Thrilled to announce that I will be having a book signing at the Bahr Saddlery Anniversary Sale in Hornby, Ontario.
If you're in the area, stop by, say hi and take a look at the book. You can get your own book while you take advantage of their amazing Sale savings, all at the same time.
Would love to see you there!
You've booked your lesson.
You've paid your money (or will right after the lesson).
You're taking the time and you've spent effort getting your horse ready.
So now you THINK you're ready for the lesson. But think again.
Being a star student in horseback riding is an art in itself. Aside from the many variables (like the weather, distractions, mood of your horse) that might play into your lesson, there are many other factors that are critical to making the ride enjoyable and useful for you, your horse, and yes, even your instructor!
There is no greater pleasure than the one AFTER your lesson, when you can bask in the glow of hard-earned sweat, and reflect longingly on all the feels, aids and balances that you will try to emulate without your instructor's presence over the next week.
In the meantime, take a look-see through this Top-10 list to see how you rate in your Star search!
*P.S. The items on this list assume that you have your own horse and are riding independently, although many could also apply to a riding school situation.*
10. Do Your Homework.
In other words, don't wait until the lesson to finally pull your horse out of the back field. If you know your horse always goes better the day after you ride, ride him the day before your lesson, so he is at his best when your instructor arrives. If you need to give your horse a day off, then ride two days before and let him rest in between. If you haven't worked in a ring for the past month, book your lesson for a day three weeks down the line, after you've had many rides on your own to get him even slightly "legged up."
9. Be On Time.
If you set the lesson for 10am, be groomed, tacked, bridled, helmet on and maybe even in the ring (depending on your instructor's preference) by 10. Don't make her stand around to watch you groom, unless that is part of the lesson. Try to max out your time with her, in the ring!
8. Be Warmed Up.
Some instructors like to teach through the warm-up. But at some point, you will likely have developed a solid enough routine that you can go ahead and warm up before your instructor arrives. You don't have to run your horse off his feet, but if you know your horse takes 20 minutes to just begin to loosen up, do that before your lesson. Even if your lesson ends up going a bit shorter, the warmed-up horse will be ready to go (as will you) and again, you can get the most value for your time.
7. Park Your Ego at the Gate.
This one can be tough. We all have insecurities and fear factors that are difficult to let go of in the face of even constructive criticism. Letting go of your ego must be learned just as any riding skill you attempt. Try, try again, and do your best to not let your feelings interfere with your ride. Let your instructor do and say what she thinks will benefit you the most. Otherwise, you'll get lots of sugar coating and no results.
6. Think Later.
I guarantee that most of us think too much while we are riding. Although thinking seems to be necessary when you are reprogramming your body to do new things, it is a hindrance when we are trying to move in tandem with a horse. Things happen too quickly for you to have the time to think, send messages back and forth through your body, and then hope for a good result. So think as little as possible and do as much as possible. Save your thinking and questions for when you are on the ground, before or after the lesson. In the meantime, put every ounce of your energy into focusing on your aids and your horse.
5. Don't Stop Riding.
This happens all the time and seems counter-intuitive to learning. As soon as we are challenged with a new concept, we stop the horse, drop the reins, sit flat and begin to consider. Which is exactly what the horse doesn't need. Imagine that your instructor is telling you something that is relevant for that second. And if you don't ride it out, you miss the opportunity to learn. Not only that, once you stop, your horse thinks he's gone on vacation (and so does your body) and you lose all the tone and balance you worked so hard to achieve.
So - keep riding, even if you are grappling with a thought (see #6) and don't really know what to do.
4. Respond Quickly.
Many riders go round and round and round, seemingly oblivious to their instructor's suggestions. So, for example, your instructor sees a good opportunity for you to get your horse into a balanced canter, out of the trot, in just that particular corner, in that particular time frame (which is usually only seconds). She tells you to canter. And you don't. But you trot on, past the corner, past the next corner, and then, finally, step into your first canter stride on the straight line.
