Guest Post: Advice to Help You Sit Tall in the Saddle Without Working Against Your Own Body

At Horse Listening, we are emphatic life-long learners of all things horsey. You will be reminded time and again about how there is so much to be learned from horses and other horse people, if only we listened.

It's autumn! We're in for a long stretch of beautiful riding weather and quieter days - how about a little self-development off the horse? Dave Thind, horse rider, trainer and instructor, is also an authorized teacher of the Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement method. What is it, you ask?

David Thind Method
David Thind (Photo by Carol Hill)

I heard of the Feldenkrais Method over twenty years ago when I was doing competitive trail riding. Many of the riders were using the Method for developing their own bodies so that they could be better riders. Anyone who had tried it had high praise for how it made them feel. They raved about how much better their bodies felt from seemingly simple exercises. But most Feldenkrais instructors have no concept of how the Method can be applied to horse riding. Dave has expertise in both areas - and applies the Feldenkrais exercises to improve key areas of the body for riding. Click here to directly access his website now.

Read on for an amazing exercise that can help you improve your seat and body position with a simple but profound off-the-horse awareness movement.

This article was previously published here


Improve your seat and say goodbye to hip and lower back pain with this advice from equestrian biomechanics specialist Dave Thind and American team rider Charlotte Jorst.

One of the biggest difficulties in the sport of dressage stems from the rider’s desire to sit up tall. However, as riders, we also want to be able to follow our horses in a supple way, while maintaining the appropriate amount of muscular activity required for the task at hand.

 "The sensation of effort is due to other actions being enacted besides the one intended.”

—Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais

American Team Rider Charlotte Jorst has been incorporating the following slow-motion awareness exercises by noted equestrian biomechanics specialist Dave Thind. Jorst explained that prior to this work, she constantly had to work hard to sit up straight in her riding and was unknowingly working against her own body.

As riders, we must all work on refining our seats. At the higher levels, it is a matter of small details for more precision.

She also revealed that prior to weekly practice of the Dave Thind Method (DTM), based on the Feldenkrais Method®, Jorst could not alleviate pain on her own through the stretching exercises she was using.

To achieve optimal alignment goals and ride in harmony with our equine partners, we as riders must learn where in our bodies we can let go, therefore becoming more supple and fluid. Equally important is learning where in our bodies we require the appropriate degree of muscle tone so that our aids are most effective.

Train at Home

In addition to the help of a good instructor and a suitable horse, you can also train your seat from home. By doing slow-motion exercises to help you learn “feel,” you can easily learn the biomechanics and the secrets of “sitting up tall.” These unmounted exercises can also enhance your riding and help you avoid repetitive stress injuries. Even though we are calling these “exercises,” the ultimate goal is not necessarily increasing fitness, but refining our suppleness and feeling.

Many riders of various levels have achieved their ideal seat and also removed unnecessary stress, pain, and body tension through Dave Thind’s method. Riders can expand their proprioception, increasing their awareness of old habits and body patterns. This helps to reset, reboot and allow the nervous system to choose more optimal ways of moving by presenting options while doing the exercises.

There are a multitude of reasons of why we would want to incorporate movement exercises such as DTM depending on age, goals and physical fitness.

“A smooth sitting rider who is swinging into the horses’ movements is a horseman/horsewoman. This is important for the welfare of the horse. The better the rider’s position, the happier the horse—and Dave helps his clients achieve good positions.” —Christoph Hess, German F.N. Educational Ambassador.

 

One of the reasons riders choose to incorporate this type of training is to address personal asymmetries. In traditional thinking, if a rider is crooked, we try to find symmetry by unbending or untwisting them in the opposite direction to create a long, symmetrical picture. However in DTM or Feldenkrais, which focuses on why the brain wants to put us in our perceived middle, we must do more of what the body wants to do in order to make the habitual pattern crystal clear to the nervous system. And then the rider can explore the same pattern on the other side. This gives the brain the stimulus needed to rediscover what our true middle is.

“In my early work with Dave, I remember really being fascinated by the concept and the feeling of being tall and upright without working hard,” Jorst said. “Amazing! I was delighted to give up working hard to sit up and keep my shoulders back. His courses have catapulted my riding in a direction that I am very happy with and I am much more supple in my body, both when riding and in my daily life.”

Research shows the “traditional approach” of “fixing,” typically causes more stiffness as the nervous system tends to guard against change that is corrective in nature. Therefore, the body’s response is more stiffness and guarding.

By implementing simple awareness exercises, we can show the brain new and more effective options to move. The easiest, most comfortable and most efficient organization in movement is usually the most biomechanically correct.

Tips to Sit Up Tall Without Working Against Yourself from Charlotte Jorst

1. Get to know your body parts.
Where is your pelvis, your hip joints, the various vertebrae of your spine? With regards to the curves of your spine, how can they change, and what else changes when you change the shape of your spine?

2. Do you stand and walk with your head over your pelvis? We need this when we ride but it should not be forced. Therefore, via the spine, do your head and pelvis communicate with each other in a supple way, or is something rigid?

3. Sit in a chair and try slouching. Then slouch more. What do you need to do with your pelvis to do this well? Your chest? Your head? Maybe even your eyes? If your pelvis was a bowl of soup, tip the bowl backward toward your tailbone in order to lift your belt buckle. Maybe imagine a dog tucking its tail between its legs. See how tipping the bowl backward can help you slouch or round if you wanted to.

And inversely, tip the bowl forward letting your belly out, in order to get taller, vertebra by vertebra. Try doing this without working too hard. As you tip your pelvis forward, you can imagine a string gently pulling up on your sternum. Try to feel and imagine one vertebrae at a time tipping forward and finally coming all the way up to your sternum and your head (to make you taller).

You can also imagine the whole spine like a pearl necklace and one pearl moves the next pearl. This is an example of the head and pelvis communicating with each other.

