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
Every horse should be responsive to all of your aids, but some lazy horses will learn to ignore them. While others will move off, but not at the speed you want. Instead, they will plod along barely picking up their feet. This lesson will teach you how to make your horse listen to your leg, and go forward quickly at the speed you want. Continue reading Teach Your Horse to Be Responsive to Your Leg
In this two part series I’ll continue to describe how horses express their positive emotions through body language and occasional vocalizing. Continue reading Communicating With Horses Part 2
Unlike animals such as dogs and cats, where much of their behavior can be understood by the noises they make, horses communicate almost purely with body language. In this two part series we will first cover how the horse displays negative emotions through his body language. Continue reading Communicating With Horses Part 1
Imagine a dressage rider sitting the trot so well that she appears to be apart of the horse, or a show jumper quietly transitioning his horse from a standstill into a collected canter. Both these riders have put a lot of time and effort into riding their horses correctly. They also have worked with trainers every day and that’s not always possible to do. Here I’ll give you some tips on how you can make big improvements in a small amount of time. Continue reading Connected Riding
The time has come to saddle your young horse for the first time. Through all the preparation you have been doing this lesson should go smoothly. Continue reading First Saddling
This lesson is extremely important as it prepares your horse for the movement and noise of the saddle when he is in motion. Lots of horses are fine with desensitizing when they are standing still, but get worried when you start to desensitize them while they are moving. In this lesson you will teach the horse to accept stimulus while in motion, which will prepare him for your movement in the saddle when being ridden. Continue reading Desensitizing While Lunging
After the horse is used to wearing the saddle and you feel ready you can give him his very first ride. Review the groundwork lessons before you saddle him and again with the saddle on. Then when you feel he is ready it is time to get on. For the first few weeks I will ride in a hackamore or a rope halter but you can start out in a snaffle bridle if you’d like. Continue reading First Ride
Lots of riders have trouble keeping their lower leg in the correct place. They also have difficulties with posting, falling forward, or having the leg swing. Here I’ll give you some exercises to help secure your position in the saddle at each gait. Continue reading Improve Your Leg Position
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 Building A Relationship