Hi Guys,



Regardless of which discipline you ride, it's very important to sit straight and square in the saddle. Can you tell if you're collapsing at your waist and sitting crookedly?



Ask a ground person to stand behind you.

1. Are your shoulders level (i.e. the same height)?

2. Is your seat in the center of the saddle so that each seatbone is the same distance from the middle of the saddle?



If your shoulders aren't level which means that one…

Hi Guys,



Do you saw left and right on your dressage horse's mouth or wiggle the bit with both hands to get him "on the bit".



If you "saw" on your dressage horse's mouth by alternating squeezing and releasing with your hands, you're riding your horse from front to back. He might look like he's "on the bit" because his head is down and his nose is on the vertical, but you don't have an honest connection from back to front.



The only part of your horse's…

We had a decent year in 2008 - not a banner year but not a bad year.



We qualified 4 animals for the 2008 SportPony Star Search at the Royal Winter Fair:

Private Benjamin (yearling Half-Welsh/First Premium Premier ASPR filly - *Stockham Commander M X Shades of Spring) first as a 2nd place winner behind an already qualified pony and then in her own right. She was also Reserve Junior Champion at Twinholm Open Sport Pony Show and Champion 2 & Under Half-Welsh at Erin…

Hi Guys,



When you train your horse, you're speaking to him in a foreign language. Think about how it feels to have someone speak to you in a language you don't understand. If you don't know the language, you can't understand them. If they speak slower, you still won't have a clue what they're saying. If they shout at you, you still won't understand.

That's how it is for your horse. When you train, you're developing a non-verbal language with him.…

Hi Guys,



Your horse should be able to flex laterally at his poll to the left and right. If you're not sure if he's locked at the poll, ask yourself some questions:



Will he easily flex to the left or right with one quick turn of your wrist or does he stiffen against the action of the rein?

Does he tip his head on small circles or lateral work with a bend like shoulder-in?

Are his ears level when you ride either to the left or to the right?



If he…

Hi Guys,



Lots of riders are confused about how to smoothly switch their long dressage whip from one hand to the other. Many of you tell me you feel awkward while doing this, and you're concerned about making your horse uncomfortable and disturbing the contact because you're twisting the bit in your his mouth.

Here's a step-by-step method to switch your…

Hi Guys,



So many riders are confused about how to warm-up their horses so they can have a productive schooling session. So here are 9 tips to help you with your warm-ups.



As a rider and trainer, your goal in the warm-up is to take the restrictions away from your dressage horse's body. So depending on the day, your warm-up could be as short as 10 minutes, or it could end up making up your entire ride.…

Hi Guys,



Here are some great tips for breaking that cycle of fear...



The simplest, quickest, way to relax is to BREATHE.



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…

News for yesterday's results:



Toronto, ON – Olympic Champion Eric Lamaze brought his Gold-medal horse Hickstead across the ocean to compete in just one class at The Royal Horse Show this week, and it couldn’t have gone any better than it did tonight. Hickstead once again demonstrated he is in a class all to himself, exploding over the jumps with power and stamina unmatched in the arena this evening, if at all.



Of the 23 competitors to begin the $100,000 CN FEITM World…

We were privileged to see the US Olympic Gold Team medalists when they appeared together for the first and only time at the Syracuse Invitational Show on Oct.31.

They discussed their passion for horses, early riding experiences and answered questions from their fans. McLain Ward mentioned his mental preparation for the Games, working with a golf sports coach to improve his ability to deal with pressure.

Laura Kraut talked about the bond…

Hi Guys,



I hope you enjoy these 3 Easy Tips to Make Sure Your Horse is Crossing His Legs Enough in Leg Yields



When you do leg yields from the centerline to the long side, it's not always easy to make sure that your horse is crossing his legs enough. That's because as long as you manage to get from Point A to Point B, you can fake yourself out into thinking you're really going sideways. But if your horse isn't crossing his legs enough, you're losing most of the suppling,…

Hi Guys,



In order for your lateral work such as shoulder-in, haunches-in, and half passes to be effective as collecting exercises, your horse must BEND.



Think of the following equation. Bend+Sideways=Engagement. (Engagement means the bending of joints. As your horse bends his hind legs, his croup lowers, and his forehand goes up--kinda like a seesaw or an airplane taking off.)…

THE 2009 LUSITANO COLLECTION GALLOPS INTO FLORIDA THIS WINTER





MIAMI, (September 11, 2008) – During the weekend of February 19-20, 2009, members of the equestrian community and South Florida social scene will gather at the 111-acre Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida, for the second annual Lusitano Collection Auction. The prestigious event will indulge guests with lavish cocktails and a gala dinner, courtesy of The Lusitano Collection. A portion of the…

Mark Rashid helps people communicate with their horse. Here are some great ideas that he shared with PBS.



What’s your philosophy?



Basically, I try to help folks get along better with their horses by finding some common ground so they can accomplish what they want to accomplish. I have two main messages — Don’t fight; and be clear. If you can do those two things, it opens the door for pretty much everything else.



The vast majority of horse…

(Excerpt from Horse Sport)



Forty years after Canada earned its only Olympic Team show jumping medal, the Canadian team stood on the medal podium today.



Canada’s team captain, Ian Millar, was daring last night in predicting a medal today. After the loss of Mac Cone’s mount, Ole, Canada lost the luxury of a drop score, in a contest where the best three scores count. But, the remaining three team members met the pressure head-on. Jill Henselwood on Special Ed produced the…

GENERAL

Brian O'Connor is the announcer of the equestrian events - http://special.equisearch.com/blog/brianoconnor/



EVENTING Greg Tryon

http://teamtryon.blogspot.com/



SHOW JUMPING

Beezie Madden - http://teamusa.usatoday.com/bmadden/



DRESSAGE

Debbie McDonald-…

Olympic Short Lists Now Available 31/07/2008

The short lists for the three Olympic disciplines have been unveiled and are now available on the FEI Olympic website.



JUMPING: 79 horses and riders + 14 reserve horses and riders

DRESSAGE: 50 riders and horses + 6 reserve riders and horses

EVENTING: 73 riders and horses



The full lists are available on this page (complete address:…

News for all following Olympic jumping



July 9, 2008



Just days after winning the prestigious Grand Prix of Aachen, Dutch showjumper Albert Zoer has broken his leg and put his Olympic chances in jeopardy.



Zoer, 32, was schooling a young horse on Tuesday when he fell and broke his left leg. He was operated on later that day. His sister, Gina Zoer, said the operation went well with no complications. She said he was in pain and would be for a few days. He was…