Go back and forth. This exercise is called “Pelvic Clock.”


This section features several affiliate links, meaning we'll earn a small commission if you purchase through these links.

David has several courses that feature many exercises designed to teach a rider body awareness and "reprogram" the body for better posture, riding seat, and symmetry. Feel better and ride better!

David's free mini-course: One hour class featuring body awareness, suppleness and bone strengthening exercises! Click here.

DTM Fall Wheel Alignment Course: David has a brand new, LIVE series of 6 classes that just started this week! If you'd like more information on how to get access (sessions are recorded for replay): click here. Special 10% off code for Horse Listening readers only: type "HORSELISTENING" in the Code at checkout.

DTM Skeletal Course: Here's an on-demand video course that will help you learn the movement you need to absorb the concussive forces coming through your body. Click here.

5 Best Lessons Learned From My Horse Adventures

When you start riding, or taking riding lessons, you think - oh yeah, I'm going to learn how to ride and do things in the ring with horses. Little do you know that if you carry on enough, you will invariably get to experience things you've never even dreamed of.

I think back to my first riding adventures, and I can easily think of SO MANY experiences that are permanently etched in the horsey recesses of my mind - like galloping up a very inclined hill because that's the only way you'd make it to the top, walking through chest-deep (to the horse) snow, swimming with my horse in a lake (no tack - just hang on to the mane and get your legs out of the horse's way!), and passing my Intermediate Rider exams on my self-trained horse... I bet I can think of almost a hundred amazing adventures.

But let's start with just five.

1. Horses Can Lie Down When Picketed

Once upon a time, I went on a four-day camping ride with my horse. We went deep into crown land, which meant that there were no amenities for horse nor humans! The guide, who was very experienced in overnight trips, brought along a wagon pulled by two big beautiful Belgian draft horses, and he loaded everything on the wagon: the food for four days, the tents, the gas stoves, clothes, horse equipment... it was packed.

As we left, I wondered where the horses were going to be turned out overnight. He looked at me, and simply said, "they'll be picketed."

And so I was introduced to the ageless practice of picketing. He had brought thick ropes that he attached between two sturdy trees, and slid in a large metal ring. Each horse got one rope. When it was time to set up camp, we tied the horses to the ring, which was far above their heads. I watched as my mare discovered that she could walk the whole length of the rope. She could eat from the ground, turn around, look at her friends and watch us as we cooked and ate dinner.

And, to my amazement, she could lie down when it was time to sleep! I don't know why I thought they'd have to stand up overnight, but the lead rope that was tied to the ring was long enough that it allowed them plenty of room to bring their heads right to the ground, without them getting caught up in it!

And so, I learned that we don't need a paddock or electrified turn-out, and the horses could be safe and comfortable on a picket line.

2. You Can Get A Pacing Horse To Trot (And The Pace Is Just Fine To Sit To!)

The same mare, Kayla, was a free-legged Standardbred pacer. Although I'd ridden many horses before I bought her, the pacing had me a little befuddled at first. When you ride the pace, you don't have that forward and up thrust of the trot - instead, it's a side-to-side dip and lift! Over time, I learned to sit the pace just as well as the trot. In fact, it was smooth and FAST!

But the time came when I wanted to ride Kayla in lessons, and she sort of needed to trot (at least once in a while). So I went on a learning journey to see if I could transition from the pace to the trot if I wanted to. I reached out to my Standardbred association and found some books (no Internet back then!). Sure you can, they said. Here's how.

Bend!




Pacing requires the horse's body to be straight. If you bend onto a circle or turn, the rib cage will supple and will require the horse to break the pace. You wouldn't want that if you were racing, but a ridden Standardbred can surely benefit from the trot. And so over time, I was able to ask for the pace as well as the trot, much like you'd do for any gait. It was so much fun switching back and forth!

3. Not All Horses Are Trail-Wise

I did competitive trail with Kayla. Incidentally, her pace was amazing for long distances - fast!

She was truly talented for the trail. She had the most beautiful high-stepping gait. She rarely stumbled and always found good footing somehow. She KNEW that she should follow the path ahead of her, and I rarely had to actually "steer" her because she could see the turns coming and adjust accordingly. She snorted and flung her mane and pretended to spook, but in short time, she knew if she went straight ahead, she could outrun whatever scared her. She was actually safer the faster she went.

And so, as you might expect, when I bought my new horse after her, I was caught off guard when this horse would walk OFF the trail and get her legs caught in dense undergrowth. I learned to hang on tight when she deked away from scary squirrels and trees. I had to rate her speed because she'd run fast downhill and stumble. And I learned to carefully steer her through rocky sections so she wouldn't injure herself.

So now I know that not all horses are born for the trail, and some horses need careful training and riding until they become trail-wise.

4. Sometimes You Should Just Call It A Day - Even If You Just Started

This was an important lesson that another mare (and my instructor) taught me.

It was lesson time, and I had my mare groomed and tacked and ready to go. She seemed uncharacteristically tired in the cross-ties, but it was hot and humid. I thought it was completely legitimate to be a little pokey in those conditions.

We started our warm-up a few minutes before my instructor arrived. The mare was definitely not her go-go self at all. We tried a little trot and it was all I could do to get the transition.

My instructor asked me questions to try to figure out why she wasn't herself. We considered food, sleep, bugs... everything was consistent and no different than other days. Then she realized: was she in heat?

Well, yes, I'd noticed her goopy legs. Yes, she was in heat.

"OK, put her away then." I was a little surprised, because I had booked my instructor for two lessons in a row. This meant that she'd only do one lesson (with my next horse).

No problem - she wasn't going to charge me, and we weren't going to try to ride the mare.

"She is probably in pain or discomfort today. Mares sometimes get just as uncomfortable as we do, you know," she said. "I'm not going to charge you, no worries."

