When we first learn to ride, turning is often explained to us as merely a ‘tug’ or pull on one rein or the other to turn our horse’s head. There’s a general consensus being that where his head turns, his body will go… However, anyone who has ridden a determined pony or horse will know that this is very often…
Do you find that when you ask your horse to perform haunches in or travers, the forward movement tends to get a little ‘stuck’? It feels as though he is on his tippy toes, pottering along with no inclination to get to the other end of the arena?! The Benefits of Haunches In Haunches in is a lateral movement that…
Who doesn’t love to canter? It may just be the most enjoyable gait to ride when in the saddle for many riders, however it is also the gait that might just have us working the hardest to actually successfully get there and then, returning back to trot or walk seems to also open a whole can of worms for many…
Do you , like many riders, find yourself overlooking the humble serpentine as being too basic and easy a schooling movement to be of any real consequence to your horses development? If so, I would love to challenge you that the modest serpentine, if ridden and worked on correctly, can be a fantastic training aid for both your horse; and for…
Feel… A hugely important component of successful horsemanship and something that is often considered as a talent that you are either gifted at birth with or your not! From years spent helping and watching people ride, I do agree that some people seem to have a more natural feel than others. However, I have also found that, often, riders who…
Have you ever found yourself riding a hot horse where the slightest touch of your leg sends them shooting forward with the speed of a snake strike? Even worse, once they start on that forward trajectory, they get heavier and heavier on your hand. It becomes more and more unbalanced until, eventually, there is an epic tug of war happening. …