We tend to ‘wander’… So many of us forget how beneficial an artificial aid the…
