The dream of most riders and horse owners is to have a special bond with their horses. A lot of people also have problems because they want this bond so much that they let the horse do whatever he wants, as the owner wants to be the horse’s friend. But in horsemanship this just doesn’t work. We have to teach the horse rules in order to safely interact with each other. Continue reading Creating a Relationship
Riding patterns are used for almost every equine sport, from dressage to western horsemanship. Even if you only trail ride, patterns will help your steering and your horse’s focus. Continue reading Basic Riding Patterns Part 3
Riding patterns are great for any discipline or skill level. Patterns teach horses to be more focused on their rider and teach the riders precise steering, speed control, and to have a plan for their ride. Continue reading Basic Riding Patterns Part 2
Riding patterns will greatly improve the communication between you and your horse. When you give the horse a specific job to do he will become focused rather than wandering aimlessly around the arena. Patterns are a very important part of training; which keep him listening to you while working on fine-tuning your riding skills. Continue reading Basic Riding Patterns
Teaching the side pass will teach the horse to move off your leg and prepare him for exercises including leg yielding and flying changes. When your horse is starting to learn the side pass it is important that you break the maneuver into pieces that he can easily learn.
Dressage is the heart of all riding activities and disciplines. Dressage is training the mind and body of the horse to learn the basics for any discipline, all the way to advancing him to preform high level movements. Continue reading Beginning Dressage
Many horses have a less than perfect trot. Two of the most common issues are horses that trot hollow with their head held high in the air, and horses that trot too quickly resulting in a rough ride. Many times both of these behaviors occur together and can be very frustrating to any rider. In this article I will give you some tips on how to quickly and effectively solve your horse’s problems at the trot. Continue reading Softening and Slowing The Trot
Lowering the horse’s head and neck will relax an inverted horse and teach him to give to bit pressure. This is exercise also teaches the very beginning of collection. Continue reading Vertical Flexion
Counter cantering is different from merely cantering on the wrong lead. The counter canter can be used as a body control exercise that will teach the horse to better listen to your aids. Here I will give you a few exercises to improve collection, suppleness, and responsiveness in your horse. Continue reading Counter Canter Lessons
There are four important angles that are key to correct riding. Those four angles include the elbow, hip, knee, and ankle. Using these angles effectively allows you to give subtle aids to communicate with the horse. Continue reading Riding From All Angles Part One: Upper Body