lessons/training – Page 15

Here’s How (And Why) You Should Ride With Bent Elbows

Have you ever watched riders going around the ring with straight, stiff arms?

What have you noticed?

The exact opposite of what they probably want is happening. Although they are likely trying to be quiet and still, their hands are in fact bouncing up and down with the horse's movement. The end result is an on-again, off-again contact with the horse's mouth - in other words, a pull/release repeated over and over.

Some horses truck along and find ways to hide behind the pressure, and other horses complain through head shaking, rooting of the reins, or shortening their strides till the movement minimizes. In every case, the communication between horse and rider suffers.

Of course, we know very well that contact is more than just about the hands and reins. But for today's purpose, we'll focus on one part of the body: the elbows.

1. Hang Your Upper Arm Straight Down

The ideal arm position is one that keeps a vertically straight upper arm. Essentially, the upper arm belongs to your body. In other words, if the upper arm comes off the body either forward or backward, the arm is interfering with the horse in some way.

The arms (and hands) should only aid in conjunction with the seat and upper body aids anyway. Therefore, keeping the upper arm on the body helps to prevent what we would naturally like to do - move the arm forward and backward in attempt to influence our horse.

2. Create A Light "L" Shape in Your Elbows

While your upper arm stays on the body, your lower arm comes off the body toward the horse's mouth. The arm takes the shape of a soft "L", hands staying in line with the reins that go to the horse's mouth.

Elbows can not point out ("chicken elbows") nor pull backward (pulling).

In this way, your arms will position your hands quite naturally a couple of inches in front of the saddle pommel. That is the ideal place for the hands.

3. Put Some Life Into the Elbows and Wrists

Now all you need is to find lightness in the joints. It is almost counter intuitive that stillness comes from movement (but it does make sense if you think about it). At first, it might feel awkward while you try to figure out how to move your elbows so that your hands can stay still on the reins.

Try This Trick

Hold your reins with your hands in front of the pommel with the light "L" shape in your elbows. Get the horse moving (walk, trot or canter). Put your pinkies down on the front of the saddle pad and work out how you must move your elbows to keep the hands steady on the pad. Once your hands are fairly steady, lift them off the pad and keep the elbows active in the same way.

After you have discovered soft, moving joints in your arms (all the way from the shoulder down), you will wonder how you ever could go with straight or pulling arms. You will discover so many benefits. Your horse might move forward more eagerly, start to swing through the back and maybe even give you a snort or two. All your aids will "go through" softly and with less interference, making communication suddenly easy and matter-of-fact.

But the bottom line is that your horse will benefit from a kinder, gentler bit that communicates rather than punishes. And isn't this what we are always working for?

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!

Buy the books for many more riding tips! Horse Listening Book Collection.

From Horse Listening, The Book:

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.

Use the “Canter-Trot” to Truly Engage the Hind End

The word "engagement" is second to none when it comes to horseback riding. All the disciplines ask for hind end engagement, from western performance to dressage to jumping to endurance riding - there is no other way to move than from the hind end!

We know why we want engagement: if we can get the horse moving "from the hind end", the horse can stay sound even while ridden into old age. With more weight shifted to the hind end, there is less dragging on the forehand. There is better weight bearing over the back, and the lighter footfalls save the joints and tendons. Energy from the hind end is the prerequisite for horse riding heaven and we all know that! 🙂

However, we might not be quite as accomplished when it really comes down to figuring out how we can develop hind end engagement. Many riders think that kicking the horse along and making the legs move faster is the ticket to engagement - but that is nothing further than the truth!

The key to engagement is to initiate the movement from the horse's hind end, not the front end or shoulders.

So if faster isn't the answer, then what is?

We need to find out how to ask the horse to reach deeper underneath the body without throwing their weight to the forehand, and without speeding up the leg tempo.

There are many methods to teach engagement but the "canter-trot" is relatively easy for both the horse and rider. It also accomplishes the main purpose of shifting the weight to the hind end and waking up the horse's rear engine muscles.