I felt SO RELIEVED that I wasn't going to have to make my horse move when she really couldn't. I was also very appreciative of my instructor's decision. For her, it was all about the horses.

To this day, I will "pay it forward" to the horses (and riders) that I teach. I give the horse the benefit of the doubt, and I take it easy in terms of charging my students. And I always remember to listen to the horse!

5. Practice DOES Make Better - With Instruction

Well, you must know this is why I created Horse Listening and the Practice Sessions.

I'm living proof! Most rider problems can be solved with good, intentional practice. Many horse problems can also be solved that way. You just need an instructor or mentor who is willing to invest their time into you and help identify and redirect mistakes. I've been very lucky to have several great instructors.

Mistakes - we can't get away from them. In fact, if we don't make mistakes, I don't think there would be a whole lot of learning going on. Mistakes help guide us toward a better direction. They help us figure out a plan, and help us amass all the things NOT to do, so we discover the things we need to do.

When a rider finds something difficult, I tell her that she just needs to get started - any reasonable exercise will do. Then we whittle away the "loudest" problem and little by little, things get easier. And then invariably, one day, it becomes easy! At that point, I know that the rider has mastered the skill and it's time to move on to the next difficult thing! 🙂

What amazing horsin' around adventures have you had? I bet we can write an entire book on the subject! Comment below if you'd like.

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

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.

Click here to read more  and to join one of the most complete programs on the Internet!

Horse Listening

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Horse Listening The Book
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Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

Available as an eBook or paperback.

From the book:
"But there is one other motivation that drives some of us to persevere in the never-ending learning process that is horseback riding: improving the horse. As your own skills develop, you begin to realize that not only can you meet your own needs through riding, but also that you can even become an instrument of benefit for the horse."
And so begins the book that reflects the most important learning I have had in all of my riding years: that I want to be the best rider I can be for the sake of my horses.
This book is geared toward the rider:
- the rider's motivations
- the essential skills for the rider
- some specific strategies
- solutions to common problems
- and the results: the great horsey moments we get to experience
Along the way, you will find chapters that discuss everything from the seat to the leg aids to the reins, discussions on half-halts, imbalance, halts, straightness and more!
Special in this book are the "In The Ring" sections that give specific suggestions based on the preceding chapters. Take these to the barn to try with your own horse!
Click here for more information: https://www.horselistening.combook/

Intentional Rider Development – The Workshop

Yes, you love horses for how they <poof!> your stress away. You love them for how easily they can truly be therapeutic - mentally, physically and emotional. And you love them just because they are who the are - horses, sweet, goofy, spicy and everything in-between.

But if you're like me, you're a natural life-long learner. And when it comes to horses, you know you can never learn enough. You can ALWAYS take the responsibility of becoming a better partner for your horse!

I mean, none of us is perfect, and horses and riding are THE picture you would find if you looked up "imperfection" in the dictionary. Even the most advanced riders have so much to work on. I've watched Grand Prix level riders improve over the course of 10 years, still riding Grand Prix.

If you're a regular blog reader, you know I'm always harping on taking riding lessons. Even as we become comfortable with our level of skills, people like me want to continue developing - for the sake of the horse.

You can take lessons but there's an important piece that's often missing with the once a week lesson program - everything outside of the lesson. Anyone who wants to make consistent improvement in any skill area works on everything that goes into the skill: the mental, emotional and psychological aspects that support the physical skill. At the upper levels of any sport, there are professionals who help an athlete along with all those aspects.

But what can we do as regular riders? Maybe we just want to improve that trot to canter transition. Or we want to teach the horse to shift weight back to the hind end so the front legs aren't impacted as heavily as they are "au naturel".

If you read my blogs regularly, you'll also know that my mission for myself is to continually grow, develop, try new things, and step out of my comfort zone. This includes riding and ground work and relationship-building with my horse. It's all part of the same package.

So over the years, I've slowly and steadily built this online resource so other people who are also interested in self-improvement can use it for themselves. First off, I started the blog. I continue to share tons of free articles here so that everyone can take what they want from them. (I also "listen" to all your comments and thoughts - just because I love the interaction!)

Then I built the Practice Sessions, which is a membership-based platform where I go into detail - specific theory, specific aids, complete patterns and quality of movement exercises, and much more.

In 2016, I authored Goal Setting For The Equestrian: A Personal Workbook to fill a void in the horse publications of the time. I wanted something to help guide me in organizing my thoughts, remembering what I did, monitoring my and my horse's progress, and having a space to analyze and reflections. I've used several copies of the book myself over the years, as have thousands of people who have bought either the digital or paperback version.

But now, with online meetings becoming an easy and efficient way for people to meet from around the world, I can take it to the next step (yet again)!

I'm now offering an Intentional Rider Development Workshop.

This workshop is live and interactive. It's not like you will sit there and watch a bunch of slides while I talk (although there will be a handout and lots to do), but we will basically co-create our individual plans of what we want to do with our horses over this coming year.

a woman writing a business idea on a paper

Did you know that students who set goals, or have goals set FOR them, learn 250% faster than those who are told to "do their best"? Research has shown that simply,

People who set goals are more successful. They work hard, and succeed on purpose.

- Harry Che, Goals On Track.

But my Intentional Rider Development Workshop isn't JUST about setting goals, although that's a good part of it. It's also about how we can stay motivated, how we can track our progress and how we can include our horse (and all his quirks!) in our dreams.

I'd like to invite you to join me. I have two dates currently: Feb. 18th and Feb. 26th. Join me and plan for your 2023 riding season - from the comfort of your home!

Learn how you can design your way to positive and effective change - for the benefit of your horse.

It's on sale now for only $27 USD. The workshop will take approximately 90 minutes. We will gather in a small group and reflect and plan and think - about our horses! Just click on the image below for more details.


Bend: Top 8 Common Mistakes We ALL Make!

