How To Leg Yield
Leg-yielding is all to do with timing. Before trying it on your horse try it by yourseld with someone helping you. Start by walking in a straight line with your helper walking on your left. Have him/her put their hand on your ribcage . First, have him/her push gently on you every time your left foot is on the ground. You will notice that you bend around the pressure, but can continue to walk in a ...
How to slow your horse down during a course
Have you ever experienced a hot horse racing to the jumps and all you wanted was just a quiet relaxed approach? This is a common question among riders, they all want to know how to calm there horse on the approach to a jump.
Here is a few tips that may help:
Start by walking and trotting over poles and then try the canter over poles
When approaching the jump if your horse is racing to the jump b...
What Is A Jumper?
In jumper classes it is not judged on style. In jumper classes the goal is to jump all of the fences without knocking any rails over in the allotted time allowed. If a horse refuses a jump it can result in 4 faults, for each rail knocked off a jump is 4 faults, and 1/4 fault for every second past the time allowed to complete the course.
Jumper courses usually have 8-12 fences consisting of singl...
What is a hunter?
Photo from hunterjumpernews.com
Hunters compete in classes where the horse is being judged by their movement and conformation. Conformation refers to how a horse is put together, for example, if he has a desirable and functional physique. When being judged in both jumping and flat classes, each horse is judged on soundness and the presentation of your performance. Hunters are expected to perform...
Practice Equitation Medal Course
Need a new equitation course?....well here's one! It is always a good idea to change your course regularly so your horse and rider can get used to riding new lines and turns....
Equitation Tips
Equitation pertains to a rider's position while mounted that involves the rider's ability to ride correctly and with effective aids. We have listed a few things that can help your equitation:
1) Do as much no-stirrup work as you can. If you don't feel comfortable riding without your stirrups start at the walk and work your way up to the trot and canter. Your ultimate goal is to be able to able t...
How To Extend the Trot
Extending the trot helps your horse with:
•Transitions
•Building muscles in the back end of the horse
•Increasing strength and suppleness in his back
The result is giving your horse the balance and ability to carry himself correctly through transitions.
Before you try to extend the trot, make sure your horse is responding to your leg and rein aids. Your horse must learn that leg me...
How To Keep Your Horse Straight to Jumps
*photo from yourhorse.co.uk*
Keeping your horse straight to a jump is one of the many things on the checklist as you ride through your course. A great exercise to fix that problem is to set a pole or cavaletti (preferably one that has a stripe in the middle) in the ring on the rail or on the track of a large circle. Pick up a left lead canter and as you come around to your pole focus on the midd...
How to Do A Turn on The Forehand
*photo from yourhorse.co.uk
How to do a turn on the forehand
The purpose of the turn on the forehand is to teach your horse to move without hesitating from the inside leg into the outside rein, keeping the horse’s inside foreleg nearly stationary. Your horse’s inside foreleg, remaining almost in the same spot, will continue stepping up and down in rhythm as the hind legs move sideways, cr...
How To Strengthen A Horse's Hindquarters
The first step in getting a horse to use their hind end is giving them the ability to do so by building the muscles in the hind end. Do LOTS of transitions (mainly upward transitions), do a lot of long trotting, walk or trot up hills. Once your horse is feeling comfortable doing these exercises add lateral exercises. For example: Leg yields, Haunches in, Shoulder in.....and so on.
In conjunctio...