How to "Canter-Trot"

Start from any gait (even a reverse)

Canter (no more than three strides)

Then Trot

Before you get insulted by the seemingly simple instructions above, please take note: it's not as easy as it sounds!

Possible Errors

There might be several unwanted responses you will have to redirect before you get the desired result.

1. The horse wants to canter off into the sunset.

Many horses transition into the canter but then resist breaking back into the trot. There may be many reasons why but invariably, horses have an easier time staying in the canter (and eventually getting heavier and heavier to the forehand). This is because it takes a lot of hind end work to break the momentum of the canter!

Remember that this exercise is not intended to be a canter exercise. It is a canter-TROT exercise, so the horse has to break back into the trot within one, two or three canter strides.

2. The horse trots faster.

To engage the hind end, the horse must take a few canter strides. Just moving the legs faster into the trot is completely counterproductive to establishing hind end engagement.

If the horse just trots along faster, half-halt into a slower trot rhythm, and ask for the canter again.

Then trot.

3. The horse shows discomfort.

There might be ear pinning, tail swishing, teeth grinding, hopping... you name it. Basically, the horse is indicating either physical discomfort or mental stress.

First, ensure that there is nothing wrong with the tack, and there is nothing otherwise physically bothering the horse. If the horse is demonstrating confusion or frustration, you are likely taking him out of his comfort zone (comfortable = riding on the forehand?) and asking him to do something that he honestly finds difficult.

In this case, be gentle, calm and patient but be firm! Many horses get used to working on a heavy forehand and initially resist bearing weight on the hind legs. If this happens to be the case, then teaching the horse hind end engagement is even more essential than you think!

Keep trying for the canter and when you get it, trot.

What happens after the canter?

After the few canter strides, break back into the trot. This trot should be very different from the trots before the canter. It should feel more active, bouncier and even slower. If the hind legs are truly reaching farther underneath the body, the stride might become longer and more ground-covering.

At this point, you might want to enjoy the trot you have and move into further trot work from here. You might want to develop even more engagement and do a few more canter-trots in a row.

Alternately, you might want to move into a completely new movement that benefits from the deeper engagement you just achieved.

Play with this a few times, and then let us know how it works for you in the comments below!

Horse Listening Book Collection - beautiful paperbacks with all the excellence of the blog - in your hands!

From the first book in the Horse Listening Collection: Horse Listening, The Book

"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!

Click here for more information.

How to Halt Without Pulling on the Reins

Photo Credit: J. Boesveld / Power up the trot to get ready for the halt!

Does your horse get offended when you pull on the reins to stop? Does he pin his ears, shake his head, hollow his back and keep going?

Maybe he's trying to tell you something: stop pulling on the reins! 🙂

There is a way to get your horse to stop without pulling on the reins.

But first, you both have to be "in sync" together, working in tandem instead of against each other.

If you haven't done this before, it may take a few tries to convince your horse that you want to work with him. Horses that are regularly pulled on seem to accept that the pressure has to be there before they should respond. They might learn to lean on the bit, pulling against you while you pull backward, hoping for the legs to stop.

Some horses are generous and eventually slow their feet, stop/starting until finally, all four legs come to a halt. Other horses might not be quite as forgiving and just keep going until you have to put more and more pressure on the mouth. Eventually, one of you wins but it's never pretty!

We all dream of finding the halt that looks like we are in complete harmony with our horse. You know - the one that feels like the horse's legs are your legs, and your mind is so coordinated with the horse that it looks like you are reading each other's thoughts.

It does happen. The secret: ride from your seat.

I'm perfectly aware of the fact that we've talked about the seat many times already, but there is no other answer. Everything in horseback riding begins and ends with the seat.

The instructions below might sound quite complicated. Initially, developing the timing and coordination of aids should be! Learning correct aids should be a lifelong quest for most of us, and if we have old, ingrained habits (like pulling on the reins), these changes may take even longer.

But in the long run, you won't have to think anything through and the aids will happen together on their own.