Photo Credit: NBanaszak Photography

You can't say you've never done these things! Still, we make mistakes and then we learn from them!

As horse riders, one of the first things we learn to do is ride on turns or circles. That's likely because many of us ride in enclosed rings or arenas, but also, we begin to learn about the value of "lateral suppleness", which essentially begins with the horse bending left and right.

Initially, we learn that the horse needs to assume a "banana-like curve" in his body - that's the bend. We learn the aids for bend, and then we proceed to apply them. Sounds so simple!

Along the way, we learn through mistakes all about the NOT bends that can happen, and what we have to do to avoid them! Here are some that I'm familiar with (!), from (what I think of as) the least problematic, to the most.

8. Looking too far into the turn

If you're a hunter/jumper, or a western competition trail rider, or if you ride in any kind of obstacle-based event, then yes, your head should turn long before you need the horse to. That is because you have to gauge distances, arcs, strides and balance - all very important things that need to fall into place between obstacles.

However.

If you are doing "flat work" or dressage, and you're interested in developing bend for the sake of suppleness, then it actually helps to limit how far you turn your head. All you need to do is to look through your horse's ears. That's because if your horse is ON a bend, he will already have his head and neck slightly turned in, equal to the arc of the circle.

That's all the rider has to do as well, because too much turn will actually change the rider's position, weight and balance - right down to the pelvis. If you are on a particular circle, all you need to do is look ahead just enough to see the next quarter of the circle.

7. Bend just the horse's head and neck

It's SO EASY to just pull the horse's head around. All we have to do is pull in the direction of the turn, right?!

Over time, we learn that pulling on the rein causes the horse to lose balance, encourages the horse to drift out and bulge his outside shoulder, and even blocks the inside hind leg stride.

The problem is, we often can't tell that we're doing it. On some horses, it's so easy to get that neck into a pretty arc. Then we get tricked into thinking that we have such a great bend going on, but it turns out that the bend doesn't go through the body.

An observer on the ground is very helpful, so they can tell you the actual amount of bend through the body. They can also see how your horse tracks up as he travels over a circle.

6. Not bending into the turn ourselves

Much like horses, we have our "hollow side" and our "stiff side". We tend to overturn on the side that is easiest for us to turn into. Then we (usually) don't turn at all on our stiff side. Watch carefully and you might notice that most riders stay bent in one direction (most often to the left) and they stay bent that way in the other direction too!

As riders, we need to be ambidextrous - not just in our hands, but in our entire body! Ideally, we would turn into the circles equally well on both sides. This means that we need to turn our body from the seat - when we turn right, our right shoulder goes back as our left shoulder comes forward. Our head and neck look in the direction of the turn, and our hands AND legs follow the seat. When we turn left, we change everything to the left side. Here is a great exercise for you to try off the horse. 

5. No half-halts

It's so easy to forget the half-halts when we begin a new bend! We eagerly look where we want to go, and then... well, we GO!

But your horse often gets to scramble to stay with you because he had no idea he was going to turn in that moment. He might have been leaning onto the inside shoulder, or heavy on the forehand, or simply just trucking along with the understanding that he was going to follow that rail... forever!

You can use the half-halt to rebalance the horse if he's off balance, or just to give him a small "heads up" that you want him to turn. Do it a few strides before the turn to give your horse time to understand and adjust.

4. Uneven hands/reins

This is a very common mistake that we all make.

It's easy and very tempting to just pull back on the inside rein to turn, or to get that bend! So when we pull, our inside hand goes further back than the outside hand, and thus begins a vicious cycle of crookedness in our own body.

Some people raise one hand, others take a rein wide to their knee, others take a rein across the horse's withers, some twist the rein... in any case, the hands and reins become uneven. As soon as there's unevenness in the rider, there will be unevenness in the horse. It's very important to keep the hands in front of the pommel and in line with each other.

Turn using your body aids (not your hands only) and the outside rein, and bend using the same aids too.

Now we're coming down to the most common errors.

3. Collapse through the body

It's also easy to collapse on a bend or turn.

If you look at a rider from behind, the rider's back should be equally tall on both sides. If you see that one side is shorter, or there's a bend in their side, we call that "collapsed" to that side. Many of us have a tendency to collapse because that's how we sit in a chair or in the car. It's an easy problem to be unconscious about since it's hard to feel the collapse in your body.

Once way you can tell if you've collapsed is to look at your knee bends. Is one knee bent more than the other? Fix the knee bend by fixing the position of your seat - maybe bump your seat to the left. You will have to straighten through your side to compensate. Everything else will correct itself along with it, including the angle of your knees!

2. Lean into the turns

Most beginner riders tend to lean going into turns. This is because we're so used to leaning into a turn in a car, on a bicycle or motorcycle, that we automatically do the same thing on the horse.

Unfortunately, the horse doesn't respond the same way as our vehicles, and when we lean, the horse will have to drift out or fall in (depending on the horse's stronger and weaker sides).  And so we spend quite some time wondering why the horse makes smaller circles in one direction, and larger circles in the other!

But once we know how to stay upright in our body even while we're on a turn, most of the leaning problems dissolve away on their own.

1. Hands only!

And finally, the number 1 mistake we ALL make, especially early in our riding career, is to try to turn the horse by pulling his nose in one direction. Because, if we just pull him around, the rest of his body will follow, right?

Well, after some experience, we realize that no, it doesn't work that way! Horses can surely turn their heads one way and carry on in the opposite direction - much to our initial surprise! Oh, what to do?!

Over time, we learn all about the other aids. We learn how to keep the horse "between the legs and reins" and we realize that we don't need to use our hands as much as we thought! In fact, the less we pull, the better the horse can go.

We can rely less on our hands and more on the other aids.

***

And that rounds up the 8 most common rider errors when it comes to circles and bends.

