The beautiful, elegant, ever-flowing free walk. It seems simple enough, but many riders have major problems during their free walk. In fact, there’s one particular problem that seems to creep up on almost everyone during the free walk, often costing them some serious points. Can you guess what the biggest, most common problem with the…
The 20 meter circle is one of the most basic fundamental patterns ridden in dressage. It appears in training level and first level with the trot, stretchy trot, and canter. Most riders ride the 20 meter circle each time they are on their horse, but did you know that most people get it wrong in…
Ah, the infamous, highly dreaded, “horrible, no good, very bad day,” stretchy trot! This very difficult movement is first presented in training level and is seen throughout first level in the dressage tests. It’s a movement that almost everyone hates and would rather skip. But this movement is all too important to be ignored. Once…
“Stop pulling on the inside rein! Let go of the inside rein!” How many times have you heard that from your instructor? I have heard it over and over again early on in my riding. But I never really understood what all the fuss was about. I felt like I NEEDED to pull it! But…
The shoulder-in can be a daunting new movement to learn! Sometimes it feels like you have to pull the horse’s shoulder over just to get in the right position, and as soon as you let go, the horse pings back to the original straight-ahead position. It’s hard to get a horse into the correct shoulder-in…
For non-horse people, and even beginner riders, a horse that is curling behind the vertical often looks ‘beautiful’ because their neck is so beautifully arched. But this is NOT a beautiful way of going at all! This is bit evasion and hind end evasion at its finest. The horse that curls under is avoiding proper…
Learn how to ride a perfect leg yield.
What is a half halt? Learn all about the half halt and how you can ride a good half halt!