Setup for a Correct Halt

1. Contact

Prepare several strides ahead of the intended location. Your reins should be a good length - not too long and not too short. There should be a steady enough contact on the bit to be able to communicate very subtle changes of pressure.

2. Begin a series of half-halts.

Power up the trot before starting with the half-halts. Two legs "on"!

The half-halts start at the seat. In rhythm with the horse's movement, resist with your lower back. Be sure to resist in rhythm. In other words, your lower back and seat will feel something like this: resist... flow... resist... flow... resist... flow.

2a. Use your legs.

During each flow moment, squeeze lightly with your lower legs. This helps the horse engage his hind end deeper underneath the body in preparation with the halt.

2b. Use the hands.

During each resist moment, squeeze the reins with your hands. You might squeeze both reins or just one rein (the outside rein being the usual rein) but in any case, do your best to use the hands after the leg aids. The rein pressure should occur in tandem with the resisting seat aid.

3.When you are ready for the halt, simply stop your seat.

Maintain contact with your legs and reins, but stop the activity. Don't keep pulling on the reins.

If the horse is truly with you, his legs will stop lightly and in balance.

***

Horses that have been trained to respond to the half-halt will sigh in relief when you lighten up on your aids and use your seat in the halt. You might be surprised at how easily the legs will stop if you can improve your timing and releases.

Horses that have always been pulled on might not respond at all. They might be expecting to be hauled backward, thrown to the forehand, and dragged to a stop. If this is the case, be patient. If you haven't done this before, it may take a few tries to convince your horse that you want to change things up.

You might have to bridge the learning gap by applying the half-halts several times, stopping your seat and then pulling to stop. In the end though, the pull should disappear completely from your vocabulary (exception: in an emergency stop).

Regardless of how you get there, the goal is to stop all four legs in a light, balanced manner that allows the horse to use his hind end when he takes that last step. Your horse might walk a few strides and then halt.

If you feel your horse’s front end lighten into the halt, you know you are on the right track. If you discover the four legs stopped square and parallel to each other, pet and gush over him, and call it a day!

What do you think? How do you halt your horse?

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

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.

What To Do When Your Horse Gets Excited

buck — Photo Credit: NBanaszak Photography

As riders, we need to decipher between which response should be most beneficial in the various situations we find ourselves. Ideally, we would train both ourselves and our horses to create conditions where problems never happen in the first place.

However, we know that especially in horse riding, unforeseeable events occur. We need to be prepared with several different tools, so that we are prepared for most scenarios.

Please note: the assumption here is that there are no tack or otherwise physical or mental discomfort producing the unwanted behavior.

* Safety first! As per John Lyons, here are three rules to live by to keep you and your horse safe through any training session:

- You can't get hurt.

- Your horse can't get hurt.

- The horse is better at the end of the training session than at the beginning.

Assuming all those parameters are in place, here are some suggestions on how to train your horse through the rough times:

1. Stay On

It's often tempting to bail when your horse starts bouncing around and forgetting about your aids. Assuming you are safe enough, do your best to stick through it. Always err on the side of safety and do get off if you feel that you're safer on the ground - but then do some ground work that stays on the same topic as what you were doing under saddle.

Better yet, get someone to help you out, if possible. You could have a ground person walk near your horse to calm him down, or put you on a lunge line to help make better conditions for you to work through any problems. Getting off might reinforce your horse's behavior. Instead, ride through his exuberance to let him know that you are still there at the end of it. As soon as you have good enough balance, go right back to what you were doing, without any indication of emotional upheaval on your part.

2. Stay Cool

Nothing screams 'not leader' more than losing control of your emotions. Assuming that the horse is already in a mental conundrum, getting mad/even/scared/tense will only feed his confusion and result in more of the same. Be calm, ride it out and then get back to the topic at hand.

