horseback riding – Page 2 – Horse Listening

6 Reasons to Thank My Horses

dream horse — Photo Credit: NBanaszak Photography

Horses have given to us in so many ways that it can become difficult to measure their contribution to humanity. In history, horses were literally beasts of burden, walking beside or carrying people to their successes as societies and civilizations. These days, horses have been relegated to a perhaps more simple life as either livestock or recreational pets, once again dependent on their human counterparts for their safety and relevance in society.

On a more personal level, horses continue to contribute to our lives in very specific and measurable ways. Here are six reasons why I thank my horses for their impact on my life.

1. Self-Development

I'm not sure if I was a life-long learner before I ever rode, or if horse riding has made me into a life-long learner. Regardless, there is no doubt that you will never finish learning how to ride. There are infinite levels of pretty much every skill and idea that goes into riding, and just when you think you know it all, your horse calmly throws you a new curve that makes you dig into the depths of your character and come up with something you had never realized to that point. Yes, it is true that horses help us humans develop humility and selflessness.

2. Exercise and Athletic Growth

Invariably, riding keeps you active, flexible and vibrant. The horses keep me heading to the great outdoors even in the direst of weather conditions, if only to make sure that they are comfortable, fed and warm/cool as required by the season. Regular riding also plays an important part in developing and maintaining my level of activity - and the best part is that the better I get at riding, the more fine-tuned my body needs to become to respond even better to the horse's movements.

3. Generosity of Spirit

Day after day and ride after ride, I marvel at the horses that allow us to share in their strength and presence through riding. Not only do they carry us and go left and right as commanded, but they also often become partners in movement and do their best to respond to our sometimes unclear or ineffective aids.

4. Keeping Us Grounded

(Hopefully not flat ON the ground too often!!)

Although there is most definitely the aura of excessive-ness (and expensive-ness) surrounding the riding or owning of horses, it is ironically the horses that keep me earth-bound and in my place. For if you have the opportunity to care for the horses, and put some sweat (and sometimes tears) into their upkeep and maintenance, you will know what it means to be one person just doing what needs to be done without the expectation of any reward other than just meeting everyone's needs.

5. Making Friends

One thing I know is that no matter where I go, I can find and make friends in the horse world. I think that despite our differences of style and discipline, all horse people share one common interest - the horse. Many of my closest and longest lasting friendships originally began at some horse event, barn or activity. Thanks to the horses, I have friends of all ages and from all over the country - and my social life is full of get-togethers with horsey friends.

6. Beauty and Grace

Maybe you're like me when it comes to horses. To this day, I am captivated every time a horse kicks up his heels, arches his neck and gallops off into a joyful celebration of life. My 32-year-old Kayla still marches out to the field with a spark in her eyes and a bounce to her (very long) strides that reminds me every day of this beautiful and remarkable thing we call life.

Horses give us opportunities for experiences and growth that are not part of everyday urban living. I, for one, am always aware of the gifts that horses have given to me over the years. There is so much to be thankful for.

What have horses done for you? Let us know in the comments below.

7 Essential Aids For An Epic Canter Transition

When you first learn to canter, it's about all you can do to get the horse to change his legs from a two-beat trot to a three-beat canter. You do pretty much anything you can to make the transition happen - lean forward, kick, kick harder, kick some more, let the reins go, use your voice....

You might feel like the canter is a huge speed-up from the trot, and when the horse finally does canter, the euphoric feeling of strength and power sends you into a rocking horse motion that just can't really be adequately described to the non-rider.

But then you get better at it.

You realize that the canter departure doesn't have to resemble a rocket launch. You develop your aids till both you and your horse look a lot more civilized - and a lot less frantic. At some point, you realize that you can trot, maintain the trot rhythm, and elegantly step into the canter. Your aids become invisible, prompting less educated onlookers to think that the horse is reading your mind.

