I think the main reason riders lean to the outside in half pass is that they use too much outside leg to push their horses sideways. So here are 3 quick tips to help you sit in the direction of movement.



1. Pretend there’s a seam running down the middle of your saddle from pommel to cantle. Then visualize yourself moving your outside seatbone onto that center seam so you don’t get left behind.



2. Think about actually taking a "step down into the inside iron" as…

Remember that dressage simply means "Training". You don’t need to work in a regulation dressage arena to "do" dressage. Every second you’re on your horse, you’re either training or "untraining"! So you’re always doing dressage no matter what kind of horse you have or what style of riding you’re doing.



Think about how you can continue to train your horse yet add some fun and variety to his life.



Carla Varasso writes: My friends and I, who like to hilltop with…

I have been giving a bunch of seat and leg position riding lessons lately, and we've discovered some interesting things about the correlation of the pelvis, lower leg, and losing your stirrups.



Does this ever happen to you?



Do you lose your stirrups in the sitting trot?

Does your horse slow down in the sitting trot or when you work without stirrups?

Does your knee come out over the front of the saddle when you’re in the sitting trot or canter?

Does…

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