3. Ask Again

Some horses are over-eager to the point of getting worked up when something new or challenging is presented to them. In this case, it is wise to just quiet your aids until the horse settles down. When you think the horse can respond to you, simply ask again. Stay on topic and don't waver when your horse spots the horse-eating monster in the corner of the arena. Wait through the next confusions and then ask again. Staying calm and consistent can help many a horse become more reliant on you as the herd leader.

4. Change the Topic

Sometimes it is easier to completely change the topic. If you are asking for more throughness and you meet even more resistance, skip the forward and go to a lateral exercise. Asking for something different often gives the horse a different feel and something new to focus on.

5. Go Forward

Bucking/rearing/side stepping... they all start with a lack of 'forward'. If you allow the horse to stop his legs (even momentarily), you will effectively be asking for him to get creative. If at all possible, teach your horse to respond to moving his legs when you ask him to, so that when you're in a bind, the muscle memory is already in place and will overtake the mind. Just move. It may resolve many situations before they even have a chance to develop.

6. Focus on Straightness

When things start falling apart, the first thing to go is the horse's straightness. Although it seems that the horse loses straightness as an avoidance strategy, the resulting imbalance is often disconcerting for horses. Do your best to encourage the horse to step underneath his body, staying straight even if on a turn. Keep the shoulders in the body and the hips in line with the shoulders.

7. Be Prepared to Stay For the Long Haul

This is when stubborness is useful. Sometimes, you have to demonstrate to the horse that you will stick with the program regardless of how long it takes to achieve some level of calmness.

8. Finish As Soon As You Get A "Yes"

Other times, or when you are able to settle your horse, quitting while you're ahead may be just the ticket. Be sure to always finish on a good note - when the horse is calm and after even one step in the right direction.

There is no one-size-fits-all in riding. 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. If you know your horse well enough, you can get through the dicey situations in a way that helps you reach your training goals sooner than later.

Your turn: What do you do when your ride isn't going exactly as planned?

Now is the time to re-evaluate your goals and path to riding success!

If you’d like a structured, but personal tool to set goals, take a look our 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.

Available as an eBook or paperback.

Why You Should Ride the Left Side of Your Horse Going Right

When you ride your horse, do you notice if your horse is stiff to one side? Like people, most horses have a dominant and non-dominant side.

Funny enough, the side that the horse feels stiffest on is his stronger side.

For the purpose of examples below, we will assume our horse is stiff going to the left.

Feel the Different Sides

People often refer to them as the stiff side and the hollow side. The stiff side feels just like the description - there is more tension in the body. The horse's jaw and poll is tighter and more resistant. The body might feel like one giant slab of plywood!

The horse tends to lean into the stiffer side, falling into a circle or making tight and abrupt turns. You might think that the horse disregards the aids more to the stiff side.

On the other hand, the hollow side often feels like there is no resistance. You have to work to maintain contact on the hollow side because the horse has a tendency to give in to any pressure so deeply that there is no weight on your reins or legs.

When moving in the direction of the hollow side, the horse will want to drift to the outside, often bent (or over bent) in the direction of movement.

Three Common Causes of Stiffness

1. Left or Right Handed?

It might seem counter-intuitive to think that the right-handed horse is stiffer to the left side. But the right-handed horse is stronger in the right hind leg. Therefore, the horse will be stronger moving to the left (ie when the right hind is working on the outside of the body). When moving to the left direction, he can brace easier, support our weight easier, and balance better. He will also usually have an easier time picking up the left lead.

If the horse is right-dominant, he will generally be stronger moving to the left and therefore have an easier time resisting your aids! Surprisingly, although the tension is there, most movements will feel stronger and more coordinated going left.

2. Uneven Muscle Development?

Another cause of stiffness may be due to contracted muscling on one side of the body.

The horse that is stiff to the left will be contracted in the muscles of the right side of the body. However, the muscles on his left side will be over stretched. That is why he will want to move overbent to the right. It is simply easier for the horse.

