Horse Listening Practice Sessions

Finally!

The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program... start working with your horse from Day 1.

I really love the practice sessions - it’s great having something specific to do in the arena and understanding what you’re trying to achieve.

- Miranda, Premium Member

Membership is not currently available.

Membership is not currently available.

6 Ways You'll LOVE Your Practice Sessions...

1. You'll love the explanations

The carefully prepared whiteboard videos explaining all the relevant theory, aids and strategies needed for each pattern. Watch the videos to REALLY understand what you're doing and why, and then print off the Cheat Sheets and take them to the barn with you. You'll have the patterns on paper, and a great checklist of the key goals for each figure.

2. You'll Love The Themes

Each month, we focus on a particular theme such as "Contact", "Transitions" and "Lefts and Rights". The themes are decided by the community on a month-to-month basis by the members themselves! Then we work on them with the help of goals, tips, exercises and demo videos. These are all done through the private Facebook group.

3. It's About You and Your Horse

This program is PERSONAL. I want to see you succeed. We connect through email, a private Facebook group, and even through chat. You can send in videos of your Practice Sessions privately to Kathy herself. Be a part of a wonderful community of encouraging riders like yourself, and feel free to ask your questions, make comments and GET FEEDBACK!

4. You'll feel focused and productive

There's nothing better than making a plan and then taking little steps to achieve it. Once you set your personal goals, you can pick through the archives and find Practice Sessions, Quality of Movement exercises, demo rides of specific skills, and even specific Aids & Figures videos that clearly outline movements like Shoulder-In and Leg Yield, or whatever you're currently working on. Add just 20 minutes of something specific to your needs each ride, and watch you AND your horse make the progress you've always dreamed of.

5. You'll Love The Stuff

When you join the Practice Sessions, you will have access to so much more than just the videos. There's audio downloads of the Practice Sessions, audio Q & As answering specific member questions, mini e-Books of all the tips shared in the FB group and Round Up emails featuring anything you might have missed.

6. You'll LOVE the price!

Start on the right hoof with our Premium Annual special! Get everything for a LOT less than the price of one lesson a month. There's nothing better than regular exercises to keep having something new to work on. Feel accomplished and confident and develop better communication and riding skills in 2023.

Save 25% NOW with our Annual Premium Membership!

Get instant access to exercises and theory related to:

√  Improving Suppleness (lateral and longitudinal)

√  Use of the horse's inside hind leg

√  Figures such as a variety of circles, serpentines, straight lines, corners, tear drops, and more

√  Quality of movement: perfect for warm-ups, middle-of-the-ride breaks, or at the end of the ride as an excellent way to cool down while still maintaining attention and communication

√ The rider's aids & position

√ Theory and strategies to ride quality figures

$1 All-Access Trial for 5 days. Automatic upgrade if you stay. Access to all videos, articles and audios.

Membership is not currently available.


Membership is not currently available.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Practice Sessions?

I want to take the excellence of the blog to the next level with this concept. So I have designed a robust, program-like concept that I hope will address many areas of your riding. The Practice Sessions themselves are whiteboard, animated videos that take you step-by-step through a series of well-planned, sequential figures designed to improve specific areas of you and your horse's skills.

Are the Practice Sessions for beginner riders?

In order to get the most benefit from the Practice Sessions, you should be able to comfortably walk, trot and canter your horse. However, the Practice Sessions can always be modified to meet your needs (so if you aren't cantering at the moment, you can change the canter sections to trot). There is a lot of theory and information embedded into the Practice Sessions that will help beginner riders understand the details right from the beginning.

How can the Practice Sessions help me?

Obviously, there can be no improvement in the horse without improvement in the rider! The Practice Sessions can help you understand various basic riding figures (movements). The Aids & Figures Mini Lessons give you detailed explanations of the aids, how to use the aids (strategies) and what the timing should be like. Feel is discussed where relevant. And there's more! You will learn about placement of the figures, what you're looking from the horse, and even when you should add in a half-halt!!

How can the Practice Sessions help my horse?

The Practice Session exercises are designed to help a specific area of training. Monthly themes such as "The Rider's Seat," "Leg Yields", "Flexion & Bend," and others give us an overarching topic to focus on in the exercises and theory. However, every exercise affects many other skill areas such as impulsion, engagement, working better over the back (longitudinal suppleness), stepping underneath better with the inside hind leg, bend (lateral suppleness), and much, much more.

I don’t ride dressage. Will the Practice Sessions help me in my chosen discipline?

If you've read the horselistening blog, you will know that one of the main goals I have is to write about the basics. While I come at everything from a dressage (/western/natural horsemanship/long distance trail) perspective, and I generally use the dressage patterns and figures, many people from various disciplines (saddle seat, western, reining, hunter/jumper, and gaited horses) have told me how the exercises have benefited them and their students. If you have any questions, just send me a quick query using the contact button below!

If you've read my blog...

... you know pretty much everything you need to know about me, my style, my background and teaching technique.

Three years ago, I took the blog to the "next level" and created the Horse Listening Practice Sessions.

My Practice Sessions bring the FUN back to horseback riding.

They add purpose and meaning - instead of doing the same old (expecting something new), you get to EXPLORE!

Lots of new ideas, patterns, skills, specific aids and goals, and... practice.

We all started riding and horsing around because of our love for the horse. 

But, riders often get caught up in stress, struggle, fear or doubt in themselves... and the Practice Sessions helps do the exact opposite: step out of your (or your horse's) comfort zone just 5%, and then... play!

I'll give you a (carefully planned and designed) place to start, and then you can make it yours. Modify to meet your specific needs, and let it work for you and your horse.

Add patience, a sense of humor, and lots of repetition - and see how you can reach your goals... One Step At A Time!

I so enjoy your Practice Sessions, explanations (you are excellent at dissecting the movements of rider and horse and putting them back together!) and discussions. They give me a focus and a “tentative” plan, always subject to change, of course, once in the arena!

- Kathleen, Premium Member

Membership is not currently available.

Membership is not currently available.