One of the biggest recommendations I can make for all these errors is to get videos of yourself! It can be quite eye-opening compared to what you feel while you're riding. Of course, there's also no replacement to an educated eye on the ground as well.

If you enjoyed the information in this article, you will find much more in the Horse Listening Practice Sessions.

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

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.

Click here to read more and to join one of the most complete programs on the Internet!

Horse Listening

I don't believe in putting my work behind a paywall. But there are expenses in every venture. If you really liked this article, consider tipping us! Your tip will help me keep producing more riding TIPS (pun!) with free access to everyone. With thanks for reading!

Goal Setting For The Equestrian
Click to learn more.

If you’d like a structured, but personal tool to set goals, take a look at the new Goal Setting for the Equestrian: A Personal Workbook. The pages are designed for you to set and keep track of your progress over the course of a year.

Included in the book:

  • design your overarching goals
  • long- and short-term planning,
  • debrief your special events such as clinics or shows
  • reflect on, plan and evaluate your goals
  • sample goals and pages

The Workbook is available for instant digital download so you can print the pages right off your computer. There is also the option of a paperback version if you’d rather have a professionally bound book to hold in your hands.

Click here for more information.

Top 20 Articles of 2022

2022 was the year we cantered forward (pun!) into a more mature version of Horse Listening. With 11 years now under my belt, I've changed focus this year to spending more time working on the Practice Sessions and developing it into a robust resource for beginner and intermediate riders. What was once an archive of exercises has now morphed into an online coaching platform much like I do in-person, but virtually!

Nowadays, the Practice Sessions revolve around a monthly theme. I create weekly goals that are short patterns or quality of movement exercises dedicated to the theme. Then much of my writing time is devoted to writing tips that connect with the exercise of the week - including topics such as aids, rider position, theory around the "why" of skills and exercises, and what we're looking for in terms of movement and feel from the horse. 2022 saw us consider basic skills, as well as more difficult, feel-based concepts such as "Feel - And Stepping TO The Bit", "Like A Strung Bow!", Walk/Trot and Trot/Walk Transitions, Lateral Suppleness, Impulsion, and so much more!

Meanwhile, the blog was incredibly well-read with over 1.1 million page views! Our Facebook Page grew by tens of thousands (I can't keep track) and zoomed past 50,000 followers - and we now boast a total of 60,300 subscribers to the blog as of today!

Which brings us to the top 20 most read articles of 2022. Combined, there were over 314,000 page views by just these 20 articles this year. And now, without further adieu, please enjoy the best of the best in 2022!

#20

https://www.horselistening.com2014/02/15/two-upper-body-secrets-to-riding-success/

#19

https://www.horselistening.com2018/05/07/why-do-we-post-at-the-trot-whats-the-fuss-about-being-on-the-correct-diagonal/

#18

https://www.horselistening.com2013/09/07/20-signs-that-your-horse-benefits-from-your-riding/

#17

https://www.horselistening.com2013/09/30/9-things-you-need-to-know-if-you-want-to-ride-horses/

#16

https://www.horselistening.com2017/09/06/whats-the-difference-between-the-inside-rein-and-the-outside-rein/

#15

https://www.horselistening.com2016/07/21/a-simple-and-effective-horse-riding-warm-up-exercise/

#14

https://www.horselistening.com2013/02/19/what-to-do-when-your-horse-is-being-naughty/

#13

https://www.horselistening.com2014/08/24/7-essential-aids-for-an-epic-canter-transition/

#12

https://www.horselistening.com2014/09/16/one-simple-way-to-quiet-your-hands-while-riding-horses/

#11

https://www.horselistening.com2018/04/24/10-strategies-for-the-nervous-horse-rider/

#10

https://www.horselistening.com2016/03/21/an-awesome-over-the-back-suppling-warm-up-at-the-walk/

#9

https://www.horselistening.com2013/02/28/how-to-halt-without-pulling-on-the-reins/

#8

https://www.horselistening.com2015/02/11/6-ways-to-know-your-horse-is-comfortable-while-riding/

#7

https://www.horselistening.com2016/11/21/the-blanketing-rule-for-blanketing/

#6

https://www.horselistening.com2018/10/22/a-stretch-and-strengthen-canter-exercise/

#5

https://www.horselistening.com2013/07/23/why-you-dont-want-to-pull-on-the-inside-rein-and-what-to-do-instead/

#4

https://www.horselistening.com2015/04/16/the-benefits-of-cantering-round-and-round-the-ring/

#3

https://www.horselistening.com2012/04/01/ten-habits-of-competent-riders/

#2

https://www.horselistening.com2016/11/30/inside-leg-to-outside-rein-the-cheat-sheet/

... and drumroll for number 1....

https://www.horselistening.com2011/12/29/the-1-rider-problem-of-the-year-the-outside-rein/

Well, there you have it! I hope you enjoy browsing through our top articles of the year, and thanks again so much for all your likes, comments, shares and follows.

Wishing you the best New Year's, and lots and lots of Horse Listening in 2023!

Simple Change Your Way To Better Gaits (Exercise)

This one is fast and active and fun!

Let's put together three "simple" figures to create a challenging exercise that will get you and your horse bending AND going straight while playing with up and down transitions.

Our goal is to improve the quality of the trot and canter through the use of simple changes - canter to trot and then back to canter again.

We also want to work on changes of direction in canter so that we can work both sides of the horse evenly - stretching the outside (and contracting the inside) of the horse's body as we turn. Keep in mind that you want the horse's flexion (corner of the eye) to the inside, and a bend through the body on the half-circles. If you need more information on bend, read about what bend really means and use this exercise to help you establish a beginner bend in the first place.

Step 1

Start on the rail in trot, on the left rein at V.

When you reach A, canter, left lead. Begin a 3-loop serpentine as you pass A.

Because it's a serpentine, you should cut the corner instead of go deep into it. You can keep your horse on a mild bend - the same bend you would have if you're on a 20-m circle.