3. How About the Rider?

Let's not forget the rider in the equation. Some horses travel stiffly to one side because their rider is contracted to one side. Do you collapse easily on your left side? Many right-handed people do. Many of us pull back with our left hand and push our right side forward. Needless to say, our one-sided-ness often starts at the seat. If your seat is lopsided to the left, you will invariably and unknowingly be affecting your horse's ability to move correctly.

Regardless of the reason for the stiffness, all stiffness is demonstrated through crookedness.

Obsess Over Straightness

Sometimes, it's ok to be a little obsessive. You can never overdo straightening your horse.

Like so many other components of riding such as developing an effective seat or learning a true half-halt, developing straightness in your horse will take years to accomplish. Each time you think you are on the right track, you will discover yet another "problem" that needs to be mastered in order to encourage true ambidextrous movement.

Work the stiff side in BOTH directions.

Most of us work with what we have. If the horse is moving to the right, we work the right side of the horse. We know we should bend into the direction of movement, and therefore, we apply our inside aids and ask for the bend to the right.

What we may not realize right away is that due to lack of straightness, the horse is already bent to the right.

In order to help straighten the horse (and elongate the muscles on the right, and help the horse bear more weight on the left hind leg), we need to work on the left side going right. In other words, we need to apply our left aids to help keep the horse straight when he wants to hollow to the right. This will also help us maintain better contact with our inside aids.

When you have a horse that is stiff on one side, ride that side in both directions. (Click here to tweet that if you agree.)

Going Right

Explore with putting more weight into your left seat bone. Ask for a mild left bend (which will only result in straightness) starting from your seat.

Keep a straighter and possibly stronger left rein. Keep a more supportive left leg on the horse - either behind the girth to prevent the hind end from drifting out, or at the girth to keep a straighter rib cage. Maintain contact with your right rein - even if your horse wants to bend in so deeply that he can completely eliminate the contact.

Try to keep your horse's hind legs tracking directly into the front legs. This might require a mild haunches-in so that the hips are in line with the shoulders.

It might take a very long while for your horse (and you) to develop the even muscling and strength that is required to be truly ambidextrous. However, if you address stiffness at every turn (pun intended!), you will be surprised at how much your horse can improve!

Which side is you horse stiff on? How do you address the problem?

Stop Kicking the Horse!

Too often, riders are determined to make their horses go with a swift kick or two (or three). At best, the horse lurches forward with arched back and raised neck, scrambling to get his legs underneath him despite being thrown to the forehand. At worst, the horse becomes resentful of the leg aid and learns to resist or even demonstrate his discomfort by kicking out, rearing or bucking.

Did you know that leg aids are used for more than just "go"? Leg aids are such an integral part of your ride that you simply can't do without them!

As you become a better rider, you will discover that the legs have so many messages to communicate other than "go".

Talk to different riders and they'll tell you the various uses of leg aids. Here are a few examples:

1. Impulsion

The most important result coming from your leg aids is impulsion. Ideally, the lightest lower leg squeeze should communicate an increase in movement from your horse. Two legs squeezing at the same time ask for a "scoot forward", causing the horse to tuck his hind under and releas a surge of energy forward. Physiologically, the horse's hind legs should step deeper underneath the body and allow the horse to begin the process of carrying more weight in the hind end.

2. Stride Length

Ideally, a deeper reach should mean a rounder back and an increase in stride length. Paired with half-halts, the energy obtained can be redirected in many ways - to a longitudinal stretch over the back, to a higher head and neck elevation and/or to more animated action through the entire body.

One leg can be used to create a deeper hind leg stride on that side of the horse. Theoretically, you could influence just one hind leg with the corresponding leg aid.

3. Bend

Use of one leg aid should encourage your horse to move away from that pressure. True bend (i.e. not a neck bend) should always begin at the seat, be reinforced by the leg, and then be contained with the reins.

4. Hind end position

Using your leg behind the girth should indicate that the hind end steps away from that pressure. Use of your outside leg behind the girth encourages the horse to move into a haunches in ("travers") position. Using your inside leg behind the girth is the key to the renvers (counter-bend), when the horse bends to the outside of the direction of movement.

