Tip/Quote of the Day!
Many horses have a tendency to stiffen and hollow their backs when riders raise their hands up even slightly above that ideal position that involves having a straight line from the rider’s elbow to the bit.
Tip/Quote of the Day!
Riding your lateral work in a forward rising trot can be a great way to add more reach and expression to the horse's gait. This is best attempted only after the horse is at least fairly solid in each of the exercises while ridden in a sitting trot.
Tip/Quote of the Day!
Keeping your thumbs on top and your palms facing each other when riding stabilizes your upper body position.
Tip/Quote of the Day!
If your trainer is not truly supportive.... find a better one! I am always baffled at how many riders stick with trainers who belittle them, and very often don't even really have their best interests at heart. Some trainers don't teach because they love teaching, but
Tip/Quote of the Day!
To successfully maintain the often elusive "forward feeling hands", try imagining that you are pushing a shopping cart as you ride forward into the bit.
Tip/Quote of the Day!
Make sure you don't fall into the trap of treating your horse like he is a baby, long after he is no longer a baby. This is a common problem when a rider has brought a young horse along from scratch.
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By and large judges don’t like to give low scores. Most of us are equally unhappy at giving undeservedly and misleading high scores. We want to give the right score without running the dagger through our poor riders’ hearts. This situation arises more frequently and understandably at schooling shows
Tip/Quote of the Day!
"Really think about showing how good you are from your training and your program, instead of thinking about trying not to make mistakes and the fear that can bring." ~ Beezie Madden
Tip/Quote of the Day!
There are SO many parallels between riding and lunging a horse. If you don't ask for and expect things on the lunge like obedience, rhythm, good posture and carriage, and bending on round and accurate circles, you probably won't get them under saddle either.
Tip/Quote of the Day!
Ninety eight percent of the problems that riders have with their horses are actually pointing to a problem with their basic foundation.
Tip/Quote of the Day!
Spiral out on the circle is a good preparatory exercise for shoulder in, and spiral in on the circle is a good preparatory exercise for haunches in.
Tip/Quote of the Day!
When walking your cross country course, always take note of any markings on the ground that might distract your horse from the fence - such as patches of dead grass, or areas where artificial footing has been added. Some horses don't care about those kind of things at
