Contact is something so many riders want to achieve when working with their horses. However, it’s always worthwhile remembering that your horse was not born knowing how to be ridden. This means that contact is something both of you must learn about and then refine through your work together. For many horses, the challenge is made even more difficult when…
Your hands are an aid in your riding. So understanding why the way you hold your reins and how to judge the height of your hands when riding is important. And realizing how much your hand aids are impacting and affecting your riding can change everything. As riders, one of the first things we learn is how to ‘hold’ the…
Accuracy can seem like a dull and boring concept when riding horses. Sure, if you are going to compete in dressage or show jumping, accuracy can become really important. But what about if you are simply a rider, working alone with your horse, trying to improve your overall skills? Is accuracy still as important? I’m going to say yes, accuracy…
If you have even been at the other end of a lunge line to a horse who is adamant to show you exactly how fast he can go on a circle… You will know all about ‘that’ feeling! The one where every fiber of your being is screaming at you to ‘stop the horse’. And yet, it feels like there…
![[Training Scale Series] Part 4 – Creating True Impulsion](https://stridesforsuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Copy-of-training-scale-i-3_jpg-770x433.jpg)
How do you know if you have actually achieved true impulsion? What makes this ‘real’ impulsion different from simply running around the arena like the energizer bunny with your horse? This post is the fourth in a series I have created about the training scale. I suggest also checking out the previous posts on rhythm, suppleness, and contact. At ‘Step…
![[Training Scale Series] Part 3 – Contact in Your Riding](https://stridesforsuccess.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Copy-of-training-scale-i_jpg-2-770x433.jpg)
Contact and connection; hot topics for many riders. This is often because they can feel quite elusive. There is confusion regarding what needs to happen in order for contact to occur. And, how can you tell if the contact is correct and ‘good’? This post and episode are the third in a series about the training scale. We have already…