Although you did get the canter, your horse is now on his forehand, strung out and struggling to take that first stride from the hind end. The straight line was not a help to your horse, which was exactly why your instructor asked for it in the corner! 😉
Let's say your instructor didn't give you enough time to prepare for the corner. Maybe her instructions were a little later than you needed them to be. What then?
Canter as soon as possible after the moment. Or, make a sharp turn, head right back to the set-up area, and attempt the corner again. No need to worry, just do it.
3. Listen, Try and Trust.
These three qualities may take a long time to develop if you don't do them intuitively on your own. But let's face it - you are asking someone to teach you what they know. So of course, it's important to listen to what they say, even if you don't agree at the moment. Then, give it a try. Trust that they are here to get the best out of you, and have your best interests in mind. If you get to a point that you cannot do these three things, maybe it's time to find another instructor.
2. Make A Change.
The best students have enough skill and gumption (is that a word?) to make a difference in their horse, based on what their instructor is saying. So if she wants you to get your horse to use his hind end, then do it. If you think you already did it, but your horse doesn't respond, do it again! Or do something else. Or pop in a half-halt and then use your seat and leg again. In any case, make something happen. It might not be the right change, but do something. Then you can fine-tune the horse's response.
1. Stop Talking and RIDE!
Hands up if you are one of those riders that talks while they ride (my hand is up)! When your instructor is in the ring, don't! Instead, listen, try, do, do again, change something... focus all your energy on your own body and the horse. Then talk about it after the ride or through the walk breaks.
Trust me, this list is based on personal experience! Although I've taken lessons for more years than I can count, I have to admit that each of these points take time to actually learn to do well. But every one of them is worth the effort, and makes your lesson experience more positive, more educational, and most importantly, more beneficial for your horse.
Because he is the one that matters most!
Do you have something to add to this list? Post in the comments below!
Ready for something completely different? If you liked what you read here, you might be interested in the Horse Listening Practice Sessions.
This is NOT a program where you watch other people's riding lessons. Start working with your horse from Day 1.
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From Horse Listening Book 2: Forward And Round To Training Success
happier in his bodyhappier in his "work"better balanced all-aroundAvailable as an eBook or paperback.
When your horse decides to express himself, do you ride it out? Or do you panic?
Of course, we'd all like to say that we can just float along while the horse shakes, rattles and rolls (the equine version) but it does stand true that stickability is probably one of the strongest determining factors of how well you can work with your horse rather than against him. Without being able to ride through a bobble, you will almost likely always be at the very least, left behind, and at the worst, left without (a horse)!
Where do you fit on this scale? The higher the number, the farther you can go in helping your horse through difficult situations.
0 - No stickability at all
If we aren't at this level now, we definitely were at the beginning of our riding careers. So all of us should know what it feels like to not be able to stick around. It's not a good feeling. The smallest hiccup, and we get to kiss dirt. Not only does it hurt, but it's also very humiliating. Aside from that, it teaches a young horse to lose confidence in the rider, and it plain scares the older, more educated horse - imagine that the horse is doing what he knows he's supposed to do, and before he knows it, off pops the rider!
All kidding aside, hopefully, you will go through this stickability level quickly. If you find you are falling off at any unexpected moment, you probably need to be working on your seat.
1 - Sticks to the horse - sometimes
You will eventually get to a point where you can follow the small misstep/deek/stop/start. This is when your confidence begins to build. Now, if your horse does something unexpected, you can move almost fast enough to right yourself if you lean too far. You can sit through a small buck if the horse happens to go straight and bucks only once. You can grab onto a fistful of mane and drag your body back into the saddle. How many of us have gone through this?
2 - Sticks more often than not
At Level 2, you are beginning to be able to take on more of a challenge. You can now sit through several bucks as long as they aren't too big, wild or sideways. You can keep a more upright body while the horse spooks. Hard starts and stops don't phase you as much. You still have that sinking feeling once in a while, if your horse slips out quickly from underneath you. You fall less often than you used to, and you're generally more sure that you can have a chance to correct the horse once the romp is over.
