Dear Julie,

My understanding is that spurs are to be used to back up a request if the horse is not responding or to make a cue more clear as in lateral work. It is hard for me to picture how to not have the spur contact the horse, especially in the most forward position when cueing with one's leg. In general, should leg cues be given with the inside of the calf to avoid hitting the horse with the spur rather than turning the heel inward?

Thanks,

Casey

Mariposa…

Can't get your heels down when horseback riding? The problem may not be your heels!



I've been asked a lot recently about why riders have such a hard time keeping their heels down. A heel that is not "down" may not have anything to do with the heel itself, but rather the knee and the calf muscle.



Many times the heel is not down because the calf needs to be stretched. A soft calf allows for the heel to drop below the toe when the foot is resting on the stirrup…

I see no difficulty in bringing together good dressage, jump and cross country training. Indeed I believe it produces a better, more efficient and humane training programme....a point also made by Dressage legend Reiner Klimke who also evented and show jumped to a high level as a young man. I believe the dressage helps the jumping which in turn helps the dressage. It is all about having the flexibility to choose from the fullest range of exercises to benefit each rider and horse…

I am very disappointed to hear that a number of people have inaccurately interpreted the messages in my last blog to the extent that I am being portrayed as anti-dressage.



I LOVE DRESSAGE



Let me make it 100% clear that I love good dressage at any level, and I am in love with seeing a rider and horse working in harmony and with real quality...to me each moment is then something of great beauty and still gives me enormous pleasure on a daily basis. Good dressage training…

This Week in Horse History - January 4th Through January 10th



January 5, 1961 - The television show "Mr. Ed" debuted for its six year run. The show featured Wilbur Post (Alan Young) and his talking horse, Mr. Ed. Mr. Ed was played by Bamboo Harvester, a parade horse. He was foaled in 1949 and was owned by the president of the California Palomino Society. Bamboo Harvester was purchased by the Mister Ed Company and was trained by Les Hilton. Mr. Ed did many scenes in one…

I was very fortunate this week, I got to ride in above freezing temperatures.



The last few times I had ridden Mia (the Arab mare) in a bit something was not quite right. She would willingly advance into contact and keep her tongue relaxed, but she was not completely happy with the experience. So I decided to change to my mildest bit, the Mullen mouth snaffle the next time it was warm enough to ride with a bit. Friday--and it was above freezing!!! I had already changed…

If your dressage horse is struggling in a movement or exercise, ask yourself 4 questions:

1. Is he going too fast or too slowly?
2. Is his neck too high or too low?
3. Is his frame too open or too closed?
4. Am I asking too much?

If you're not sure what the problem is, adjust one of the 4 things above to see if that helps your dressage horse.

A Happy Horse

On February 8th Hartpury College in the UK are hosting an International Eventing Conference entitled ‘Training for Safety’. An admirable aim without doubt and some great sessions are scheduled for the day, so the organisers are to be congratulated. However the description of one of the presentations worries me greatly. The title is Dressage – the relationship with Jumping. The description explains that Pammy Hutton FBHS will dispel the ‘myth’ that the higher level of dressage can be…

I have had a client who questioned the appearance of blisters after riding, which then disappear again after about 20 minutes. I suggest the following might be happening. The spinal vertebrae have three processes. Between the spinal processes, you will find the spinal dorsal ligament system . There should never be any pressure on the spinal vertebral processes, however, if you have a saddle which has a too narrow chamber and has been lying on the spine itself, probably at least one of the 7…