Randi Thompson. Riders Test. Walk trot transitions. Riding position

When you ask your horse to change gaits, are the transitions rough or smooth? Would you like to see how you can use your riding position to make them smoother?"

In this blast from the past, Trudy focused on what she is doing with her riding position at the walk/trot transitions. Like many riders, she had a tendency to disconnect from her riding position with her lower legs as she practices them. Now you can watch what I did with Trudy that made a difference in the quality and smoothness of the changes of gait with Ani.

What changes can you see in Trudy's riding position as she focuses more on it? What about Ani? Did her changes or gait improve?

https://youtu.be/EkgZfeewgI8

Randi Thompson. Contact at the trot. What does "on the bit" really mean?...

What if... you really do not understand what contact or "on the bit" really means? You are not alone. Many other riders are also confused with the concept"

Now you can watch this blast from the past as Susan rides Beau to a new level of "on the bit" In the past, Beau had often looked like he is on contact, yet the reins were often slack and a little loopy. That is where he felt comfortable. This was the first time we have focused on asking Beau to keep the rein connection "alive" as Susan asked him to step up into the contact fro Are you ready to see if your reins are alive when you take up the contact?

Our newest Mover and Shaker of the Horse World. Pam Stone. Currently, Pam is a blogger for the Dressage Today Magazine. Pam is also an award-winning comedian and TV star. Many of us remember Pam from the TV series, "Coach." She has also been a guest star on the Tonight Show and Oprah. Now you can listen is as we chat about what she has done, what she is doing, the horse business, "Tall Whites", the Big Oaks Rescue Farm and so much more.

Check out the interview here.  Watch the interview by clicking this link


   

   

Randi Thompson. Riders Test. Half Halts. What should you be feeling? Dr...

dressage, dressage training, equestrian, equitation, Horse and Rider Awareness, horse showing, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Randi Thompson, riding instruction, Tryon NC dressage

In this blast from the past, Trudy asked me to isolate what she was doing with her riding position for her half halts and to improve how she is connecting (The Steps to Connection) with Ani. For the first time, we started the connection process in the warm-up. Now you can see the steps that we used.

Are you ready to try this on your horse? We would love to hear how these techniques are working for you.

Randi Thompson.The Magic of the Lunge Line. Perfect circles/in front of ...

Would you like to be able to ride that perfect circle?  How about being able to really feel (or teach a rider) how to use their riding position and be able to feel when their horse is falling in and out of the circle or keeping a horse in front of the aids? Check out this easy to use yet amazing technique using a lunge line.


Are you ready to try this?  Let us know how it works for you!

Randi Thompson. Riders Test. How is the balance of your rising trot posi...

dressage, dressage training, equestrian, equitation, Horse and Rider Awareness, horse showing, horse training, horsemanship, horses, Randi Thompson, riding instruction, Tryon NC dressage

To improve your riding position all you need to do is try these exercises for 30 days. 5 minutes a day. You will be amazed at the difference in your riding position.

Let me know how these exercises work for you. Please tell us what you experience (whining is allowed...) and how different your riding position and lower leg feel after you try them.

Randi Thompson. Riders Test. Balance for rising/posting Trot. Riding in...

"What would it feel like to finally... feel like you have a secure riding position at the rising/posting trot?"

Watch this blast from the past to see what happened as these two riders focus on their riding positions at the trots. Once we started focusing on these awareness exercises, both riders found that they needed to go back to some of the basics. Now you can see how much their riding positions change at the rising/posting trots.

Are you ready to try these on your horse? Let us know how they make a difference for you!

Randi Thompson. Riders Test. Is your horse listening to you? Walk/trot. ...

Every rider gets to a point in their riding and training where they need to become more assertive with their riding position and how they are using their aids."This could be as simple as keeping the horse's rhythm, the rider adding more leg, seat or rein pressure.

Knowing when to apply more pressure is challenging for many riders. In this blast from the past, Trudy told me that she felt like Ani was ignoring her aids at times and that it was making her feel like she did not have control. We started this session (which goes into the walk and trots) by asking Trudy to become more aware of what she is doing with her riding position and how Ani is responding to it. At first, Ani barely responds. Next, we turn up the volume and Trudy became more assertive with her riding position and aids. As a result, Ani became more responsive and lighter on the aids.

Can you see the difference in Ani's attitude and movement as a result of what Trudy is doing?

Randi Thompson. Are your reins connected to your riding position? The St...

"What if... you want your horse to keep its head in a certain position. This is common for those who are competing or riding dressage. Do you feel like your horse is still locking up or leaning on the reins when you pick up the reins connection? You are not alone. This is a mystery that takes some riders years to understand. Now you can watch what I do with Trudy so she can isolate how Ani is responding to what she is doing with the reins.
On this day Trudy asked if we could focus on that "rainbow" that happens in a horses neck when they are soft to the bit (rein connection) and on the aids/in front of the aids/round and so on. Trudy has been watching horses at the dressage shows and now that Ani is more comfortable with that level of connection is ready to ask her to stay balanced between her reins and legs even more.
In this video we are at the halt and you can see how I break everything down for Trudy. (We have done this in the past, but now Trudy has a different idea about what this really can do)
How does your horse respond to the rein connection? Are you ready to try this technique on your horse? Let us know how it works for you.