3 - Stickable
Ah! You have "arrived" once you reach Level 3. At this point, you are able to sit through many of your horse's inconsistencies. Although you still do fall off when something happens when you aren't expecting it, you can stay on most of the time and come through the episode with your senses intact. Not only can you stick, but you can ride well enough to recover your balance within several strides and carry on. The adrenaline you get from the almost-fall is lower in intensity and you have more control over it. If you are riding in a lesson, there is only a small disturbance of the rhythm of the ride and you can usually recover quickly enough to not lose everything you had been working on.
4- Sticks to train
The next level is to be able to stick well enough to ride out most of your horse's expressive maneuvers. This is when your riding can become more about the horse than you. Most Level 4 riders will be able to ride young horses at this stage, because they can handle most of the horse's missteps. This rider will allow a horse to make mistakes and still be there afterward.
If you get to this level, you will start to discover that you have a riding sense of humor. Things don't matter nearly as much as they used to. You will happily enjoy the horse that shows you his personality even if there is some up-and-down hops along the way. Although there are times when you might still be reactive rather than active, most of the ride is intentional and most of the time, you have enough control over your emotions that a bobble can be just that - a bobble.
5- Sticks - almost always
This is the epitome of stickability. Not only will you be able to ride out the young horse's initiatives, not only will you be able to correct the more educated horse's exuberance, but you will be so stickable that with the additional training you have had to get to this level, you will be able to actually improve the horse's way of going. You will be able to ride through problems as if they weren't problems at all. In fact, you will probably be able to stop problems from the get-go.
The only one disadvantage to being completely stickable is that although the probability of falls is drastically reduced, you still can't predict when the horse is going to fall. And if you stay on well enough, there is a chance for you to fall with him if he is the one that does the falling.
What to do
There is always going to be a certain amount of danger when riding horses. You can never eliminate the possibility of falling. However, developing your stickability factor will help you go a long way toward improving both your and your horse's level of confidence.
How can you improve your stickability factor? Work on the seat. There is no other answer.
If you can improve your seat, you can improve your balance, your timing of the aids, your core muscles, your movement with or against the horse - pretty much everything. Lunge lessons are excellent, no matter which level you are at, to help you develop confidence and allow your body to learn to do what it needs to without worrying about where the horse is going.
Everything, including stickability, begins with the seat.
I would bet we have all wondered about this question through our riding careers.
When you are faced with a riding dilemma, do you ever get into a finger-pointing game? Do you get down on yourself and blame all your riding problems on yourself? Or do you just get mad at the horse and think that all would be well if you only could find another horse to ride?
Chances are that all of us have done both at some time or another.
Early in our riding education, we may not be too worried about how the horse is going. We are usually so focused on staying on and using the correct aids, that we are generally more than satisfied to get the walk/trot/canter and stay on!
But as the saying goes, "the more you know, the more you know what you don't know." As we become more proficient, we begin to notice nuances that we didn't before.
The little things seem a lot more important - a hollow back, a bad stride that could have been avoided, a lack of bend or even a heavy contact. We start to troubleshoot and try different solutions that we think may help.
Invariably, we run into a plateau during which things seem to never change - no matter what we try, we just can't seem to get the results we want. And that is when we start to wonder - is the problem ours? Or is it the horse's? Here are some thoughts.
Obviously, it's the rider.
Without a doubt, we can ride only as well as our best skills. No matter how long we've been riding, there is always more to learn and fine-tune. So if we have any problems, our limitations quickly become the horse's as well.
It also works the other way. The more effective you are, the better any horse will go for you.
For instance, if you have a stickable seat, you won't have a worry if the horse goes for a romp or buck. You'll just ride it out and pick up when the horse settles down. Or let's say you have a terrifically effective seat. Every horse you ride, even if not necessarily "trained" to the seat, will respond well to your ride simply because of the timing, coordination and balance that you offer to the horse.