So how exactly do you develop an epic canter transition? How do the aids become refined enough to create a smooth, balanced and active upward transition? In the following seven steps, I've tried to break down each component of the transition in order to explain the nuances that go into a split-second movement! Although it might seem a little complicated, I hope that it can describe each moment that goes into a better developed canter departure.

Once you know each part that goes into the one movement, you might be able to problem-solve your departures with your horse and focus on one or two aspects as needed.

1. It All Starts With the Seat

Well, we already know this. But how does the seat exactly play into the transition? First off, your seat should be trotting when the horse is trotting. So if you are sitting the trot, your seat bones are actually moving in the rhythm of the trot. Be sure to promote a strong but not fast rhythm - one that your horse finds easy to move in while remaining supple.

If you are posting the trot, sit the last few strides before the canter. Use your seat to draw up the horse's hind legs, asking for more impulsion.

2. Use the Inside Leg/Outside Rein

The inside leg has a very important job in this moment. Apply the whole leg (from ankle up) at the girth to ask the horse for a mild bend to prepare for the inside lead. If your horse has a tendency to lean in just before the transition, your inside leg becomes even more critical in helping the horse maintain balance by not allowing him to drop his rib cage toward the middle of the ring.

The outside rein does little except to act as a "neck rein" - the one that sits onto the horse's neck and prevents him from drifting to the outside. It also can apply the half-halt aids before and after the departure.

3. Half-Halt Preparation

Do one or two or three half-halts before the transition.

We often tend to "throw everything away" (as in, lengthen the reins, take the legs off the horse, fall to the horse's front) as we head into the gait change. Fight that impulse and instead, keep the horse together. Keep yourself together!

Falling to the forehand and trotting faster before the canter almost always ensures a low-quality canter gait. Although the horse might transition, he will likely be on the forehand, braced in his neck and jaw and hollow in his back. He will also likely fall back to the trot sooner than later, no matter what you do to keep him going because he simply can't maintain his balance.

Instead, after you ask for impulsion, half-halt the horse to balance his weight to the hind end. Keep your legs on for impulsion after the half-halt.

4. Use the Outside Leg - Ask For the Lead

The outside leg initiates the lead. Some people call it a "windshield wiper" motion: swing your lower leg behind the girth to ask for the first stride. The horse's outside hind leg should strike off into the lead as your leg reaches back.

5. Canter With Your Seat

So far, your seat should have been trotting. Now, it needs to transition. So you go from two seat bones moving in tandem with the horse in the trot, to a canter motion with the inside seat bone leading (to allow for the horse to take the inside lead). Your seat now needs to promote the canter movement - swinging back and forth thanks to your supple lower back.

Keep your shoulders fairly still by moving through your back. The swinging movement allows for the illusion of your shoulders staying still while the horse is moving.

6. Use the Half-Halt Again

Just because the horse is now in canter doesn't mean that you should stop riding! Many of us tend to freeze in our aids, opting instead to just hang on to the increased movement of the canter. Well, as soon as you have enough balance and are able, ride actively again.

Half-halt - once, twice, three times maybe - in the rhythm of the canter. This helps the horse to stay "together" after the transition. The sudden surge of energy needs to be controlled so that it doesn't just fall on the horse's shoulders and forehand.

7. Canter on!

Now all you have to do is commit to the horse's movement. Your seat should allow the movement that your horse offers, and it's your job to not let your upper body fall forward/backward/sideways while your seat follows, follows and follows (unless you do another half-halt).

* * * *
When you first start paying attention to each of these aspects of the canter transition, you might need to actually think through every part, talking your body into the necessary activity while negotiating the canter movement. But rest assured - with practice and time, things become more and more automatic, and then you can focus more on your horse's specific needs.

Though we are talking about so many steps all subdivided here, in reality, it all comes together within a few seconds - from preparation, to the request, strike-off and follow-through. Eventually, it happens so seamlessly that the departure becomes just a quick thought - one that transpires between both you and your horse in an epic, seemingly mind-reading fashion!

How do you ask your horse for the canter? Let us know if there is anything missing in the comments below.

