Does the thoughts of riding shoulder in leave you feeling less than confident in your riding abilities.  Are you a little unsure about the angle, the bend and the degree of collection required in order to successfully ride the movement? Shoulder in is super for encouraging suppleness and collection in your horse, however if ridden incorrectly, things can quickly begin going the opposite way of your desired results...

The audio version of this…

Do you find yourself a tad confused as to what exactly to do with your legs while you ride?  Do you find that even if you know what to do, degree of pressure to use or how often to apply the aid is confusing you?

You are hearing terms such as 'Keep your leg on', 'use your leg', 'more leg', 'leg', 'soften your leg', 'support with your leg', 'back up your leg'... leg, leg, leg!!!

You can listen to the audio version of this blog post…

Do you find yourself huffing and puffing after a few strides of canter?  Have you been riding less recently and find that now your back in the saddle, your less effective than before?  Are you spending hours schooling your horse but seeing little to no difference in his way of going...

It often amazes me how much time, effort, planning and work riders put into conditioning and increasing the fitness levels of their horses and yet completely fail to invest even a little of that towards…

Summer is upon us, and so is the busiest time of year for many riders. Horse shows, clinics, and trail rides take up much of our day, but there are still important barn chores that need to be done. Here’s a quick to-do list to help you start off summer right.

Scrub Water Troughs

Have you…

There seems to be two types of riders in the world, those that love an OTTB and those that don't!  I am squarely in the former category and if you are also there, well make yourself comfortable because this week on Daily Strides we are focusing on basic exercises you can begin implementing with your OTTB today that will help lay a solid foundation for future schooling, regardless of the discipline.

You can read the original post & listen to the…

There is so much talk about vulnerability, authenticity and self-acceptance these days. I love it. In case you haven’t seen the (by now famous) TED Talk by Brene Brown yet or want to see it again, I'll post the link below.

The process of becoming a horseman is the epitome of the vulnerability, authenticity and self-acceptance trifecta. Living the truth of it……

I have a confession to make.....

I was feeding my horses, checking on the water, and generally mooching around the field, hanging out with them,  when suddenly my phone rang.   It was my long standing close friend and 'adopted' big brother Paul, one of the best Music Perrformance Coaches in the business.  I was delighted as it seemed such a long time since we had chatted.  Whilst we were chatting I found myself confessing something and it kind of came from…

Today is my Tip number 3 in boosting your self belief in you, with a view to aiding your horsemanship with your horse.

Are you aware of the relationship between your thoughts and how you behave, and what your body language and energy are really saying about you?

Now this is something that I see in a lot of horse owners that I meet, and I have a confession, from time to time, I am guilty of the same thing too.

We unintentionally make life much…

If your wintertime bedding bills have left your wallet thin, don’t despair. There are plenty of ways to save on your bedding bill in the upcoming months.

Maximize Turnout

With warm weather finally here, it’s a great time to maximize the number of hours that your horse spends outside. If your barn has adequate pasture turnout, then…

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 …

If you’ve had the winter off from riding, then you’ll probably be feeling pretty rusty when you get back into the saddle this spring. Want to get yourself back into riding shape faster? You can do these exercises from the saddle and soon you’ll be back to riding-fit.

Work Without Stirrups

One of the best ways to quickly get yourself fit…

Our horse hobby has an uncanny way of spreading into and taking over our vehicles. While we might delight in eau de horse, chances are that some of the people who have to ride in our cars won't feel the same way. Are horses taking over your vehicle? Here are some ways to reclaim and barn-proof your car.

Use Plastic Totes

Plastic totes are key to getting a horsey car organized. Invest in a few heavy-duty plastic totes that fit in the…

Developing your riding seat begins with understanding that your seat must be used to signal to your horse, not interfere or disrupt his natural movement.  In order for you to utilize this aid successfully, it is imperative that you be relaxed first.  Relaxation is not floppiness, it is just an awareness of your body and how you are using it without any tension or resistance through your muscles.

The problem and confusion over developing your riding seat often begins right at…

As spring arrives, so does horse show season. While it would be great to buy yourself a new wardrobe each year to start the season off fresh, doing so probably isn’t practical. If your wardrobe from last year is looking a little drab, there are a number of ways you can spruce it up without spending a ton.

Add a New Show Shirt

One of the easiest…

Written by:  Equine Advocates,  reprinted with permission

Originally published here - Children's Summer Camp Season – Please Choose Programs That Do Not Discard Horses And…

More importantly, how do you know if your horse is falling in?  The quickest and easiest way I can explain this is to imagine you are riding a circle which you have planned out beautifully in your head; but as your horse travels around it you seem to be getting more and more off track with each passing stride; in fact what started out as a 20m circle is soon resembling a 10m triangle, drawn by a three year old...

Or another area this where problem can tend to rear its ugly…

Is there a more frustrating and exhausting experience when riding to match that of being on a horse who is not paying you a blind bit of notice?!

You are on board kicking and pumping away, while you horse is just meandering along...  Ignoring you completely and acting as though he is on a relaxing Sunday outing.

This week on Daily Strides we are focusing on helping you overcome the inertia and begin getting some movement happening underneath you, by…