https://images.app.goo.gl/ZB4wVrxdCgS9pb637 Riding corners happen a lot in arenas. Usually there are at least 4 of them. Some arenas that are oval or round have rounded corners. But in general, a horse must go through a corner at some point in their riding journey. Here is some easy corner exercises. First, put a cone in your corner about 3 feet away from the deepest point of the corner. When your ride closest to the point of the corner going to the left or the “right” of th

You drive white knuckled to the barn after work and let out a heavy sigh when you park the car. Your horse is out in the pasture and has spent a great deal of time ensuring every hair is covered with mud. Sigh. You’re so darn tired and really this is supposed to be you’re ‘me time’. You go out to the pasture and your usually ready to come and get the treat horse turns tail and runs to the back of the pasture and hides. You put your head down and determinedly march to the far

Riding is about energy. You have to be able to direct it. Energy when riding is as dynamic as energy we use to power our lights and cars. It has many forms when riding and knowing how to ‘manage the energy’ enables the rider to direct the horse more fluidly. Energy is motion. You and your horse need to move together. Try this exercise in your training ride to create sustainable energy in your horse. That means the horse goes more or less for while at the tempo you set until

We spend a lot of time obsessing over details in dressage. I think it’s probably due to our personality types. Or maybe it’s just me! I’ve read volumes on it and tried to follow lots of exercises to always know where the horse's legs are and where my legs are. It wasn’t until I started teaching it that I began to break it down into smaller sections so I could explain to others the timing of the aid that I do with my body in a movement. It also helps that for my fitness traini

Do you have a riding dream? Spring brings me a fresh interest in my goals. Sure, I have my weekly plan. But something about this time of year brings me great joy but also great pain in my training plan. For you maybe it’s getting to the next level. Maybe it’s getting the correct canter lead. Maybe you want to post on the correct diagonal without having to look. Maybe you’re like me and you’re so close to your ultimate goal and then it just slips through your fingers and you d

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

How do you know you are progressing? Does a show prove it? What if you have an unbelievably disastrous show of no fault of your own? You’re riding your test in an arena by the road. Your professional-minded mare is a totally listening to you but then comes the attack! Two motorcycles decide to see how close they can do 90 mph and rev the engine near the arena at A. Remember A is right by the road. Your mare reacts with a huge buck and then several small bucks. The motorcycl