Here's another scenario - has this ever happened to you? You ride in a lesson and the problem that has been plaguing you for weeks is instantly eliminated because you listen to your knowledgeable instructor and make what seems to be one small positional change. Suddenly the horse snorts and begins to float.
During those moments, it definitely seems as if all problems begin with the rider.
Having said that, the unique quality of riding is that there are two players in one game. How does the horse fit into this picture?
Obviously, it's the horse.
How many of us have wistfully wished that our horse could be as calm/successful/kind/athletic/whatever as our friend's horse seems to be? (C'mon, admit it!)
We know that some of the idiosyncrasies surely belong to the horse. We've heard of stallion or mare lines that have certain characteristics (good or bad) that seem to be passed down regularly.
Without a doubt, the horse can be the one that initiates a problematic situation. As I explained in my book, Horse Listening: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding, we often find ourselves becoming reactive riders when horses move so quickly that we don't see something happening until it is too late. The horse does something, and THEN we try to undo it.
Let's take the bucking horse example again. Not every horse bucks. It is quite possible that you could find a horse that simply is not inclined to buck. Instead, he might brace and hollow the back, but otherwise truck along without any hint of a misstep. So one horse's behavior is not necessarily the same as another's.
If you are lucky enough to have a Golden Horse, chances are you won't have to go through the same learning curve as the rider with the horse that tends to buck.
It Takes Two to Tango
It looks like we're back at the beginning. Is it the rider or the horse?
The long and the short of it is that there are two beings involved in the one activity. Each affects the other and there is no way out of that equation. Sometimes, it's not even what you did, but what you didn't do in a particular situation.
The level of training helps. If the rider is well trained, then she can quickly bring the horse along since she knows what to expect and what to do to prevent problems. If the horse is well trained, then he can support and guide the rider as she tries new skills and makes mistakes.
(Incidentally, this is exactly why they say that a green rider-green horse combination is the least desirable.)
Keep in mind that as the human being in this partnership, we are necessarily the ones to take responsibility for our actions and our skill level. If we get stuck, we are the ones to do the problem solving. Maybe we have to find someone else who can help us learn or find another appropriate solution.
In this horse-rider dichotomy, avoid finding blame and instead, work toward finding solutions.
What do you think? Is it the rider or is it the horse?
Don’t miss a single issue of Horse Listening! If you like what you are reading, become a subscriber and receive updates when new Horse Listening articles are published! Your email address will not be used on any other distribution list. Subscribe to Horse Listening by Email
Available as an eBook or paperback.
Read more here:
7 Reasons Why "It Depends" Is the Right Answer in Horseback Riding: When it comes to horses, the only “truth” is that there are many truths.
The Need For "Yes" Speed - While You Ride Your Horse: How to let your horse know he's on the right track.
Two Upper-Body Secrets to Riding Success: How to maintain balance with a better upper body position.
The Five Components of the Ultimate Warm Up in Horse Riding: Why an active warm-up is essential for the horse.
Stepping “Forward” in Horse Riding: The term ‘forward’ is used liberally in horse riding but is often misunderstood.
On this Mother's Day, Annahi (proud mother of two) wants to share her sentiments with the world. Here are the words I imagine she'd say if she spoke.
Dear Little One,
Who arrived just a short few hours ago:
Welcome to the World.
Stand up and mark the earth with your hoof prints.
Breathe the scent-filled air through the flaring nostrils
That will one day feed your muscle-rippled body as you
Bound boldly atop sand-filled rings and
Grass-carpeted fields.
Grow big and strong,
Learn your leads and laterals,
Engagements and changes.
Above all, carry your human with pride, dignity
And rhythm.
Find your mutual-grooming friend,
The one who seeks you out for each good morning rub
And a peaceful shared nibble from the one hay pile.
Drift away from the herd if necessary but
Enjoy group togetherness, as it is the pleasure of life itself.
May you find the kindness you deserve,
The companionship and care from a human
Who appreciates your beauty and grace
But also recognizes her responsibility to you
As you make your path through the trails of life.
