Have you ever been upset or at least confused about a placing that you have received after a hunter class? If so, a common response to not placing in a class is “The judge doesn’t like my horse.” “My horse is a paint and the judge doesn’t like paints.” Usually a response like this comes from a lack of knowledge about how hunter classes are judged and how the judge keeps score. Continue reading Hunter Round Do’s And Don’ts
Every hour you spend in the saddle practicing two point or riding without irons is preparing you for jumping courses. The rewards greatly outweigh all the hard work as the payback of being able to experience the joy of flying over a fence on the back of a horse. If you are a hunter or jumper rider than you may be wondering at what point in your training should you start raising the fence height, or even moving up a level. Continue reading Are You Ready To Jump Bigger Fences?
Does your horse stop when you say “Whoa.” or does he push through the bridle and continue on? Maybe he stops when you give him a rein cue but you would like to refine your cues. If either of these situations sound familiar this lesson will help you teach the horse to stop on your seat and voice cues alone from any gait. Continue reading Refine The Stop
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
Showmanship is a great opportunity for you to show off the horse’s manners and your handling skills. No matter what level of riding or your discipline, showing your horse in a showmanship class has many great benefits. Continue reading Showmanship
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
Do you want to improve your horse’s performance and reach your riding goals? Help your horse advance to another level by creating a schedule to track your progress. Continue reading Plan A Training Program
Riding correct transitions allows you to learn feel, control, and timing. Moving between gaits only when you ask gives you control of his feet, which is necessary in any riding discipline. Transitions are also a great opportunity to learn how to feel what your horse is doing underneath you, and will help you learn timing of the aids. Continue reading Precise Transitions
If you are a beginning rider or have always wanted to learn how to ride, here is the place to start. I will teach you how to mount a horse and dismount a horse, and how to do it safely. Continue reading How To Mount A Horse
Riding without stirrups can greatly improve your position and seat. When riding without the irons you must make sure that you are riding correctly. Sometimes when your feet come out of the stirrups you feel insecure, and may improperly grip with your legs or adjust your seat to this new feeling. Here I will give you some tips on how to properly practice stirrup-less to improve communication between you and your horse. Continue reading Stirrup-less Lessons