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

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

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.

What’s Your Stickability Factor?

buck — Photo Credit: NBanaszak Photography

When your horse decides to express himself, do you ride it out? Or do you panic?

Of course, we'd all like to say that we can just float along while the horse shakes, rattles and rolls (the equine version) but it does stand true that stickability is probably one of the strongest determining factors of how well you can work with your horse rather than against him. Without being able to ride through a bobble, you will almost likely always be at the very least, left behind, and at the worst, left without (a horse)!

Where do you fit on this scale? The higher the number, the farther you can go in helping your horse through difficult situations.

0 - No stickability at all

If we aren't at this level now, we definitely were at the beginning of our riding careers. So all of us should know what it feels like to not be able to stick around. It's not a good feeling. The smallest hiccup, and we get to kiss dirt. Not only does it hurt, but it's also very humiliating. Aside from that, it teaches a young horse to lose confidence in the rider, and it plain scares the older, more educated horse - imagine that the horse is doing what he knows he's supposed to do, and before he knows it, off pops the rider!

All kidding aside, hopefully, you will go through this stickability level quickly. If you find you are falling off at any unexpected moment, you probably need to be working on your seat.

1 - Sticks to the horse - sometimes

You will eventually get to a point where you can follow the small misstep/deek/stop/start. This is when your confidence begins to build. Now, if your horse does something unexpected, you can move almost fast enough to right yourself if you lean too far. You can sit through a small buck if the horse happens to go straight and bucks only once. You can grab onto a fistful of mane and drag your body back into the saddle. How many of us have gone through this?

2 - Sticks more often than not

At Level 2, you are beginning to be able to take on more of a challenge. You can now sit through several bucks as long as they aren't too big, wild or sideways. You can keep a more upright body while the horse spooks. Hard starts and stops don't phase you as much. You still have that sinking feeling once in a while, if your horse slips out quickly from underneath you. You fall less often than you used to, and you're generally more sure that you can have a chance to correct the horse once the romp is over.

3 - Stickable

Ah! You have "arrived" once you reach Level 3. At this point, you are able to sit through many of your horse's inconsistencies. Although you still do fall off when something happens when you aren't expecting it, you can stay on most of the time and come through the episode with your senses intact. Not only can you stick, but you can ride well enough to recover your balance within several strides and carry on. The adrenaline you get from the almost-fall is lower in intensity and you have more control over it. If you are riding in a lesson, there is only a small disturbance of the rhythm of the ride and you can usually recover quickly enough to not lose everything you had been working on.

4- Sticks to train

The next level is to be able to stick well enough to ride out most of your horse's expressive maneuvers. This is when your riding can become more about the horse than you. Most Level 4 riders will be able to ride young horses at this stage, because they can handle most of the horse's missteps. This rider will allow a horse to make mistakes and still be there afterward.

If you get to this level, you will start to discover that you have a riding sense of humor. Things don't matter nearly as much as they used to. You will happily enjoy the horse that shows you his personality even if there is some up-and-down hops along the way. Although there are times when you might still be reactive rather than active, most of the ride is intentional and most of the time, you have enough control over your emotions that a bobble can be just that - a bobble.

5- Sticks - almost always

This is the epitome of stickability. Not only will you be able to ride out the young horse's initiatives, not only will you be able to correct the more educated horse's exuberance, but you will be so stickable that with the additional training you have had to get to this level, you will be able to actually improve the horse's way of going. You will be able to ride through problems as if they weren't problems at all. In fact, you will probably be able to stop problems from the get-go.

The only one disadvantage to being completely stickable is that although the probability of falls is drastically reduced, you still can't predict when the horse is going to fall. And if you stay on well enough, there is a chance for you to fall with him if he is the one that does the falling.

What to do

There is always going to be a certain amount of danger when riding horses. You can never eliminate the possibility of falling. However, developing your stickability factor will help you go a long way toward improving both your and your horse's level of confidence.

