Whether you ride for pleasure or in competition, English or western, in speed classes or judged events, in the arena or on the trail, you have to ride corners, circles or turns. Wide turns or tight turns, the elements that …
Training
Over the past few weeks I hope you – and your horse – have had plenty of ‘thinking time’ and the opportunity to work on establishing the trust that is essential to a building a strong foundation in your training.…
As with the canter departs we discussed in the last issue, the quality of your ridden halts will depend on the level of training of the horse you’re riding, plus your own skill level. It would be unrealistic to expect …
HUNTERS
Hunters are judged on their form over a course of natural looking fences, and on their manners and the quality of their gaits on the flat. The ideal hunter:
• walks or trots into the ring relaxed, on a …
Let me start by saying whether or not you will be successful with your horse doesn’t depend on how long you’ve been around horses. Horses do not read résumés. What horses do look for is whether you are a Confident, …
If you take riding lessons, your coach will at some point teach you the common basic aids for cantering from the trot.
They are:
1) First, establish a sitting trot and maintain a correct, deep position in the saddle.
2) …
Try lungeing him. Lungeing means having your horse travel around you on a circle at the end of a long line, and it has many uses:
* starting a young horse’s training or retraining a spoiled horse
* improving condition …
My previous article (“Finding Frame” July/August 2011) described five different frames your horse can carry himself in and how each of those frames affects the development of his back, abdominal and hindquarter muscles. There are three healthy frames – long …
There is a right time and a wrong time to cue your horse for a movement, and if you don’t have the timing right, you could be asking for the impossible. For instance, the only time you can influence your …
The horse might be young and eager to take in the sights and sounds of a new life under saddle, or simply have a tendency to pay attention to anything but the rider. Show jumper and coach Mac Cone of …
Here are seven attainable goals you can set this season:
1. Focus on your ride, not the ribbons.
Unless you are competing in a sport against the clock such as show jumping, you will find that most horse sports are …