5. Keep Moving

Two legs used at the same time could mean "keep doing what you were doing". This understanding is essential for movement such as the back-up, where the reins should be the last factor in the movement, and the legs (and seat) the first. Ideally, the horse should continue backing up without increased rein pressure until your legs soften and your seat asks for a halt.

6. Lift the Back

A gentle heel or spur lifting action underneath the rib cage should encourage the horse to lift his back. Of course, this aid is used in conjunction with the seat and hands but the legs can be an effective motivator for the horse to lift his rib cage and "round" in the movement.

7. Lateral Movement

The positioning of your inside leg at the girth and outside leg behind the girth should combine to indicate a lateral movement. Where your seat goes and how your hands finish the movement will differentiate the shoulder-fore from the shoulder-in from the leg yield from the half-pass.

With the exception of the leg yield, your legs position in a way that encourages inside bend and catch the outside hind end (from swinging out). Finally, the horse will proceed to step in the direction of movement if that is required.

Give Up On Kicking!

Kicking your horse only stuns, disturbs, imbalances, and hurts. Although kicking might be a useful way to start out for a beginning rider, once you have better balance in your seat and a more consistent contact with the bit, aim toward using your legs with more refinement.

Learn how to use your legs in the rhythm of the movement. Working against the movement only serves to irritate the horse because he simply cannot respond if the timing is out of sync with the footfalls. Good, effective leg aids work within the movement and are generally not noticeable. Great legs look like they are doing nothing at all.

In all cases, the essential thing you need to do is to keep soft, loose legs draped gently on your horse's side. In this manner, the legs are kind, responsive, clear and secure. The horse knows he can rely on the communication he is receiving from the leg aids, and with repetition, will know just what to do when!

Are there any other uses of the leg aids that I'm missing in this list? If so, please comment below!

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

Personally signed books available! Just send me a message at fwdnrnd@gmail.com

Would you like to be the rider that all horses dream of?

By following simple, useful exercises, you will be able to develop a better understanding about many topics including:

- the rider’s aids

- the use of the seat

- the half-halt

- accurate turns and circles

- transitions

- horse ownership and horse care

- goal setting for the rider

- rein lameness

… and much more!

Available as an eBook or paperback.

Why Would You Bother to “Scoop” Your Seat Bones?

We often talk about using our seat in horseback riding, but explaining exactly how to use the seat is not always explained in a clear manner. It's a difficult topic, but I'll take a stab at it. If nothing else, maybe the discussion here will motivate you to dive deeper into the topic with your instructor.

Why would you bother to learn to move the seat bones, you ask?

The seat is the most essential of all riding aids. Everything depends on the seat - your balance, your capacity to use your rein and leg aids, your coordination in following the horse's movements, even your ability to calm a nervous horse. Without a deep, effective seat, your hands and legs will never become "independent" of the torso, and thereby they will always unintentionally interfere with the horse's movement.

The topic of the seat is long and complex. Learning to use your seat effectively should take a lifetime to develop, so we will begin with just one basic aspect: how to move the seat bones.

Well, it's simple but not so easy at the beginning.

Go Grab Your Dining Room Chair and Learn to Scoop

Do this off the horse: go grab one of those flat wooden chairs. Sit forward a bit on the edge of the chair, and work on tilting the chair forward so that it comes off its two back legs.

The action required to get the chair to tilt is a "scooping" forward of the seat bones.

Can you tilt it with both seat bones? Can you tilt it with just one seat bone?

It may seem fairly easy to tilt the chair. Practice a bunch of times so your body can be blueprinted for the movement. Then, let's take that technique and head off to ride your horse. Now, you must scoop in the same way while the horse is moving! 🙂

On Horseback

When you are sitting on the horse, try for a moment to ignore your legs that are gently hanging on the horse's side. Keep your feet in the stirrups, but just let your legs hang and take your focus to your seat bones.

Ask the horse to walk and now, pretend that your seat bones take the place of your legs. In other words, start walking on your seat bones, in rhythm with the horse's movement. Use your seat bones as you would your legs - move them forward and backward as needed to follow the horse's stride.

