Everyone always talks about having the horse ON the aids, not in front or behind them. I want to share with you a great exercise for a softer hand. This will invite your horse ONTO the bit for better communication.  It doesn’t matter if you ride Western or English, do the Hunters, Jumpers, or Dressage at any level, or just want … Continue reading How to improve the feeling in your hand

You are rushing from work to the barn, just got out of the last meeting, and had to make sure that your husband didn’t forget to pick up the kids from soccer practice. The traffic is pretty bad and you barely make it in time to get your horse tacked up and in the ring … Continue reading Is your Base Energy High or Low?

Have you ever wondered why some days everything just comes together and flows and you and your horse are working like a well-rehearsed team? Other days nothing seems to flow or go right. The days when all the stars line up, your horse is right there underneath you waiting to fulfill your every command, it … Continue reading Do you have the right Focus and Commitment?

Did you know that your eye is directly linked to the floor of your pelvis???...If your eyes just got bigger and started wandering to your crotch you want to know more about this! How many times have you been told by your instructor….eyes up, look where you are going…..Here is a deeper (literally) reason why. … Continue reading Eyes up

 Any time you pick up the reins on a horse and ask him to step up from behind, you are creating power….the question is do you have enough controls to regulate that power and make it do what your test or course requires? Power is a great thing to have on a horse, however power … Continue reading Do you have Power and Control?

We all know that we use our aids to communicate with the horse. Leg and rein aids, our seat, voice, and artificial aids, spurs and a stick. How much and how precise we use them tells our horse what to do when.  Any time you are putting your foot into the stirrup irons you will … Continue reading Are your aids a symphony or a jumblemumble?

You are working on the flat and feel your horse’s haunches shifting to the outside. Your outside leg is moving back asking your horse to shift the haunches back on the track, but he is not listening. Are you sure the haunches out are the real problem? Very often I see riders trying to fix … Continue reading Are you fixing the Symptom or the Cause?

Track: Is the line the course designer creates and on which the judge will score you. If your execution is precise, your horse will cover the ground easily, be soft and responsive, and have a wonderful jump that will reflect in your score. Your hand puts the bit perpendicular to the Track, and the rest … Continue reading Track – Momentum – Balance

Lateral connection: Are your legs and hands, on both sides, working together to keep the horse on the Track, both on a straight line as well as on a circle or a bending line? Longitudinal connection: This is what keeps the horse in front of your leg and connected to your hand. It is as … Continue reading Creating The Box