I am very good at catching things. I mean VERY good at it! It makes me feel good to snag flying tennis balls out of the air.



I've been swimming a lot too. I wasn't sure I could swim at first, but I took a chance and leaped into the water. I found out quickly that I’m a good swimmer! Some things you’re naturally good at. Some things you have to work at.



Either way, doing something really well is very good for your inner being.



What would you like to do…

Today is your day! Take it! It is YOURS! Let's do something with this day!



It's easy to say, let’s wait until tomorrow. But that's not going to get you anywhere. So let's change that.



Today is it. Let's set a few goals. One for today, one for this week, one for this month, and one for this year. Get a pen and piece of paper and write down four things.



What would you like to achieve today?

What would you like to achieve this week?

What would…

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…

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

When riding your horse, it's important to keep your hands forward in what I call the "work area".



The work area is just in front of the saddle above the horse’s withers. Put your hands in that position and draw an imaginary box around them. That box is your work area.



No matter what rein aids you're giving, keep your hands in the work area. If you bring your hands closer to your body, you steal power from the hind legs. If you put your outside hand forward, for…

Horseback riding is all about balance and staying centered. You always want to keep your horse in good balance for his stage of training no matter what your discipline.



It doesn't matter whether you're a dressage rider, a western pleasure rider, a trail rider, or an event rider. Correct balance is essential to effective riding because the center of your balance directly affects your horse’s balance.



Your goal should be to have an independent seat so you can…

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, "Can you help me sit the trot better?"



So here are some quick tips to help you with this all too common challenge.



1. First and foremost, your horse needs to be on the bit. If his back is hollow, stiff, or tight, you’ll find it impossible to sit comfortably. (And, in turn, you'll make your horse uncomfortable too!)



To put him on the bit, review my blog post…

If you tend to grip with your legs, and lean forward when you canter your dressage horse, here's a simple exercise to help you sit up straight.



Sit in a chair and do the following exercise for muscle memory:



1. Sit up straight with shoulders over hips.



2. Lean back about 4-5 inches



3. Come back up to the vertical.



4. Do this in the rhythm/tempo of the canter.



5. Notice how as your upper body comes back, your hip angle…

Lots of riders seem to be confused by the dressage term "long and low". Some riders even think long and low is different from the stretchy circle in the dressage tests.



Long and low is the SAME as what's being asked for stretchy circles. The stretchy circles were added to the dressage tests to check that the horse's connection was correct and that the rider wasn't fudging things by fiddling with the reins.



To get correct long and low, your horse must be connected…

Rearing, bucking, nappiness as well as needing "a lot of leg" are all symptoms of your horse not going forward. Many people think that forward only means going forward over the ground. That's the physical expression of forward. That is, going forward is a direction in the same way that going sideways is a direction.



But having your horse "think forward" is even more important if you want a horse that's safe and not exhausting to ride. There are 2 aspects to this concept of…

You can help your stiff dressage horse bend better by gently doing the opposite of what he wants to do with his body.



Few horses are ambidextrous—meaning they can bend as easily to the right as to the left. So your goal is to make your dressage horse's soft side more "stiff" and his stiff side more "soft" and bendable.



How Do I Make the Stiff Side "Softer"?

Dressage riders tend to think that the stiff side is the "bad" side because it feels harder for…

Hi guys,



Last week my first two tips for riding a great dressage test were about the importance of memorizing your test and what to do to make a great entry into the ring.

The tips this week focus on riding your corners and diagonals properly and how to prepare for your transitions.





3. CORNERS AND DIAGONALS

Okay, you're in the arena. No matter what level you're doing, you have to ride corners. The general rule for riding corners is that you…

When it comes to riding a polished dressage test, preparation is the key to success. So I want give you some competition tips to help you have the best experience possible.



Before I get started with the actual tests, I want to just talk in general about riding dressage tests because there’s a lot of things that they all have in common.



1. MEMORIZE YOUR TEST

The first thing is that you need to know your test. I mean REALLY know it. Even though from…

Horses shy from tension so there's lots you can do to ride proactively to help them relax. I call one of my favorite exercises "The Valium Exercise" because it's so effective at relaxing a tense horse.



Let's say your horse likes to shy at a particular corner of the ring. Start the Valium exercise well before you get to the corner.



Here are the aids for the "Valium exercise".



THE ACTIVE AIDS



1. The Inside Rein:

• The action of the inside…

Fear is a very real issue for many horseback riders. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, it would be surprising if you never felt afraid when riding. After all, you're dealing with an animal that greatly outweighs you.



In addition to their size, horses are not always predictable. After all, they've survived all this time because of their flight instinct. The fact that they’re reactive creatures rather than logical ones can be scary.



So what do you do…

I often hear from horseback riders that they have irrational fears about being out of control or getting hurt when riding. The fear seems irrational because they've never actually had an accident or injury. So they wonder where the fear comes from.



For what it's worth, I used to have "irrational fears" about flying. It was so bad that I would only do clinics within driving distance. It turns out that the fear of flying was just a convenient "hook" to hang stuff on. It…

The simplest, quickest, way to find relaxation on your horse is to BREATHE. Here are 4 quick tips to help you with your breathing.



Now, I know you're breathing or you wouldn't be reading this! But are you breathing in a way that promotes relaxation?



1. Let's find out. First, let's dissect what you do when you inhale. Stand up. Take in a really deep breath. Did your shoulders go up? If they did, you’re just breathing in your upper chest. And there's always tension…

When it comes to riding a polished dressage test, preparation is the key to success. So I want give you some competition tips to help you have the best experience possible.



Before I get started with the actual tests, I want to just talk in general about riding dressage tests because there’s a lot of things that they all have in common.



1. MEMORIZE YOUR TEST

The first thing is that you need to know your test. I mean REALLY know it. Even though…