How can you improve your stickability factor? Work on the seat. There is no other answer.

If you can improve your seat, you can improve your balance, your timing of the aids, your core muscles, your movement with or against the horse - pretty much everything. Lunge lessons are excellent, no matter which level you are at, to help you develop confidence and allow your body to learn to do what it needs to without worrying about where the horse is going.

Everything, including stickability, begins with the seat.

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

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

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.

An Easy Way to Turn in Horseback Riding

Inside leg at the girth! Outside leg behind the girth! Shoulders to the turn! Outside rein... inside rein... lean... collapse... head!

There are so many components to a turn that sometimes we feel like we have to become a pretzel before we are finally in the correct position! There HAS to be an easier way.

Forget all the well-intentioned instructions. Although focusing on specific body parts is useful during the fine-tuning process of the riding position, it can become confusing and sometimes downright difficult during the initial learning process.

Instead of focusing on each and every body part and aid component, morph yourself into one whole. Do everything all at once, let your body respond accordingly, and simplify the aids not only for yourself but also for your horse.

Here's How

Try this off the horse.

Stand with your weight evenly balanced on both feet. Your knees and toes point straight ahead. Your hips are parallel to the front of the room and your torso is in line with your hips. Hold your forearms as if you are holding the reins, with your elbows at your sides, slightly bent into a soft "L" bend.

Turn Right

Now, turn right, but don't let your feet slide out of position. However, your toes can slightly point in the direction of the turn. The depth of the turn determines the size of the circle you ride. So, do a slight turn for a larger circle. Do a deeper turn for a smaller circle. Then take a look at what happened to your body.

Your hips (and seat bones) open to the right. Your weight will naturally be on the right (inside) seat bone. Your torso will point in the direction of the turn, and because your arms are on your sides and acting in tandem with your body, the reins will move exactly according to "textbook" requirements. The inside rein will open slightly while the outside rein will sit on the neck, creating an outside indirect, or "neck" rein.

Now take a look at your leg. The right leg will end up being positioned a little ahead of the left leg. The right knee will open and point slightly to the right. This will serve exactly as it should in saddle: right (inside) leg at the girth, and left (outside) leg behind the girth. Soft, inviting knee on the right, and firm, supporting outside leg on the left. Everything is just as it should be.

And all this happened simply because you turned your torso, from the hips up, in the direction of the turn.

Left Turn

Now try the exact same thing to the left. Feel how your left leg is now at the girth. Your outside leg is slightly behind the girth. Your left rein opens off the neck and your right rein sits on the neck.

Now Teach Your Horse

Positioning yourself while riding is one part of the overall picture. I'm sure you've seen horses run through the rider's aids - it happens all the time. Even if the rider can position herself accurately and set up her balance, it is very possible for her horse to not understand, ignore, or contradict her aids. And so it comes down to the rider to teach her horse how to respond to the body aids.

Be ready to reinforce your aids - maybe you need a stronger outside rein for a few strides. Maybe you should use your inside leg to help create a bend in your horse's body. Perhaps a half-halt is required before the turn to help balance the horse going into a circle.

What we really need most of all is practice. Position yourself into the desired turn and give it a try. Practice some more.

Make sure that your whole body gives just one message: "turn here." Then wait for your horse to respond.

Even if you don't get the desired response right away, don't worry. Be patient enough to repeat many times over, wait for your horse to do his "homework" (back in the stall or the field) and one day, it will all come together.

Do you have a method you like to use to simplify the turn aids? Comment below.

Horse Listening – Book 2: Forward and Round to Training Success

Just as with all the Horse Listening Collection Books, this book is focused on helping the rider improve for the sake of the horse. But this book goes deeper into the best training articles from the blog - horse-centered theory, strategies and ideas you can try with your own horse.

The book begins with the horse's hind end (!), considers the horse's back, moves on to rider development, and fills it all in with the fundamentals of horse riding so your horse can be:

happier in his body

happier in his "work"

better balanced all-around

Available as an eBook or paperback.

