There’s a simple solution. It’s called Attention. You may think I’m going to tell you how to get your horse to pay attention to you, but the real key to understanding your horse and him understanding you is you learning how to pay the right kind of attention. Most people’s attention goes around very…
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Does your horse: 1. Tune you out 2. Lean on the bit 3. Doesn’t listen If this is you, something could be missing in your relationship with your horse. Here’s a curious thing: you don’t have to know what is missing in order to figure it out. Once you acknowledge that there is a gap…
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Pumpkin Once upon a time, a kind hearted appaloosa lesson horse jumped a fence a little bit too high for the ambitious woman on his back. The horse’s name was Pumpkin. The rider will remain unnamed. As Pumpkin leaped over the jump and landed, the woman bounced right out of the saddle. Instead of landing…
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I received these videos from a student, showing the difference she made in her horse. My student, Marissa, practiced a combination of simple exercises in dressage, clicker training, and Loving Presence for a few months, and her horse Gemma surprised us with offering this lovely balance. From This: (Before Video) To This: (After Video) Yes,…
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Which one of these is you? Your horse walks off as soon as you start to mount. Your horse waits for you to get on and settle in the saddle before he moves. Someone holds your horse while you get on. Each one of these scenarios is a big shift in how you sense each…
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In the actual moment of training, if you try too hard and want what you want too much, you get into the future moment instead of the present moment of connection with your horse. Your mind focuses on something finished and near perfect. If it doesn’t happen, you end up using more leg and more…
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As soon as you saw this picture, did you start thinking what was good or bad about it? I often judge my horse when I ride. I find myself asking, is this a good walk? Is his neck and back rounded enough? Is this the right canter? I judge myself, too. Am I sitting correctly?…
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Do you hate carrying a whip? What if you could do your horse a favor by carrying one? Many dressage riders carry a whip. Most instructors tell you to use it to enforce your aids. Used in this way, it is a threat to your horse. If he doesn’t trot when you close your legs…
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Dressage turns and corners How to teach yourself to keep your outside hand in the right place This is for you if: Your horse cuts his corners. You have trouble riding your horse through corners. Your circles are not round. When you ride a circle, your horse makes the circle get smaller. The next time…
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This exercise is so simple that you may wonder how in the world it has anything to do with riding and training horses. If you care about your horse, it does! Here’s what you do: 1. While you are grooming your horse, stop your brush and look closely at each individual hair for 30 seconds.…
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