Each of the three loops are half of a 20-m circle. Once you've completed one loop, you reach center line. At this point, transition to trot. You will do a simple change, meaning change the lead through the trot as you cross over the center line.

You might need 3-5 strides in trot to give you time to change bend and then go back to canter. Keep these strides straight (no diagonal lines in a serpentine!). You might need to transition to trot a little early, before you finish the loop so you have enough space for 3-5 strides of trot.

The serpentine is finished once you pass C. Continue to the corner, still in left lead canter.


 

Step 2

The second figure is a teardrop.

Follow the rail to V, and then as you pass V, begin a half-circle. I've drawn the half-circle as 10-m, but you can choose to make it bigger, to 15 or 20-m if you want. It all depends on you and your horse and where you're at in your training.

After the half-circle, head back to the rail at H on a diagonal line.

Do another simple change over the diagonal line. You might need to transition to trot fairly early so you have time for a few trot strides before the new canter lead, going right. Go deep into this corner, unlike the serpentine.


 

Step 3

Finally, our third figure is a straight line! Don't be fooled! It takes quite a bit of "forward" and staying "between the legs and the reins" for a horse to canter on a straight line, off the rail.

Now you'll come off the rail on the 3/4 line, meaning the quarter line past C. Carry on in right lead canter.

You do have a choice to canter the whole line, or add a simple change as you pass the EB line. Or you can canter once, and then do a simple change the next time! Always feel free to change things up as you want, to make things interesting and fresh for you and your horse.

A Little Theory

Before we go to it, let's discuss a little about WHY the simple change can be helpful in quality of movement. It's great to have a repertoire of exercises to use during a ride, but if we don't know why we're doing something, we'll lose the intentional horse and rider development that is key to success.

At a basic level, the canter helps improve the trot and the trot helps to improve the canter! Because of the difference in body movement (biomechanics), each gait requires different work from the horse, especially in his rhythm, breathing and topline.

The trot requires the horse to move diagonally, and allows him to breathe fairly freely in movement. In trot, the horse can breathe within the rhythm of the movement or outside of the rhythm, much like he can at the walk.

The canter is a three beat gait (with suspension), and works the horse's top line (and abdominals) more effectively than the trot. This is because there's that up-and-down movement that requires stretching and contracting of the top line muscles that never happens in the trot. So in effect, each gait works different muscle groups of the horse.

The canter also requires the horse to breathe in time with the canter footfalls. The rib cage can only expand and contract with the movement, so the horse can only breathe in movement. This means that there is a fair amount of aerobic conditioning going on in canter. It also means that if your horse doesn't regularly canter for long periods of time, you should take it easy with this exercise and give him plenty of breathing breaks in between patterns.

If we work the horse in both gaits, we access all the physical benefits of each gait!


What Are We Looking For?

Here are some signs that you're making good progress with this exercise:

  • the trot slows somewhat and becomes more bouncy-bouncy (swing through the back)
  • the strides get longer in each gait, without increased leg speed
  • the horse "comes under" better with the hind legs, especially the inside hind foot
  • the horse rounds somewhat through the body, or improves if he usually moves with a flat or hollow back
  • you get snorts!
  • your horse generally has a more forward, free-moving attitude

 

If You Like...

You don't have to do any of this in canter. You can do it all in walk or trot.

You can also do a walk/trot version where everything is in trot except for where the simple changes occur - in this case, you can transition to walk for those and then back to trot.

You can also amp it up and do the simple changes through walk. This means that you canter to walk to canter.

OR, you can also do it all in canter with flying changes instead of simple changes.

The sky is the limit!

One Last Note:

IF you end up with a super sensational, outstanding trot or canter, and it feels GREAT - you don't have to continue with the pattern. You can abort the pattern, and just go along the rail and allow your horse to feel and maintain that gait for some time. You can always go back to the pattern later! We're working on the quality of movement, so when you get quality of movement, celebrate! And remember to pet your horse and thank him!

Have fun!

If you like this sort of pattern work, take a look at my Practice Sessions Premium Membership. The Practice Sessions are a complete program beginning with exercises like the one above, designed to improve specific aspects of the horse and rider. All set up and ready to go, all you have to do is watch the video, print off the pattern PDF and head to the barn!

But there's so much more! There's quality of movement exercises, theory "Mini-Classes" on specific aids and figures, a fantastic group of riders who motivate and encourage each other, and so much more! Click here to learn more.

Horse Listening

 

I don't believe in putting my work behind a paywall. But there are expenses in every venture. If you really liked this article, consider tipping us! Your tip will help me keep producing more riding TIPS (pun!) with free access to everyone. With thanks for reading!

Goal Setting For The Equestrian
Click to learn more.

If you’d like a structured, but personal tool to set goals, take a look at the new Goal Setting for the Equestrian: A Personal Workbook. The pages are designed for you to set and keep track of your progress over the course of a year.

Included in the book:

  • design your overarching goals
  • long- and short-term planning,
  • debrief your special events such as clinics or shows
  • reflect on, plan and evaluate your goals
  • sample goals and pages

The Workbook is available for instant digital download so you can print the pages right off your computer. There is also the option of a paperback version if you’d rather have a professionally bound book to hold in your hands.

Click here for more information.

Enjoy these canter exercises too:

https://www.horselistening.com2018/10/22/a-stretch-and-strengthen-canter-exercise/

https://www.horselistening.com2020/01/19/skip-into-a-straight-canter-transition-exercise/

https://www.horselistening.com2016/12/26/12-riding-quick-tips-10-how-to-canter-instead-of-just-trot-faster/

https://www.horselistening.com2016/08/20/how-to-improve-your-trot-canter-transitions/

https://www.horselistening.com2014/08/24/7-essential-aids-for-an-epic-canter-transition/

 

9 Signs Your Horse Is About To (Or Did!) Spook

Photo Credit: J. Boesveld

They say an ounce of prevention is worth its weight in gold - did I get that right?