9 Things You Need to Know if You Want to Ride Horses

You might have liked horses all your life.

Or you might have had an awakening not too long ago that is urging you to explore horseback riding for the first time.

You can't tear your eyes away from the sight of glowing coats and rippling muscles.

You get excited every time you drive by horses in a field.

Contrary to your friends, you even like the smell of a barn!

And now, you know you are ready to take the first steps on the long road of becoming an equestrian. You've booked riding lessons at a local barn and you are convinced that you are ready to tackle the learning curve that lays ahead. Before you begin, here are nine tips to smooth the way into your new adventures!

1. Be prepared to be a beginner - for a long time!

Once you step into that stirrup for the first time, forget all about instant gratification. Instead, get all pumped up for the accomplishment of doing something for the long term.

Don't worry if your fingers fumble when putting on the bridle. Have no worry when the horse gives you a knowing look out of the corner of his eye: "This one is a beginner!" Just take the plunge into new feels, new learning curves and new coordination. It's all about the joys (and challenges) of being on the path.

2. Every horse has something to teach you.

If you ride at a riding school, and have had the chance to ride many horses over the course of a few years, you will truly understand that there is something to be learned from every horse you ride.

If you part-board or lease a horse, you can have the opportunity to work with one horse over the long term. You might develop a deeper relationship and maybe even know each other so well that you can read each other's minds. But always be appreciative of the chance to ride new horses because they will add to your depth of experience and repertoire of "language" you need to ride effectively.

3. Find an excellent mentor.

Your mentor might or might not be your instructor. However, this person will be critical to the success of your first years as a horse rider. She will be the one who can listen to your questions and concerns and give you the answers you need for your situation. She will guide you in your decisions and help you find the solutions that are necessary for your development - even if you are not aware of them at the time. Find someone you can trust.

4. Surround yourself with great professionals and horse friends.

It is true that you are the sum of the influences around you. So search for people you admire and look up to. Find the ones who you would like to emulate. Then, be around them and learn from them at every opportunity.

Get to know the professionals in your area - from nutrition, to health care, to training - it is essential for you to be surrounded by kind, compassionate people who always put the horse first when they make decisions.

5. Although the initial learning seems quick and easy, don't despair once your learning curve seems to slow down.

At some point, your riding skills will plateau and try as you might, new learning becomes frustrating and difficult. Be ready for that time period and be willing to keep trudging through - until you reach your next series of leaps and bounds. However, the plateaus will always reappear just before the next real learning curve; they are just a fact of life.

6. Be ready to be physical in a way you've never experienced before.

Riding is like no other sport because of the presence of the horse.

Rubbing your belly and chewing gum is an easy task compared to riding! In order to truly move with the horse, you have to learn to coordinate body parts you never knew you had, and then also stay on top of a moving 1,000 pound animal! But have no fear - it will all come together in the long run.

7. Watch, read, study, do.

It goes without saying that there is much learning to be done off the horse's back. Read books to study what the movements should be like. Watch videos of professionals and even amateurs (especially now that videos are so easily accessible on the Internet). Go to clinics and watch how other riders develop under the eye of an experienced clinician. Then take your own lessons, ride at clinics and shows or video yourself. Use every available means to solicit feedback.

Then study some more!

8. Be wary of the "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" stage.

This happens to everyone at least once in their riding career. There eventually comes a time, once you have made your mistakes and learned from them, that you begin to feel pretty confident about your equine-related skills. The tack no longer defies you. You develop the balance and coordination needed to walk, trot and canter without feeling like you might fall off any second. You can even ride and talk at the same time!

When it all starts to come together like this, you might become a little more confident than were at the beginning. You start to take more riding risks. You might think about changing routines to suit yourself better - change the barn, or ditch your instructor!

Before you head off into the land of grass is greener everywhere else, heed these words! You will want to spread your wings and fly - that is a fact. However, although there are certainly many ways to Rome, especially in the equine world, don't "instructor hop". Nothing is more confusing than trying to comprehend different people's systems over and over again.