Don’t miss a single issue of Horse Listening! If you like what you are reading, become a subscriber and receive updates when new Horse Listening articles are published! Your email address will not be used on any other distribution list. Subscribe to Horse Listening by Email
If you enjoyed this post, read more riding tips in our new book, Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding
Available as an eBook or paperback.
If you enjoyed the above poem, you might also like:
A Recipe for Living: If life were a recipe, what would it look like?
Softly Determined – A Poem: I found this one on the Internet long ago, with no indication of the author. However, it has stayed with me, blending intensity with passion, being so eloquent and yet knowledgeable about the “path”.
Because of Horses: What has changed in your life because of horses?
An Ode to Kayla Queen – As She Turns 30: Happy 30th birthday, dear Kayla, the exhilarating horse with a never-ending zest for living!
Living in Flying Changes: I wrote this short poem after a wonderfully exhilarating night ride.
Admit it! You've done it, I've done it, and until we really blueprint the right "feel" into our body, we'll all continue to do it more often than not.
What Happens After You Halt Your Horse?
Do you sit back and relax? Adjust your seat position, step into one and then the other stirrup, adjust your reins? Do you take a look around, think about where you have to go after the barn and say hi to a passing friend?
Does your horse brace against your aids, stop with his hind legs camped out, hollow back and giraffe neck?
Or maybe he closes his eyes, licks his lips, and <gasp> rests a hind leg.
I'm exaggerating, but you know what I mean. Essentially, most of us turn off when we stop riding. The seat goes soft, the legs come off the horse, and we drop the reins. It's not surprising then that the horse reflects our inactivity.
Vacation Time?
The first thing we need to understand is that when we halt, we should not be going on a mental or physical vacation. Halting is not about stopping everything. It should not be a relaxation - although it could be a "regrouping" or a "collection" of the thoughts and aids.
Neither you nor your horse should feel like you can go on a mini-vacation when you halt. If you do, you will have a difficult time reestablishing everything from your aids, to your horse's energy level, your frame of mind and your two-way communication.
Three Components of A Halt
Similar to other transitions, the halt can be broken down into at least three phases:
1. The Preparation
The preparation phase might take longer or shorter depending on your horse. Horses who have a stronger affinity for halting (!) won't need as long of a heads-up. Regardless, you should be preparing for the halt several strides before the actual halt, even if only mentally. Where will the halt happen? How engaged is the horse going into the halt?
You will often need to put an extra bit of "oomph" coming into the halt so that the horse will halt from the hind end. This means that you should use leg and seat to increase impulsion through the last few strides before asking for the halt. Initially, your halt aids might require a stronger rein contact but that should not be your goal.
As I describe in Horse Listening - The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding, you want a nice, balanced halt coming out of a sequence of half-halts. The only thing your reins should be doing is keeping the horse straight and helping in the half-halts.
As time goes on, you want to teach your horse to respond to your seat aids so that once your seat stops, the horse stops. It's amazing when it finally happens.
2. The Action
If you're like me, you'll be surprised to think of the halt as an "action". But we must think of it as an active movement if we want to have a round, well-balanced halt. The horse should be standing evenly on all four legs, with the legs "square" underneath him like the legs of a table. You want to work toward having all four legs engaged in the halt, and the horse standing quietly but ready to go at a moment's notice.
This is why you can't go on vacation yourself. You have to stay engaged through your legs and seat as well.
3. The Follow-Through
Wait! Don't pack it in yet!
You can't be done when you halt. During the transition to the halt, you have to already be thinking about what is going to come after the halt. AFTER you've halted, prepare for the next topic. Don't think about it after the legs have stopped. Have it all planned ahead of time so once you've achieved the halt, you can start getting ready for the next movement. Whether it's a walk, trot or canter, you will need to prepare your legs and seat for what is to come.
What comes after the halt is almost as important as the halt itself. If the horse is well-balanced in the halt, the next transition will be smooth, fluid and easy to achieve. The horse will be able to keep his balance, engagement and roundness through the transition to the next movement.
