Q: I have a high-energy mare that gets really strong and quick whenever we jump. She pulls on the bit, and I have a hard time slowing her down. Do you have any suggestions on how I can make...
Q: My horse’s trot is irregular and feels uncollected. How can I make it smoother and more collected?
A: The training scale is an easy place to start and will give you a path to follow in developing your...
You don’t have to be a competitor to reap the benefits of dressage training with your horse. Any horse can learn the basic lateral movements of the turn on the forehand and the leg-yield. Unlike the more advanced lateral...
Nobody likes being a lawn dart. But thanks to the laws of physics, you can become a human projectile when your galloping horse suddenly slams on the brakes in front of a jump or abruptly swerves to the side....
If your horse has ever received bodywork, chances are good that you have learned how much the region of his lower lumbar spine and sacral joint either impedes or improves his ability to perform well. Similarly to humans, this...
Hunter and jumper courses can be tricky. Learning to ride them well can be even harder. Whether it’s a hunter round needing rhythm and cadence or a jumper round that presents unrelated distances to test your mount, understanding the...
It’s the kind of exercise that we never leave behind, no matter how simple it seems until you break down its parts, or aim for total accuracy in execution. For one thing, riding a good turn on the forehand...
Although jumping comes naturally to most horses, to a great extent, correct jumping style must be learned. Even if you have an older horse that is more set in his ways, grids are an efficient way to improve his...
Starting a green horse over jumps is much like teaching a child to read. Both require a step-by-step approach, where the student becomes proficient in one lesson before moving on to the next challenge. If you’re working with a...
Many riders find that no matter how many lessons they take and how much they practice, their jumping form still leaves something to be desired. When you see a photo of yourself, you realize that your leg is swinging...
