Are you able to stay plugged in through your seatbones in the sitting trot, or do you tend to get tense and bounce? If you struggle with your own suppleness in the sitting trot, you aren’t alone. There are many other riders who feel your pain. Sitting the trot takes a solid understanding of how […]
Rider Challenges: The Sitting Trot Read More »
Let’s start with a question. What if the best thing ever happened to you today? How would you feel? How would you celebrate? When you think of positive outcomes and experiences, it can make a profound shift in your mental wellbeing. This is also true when it comes to negative thought patterns. So, how can
Developing More Feel in the Saddle to Address Your Limited Beliefs Around Riding Read More »
Along your riding journey, it’s likely a lot of us will experience the issue of a horse coming behind the vertical. This is a way for the horse to avoid contact and they do so by curling their neck and bringing their chin close to their chest, resulting in the feeling that your horse has
How to Work With a Horse That Gets Behind the Vertical Read More »
Many riders learn on schoolmasters who rarely spook. Also, every horse spooks differently! So, how should we handle a spooky horse? Let’s take a look at some tips and techniques for this common challenge. But, before we get started, I’d like to remind you that my Patreon will be up and running soon. If you’re
Riding the Spooky Horse Read More »
As you advance in your riding, laterals will become an important part of you and your horse’s routine. Today, we will be looking at laterals from a dressage perspective, but laterals are seen in many other disciplines as well. One of the most important aspects of lateral movements is how you set your horse up
Setting Your Horse Up for Success in Lateral Movements Read More »
It’s common to hear instructors mention a rider’s hands, but another crucial part of your upper body position is the position of your arms and angle of your elbows. Most riders know to keep their eyes up, hands together, and heels slightly down. These are basics across the board. However, with arm and elbow position,
Elbow and Arm Positioning Read More »
Recently, I was looking at my most listened to podcast episodes, and surprisingly the most popular one is an episode I did about bits 4 years ago! The audio and content quality both needed a boost, so I wanted to revisit this important topic for you all again, both on my podcast and here in
I have a strong belief that in order to be an effective rider, we need to look at biomechanics instead of focusing on equitation. If we understand why it’s important to have correct posture for both ourselves and our horses, it holds a lot more value than the “heels down, sit back, hands together” version
Focusing on the Why of Rider Position Read More »
The canter pirouette is an advanced dressage maneuver that requires many prerequisites in order to perform it correctly. But, what exactly is it? How do you ask for it? And, how do you teach it to your horse? Let’s get into detail about this beautiful movement. What is it? The FEI definition of a canter
How to Introduce the Canter Pirouette Read More »
Have you ever tried riding a circle and as soon as you pulled back on the inside rein, you felt your horse’s shoulder falling away to the outside? There’s a biomechanical reason behind this, and through learning how to turn your horse with their whole body in mind, this issue should eliminate itself, resulting in
Activating “Power Steering” With Your Horse Read More »