Long Term
If you practice the three-step halt, soon enough, your body will become used to the prep, the stop and the next steps. In time, you won't even have to think of it as a three-step process, and your body will just do the "oomph"/prep/half-halt/halt/go - on its own.
You'll know you're on the right track if your halts become smoother, quicker, square more often and more accurate, and with next to no fuss. Your transitions down to the halt and up to the next gait will be precise, energetic and enthusiastic.
Next ride, try a few halt transitions through your ride. Don't go on vacation and let us know what you think of the three-phase halt.
Don’t miss a single issue of Horse Listening! If you like what you are reading, become a subscriber and receive updates when new Horse Listening articles are published! Your email address will not be used on any other distribution list. Subscribe to Horse Listening by Email
Available as an eBook or paperback.
What to Do When a Half-Halt Won't Do: Balance does not happen magically on its own. Here are some ideas on what to do.
How to Halt Without Pulling On the Reins: There is a way to get your horse to stop without pulling on the reins.
"Go and No": The Connection Between Forward and Half-Halt in Horse Riding: We have to learn the coordination between “go and no” – all the while, keeping our balance to give the appropriate aids while not pulling on the reins.
7 Reasons Why "It Depends" is the Right Answer in Horse Riding: When it comes to horses, the only “truth” is that there are many truths. It is our calling as riders to figure out which one works when and why.
Why a Straight Rein is Not A Bad Rein: A short rein does not have to be bad or painful. Here's why.
Many of us have less than adequate movement through our hips and lower backs to start with. Whether our joints, ligaments and tendons are shortened (tightened) through age, or through tension, or (over)use - or for whatever other reason - I think that more of us have tight lower backs than not. Many of us have to work hard to "loosen" through the lower back - which then translates to a more active and released core, hips, legs and even upper body.
There are some people who have wonderfully flowing backs and soft but toned abs, cores, and upper backs. So if you are one of those people who have little to no issues with following the horse's movement, please disregard the rest of this article!
On the other hand, if you bounce in the saddle, fall out of sync with your horse's movement, or otherwise feel less than balanced and effective, maybe some of the following ideas might help.
Bring Attention to the Lower Back
One of the easiest ways to isolate the lower back area is to touch it while you are riding. So, put both reins in one hand and place the back of your other hand in the small of your back. Feel the amount of movement that goes on there. Is it flowing easily with the horse's movement? Is it too tight? Could there be more movement and release?
Try this at the walk, trot and canter as it will be different at each gait. Don't be surprised if you find tension even at the walk. We often carry more tightness than we think we do.
Keep your hand over the lower back area and start playing with movement at each gait. Try some transitions and see how the energy flows (or doesn't) through your lower back in the transitions. When do you brace? Where do you flop?
Once you have a good feeling of what is actually going on, work toward moving that area more with the horse. Look for better flow, better rhythm through your own back and less bounce in the saddle (especially in the canter).
The Secrets to the Looseness
We're taught very early in our riding careers to not "arch" the lower back. There are many good reasons for this, with the most important being that your seat will not make correct contact with the saddle and the pelvis will tilt incorrectly. The other one, of course, is that we don't want to cause injury to the lower back in the first place. But there is one thing that most people don't mention about the "arch."
Many of us (*again, please disregard if this isn't you!) are so tight in our lower backs that we have lost the natural arch that should be there. So while riding, even if you feel like you are arching your back, you likely won't be arching in the way that causes a negative effect to you and/or your horse. Precisely because of your stiffness or tightness, what feels like an arch is likely more of a straightening of your lower back. So while you feel like you are in the arch moment, you are in fact only allowing your pelvis to tilt enough to actually keep position while the horse moves.
The other secret is that you must "loosen" in movement. Your supple back will allow the horse's supple back. You will be moving into and out of the arch in rhythm with the horse's movement - thereby not really holding an arch at all.
