Become A More Effective Rider

Become A More Effective Rider

Look through these articles for tips and recommendations on common horse riding problems. Let us know in the comments sections if you tried something and how it worked out!

Impulsion: How Two Easy Strides Of Energy Might Solve Your Horse Riding Problem:  It can help to straighten the horse. It can resolve “behavior” issues. It can even help to reduce tension in the horse’s body.

4 Steps To Help Your Horse Through A Turn: I’m sure you’ve seen it before – there are many situations where a horse turns too abruptly, unbalancing himself and also the rider. Most often, the rider hangs on but other times, she might be unseated, losing balance, stirrups and/or seat.

Ode to the Stretchy Trot: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

How to Ride the Stumble Out of Your Horse: Do you have a horse that seems to regularly trip or stumble, either in the front or hind end?

Why You Don’t Need to Panic When Your Horse ‘Falls Apart’: Even if you are not thinking “panic”, your body might be communicating it by either being completely passive or too reactive after the horse is off balance.

When Good Riding Instruction Becomes Great:  How much can an instructor really do to help a rider improve?

16 Ways to Not Become Bored During Your Ride: Here is a list of just a few ideas to keep ring riding fresh and interesting for both you and your horse.

Can You Recognize the Sewing-Machine Trot? It is easy to get fooled into thinking that the sewing-machine trot is a good trot.

What to Do When Your Horse is Being Naughty: Though we’d love to have that perfectly compliant horse all the time, the reality is that even the sweetest horse finds something to say once in a while.

First, Plan Your Ride. Then, Scrap It: Even though you are inspired to get that horse to do the next cool thing, your horse might simply not be ready.

Stepping Out of Rein Lameness: Often, problems caused by riding can be fixed with riding. It is just a matter of knowing what to do in order to counteract the problems.

When Your Horse Isn't Being Cute: You have probably seen it so many times – the horse being pushy and the handler either letting the behavior go or honestly not being aware of the problem.

What to Do When Your Horse Isn't Being Cute: Part 2 of the post below, giving more concrete solutions.

10 Tips for the Average Rider: Are you an average rider? Then join the club!

Interpreting the Half-Halt: This topic is a tricky one but here is a shot at it.

How to Ride Your Excited Horse in 5 Easy Steps: Let’s face it – horses aren’t always calm and accommodating. There are times when they can be… shall we say… a little over-exuberant!

14 Reasons to Love Horseback Riding: There must be hundreds of reasons why people enjoy horses and horseback riding. Here are fourteen.

Top 10 Annoying Riding Habits: Enjoy this tongue-in-cheek list coming from the opposite perspective – things NOT to do while riding!

Horseback Riders Do Nothing Anyway! Well, at least, that’s what “they” say. But we know differently, don’t we?

Start the Year Off Right By Giving the Gift of Exercise: Do remember that the horse is hard-wired to move. Nothing pleases him as much as doing what he is supposed to do!

Cultivating Your Multiple Riding Personalities: In daily life, assuming different personalities might be frowned upon. However, if you can can channel several different personas while riding, you might actually be doing your horse a favour!

Breaking the Cycle: It Might Not Be What You DID Do…: ... but rather what you DIDN'T do!

The Dreaded Rein Lame: A Mystery: What to do when your horse has an on-again, off-again lameness that isn't due to an obvious injury.

Finding Your Comfortable Un-Comfort in Riding: Being uncomfortable is often a good place to be in riding.

23 Ways to Solve the Riding Problem: Of course, we rarely speak of the one "true" way...

Horseback Riding the Yoga Way - Practice! Find a balance between achieving and letting go. How to include the concept of "practicing" in your riding.

Ride Backwards, But Ride Effectively! Although the rider had developed the correct “look”, the horse was telling a different story.

How Do You Know Your Horse Is Using His Back? In the long run, our primary motivation for self-improvement in riding is for the sake of the horse’s health. We want horses that live well, staying strong and vigorous long into their old age.

Ten Habits of Competent Riders: This is our most popular post by far. What do great riders have in common that makes them appealing to watch, steadily develop their riding skills and become role models for others to aspire to emulate?

How To Be An Active Horseback Rider (a.k.a. Riding With Intention): What do you do when your ride isn’t going as planned? How do you respond when your horse scoots out from under you, spooks at the horse-killing object, or flat out ignores you?

Too Good to be True? Finding Your Horse's "Happy Place": Did you know that through riding, you can help your horse achieve a happy, content outlook on life? Sounds ridiculously far-fetched? Too good to be true?

Do You Make This Timing Mistake When Riding Your Horse? Have you ever given your horse an aid and got nothing in return? There could be one other variable that you might not have considered…

Stepping "Forward" in Horse Riding: The term ‘forward’ is used liberally in horse riding but is often misunderstood.

How Do You Develop “Feel” in Horseback Riding?  Developing ‘feel’ in horseback riding doesn’t have to be an impossible dream! If you can ride with feel, you will be able to respond immediately to your horse’s needs.

Quit To Persevere: Quitting isn’t always a bad thing in horse riding – sometimes, it may just be the ticket!

To Lesson or Not To Lesson? That shouldn’t even be a question!