Rearing, bucking, nappiness as well as needing “a lot of leg” are all symptoms of your horse not going forward. Many people think that forward only means going forward over the ground. That’s the physical expression of forward. That is, going forward is a direction in the same way that going sideways is a direction.
But having your horse “think forward” is even more important if you want a horse that’s safe and not exhausting to ride. There are 2 aspects to this concept of “thinking forward.”…
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Added by Jane Savoie on November 20, 2009 at 10:15am —
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You can help your stiff dressage horse bend better by gently doing the opposite of what he wants to do with his body.
Few horses are ambidextrous—meaning they can bend as easily to the right as to the left. So your goal is to make your dressage horse’s soft side more “stiff” and his stiff side more “soft” and bendable.
How Do I Make the Stiff Side “Softer”?
Dressage riders tend to think that the stiff side is the “bad” side because it feels harder for them to bend their horses when that…
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Added by Jane Savoie on November 6, 2009 at 10:23am —
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Just a quick reminder that Nov 17 is the deadline for the Dressage Mentor Reunion in Wellington Fl on Jan 21-24. We'll have 4 days chock full of education, information, and just plain fun! Hope to see you there!!
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Added by Jane Savoie on November 4, 2009 at 7:38pm —
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Hi guys,
Last week my first two tips for riding a great dressage test were about the importance of memorizing your test and what to do to make a great entry into the ring.
The tips this week focus on riding your corners and diagonals properly and how to prepare for your transitions.
3. CORNERS AND DIAGONALS
Okay, you’re in the arena. No matter what level you’re doing, you have to ride corners. The general rule for riding corners is that you don’t have to go any deeper into the c…
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Added by Jane Savoie on October 30, 2009 at 11:00am —
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When it comes to riding a polished dressage test, preparation is the key to success. So I want give you some competition tips to help you have the best experience possible.
Before I get started with the actual tests, I want to just talk in general about riding dressage tests because there’s a lot of things that they all have in common.
1. MEMORIZE YOUR TEST
The first thing is that you need to know your test. I mean REALLY know it. Even though from Training Level through 4th level, you c…
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Added by Jane Savoie on October 23, 2009 at 3:30pm —
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Horses shy from tension so there’s lots you can do to ride proactively to help them relax. I call one of my favorite exercises “The Valium Exercise” because it’s so effective at relaxing a tense horse.
Let’s say your horse likes to shy at a particular corner of the ring. Start the Valium exercise well before you get to the corner.
Here are the aids for the “Valium exercise”.
THE ACTIVE AIDS
1. The Inside Rein:
• The action of the inside rein is the same as it is for loosening the poll (indir…
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Added by Jane Savoie on October 16, 2009 at 12:20pm —
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Next week, I'll be offering a FREE 3-Day pass to my on-line coaching site, Dressage Mentor. I'll be sending the info to get the pass to my newsletter folks. You can sign up for the free newsletter at www.janesavoie.com.
Thanks! Jane
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Added by Jane Savoie on October 15, 2009 at 11:04am —
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Fear is a very real issue for many horseback riders. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, it would be surprising if you never felt afraid when riding. After all, you’re dealing with an animal that greatly outweighs you.
In addition to their size, horses are not always predictable. After all, they’ve survived all this time because of their flight instinct. The fact that they’re reactive creatures rather than logical ones can be scary.
So what do you do about the fear that stops you fr…
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Added by Jane Savoie on October 9, 2009 at 10:20am —
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I often hear from horseback riders that they have irrational fears about being out of control or getting hurt when riding. The fear seems irrational because they’ve never actually had an accident or injury. So they wonder where the fear comes from.
For what it’s worth, I used to have “irrational fears” about flying. It was so bad that I would only do clinics within driving distance. It turns out that the fear of flying was just a convenient “hook” to hang stuff on. It allowed me to express fear…
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Added by Jane Savoie on October 2, 2009 at 10:48am —
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The simplest, quickest, way to find relaxation on your horse is to BREATHE. Here are 4 quick tips to help you with your breathing.