If you want to walk on your seat bones, you have to "find the feel" of how to scoop forward and up with each seat bone at the right time.

The trick is to identify which seat bone needs to move when. Scoop the left seat bone forward, then the right seat bone, then left-right-left-right and so on.

After you have tried this at the walk, try it at the sitting trot. The advantage of the trot is that it is only a two-beat movement and your seat bones can move forward together at the same moment (that you would have posted forward if you were posting). The disadvantage is that it is a quicker movement so your seat has to "scoop" forward/backward faster.

The canter has a serious scooping action. You might in fact have an easier time using your seat bones in the canter because it has a slower tempo (in general) and so you can follow easier and stay in the movement.

If you find your seat staying in the saddle more regularly, you know you're on the right track.

If you get tired after just a few minutes of riding, you know you're definitely on the right track!

If your horse suddenly snorts and loosens through the back, you can begin to celebrate!

Again, I know it is very difficult to explain a feel, never mind try to teach it in words. I hope this article helps you just a little in the quest for the perfect seat!

Find more about the seat and effective riding here:

https://www.horselistening.com2012/09/15/rarely-considered-often-neglected-lunging-to-develop-the-riding-seat/

https://www.horselistening.com2011/11/15/ways-to-unleash-the-power-of-your-riding-seat/

https://www.horselistening.com2012/07/18/three-ways-to-use-your-seat-in-horseback-riding/

https://www.horselistening.com2013/01/13/how-to-ride-your-excited-horse-in-5-easy-steps/

https://www.horselistening.com2012/10/27/breaking-the-cycle-it-might-not-be-what-you-did-do/

How to Ride Your Excited Horse In 5 Easy Steps

tail swish — Photo Credit: NBanaszak Photography

The beauty of riding horses is that your "recreation" depends entirely on another living, breathing, thinking being. As much as you have to be mentally and physically prepared for the ride yourself, there is no telling what is going to happen once you commit your body to someone else's four legs.

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!

This was one of those rides. I could tell my horse was overly excited right from the first step - she was tight through the back and taking short, choppy strides. Her back was actually quivering underneath the saddle. I was listening for the snorts but all I could hear were short, erratic breaths.

That energy had to go somewhere. Instead of taking strong steps forward, she felt like a getting-ready-to-erupt volcano - the energy wanted to surge UP!

1. Change of plans?

I had originally wanted to start with a nice stretchy walk on a long rein, but that was not an option at the moment. There was too much energy to contain. I aborted that mission and chose a more suitable plan.

As she was already jigging a few steps at a time in the walk, I decided to give her somewhere to put the lively energy. I eased her into a very small jog, keeping to a few ground rules: you can jog as long as you don't take off (or buck or rear!). The first step on the training scale is always rhythm. So far, there was no sight nor sound of anything rhythmical. It would be our first goal for this ride.

2. Stay under-power

Away we jogged - little wee steps, short and low energy. She still wanted to express her enthusiasm... I still asked for her to keep the tiny steps and soften her topline. As she went to shoot her head high into the sky, I gave her a steady but gentle half-halt on the outside rein. Squeezing on the rein, I also resisted with my seat and pressed in with my outside calf. She responded by erratically dropping her head and then swinging it up again.

This time, I held the half-halt longer, through one step and then the other. This seemed to help more. My horse dropped her neck this time, and kept it there through the next few strides. I could feel just a slight release of tension, and the jigging was dissipating.

3. Use half-halts and circles to develop the rhythm

We went on to doing some circles, keeping them large and only asking for a slight bend. We did a circle here, a circle there, and after more half-halts and topline releases, the short, staccato strides morphed into larger (still jog) steps. It was time to switch to the other side.

The right side was easier. She was already somewhat less tense and she loosened up even more in the right circles. Now the tempo started to appear - slow, controlled, and ever increasing in energy.

