Staying connected in the stretchy trot with half halts. S4 dressage tra...

"The trot. A stretching we will go... a stretching we will go. What? I need to ask my horse to stretch while doing half halts and keeping my horse connected?"

It has been a long winter and Trudy has not been on Ani for at least 6 weeks.  Now that we have warmed up both of them we are going to see if Trudy can ask Ani to stretch at the trot.  The trick will be in keeping Ani connected (the Steps to Connection) with half halts. Trudy makes this look easier than it might feel for you.

Now you can see what might happen with you and your horse as you are focused on a stretchy trot with the horse staying connected.  Are you ready to try this on your horse?  Let us know how it works for you.

The Stretchy Walk. Can you stay connected after not riding for a few mon...

"New"  What if...you are just starting to teach your horse the stretchy walk?  This could be new to the horse or rider, or simply, as in this video, after the horse has had time off due to a long winter. Where should you start and how much should you expect?"

Trudy has not been able to ride for at least 6 weeks.  Now that the weather is better, she is back in the saddle. We have now warmed up at the walk and trot (we will not canter until next week) and are now using the stretchy walk to check where Ani is. Since both of them have had so much time off their muscles are not as toned as they were before. We start our stretches by making sure that Ani i listening to Trudy's half halts and also add the Steps to Connection to keep her back and shoulders up.  As you will see, Ani is willing and able to give us a few "mini" stretches that we were very happy with.  By the end of this short session, Trudy legs were cramping which might also happen to you when you return to riding. In the next session we move up into the stretchy trot.

Have you checked the quality of your horses stretches lately?  Can they keep connected as you do them?

"Would you like to know how I got my start with horses? It is probably going to 
surprise you. Now you can read about it as I share my story in the ''Equestrian Calender of Aiken" This will be a continuing series that begins with my first horse Sundance who I rode bareback for years...

Subscribe to their newsletter today to see what is "Shaken in Aiken" at Equestrian Calendar Aiken​  to keep up with everything that is happening with our neighbors to the south.

You can check out what I shared this week by clicking on this link:
Dreaming of Horses... Randi Thompson

Half halts and Steps to Connection. Walk trots. After 6 weeks off. S4 ...

"NEW series! "Have you had to take time off from your riding because of the weather or other reasons?  Now you can watch as we focus on the bringing both the horse and rider back with half halts and the Steps to Connection at the walk and walk trot transitions" 

Now that we have warmed up at the walk, it is time to focus a little more on the transitions into the trot and a little trot. Trudy is focused on her half halts.  She is feeling them in her riding position and checking to make sure that Ani is responding to them.  Next, we add the Steps to Connection so that Ani is more connected and in a better balance.  We were thrilled with the results of this days sessions as we had only asked Ani to connect at this level two times before the winter came.  She remembered what we had done!  Now you can watch the process we use to bring them back. 

Even if you have not had to take time off, you will find that by applying these training techniques for your half halts and connecting with your horse will make a difference. Try them this week and let us know how they work for you!

Half halts and steps to connection. S4 Dressage instruction Tryon NC

"NEW series!  "Have you had to take time off from your riding because of the weather or other reasons?  We have had a rough winter and now Trudy is finally able to ride again after at least 6 weeks. Now you can watch what we do to bring both Trudy and Ani back into training by connecting them with the half halts and steps to connection at the walk"

We had no idea how Ani would behave.  We started by lunging her and she was very fresh. It has been over 6 weeks since their last ride and we were not sure what to expect.   Both Trudy and Ani were able to go pretty much back to where they were with the basics before winter came!  We started with the half halts (as taught by Robert Dover with a breath) than continued with the Steps to Connection.  This was only the third time that we have asked Ani to stay connected at this level and so we were very excited at how much she had remembered from before. Now you can watch the process we used and try it with your horse.

Even if you have not had to take time off, you will find that by applying these training techniques for your half halts and connecting with your horse will make a difference.  Try them this week and let us know how they work for you!

"Is your saddle shifting to one side? Now you can finally fix it! Dressa...

“Why is my saddle always slipping to one side?”  Check out this video and the link to an article that talks about the process that is below.

Most riders know the feeling of a shifting saddle, which can occur for many reasons: it could be how your horse is carrying you, or a saddle not fitting the horse exactly right, or more than likely, this is how you have been balancing your riding position in the saddle for a long time.

You are not alone. Most riders do put most of their weight onto one side of their riding position, causing the saddle to shift.

What can you do about your shifting saddle?  How to Tame a Shifting Saddle From Horse Collaborative

Magic Square at the Walk. #1 Balancing a horse between the riders legs a...

"Teaching a rider how to balance a horse between their rein and legs for the first time"

This is Camille Beatty and Polo practicing how to stay more connected with the "Magic Square" For this exercise, we are using the a circle type of pattern. It is almost like a figure 8 of sorts. Watch what happens as Camille Beatty begins to understand how to use her legs and reins more effectively to influence Polo as she goes through the process. At first, they wobble all over. This is a great exercise for coaching riders, or for teaching yourself... how to use your legs and reins. Somehow, the pattern allows the rider to feel what they are doing in ways that are simply amazing. Now you can watch how it works with a rider who is doing this for the first time.