Visual Lesson : Signs There are Holes in Your Horse’s Training
What does it mean for there to be holes in your horse’s training? It means that somewhere along the line his training was incomplete, like he missed a day of school and never got caught…
aids
Using Your Indoor Arena Voice
Sometimes when I get wound up, excited or nervous my voice will rise and rise until I am nearly shouting and don’t realize it. This was a big problem when I was a child and…
Flexing the Stiff Horse
This question is raised frequently – how to soften and flex a horse who is stiff in the neck. There is a problem with the question however, because it assumes that addressing the horse’s stiff neck will actually correct the stiffness. In reality, flexing the horse’s neck alone only causes a disconnection between the neck and the hind legs. If you do not understand the implications of this disconnection you can create more problems later on – making it difficult or impossible to get true collection from the horse.
Creating Energy Through the Reins
In a perfect world the horse is connected to us through the reins, meaning that the contact we’ve established on the reins serves as the ultimate communication tool. There is no tension, simply touch and with it the power to execute energy through the horse at a moments notice.
Half Halt
The Half Halt… is it really as confusing as it seems? Endless articles describing it in vague, half-terms and hidden meanings. I don’t believe so, but for how simple it is it can be a challenge to understand and apply. Practice does make perfect…
The Order of Aids : Simplicity
I’ll leave these wise men to explain the overall importance of simplicity and hopefully you may glean how it relates to the aids we use in riding.
Simplicity of the Aids – Part II
In the first part of this article, we covered the Rules of the Aids, along with introducing and describing the Half Halt and Reverse Half Halt. We now continue on, in a very logical way, to discuss the Direct and Indirect Rein. These two aids are the means of directing, guiding and helping to shape the horse.
Simplicity of the Aids – Part I
Perhaps the first point to make on the definition of aid, is that in no way does the meaning ever describe it as a means of control. The aids that the rider uses, are meant not as a way to force, coerce or otherwise take away the will, freedom or direction of the horse, the aids are there to help support the horse in his own natural abilities, if you will.