Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Bending. The most amazing technique you have seen. From halt to walk. S...







"What does bending mean and how should your horse be positioned in front of your seat? You are going to love this technique!"

Horse people everywhere are not sure of where they should be positioning their horses head for the right "bend". By looking through the ears of the horse you will find that you will be riding the horses shoulders instead of simply bringing their head over! How cool is this?

Now you can watch as I show Trudy, from the halt than at the walk, how to do this and what she is going to feel it. Are you ready to try this on your horse?

Friday, August 26, 2016

Keeping a horses focus and head position... when it doesn't want to. Wal...




"My horse throws its head up in the trot walk transitions. What am I supposed to do? How can I keep my horses focused and soft to my rein connection?"
This happens to so many riders. It is a common challenge that can be solved by understanding the Steps to Connection. Now you can watch this Blast from the Past to show what I did with Trudy and Ani to keep them connected with the walk trot transitions and the different trots. Ani was still new to being on contact/on the aids/on the bit/in front of the aids at the time of this filming. . Like most horses that are new to this level of connection she is not sure what she should be doing when Trudy takes up the contact. Now you can see what we did with the walk trot transitions and changes of gait at the trot to help her understand how to stay connected.
Does this give you a better idea of how you can ask your horse to stay more connected? Practice this Horse and Rider Awareness technique and tell me how it works for you.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Is your horse in front of the aids? Check out this easy technique to kn...




"Did you know... that when a horse is in "front of the riders aids (connected from the back to the front) that the base of the horses neck gets thick?" Now you can watch this blast from the past to see how this concept brought Trudy and Ani to a new level of connection"

In this session we continue with Trudy teaching Ani how to stay on "contact". Before this Ani was ridden on a loose rein. This is new for Ani and like most horses she is not sure what is happening. In this session you will see how Trudy and Ani connect better when Ani is “thick in the base of her neck. (I was thrilled to be able to film this part of the training process as many riders have never seen what happens with a horse and rider going to the next level)

The next time you ride try this on your horse. Can you feel the difference in the connection when they are thick in the base of their necks? 

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Metronome Magic. Is your horse connected? How do you know? #2





"What if.... there was a technique you can use to really know if your horse is moving in rhythm and balance? Watch what happens when we add a metronome...."

Our goal in this session was to keep Shadow connected (the Steps to Connection) so that he can keep an even gait (walk trot) instead of falling into the walking horse gait. To do this we continue to focus when he starts to disconnect, losing his balance and rhythm. Our rider is Bronze Medalist, Marilynn Basset. 

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

The Rainbow (in a horses neck)at the trot/canter transitions. Is your h...









"The Rainbow... An easy way for you to know if your horse is connecting the way you want it do. Check out this easy to use technique to see if your horse has a "Rainbow" in your trot/canter transitions today!"
For most of us, keeping our horses balanced and in connection is important. We like the way it feels when our horses connect with us at that level. An easy way to be able to "see" (yes, sometimes we do look down) is by keeping a "Rainbow" in your horses neck. Of course, it is much more than that... However, this is an easy technique that will let you know when your horse is really on the aids/in front of the legs/on the bit, round, packaged, the beginning of self carriage.
The next time you ride, check to see if you have a "Rainbow" in your horses neck. Let us know how it works for you!

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Contact. The beginnings. Walk trot. The Steps to Connection. S4 dressage





"What if... you have finally come to the point in your horses training where you are ready to ask them to stay connected from your leg to the reins (contact). What should you expect and what should you do?"

When a horse is learning how to stay connected they are not sure what is going on. Especially if this is also new for the rider. Now you can watch what happens as I use the "Steps to Connection"with Trudy to show her how to keep Ani focused and connected walk halt transitions for the 4th time. 

Can you see how important understanding the Steps to Connection are to what you are doing with your horse?

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Connecting at a new level with Metronome. Mini stretches and even rhythm...




"What if you have a gaited horse (or in fact any horse that does not seem to want to stay connected between your aids? Now you can watch how Marilyn rides with the metronome and adds mini stretches and the outside rein and leg to keep Shadow more connected" This is Part #1 of 2 Watch the changes!"


This is Marilyn Basset (USDF Bronze Medalist) riding Shadow a Walking horse cross with lateral gaits. (Pacey) This is our first session together. To isolate what Shadow is doing with his gaits (this works on any horse with uneven gaits) we add the metronome. We also focus on if Shadow is really softening to Marilyn's aids. Is he listening to her? Than we practice how the outside rein can be used to keep a horses balance and mini stretches on both reins. One of Marilyn's questions about Shadow is what to do when he leans on a rein. Now you can watch the process we use to keep a horse soft on the reins. Could you see the difference in how Marilyn is now able to communicate more clearly with Shadow? Did you see how he lifted his back and started moving better as a result?