Time to focus on evenness in the rein contact. This is a tough exercise because it’s simple in concept but difficult to do. First warm up regularly. Now focus on the reins being even in both hands. That’s it. I’m serious. That’s all you need to do. When the horse gets light in one rein – touch with the leg, cluck or touch with the whip behind the leg and let the energy from behind fill up the rein. If the horse gets too heavy on one rein, shorten the strides by posting slower

The days are shorter and colder right now so it's harder to get motivated to get to the barn, tack up your horse, and ride. Then you have to cool them down and put them away. This is when I really need a plan to ride my horse so I can get on, get warmed up, get the exercise in and get done. Sometimes I even feel my whole ride is basically a warm up since I can’t feel my fingers and toes! But that's OK, too, actually. This is where I try to keep the basics in mind – simple wal

I was walking a student through the aids to ask for a walk-canter transition. It was her very first. She was so intent on every word that I said. She had watched me do several on my horses and also several on her horse, and I could see her as she watched moving her leg and hands, trying to get the feel of it in her body by imitating what I was saying. Now it was her turn. Her horse knew the basics of it, but I wouldn't say he was confirmed 100%. I asked her to bend the horse

Riding horses is such a challenge in balance and motion. Focusing on all of the motion you are experiencing and just the sensation of motion can get overwhelming. You and your horse go forward and sideways. In some cases backwards. The horse is moving his body and your body moves over his body so your hips are swinging side to side and up and down as well as being in a forward motion as part of trotting down the long side. You get the lovely task of trying to be 'with the mot

I believe the hardest thing about riding is really what's between our ears! It's the thoughts we think as we ride that make or break a riding experience. Last week in the US was our Thanksgiving holiday, so I had a lot of time off with my family and cooked and ate a lot of food. I also was able to ride a lot during the sunny, warm afternoons, and I found that improved my riding considerably because my overall mood was better. And then it hit me as I started back to my evening

So, now that you have the reins in your hands and all you can think of while riding your horse is squeezing and releasing the sponge, what other parts of the arm are important? It's time to focus on the other important parts of the arm – the elbows and shoulders. In fact, I believe it's helpful to think about the rest of your arm as more important than the hands in how you learn to connect with the horse’s mouth in a following and elastic manner. In dressage especially, the

You talk to your horse through the rein. Gasp--I said it out loud! We're so focused on not touching the reins so much we forget they are actually a useful modifying riding tool. Yes, it’s true – it's best to always think on legs first when you’re fixing things. But the reins aren't just decoration! If you've not done some dishes in awhile you might want to plunge your hands into soapy water and squeeze and release that sponge, wash, and repeat. Why? It's rein practice. It tak