Now, I know you’re breathing or you wouldn’t be reading this! But are you breathing in a way that promotes relaxation?
1. Let’s find out. First, let’s dissect what you do when you inhale. Stand up. Take in a really deep breath. Did your shoulders go up? If they did, you’re just breathing in your upper chest. And there’s always tension associated with breathing like…
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Added by Jane Savoie on September 25, 2009 at 10:03am —
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When it comes to riding a polished dressage test, preparation is the key to success. So I want give you some competition tips to help you have the best experience possible.
Before I get started with the actual tests, I want to just talk in general about riding dressage tests because there’s a lot of things that they all have in common.
1. MEMORIZE YOUR TEST
The first thing is that you need to know your test. I mean REALLY know it. Even though from Training Level through 4th level, you can have…
Continue
Added by Jane Savoie on September 18, 2009 at 9:00am —
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The link for Freedom from Fear will be live at noon EST.
http://www.janesavoie.com/freedom/
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Added by Jane Savoie on September 15, 2009 at 11:17am —
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Many riders lean to the outside in half pass because they use too much outside leg to push their horses sideways. Use your outside leg mainly to help bend your horse around your inside leg and secondarily to ask him to go sideways.
Keep in mind that the predominant aids in half pass need to be inside leg and outside rein…not outside leg pushing sideways and inside hand pulling the neck around in a fake a bend.
Here are 3 quick tips to help you sit in the direction of movement. Let’s say you’re…
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Added by Jane Savoie on September 11, 2009 at 10:40am —
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I'm excited to tell you that my new program, Freedom from Fear, will be available on Tuesday, September 15.
This 7 CD/3DVD set covers both mental training techniques as well as strategies to use while riding so you feel more confident.
When the program is launched, it will also include a FREE Bonus of my new ebook called 101 Tips for Riding Your Horse on the Bit.
Plus, folks who subscribe to my free newsletter will be able to get the program and the book at a special introductory price. The in…
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Added by Jane Savoie on September 7, 2009 at 3:33pm —
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Horseback riding is all about balance for both you and your dressage horse. To ride in good balance, be sure to keep a good plumb line with your shoulders directly over your hips and over your heels.
In this post, I’ll give you two quick tips to help you sit up straight and in balance.
1. Many riders lean behind the vertical (especially in trot extensions!) because they think they’re driving their dressage horses more forward.
The problem with leaning back, however, is that you end up pushing…
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Added by Jane Savoie on September 4, 2009 at 11:31am —
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Are you sick and tired of doing all the work while your lazy horse plods along without energy? Remember that a horse can feel a fly on his side, so logically there’s no reason for him to be dull to your legs.
Here are the steps to put the lazy horse in front of your legs:
1. Give a light leg aid
2. No response, half-hearted response, or delayed response
3. Correct him by sending him forward
4. RETEST
5. 100% response (99.9% isn’t good enough!)
6. Praise
Let me explain those steps in a li…
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Added by Jane Savoie on August 28, 2009 at 8:41pm —
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Are you having trouble getting your stiff horse to bend? Check out my latest article on the blog at www.janesavoie.com
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Added by Jane Savoie on August 28, 2009 at 8:46am —
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I get a lot of questions about what to do with the horse that switches from coming above the bit to ducking behind the bit. So, I just posted a new article about this on my blog at www.janesavoie.com
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Added by Jane Savoie on August 27, 2009 at 9:02am —
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If you're having trouble with the Free Walk, I just posted an article on my blog at www.janesavoie.com
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Added by Jane Savoie on August 23, 2009 at 12:01pm —
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Lots of you tell me you're confused about the correct length and height of your horse's neck so I thought I'd address that in this article.
Neck too high: The height of the neck is determined by the degree of engagement of the hindquarters. So, the height of the neck changes as you go up through the levels and your horse becomes more collected.
Always keep in mind, however, that if you ride with the neck too high and short and the angle of the throatlatch too closed, there can't be any bridge…
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Added by Jane Savoie on August 21, 2009 at 9:00am —
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