It surely can be true, especially when it comes to our frantic four-legged friends of the genus Equus and their ever-dedicated, (preferably) strapped-in-for-the ride bipeds (us)!

I mean, if we know that the spook is going to come, we can do something about it, right?

There are many ways that horses communicate their desire for self-preservation, if only we know how to "listen" to the signs. Here are some ways to know that the horse is about to spook - or already did before you had a chance to recognize the sign!

1. The jaw and poll tighten

This is the first and most classic sign that something is amiss. If you're sensitive enough, you'll invariably feel a locking of the poll and/or jaw before any of the other signs happen. The horse has to tighten through the poll in order to raise his head, deke through the withers, move his legs quickly, or do anything else while being startled or afraid.

2. The horse looks at a particular spot

Have you ever been riding along happily only to find your pretzeled horse contort his body so he can swing his head in the direction of a scary object? Many horses need to look at something until they can identify it - and it helps if they can examine it with both eyes.

Never mind that you might be riding in trot and intending to go in the opposite direction!

3. The horse takes a bad step

Then there's the horse that jumps in his skin and stumbles because he reacted before his legs finished the stride. This is when you're not quite sure if the horse just took a bad step? Or maybe there's some sort of lameness going on?

But the stumble doesn't continue. Or maybe it does, because the horse can hear the terrifying sound repeatedly and reacts each time. (I'm thinking of the sound of air brakes on a tractor trailer, or the rattling sound of huge farming equipment slowly driving down the dirt road.)

Oh it can be so helpful if your horse isn't sound reactive!

4. The horse is suddenly less responsive

You're riding along and you notice that your normally accommodating horse is simply. Not. Responding.

And you have a moment to wonder why? What am I doing wrong? (Because you're that kind of rider.)

Only to realize that your horse has only tuned you out in favor of tuning in that extremely interesting (and potentially terrifying) unidentified object!

5. The horse slows down/stops

I have to say, if your horse HAS to spook, this is the safest sign of all. It's not particularly dangerous, especially if it isn't an abrupt stop. And you can overcome the lack of forward motion in time, with practice and repetition.

6. The horse rushes/runs away

We call this "scooting." If your horse is cantering along merrily and without warning, drops an inch or two and shifts into overdrive - all within a nanosecond - you know he saw or heard something somewhere behind you, and he's ready to "get out of Dodge!"

This sign can be somewhat unnerving, especially if you're not a fan of the whiplash effect one usually gets from spontaneous acceleration!

The upside of this sign is that IF you can control the rush, you'll have incredibly brilliant movement that will excite you enough to want your horse to spook again and again!

7. You feel this impressive lifting of the front end

It truly is a wonderful feeling when your horse elevates - and seemingly levitates!

There's that sense of awe that when you realize your 16-hand horse can morph into a 17-plus-hand stallion when he really wants to! There's that moment of suspension, when all movement stops and the air around you becomes crisp and the sounds are suddenly crystal clear... and you invariably hold your breath even though you know you shouldn't...

... because you don't really know what's going to happen next!

Will your horse deke? Rear? Buck?

Well, your guess is probably as good as mine, because this is the posture that allows the horse to demonstrate his athletic agility and true potential!

8. You feel an equally impressive drop of a shoulder

You might not get the memo for this move!




It will happen fast and furious, and good luck to you, dear rider, in hopes that you have the seat that will follow your horse even before you know what happened! The shoulder drop is the most difficult sign of all to prevent because it can happen so quickly.

But if you know that this is something your horse will do, you CAN "catch" the shoulder just as you feel it stiffen against your (usually inside) leg. An inside leg aid that asks for a leg yield out can often mitigate the shoulder-drop because the horse will shift his weight to the outside (rather than the inside), bend a little toward the inside, and thereby look away from the offending object.

9. You feel/hear the horse's heartbeat!

Some horses can be very stoic and show relatively few signs. They're not the ones that are interested in being over-exuberant in any way. But if you can sit quietly, you might be able to FEEL their heartbeat as blood races through the horse's jugular! My mare, Roya, was like this. She'd do #2 and raise her head high to look at the worrisome object, but not make any particular leg movement at all. If she was VERY afraid, she'd stand still as a statue and I could feel and actually hear her heartbeat! Plus her body would quiver even though she was taking tiny breaths and pretending to be invisible!

OK so let's go back to the prevention part of the scenario.

It is definitely possible to reduce and sometimes eliminate spook reactions through careful, systematic training - of both you and your horse. It might take time for you to become "listening" enough to change a small aspect of your riding technique just as you feel those first mild signs, long before they become loud and clear. It might also take time and commitment to teach your horse to continue to respond to your aids even though his emotions might elevate because of an outside stimulus.

Just like all other riding skills, it all takes time and practice. But it's oh-so-worth-it!

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Ready for something completely different? If you liked what you read here, you might be interested in the new 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.

Click here to read more and to join one of the most complete programs on the Internet!

Horse Listening

I don't believe in putting my work behind a paywall. But there are expenses in every venture. If you really liked this article, consider tipping us! Your tip will help me keep producing more riding TIPS (pun!) with free access to everyone. With thanks for reading!

Horse Listening The Book
Click to learn more.