9. Listen to your horse.

Although it sounds a little far-fetched, it is indeed possible to "hear" your horse if you understand their routines, structures and communications. If life is good, your horse will show you his pleasure by becoming more rideable. He will be calm but at the same time responsive to you. He will improve his ground manners, develop consistency under saddle, and work with you toward a better partnership.

If, on the other hand, he becomes less receptive, more difficult to handle, and lose overall condition, you will know this is not the path you want to be on. Just listen and then make decisions according to the feedback.

Well, there you have it! Hopefully, these tips will help you as you progress from newbie to old-timer!

Do you have any other suggestions for new riders? Write them in the comments below.

Buy the books for many more riding tips! Horse Listening The Book: Stepping Forward To Riding Success

From the first book:

Riding gives us the place to just be.

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 in paperback or digital versions.

When Good Riding Instruction Becomes Great

Some people say that a coach can do only so much.

The argument goes like this: after a certain point, there is only so much a riding instructor can say to change a rider's skills. Most of the results come from the rider. After all - if the rider chooses not to (or simply cannot) do what the instructor says, then how much can one person do?

Although it is true that most riders go through difficult learning moments at some point in their riding career, and they might be faced with frustration in a different way than in other sports simply due to the nature of riding a horse, it cannot be said that across the board, riders don't want to put in the effort it takes to improve.

Most of us are riding because of our lifelong passion for horses. Most of us want to serve our horses by being the best rider we can be. Most of us are internally motivated in the first place just because we want to do well and love the feeling of good movement.

Most of us want to do the right thing.

So, assuming that the rider is in fact interested in performing well, how much can an instructor really do to help a rider improve?

When Good Instruction Becomes Great

Great instructors repeatedly show characteristics that make positive effects on their students. They are the ones that make a difference in their riders in one single ride. They are able to send the student home with concrete feedback that can then be used to continue developing independently.

What are these traits?

1. Great instruction begins at the student's level.

Great instructors quickly recognize the rider's skill level; then, they meet the student with instruction that works to that level. If the student is more of a beginner, the skills being taught might be simplified so that the rider doesn't become too overwhelmed and can achieve success.

The instructor might focus on one or two main points that need to be developed during that ride. For more advanced students, the instructor may come across as more demanding, more particular, more exacting. In each case (and all those in-between), the instructor assumes a different teaching approach that meets the student's needs.

2. Great instructors can explain the basics of the basics exceptionally well.

There is nothing more difficult than trying to explain the most fundamental skills to a rider. The experience of the rider is irrelevant - if there is something that needs to be addressed, then there is no point in going onwards until the basics are addressed. The learning might be the rider's or the horse's - and great instructors will know what to do in each case. Even the most advanced movements are rooted in the basics.

3. Great instructors have an excellent command of the language.

Communication is key, especially for someone who must stand in the middle (or at the side) of a ring while the student is in perpetual motion. The great instructor can change the rider's behavior with only words - well, ok - maybe in conjunction with sounds, energy, gestures and weight shifts to the left and right! But there can be no replacement for a varied and rich vocabulary that can effectively pass on feels and ideas.

4. Great instructors have relevant personal experience.

"There's a difference between knowing the path and walking the path," Morpheus explained to Neo in The Matrix. The truth to that statement cannot be overestimated especially when the instructor is trying to teach something new to a rider. Having a good feeling of what the rider is going through can make the great instructor relate to the stumbling blocks and find a way around them.

5. Great instructors are great problem-solvers.

Many top level trainers speak of the tools we need to collect on our mental toolboxes to solve problems. But toolboxes are not critical to just riders - great instructors have superior problem-solving tools that they have used in different conditions with different riders. Experience is key - not from just a riding perspective, but from a teaching point of view as well.

