Have you ever experienced moments when ‘lack of coordination’ seems to be the best description for you while in riding your horse? It often leads to feelings of clumsiness and a general lack of confidence in your abilities, right? Well, imagine how it feels when your horse suffers a similar lack of coordination; lack of balance leading to an uncomfortable…
You are cantering towards the jump… 3… 2… 1… But instead of the ‘Jump’ that should have followed the 1; you get a chip in. A moment where your usually trusty horse decides to test both of you by inserting a little ‘half stride’ in there before takeoff! The result is you do a great Thelwell impression and your horse…
Have you ever experienced popping over a jump with your horse, when he suddenly realises he needs a little ‘more’ if he is going to clear the jump? He stretches, or pushes, a little farther than you expected and suddenly you find yourself very much behind the movement and bracing for the inevitable ‘thud’ that your backside connecting with the…
The bend is approaching and you begin preparing both you and your horse to ride straight and accurately through the turn. However, as you ‘shift’ your seat bones into ‘position’ your horse begins, well, almost side stepping… The further you get through the turn, the further your horse is from the path you had planned; in fact, he has derailed…
You have spent the past few months diligently improving your young horse’s standard of education. A lot of time invested on the basics of moving forward in a balanced rhythmic way. He is happy, you are happy and the next natural progression is to ask for the canter. However, it seems all those carefully cultivated hours in the arena fly…
Have you ever found yourself halfway through a turn on the forehand; either purposely or not? Perhaps you were out hacking and there was a gate… You tried a little turn on the forehand, just like you had heard about, to open it, but ended up dismounting! Or maybe your instructor or trainer mentioned it, you tried it with the best…