Buy Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

"There are many reasons why we enjoy riding horses. Maybe one of the most appealing facets of riding is the sense of freedom: freedom from our own limitations, freedom from gravity, freedom to (literally) roam the Earth. Time stands still while we have the privilege of feeling movement from the back of our four-legged friend.
Riding gives us the place to just be.
Of course, there are other purposes too. Some of us revel in the challenge of learning the skills required to becoming a good team member of this unlikely duo. Riding is like no other sport or recreational pursuit simply because of the equine partner that must not only carry us, but also do so effortlessly and gracefully. As we develop our specific skill sets, we also grow as human beings in character, emotional maturity and mental acuity.
But there is one other motivation that drives some of us to persevere in the never-ending learning process that is horseback riding: improving the horse. As your own skills develop, you begin to realize that not only can you meet your own needs through riding, but also that you can even become an instrument of benefit for the horse."
And so begins the book that reflects the most important learning I have had in all of my riding years: that I want to be the best rider I can be for the sake of my horses.
This book is geared toward the rider:
- the rider's motivations
- the essential skills for the rider
- some specific strategies
- solutions to common problems
- and the results: the great horsey moments we get to experience
Along the way, you will find chapters that discuss everything from the seat to the leg aids to the reins, discussions on half-halts, imbalance, halts, straightness and more!
Special in this book are the "In The Ring" sections that give specific suggestions based on the preceding chapters. Take these to the barn to try with your own horse!

Available as an eBook or paperback.

It Isn’t Magic! Top 5 Reasons Why “Practice” Will Take You Far This Year!

Practice!

It's true that BEING with horses is a joy in itself. There's nothing like the moments we get to just spend time and enjoy their presence, their attention and their sense of humor! I mean, loving horses is what it's all about, and that's probably why most of us gravitated toward these huge four-legged friends in the first place.

But if you're a life-long learner like me, you'll relate to the need for self-improvement: do more, keep learning, try new things, and become a better rider and horse person - as much for your horse's sake as for your own. Because in the end, it really is all about the horse.

And so - Practice.

"Practice" comes in many shapes and sizes. Ground work, tricks, "play" or riding - you don't have to be limited to one thing or another. But in the end, Practice is where it's at!

Here are my top 5 Horse Listening reasons why consistent, dedicated Practice will change your (and your horse's) life forever.

* I'm writing about riding below, but you can apply all the same thoughts to any activity you like to do with your horse.

5) It'll give you purpose and timelines.

While we all ride for recreation, there comes a time when we begin to recognize that if only we did something different or new, we'd become better, more coordinated, stronger in our posture, or one of the myriads of goals we can set for ourselves as riders. Setting goals helps us, of course, as the human partner in the equation. But I'm a firm believer that even the slightest improvement we make in ourselves will benefit every horse we come across in our future.

Goal setting isn't the the only factor, though, because we can set all the goals we want and if we DO nothing (as they say), our goals are simply dreams. This is where timelines make such a huge difference in the achievement of goals. There's nothing like a deadline to make me clean up my act and expect more of myself! This is one of the reasons I jumped on the Virtual Show bandwagon this past summer. I was reminded of how "making it happen" isn't so bad at key points in time, and putting a little pressure on myself allows me to jump through entire stages of learning.

4) You'll fill in the missing parts!

When you give yourself time to practice something repeatedly, patterns begin to emerge. You might notice that while it seemed fine for you to make that smaller right circle compared to your left circle the first couple of times, the more it happened, the more you felt the true crookedness of you and your horse. 🙂

And then you might begin to consider the reasons why that crookedness exists in the first place. You might be inspired to seek out the help of a riding instructor, or you might look things up on the Internet - but one thing is for certain - you'll realize that there's something missing from the basic of the basics that needs to be improved upon!

And doesn't it feel amazing when you finally figure out how to do it better - and discover how much better balanced (and happier!) your horse becomes! Which leads us to...

3) Trying new things will get you doing new things!

Let's face it - stepping out of your comfort zone can be quite... uncomfortable!

But when you do it often enough, you realize that the only way to improve is by trying new things, feeling like you've gone right back to the beginning, and struggling all over again. But you know what? Once you overcome the newness, you're suddenly on your way to wonderful feels, movements and FUN!

2) You'll be pleased with the improvements! 

So goal setting for its own sake isn't all that exciting. But when you make progress, and change things for your horse, and you discover how GOOD your horse feels - just because you spent the time and energy to improve your skills - you'll feel AMAZING. Your confidence will soar!

Because your horse will feel amazing! And you might notice that HE'S happier with you, happier with your riding sessions, happier in general about his life.

I know it sounds far-fetched. But it truly can happen. It just takes practice!

1) Practice doesn't make perfect - but it gives you time and opportunity!

So I've expounded before on how as horse riders, we never really achieve perfection. There's always something more to learn, a deeper level of understanding, a better feel. So let's let go of the need for perfection, and instead, learn to be happy and accomplished just because we're spending the time...

- for growth

- for opportunities

- for learning

And in between all that - for practice.

It isn't magic!

***

If you like this sort of Practice idea, take a peek at my Practice Sessions Premium Membership.

The Practice Sessions is a complete program beginning with clearly planned out exercises, designed to improve specific aspects of the horse and rider. All set up and ready to go, just watch the animated whiteboard video, print off the Cheat Sheet (with all the tips you need right in your hands) and head to the barn!

But there's so much more! There's Quality of Movement exercises, theory "Mini-Classes" on specific aids and figures, a fantastic Private Facebook Group where I share even more tips almost daily, and so much more! Click here to learn more.

Horse Listening

I don't believe in putting my work behind a paywall. But there are expenses in every venture. If you really liked this article, consider tipping us! Your tip will help me keep producing more riding TIPS (pun!) with free access to everyone. With thanks for reading!

Goal Setting For The Equestrian
Click to learn more.

If you’d like a structured, but personal tool to set goals, take a look at Goal Setting for the Equestrian: A Personal WorkbookThe pages are designed for you to set and keep track of your progress over the course of a year.

Included in the book:

  • design your overarching goals
  • long- and short-term planning,
  • debrief your special events such as clinics or shows
  • reflect on, plan and evaluate your goals
  • sample goals and pages

The Workbook is available for instant digital download so you can print the pages right off your computer. There is also the option of a paperback version if you’d rather have a professionally bound book to hold in your hands.

Click here for more information.