6. Great instructors help the student set goals but know when to break them.

There is a certain amount of flexibility involved in great instruction. Although both instructor and rider should be in perpetual evaluation mode, setting new goals and changing them as they are met, the biggest key to meeting goals is the willingness to break from the beaten path when the necessity arises. Despite having a plan for the day, if during the ride, a completely off-topic situation arises, the great instructor will meet that event head-on without any pre-planning.

7. Great instructors are willing to wait.

They are patient - not only with the rider, but also with the horse. Additionally, they teach their students how to have the same patience when it comes to training the horse.

8. Great instructors are ethical.

They maintain the highest standards of care and welfare for the horse and they teach their students to do the same.

I'm sure that I am missing many other ways good instructors become great. Can you add to the list? Please comment below.

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

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!

Available as an eBook or paperback.

5 Steps to Effective Short Reins

Don't be intolerant of the short rein! Just as with any other movement and technique that is taught to horses, short reins can be very beneficial to the horse when applied correctly.

It's not that you should never ride in long reins - but many disciplines require shorter reins.

Simply put, the bit allows us to communicate effectively with our horses, keeping us safe on the back of the horse and permitting communication between two otherwise unlikely partners.

Reasons for A Short Rein Length

You might want a shorter rein length for several reasons:

Control

Let's face it - not every horse is so well trained that you can get away with very little direction from the mouth. In fact, we might even say that maybe only 5% of all horses are trained to that level. So yes, for the average rider and horse, we need the reins to indicate direction to the horse. We also need reins to slow or stop the energy, and we can even use the reins to redirect the energy to the hind end.

Horse's balance and well-being

The reins play a significant part in how the horse travels over ground, under the weight of the rider. Although the other aids also help the horse with balance, speed control and use of the body, the reins act as the final reinforcement.

If the horse travels long-term in a stretched out, disengaged body outline that is unhealthy for his muscles, joints and tendons, then his overall health will be affected. The reins do play an integral part in encouraging a strong body, controlled balance (that doesn't fall forward or "upside down") and regulation of the energy.

Different rein lengths affect the body of the horse differently. Sometimes, when you think you are being kind by letting the reins out, the horse has to change his balance in order to compensate for the longer body and the heavier weight on the forehand.

Connection/Timeliness

Riding a horse is all about asking and answering questions. There is constant communication going back and forth between the horse and rider primarily through the rider's aids (which include the seat, legs, hands, torso, etc.).

Rein length might affect the clarity of this communication and determines how clearly and quickly you can communicate with your horse.

5 Steps to Developing Comfort With A Short Rein Length

1. Shorten the Reins in Increments

Instead of just tightening and pulling on the reins (and effectively squishing the neck into a shorter length), shorten the whole body of the horse first. Use a series of half-halts to bring the hind end underneath, round the horse's overall body outline, and take up the rein as the horse's body gets rounder. This may take several half-halts. It might also take an entire warm-up with several exercises aimed at "bringing the horse's hind end under" so that the front end can come up and allow the shorter reins.

2. Recognize How Short is Short Enough

The length of the reins really depends on the horse's training level, strength and conformation. It isn't easy for the younger horse to maintain a body outline that allows for a very short rein; one horse's "short" may be longer than another's.

3. Achieve A Light Contact

In all disciplines, one of the goals of riding is to achieve lightness. A soft rein contact can only happen when the horse is truly straight and balanced. At this point, the reliance on the rein diminishes and you might discover that the pressure on the reins reduces not because you have lengthened the reins but because the horse is better able to control his balance and level of collection.

Creating space without letting the reins out is one method of developing lightness in contact.

4. Less is More

When it really comes down to it and once you have your others aids in place, you can use the reins only for intermittent, subtle use. But be forewarned: it will take time, infinite patience and practice, and determination for you to get to this level and for your horse to respond at this level. Don't be discouraged if you find yourself grappling with the physical coordination it takes to get to this point.

Your communication will occur more through your body than through your hands, and your horse will become more "in tune" with your subtle weight shifts and seat aids.

