Jumping, it has the ability to thrill and to strike fear into riders, sometimes all at once!   However, if approached in a systematic and patient manner, most of the fear will dissipate allowing both you and your horse to enjoy jumping; whether it be a pop every now and then, or a trip round a course of fences weekly at a local show.

You can listen to the audio lesson over on the original blog post …

Continue

We were learning to yield the hind end at a walk.

The hour was spent on one side, next time I am up will have to do the other side. Walk forward in a straight line and press our leg just behind the cinch for a count of 2. If he didn't move hind end then would pull the rein and get him to yield his hind until his hips moved over. Then walk back in the same direction you were going and start over.

He finally did a good one near the end of the hour and ended on that. Hope to do…

Continue

I wasn't certain what was going to happen today when going to get Cooper. Would he come? Would I have to get someone from the early lesson to go get him?

I was so happy this time when he came when I called. The paddock was still a mess with so much water and mud. I had a carrot in a bucket and opened the gate to let him come out of the paddock on his own. 

I didn't boot him again because his legs were wet and muddy. I tried to get off what I could but I did not want to put them…

Continue

… and Grace gives herself a promotion.

Dressage borrows lots of language from ballet -after all, we are the dancers of the horse world. Pas de Trois is a dance of three. I have commandeered that phrase to describe riding lessons as a conversational dance between horse, rider and instructor. All three participants have to be heard for the dance to succeed.

I am always…

Continue

Had a lesson last night, which is certainly not unusual, Wednesday is lesson night. But, we're working on getting Maggie more sensitive, so off with the spurs and on with the GET MOVING!!! It was not the most fun anyone has ever had, but, at the end, we had the best walk ever, good trot, but awesome walk. And my trainer and I talked about the work we're doing with Mags. And her comment was that a LOT of trainers won't GO THERE. They aren't going to engage the work that needs to be done to truly… Continue

Yesterday, I gave Bella Benedict another riding lesson on Gunny. This wouldn't be so significant, after all I teach horseback riding lessons for a living. But Belle is just 6 yrs old and she has to clean corrals to EARN her own lessons. Her family is Very tight financially, so I offered Belle a chance to join the 'work to ride' program. She works Hard to earn enough credits to get to ride.



So, this was her 3rd lesson, and we worked on developing a SMOOTH whoa - a nice easy slow pull…

Continue