Once you have the feeling with your hand in your lower back, remove your hand and take up the other rein again. Think/feel to the lower back and keep it moving as if your hand is still there. Any time you feel the stiffness coming on, take your hand back there again and find the looseness.
What Not To Do
Finally, beware the "flop." The opposite extreme of the tight back is the jello back. If you find that you let your lower back go too much, thereby really arching too deeply, you have to hold more tension at the end of each stride so that you don't just flop into the saddle.
There is such thing as too much of a good thing!
There are many more details to developing an effective riding seat, but finding that flowing lower back is the first step.
All you really need to do is become more aware of the movement through your lower back, to know what it feels like to really allow the back to move in tandem with the horse's back, and to release enough to be able to maintain an honest three-point position in the saddle.
How do you ensure that you have a "loose" lower back when you ride your horse? Let us know in the comments below!
All riding disciplines value a horse that demonstrates suppleness while elegantly transitioning through his paces, floating weightlessly with pleasant engagement and enthusiasm. But many of us find that our horses feel more like rigid cardboard. Instead of bending seamlessly left then right, we find ourselves in a never ending tug-of-war against a braced jaw, poll, neck, back and hind end.
So precisely because we do not want to hurt the horse, we do nothing.
Instead, we become passive riders, not interfering with the horse but also not helping him achieve a healthier weight carriage. He travels with a stiff gait, crooked and hollow and eventually works his way into lameness - not because of what we did, but because of what we did not do.
We eventually learn that just hanging on and letting the horse travel incorrectly is not the solution.
On the other hand, we don't want to push, pull and pretzel the horse into a fake shape that falls apart at a moment's notice anyway.
How can we find the happy medium?
Recently, I learned all over again about suppleness not through riding but through yoga and "listening" to the responses of my own body. Sometimes, there is no bigger lesson learned than through a personal first-hand experience.
To find suppleness in your own body, try practicing yoga. Or any martial arts, or dance or gymnastics.
Or choose another physical activity that you enjoy.
Then take notes.
Learn about how you can become more supple in your body.
As you move through the stretching and bending routines, you will soon realize that you won't be able to force your body into looseness! In fact, the harder you try, the more tense your body will become. Instead, you will have to just go through the movements until your body can release through the muscles, tendons and ligaments. But this will take time.
The next time you go to yoga (or your activity of choice), your body will be more supple just on its own. You won't have to force or crunch - the muscles, tendons and ligaments will simply be more giving and "loose."
The same can be said for the horse.
The quickest way to suppleness in the horse is through regular practice and steadfast patience.
First: Practice
Practice is the first step toward suppleness. In riding, this translates to working on specific exercises that encourage the horse to move with more fluidity and grace. This means that rather than doing nothing, or just hanging on during the ride, we need to set up situations that promote release of the muscles.
Even if your horse feels like he simply can't soften or supple, work on getting him to release his topline. Ask for more impulsion. Try some stretches, work on bends. See if you can "accordion" the horse a few times, at the walk, trot and maybe even at the canter.
If your horse feels too tight to really respond, ease up on your aids a bit. But still ask and continue setting up the situations. Bend left, turn left. Bend right, turn right. Keep the turns soft and large but still try to get a mild bend from the horse.
Remember that the idea isn't to crank him into position. Rather, you want to invite him into softness through the body. This is something that cannot be forced.
Second: Patience
If you don't see instant results, don't get too disappointed. Understand that the stiffness you feel is deep within the horse's body and it might take several rides before he can loosen enough to respond to your expectations.
Patiently use your aids but don't rush him. Wait for him especially if you notice increased tension in response to your aids. Don't get stronger. Don't become frantic. Just ask and wait.
If the tension persists, finish the ride on a calm note and call it a day.
Try again the next ride. Work toward small improvements each day. You might be surprised to feel a more supple horse just like that!
How do you work on suppleness? Let us know in the comments below.
Now is the time to re-evaluate your goals and path to riding success!design your overarching goalslong- and short-term planning,debrief your special events such as clinics or showsreflect on, plan and evaluate your goalssample goals and pages