5. Better Understanding

At this point, both you and the horse have progressed through to a higher level of training and know better what to expect in your work. Thanks to this better understanding, the horse requires less guidance, especially from the front end.

So there you have it! Of course, I know this is purely my take on a sometimes controversial and complicated subject.

What are your thoughts? Have you been able to achieve a light but short rein contact? Is there anything you'd like to add in the comment section?

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

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.

Find the Space Between the Give and Take in Horse Riding

Scene 1

The rider holds the reins tightly, pulling backward, providing little give and take through the arms, elbows and shoulders. The tension radiates through the rider's body to create a tight back, an unmoving seat, and clinging legs.

The horse may or may not have a tightness to the neck, but because of the pull on the reins, there is little opportunity for him to balance using his head and neck. His strides are short, his back may be hollow and he is likely on the forehand.

Scene 2

The rider lets the reins out to the point of creating a "loop". There is no contact with the mouth, other than at points of time when the rider needs to communicate something: stop, turn or downward transition.

The horse's neck and body is l-o-n-g and strung out. Hind legs are stepping out behind the horse's croup. This horse is also probably on the forehand and hollow in the back but for completely the opposite reasons.

So whether it is a perpetually pulling hand or an occasionally rough, abrupt hand, you must know that every time you use your hands improperly, you are assuring your horse shortened usefulness and an unhappy life. - Charles de Kunffy, The Ethics and Passions of Dressage, p. 60

There is no doubt that there is more to riding than just what the hands are doing. We already know that the seat, legs and hands together are actors in the same performance and must work in combination. But for the purposes of explanation, let's do an in-depth analysis of the role of the hands.

The scenes above demonstrate the extremes of what can be done with the reins: too much contact versus not enough contact. You've probably watched both types of riders at different times, or maybe you've explored or experienced both ends of the pendulum yourself.

Eventually, with enough experience, we learn that neither technique represents an exclusive path to effective riding. As with so many other things in life, we need to find the happy medium.

Try This

1. Find the correct placement of your hands and arms. Your elbows should have a nice soft almost "L" bend in them and hang in line with your body. Your hands should be in front of the pommel, no more than four inches higher, forward, sideways or backward (we call this the four-inch box).

2. Your hands cannot move backward from the box. In other words, you won't pull back and your elbows won't go back past your body line.

3. Your hands cannot move past the front of the box. In other words, you won't push the reins ahead or open your elbows so that your arms straighten.

4. Your hands can give and take within the four-inch parameters of the box - but the catch is that the give and take comes from your elbows, not your fingers! The rein length should not change during the give or take (although you may need to readjust your rein length from time to time if the reins slip through your fingers or you intentionally want to lengthen or shorten them).

Keep your reins short enough to allow you to provide support instantly, but also long enough to allow for the horse's level of training and muscle development.

And that's it! From here, you can ride as usual from the seat and legs, and reinforce your aids with the hands.

If the horse pulls, you resist with a bracing from your elbows and seat. But you don't pull back.

If you want to give a release, only slightly open your elbows to create a little space forward in the horse's mouth so he feels a supported freedom (i.e. not thrown away) to move into that space. Do not lengthen the reins out or straighten your elbows.

The give and take should be so invisible that only you and the horse know it happened. Anything bigger and the horse's balance will be affected. Ideally, you should alternate between a give and take as needed depending on the horse's balance and the movement being performed.

Do you have any other tips for finding the space between the give and take? Comment below.

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New! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

Available as an eBook or paperback.

If you enjoyed the above article, you might also like to read:

The #1 Rider Problem: The Outside Rei n! The outside rein is the most underused and poorly understood of all the aids, and here’s why.

From a Whisper to a Scream: How Loud Should Our Aids Really Be? Should we be “loud” in our aids, or should we be working as softly as we can in hopes that our horse can respond to lighter and more refined aids?

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

How to Halt Without Pulling on the Reins: There is a way to get your horse to stop without pulling on the reins.

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

Horses. Riding. Life.

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