Added by Adrienne Tange on August 17, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments
Since very few horses, are ambidextrous, it's inevitable that the lateral dressage movements like leg yields, shoulder-in, haunches-in, renvers, and half passes will be easier in one direction than the other.
Your goal for lateral movements in dressage (and everything else you do with your dressage horse!) is to strengthen his weaker hind leg, make his stiff side more "bendable", and his hollow side less "soft".
So, for now, let's just talk about making the weak…
Added by Jane Savoie on August 15, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments
Hi Julie:
I just recently purchased a horse in October this is my first horse and boy I am not starting off very well. This horse was 200lbs underweight when I got him so to say the least I baby him (oops). He has successfully gained 100lbs and I am very excited. He is a very loveable horse and has no bad habits except for the following. My first problem is every time I saddle him I cannot get him to walk as soon as I say walk he will for only a second and he immediately goes into a…
Added by Julie Goodnight on August 14, 2009 at 9:00am — 4 Comments
Here's a fun training tip that uses visualization to help you ride your Training Level Dressage horse better. I call it RIDES WITH FRUIT.
I'm sure you remember Kevin Costner's movie, Dances with Wolves. Well, I call this training tip, Rides with Fruit. I thought it was appropriate since it's summer, and many of us start to eat more fruits and vegetables.
So let's use visualization and bring some fruity images to your dressage horse! When you're on a circle, your…
Added by Jane Savoie on August 7, 2009 at 10:30am — 2 Comments
Each year, you eagerly await horse show season so you can ride and compete your dressage horse. But when the time times, the fear gremlins creep in and you end up feeling paralyzed by "stage fright".
In my own personal quest, I've discovered practical techniques that have given me a performance edge at dressage shows. I'll share some of them with you here.
"DRESSING UP" YOUR PRACTICE SESSIONS"
I can't emphasize enough the importance of…
Added by Jane Savoie on July 31, 2009 at 10:30am — 3 Comments
Added by Kimberly Cox Carneal on July 28, 2009 at 3:30am — 3 Comments
Added by SPANA on July 20, 2009 at 9:00am — No Comments
A lot of riders aren't clear on the difference between flexion at the jaw and flexion at the poll, and how to ask for each of these positions.
Keep in mind that a horse can flex three ways–to the left, to the right, and "in".
When a horse flexes to the left or right, he's flexing at the poll. When he does this, you'll just see his inside or outside eye or nostril. I call this position +1 or -1 because you're bringing his head 1 inch to the inside or the outside of…
Added by Jane Savoie on July 10, 2009 at 12:30pm — 1 Comment
When a horse rushes he is running and using the rider's hands as the fifth leg. In other words the rider is trying to support a horse that thinks that it is acceptable to lean on your hands, which it is not.
What the rider must do is to try and be soft in the contact. When the horse starts to go forward the rider needs to bring his body back slightly to let the horse know to readdress his balance, then take quite a strong half halt and soften as soon as the horse starts to…
Added by Tim Stockdale on July 10, 2009 at 12:30pm — 3 Comments
Hi Guys,
Can you tell if your position is straight and centered on your dressage horse? Or are you collapsing at your waist and sitting crookedly?
Ask a ground person to stand behind your horse.
1. Is your seat in the center of the dressage saddle so that each seatbone is the same distance from the middle of the saddle?
2. Is the distance between your last rib and your belt equal on both sides?
3. Are your shoulders level (i.e. the same…
Added by Jane Savoie on July 3, 2009 at 8:00pm — 2 Comments
Many riders don't realize that the reason they have trouble sitting the trot, is because they haven't put their horses on the bit. No matter how good a rider you are, it's nearly impossible to sit on a back that is stiff and hollow.
The key to making both you and your horse more comfortable in sitting trot is to connect him so his back is round. You do that with what I call "the "connecting aids".