I softened my aids a little. Still not sure I could trust her completely, I was ready with half-halts during the turns and on any inconsistent steps. There were moments that she would take an uncontrolled step or two to the inside. I was there immediately with my right leg, resisting seat and outside rein. I recognized that she would be less than straight on the first few strides and it was perfectly fine for me to support her until she could regain her balance, strength and suppleness.

4. Remember the "Not Canter"?

It was time for a few canter strides. The excitement built again: at the first ask, she started becoming bouncy bouncy and lost the rhythm in her trot. This was the perfect moment for the "not canter". I very gently asked for the canter, and when she became even more stiff and short-strided, I backed off. A few strides later I asked again. She broke into a lurching three-beat and broke stride shortly afterward.

5. Keep looking for "looseness"

Recognizing the tension, I switched to working on the trot. Back we went to an under-power trot, half-halting away to a relatively slow tempo and consistent jog steps. As soon as she loosened again in the back and neck, I tried for another canter departure. We took another few steps, and broke stride again. However, this time, she wasn't quite as tense for quite as long. I waited again for the looseness, and then headed into another canter.

This time, we went for a long canter - straight line into circle into straight line. Snorts and deep breaths and I knew we were on the right track!

Next came the canter to the right. There was less lurching and less need for the not canter in this direction. Soon enough, we were bounding along in a beautiful strong rhythm, wind blowing delightfully past my ears.

Our next trot was the pièce de resistance.

I felt the strength of the canter translating into a powerful trot in the next downward transition. Roya became loftier and bouncier with each stride, offering longer steps, more suppleness and more enthusiasm. She was beginning to work over the back. I could feel her hind end reaching deeper underneath herself through a more powerful hind end and a higher stepping front end. Her neck was higher and fuller, her strides more purposeful and we traveled farther with less steps.

Be there!

Now it was my turn to "be there". When your horse offers impulsion and enthusiasm, be sure you don't get left behind in the movement. Welcome the whiplash effect of the lurch forward and ride it! As Roya's trot got bigger, I stayed longer on the forward phase of the posting trot, holding long enough to let her hind legs complete the longer cycle of movement beneath us. I made sure my contact remained steady - no stronger and certainly not pulling backwards to discourage her enthusiasm.

This was the moment to let the trot shine. She was underneath herself and became rounder, bouncier and loftier in her movement. NOW we could explore some glorious trot work. The mental warm-up was over - it was time to let her move and take that energy into some suppling figures.

Now it's time for a little learning!

I headed toward the next stage of the ride - the "work" phase. I asked her to use that delightful trot to do some leg yields, some shoulder-ins and smaller 10-meter circles. We even took a few lengthening steps to free the movement.

I learned at that moment that it was so much better to wait for the brilliance than to force the horse through the tension.

It feels at times like the waiting will never be over. We often wonder if we're doing the right thing by not pushing for the end goal. But Roya explained to me clearly that day - I just had to wait and support - and when she was ready and able, she would willingly offer everything she had.

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How to "Canter-Trot"

Start from any gait (even a reverse)

Canter (no more than three strides)

Then Trot

Possible Errors

What happens after the canter?

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Setup for a Correct Halt

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* Safety first! As per John Lyons, here are three rules to live by to keep you and your horse safe through any training session:

- You can't get hurt.

- Your horse can't get hurt.

- The horse is better at the end of the training session than at the beginning.

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Feel the Different Sides

Three Common Causes of Stiffness

Obsess Over Straightness

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1. Impulsion

2. Stride Length

3. Bend

4. Hind end position

5. Keep Moving

6. Lift the Back

7. Lateral Movement

Give Up On Kicking!

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Go Grab Your Dining Room Chair and Learn to Scoop

On Horseback

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

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1. Change of plans?

2. Stay under-power

3. Use half-halts and circles to develop the rhythm

4. Remember the "Not Canter"?

5. Keep looking for "looseness"

Be there!

Now it's time for a little learning!

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Buy the books for many more riding tips! Horse Listening Book Collection.