Before you try to give connecting aids, check that your horse…
Added by Jane Savoie on June 28, 2009 at 9:00am — No Comments
If things are going wrong with your training, you should ask yourself what is happening, why is it happening and what is the solution? The art of seeing a problem is being able to interpret what is happening and to decide what the solution is.
Flatwork is all about good foundations, which I call 'fundamentals', and they are very simple and straightforward:
Straightness
Calmness
Balance
Rhythm
Responsiveness
If you have that…
Added by Tim Stockdale on June 26, 2009 at 1:30pm — 3 Comments
I've dealt with a lot of spooky dressage horses, and I find that often shying gets worse because riders do one or all of the following things.
1. Hit or kick him to make him obedient.
2. Make him walk straight up to scary object and face it straight on.
3. Forget to go around your ring in both directions.
4. Force him to go close to the scary object.
5. Patting and soothing him while he's shying.
Let's understand the nature of horses:
1.…
Added by Jane Savoie on June 26, 2009 at 9:00am — 9 Comments
If your horse doesn't march with good energy in your free walk or fades too early in your trot and canter lengthenings, try "breathing" your legs during the movement.
To "breathe" your legs:
* Take your legs off of his sides.
* Move them an inch or two back, and place them on lightly again.
"Breathing" your legs does two things.
1. If you've been gripping, your horse is probably numb to your legs. Taking your legs off allows you to put…
Added by Jane Savoie on June 19, 2009 at 8:00am — No Comments
Q: My horse seems to stop at a different type of fence everytime we go out. Just as I think we have mastered solid fillers then he starts spooking at flower arrangements. What should I do?
A: Make sure your horse is capable of going round the ring before you compete him. If that means you have to do more homework it is still more cost effective than wasting your entry fees. By hiring a school and practicing over a course you are doing a lot more good and putting a lot…
Added by Tim Stockdale on June 12, 2009 at 10:00am — 1 Comment
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–kind of like a seesaw or an airplane taking off.)
So here are some quick tips to help you determine if you're bending your horse…
Added by Jane Savoie on June 12, 2009 at 9:30am — 3 Comments
Last week, I started this series to help you decide how and when to introduce new work. That blog focused on Training and First Levels. What follows is Part 2 of that series.
Let's say your horse is solid at first level. Look ahead to the Second Level movements. Check out the dressage tests. You'll see that you need to work on shoulder-in, haunches-in, renvers, simple changes of lead, reinback and turns on the haunches.
You'll also notice that the big…
Added by Jane Savoie on June 5, 2009 at 9:00am — No Comments
What I am looking for in a rider is balance and empathy with their horse as a living creature. Someone who has feel for the basic paces and hopefully able to tell the right and wrong lead and the right and wrong diagonal. They need to be able to maintain a contact without being stiff and heavy and to be concise in what they are asking. This is quite important; if you ask a horse to walk on, you tell it to walk on.
Temperament in the rider
Any rider that is so…
Added by Tim Stockdale on June 5, 2009 at 8:00am — 2 Comments
Riders often ask me, "How do I know it's the right time to start training something a bit harder?"
This is a big topic so I'm going to cover it over two blogs. In this blog, I'll give you a way to come up with a logical plan for introducing new work at Training Level. Next week, I'll show you to plan to move up to Second and Third Level. I'll also show you how you can use feedback from competition to help you decide whether or not you're ready to move up.
First, I…
Added by Jane Savoie on May 29, 2009 at 10:30am — 4 Comments
Hi Guys,
I received an email from a rider who said, "Can you help me with a problem I have with "locked elbows"? It is a bad habit that I've been trying to break forever. Any tips or visualizations would be really great!"
So, here we go:
In general, elastic elbows allow for movement. In the walk and canter, your elbows need to open and close to allow for the movement of your horse's head and neck. In the rising trot, your horse's head and neck is still, but…
Added by Jane Savoie on May 22, 2009 at 10:00am — 2 Comments
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