IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HORSE THAT THE RIDER NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT PLUS SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR THE RIDER
First and foremost, the horse is, by nature, a flight not a fight creature. That is why he is built the way he is. He
WHAT IT TAKES TO HAVE A CONNECTION WITH YOUR HORSE
is in your best interest to always work diligently at making yourself worthy of your horse because with his great dignity, power, and beauty he is a truly a majestic creature.
WHAT DO YOU REALLY MEAN WHEN YOU SAY THAT YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW TO RIDE A HORSE?
Learning to ride a horse…
HALLMARKS OF A WELL-TRAINED, WILLING, ALL-ROUND USEABLE HORSE
Why do you have a horse”? “Why have you chosen this particular horse”? “What would you like to be able to do with your horse, in other words, what are your goals”? These are the three questions that are asked of everyone who requests me to help them with their horse…
HOW TO USE YOUR BODY TO EFFECTIVELY WORK WITH THE HORSE
YOU MUST USE ALL PARTS OF YOU BODY TO AFFECT THE ALIGNMENT OF THE HORSE BECAUSE DIFFERENT MOVEMENTS REQUIRE DIFFERENT ALIGNMENTS. To get control of your own body is ESSENTIAL so you can put resiliency in any part of your body when required…
FINDING SOFTNESS IN YOUR WORK WITH HORSES
Prior to the smartphone era when folks actually talked to one another in person, generally speaking, about eighty-five percent of the conversation was non-verbal…
FROM THE FIRST MEETING OF THE DAY TO THE FIRST MOUNTED STEP
Most folks think that starting the day with their horse is when they are mounted and starting to do whatever activities they had planned whether it be work, schooling, relaxation or entertainment…
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SUCCESSFULLY WORKING WITH HORSES
Your greatest responsibility is to have the horse trust you. Trust means not being afraid. It is the easiest thing to lose, it is difficult to regain once lost, and even if you do get it back it will not be as good as it could have been at the beginning…
STRAIGHTNESS IN A HORSE – PART II
The rider must sit balanced on each side of the horse with equal weight on each seat bone (unless the rider is using his weight as an aid) and the hands must not be hanging to the right or the left…
STRAIGHTNESS IN A HORSE – PART I
If you can straighten the horse, he will get into a better mood and will feel better about the whole aspect of training…
Improve your Riding by Riding Aware
Being aware not only means being alert and mindful; more importantly, it means having knowledge about something – in this case, horses…
THE RIDER’S AIDS AND THEIR USE IN A CONCISE FORMAT
Aids are the language through which a rider communicates his or her requests to the horse so that a conversation can be carried on between them for their mutual benefit…
THE TRIANGLE OF HORSEMANSHIP
The three principal entities involved in developing true horsemanship are the coach, the student, and the horse. You must have synergistic integration of all three to achieve success. There can be no missing links. Here is a concise summary of what I think each of them contributes to the whole….
SOME THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS ABOUT HORSES, HUMANS, AND THE HORSE-HUMAN RELATIONSHIP
These thoughts and observations are presented in no particular order and are offered so that readers can reflect upon them and form their own thoughts on the subject matter…
Some Essential Truths in Our Quest to Obtain True Harmony with Our Horses
In the movie The WIZARD of OZ, when instructed by the Fairy Princess.”… To follow the yellow brick road”, Dorothy asked “… but where do I begin?” The Fairy Princess replied: “It is always best when beginning to begin at the beginning.” And so it is with the education of the horse.
LIKE IT OR NOT, YOU ARE THE TEACHER
The conversation between rider…and horse is never-ending; always, during every stride, the rider asks little questions…
When Will I Ever Get Past the Basics?
Just what are “the basics” that everyone talks about and how long will it take to master them? In answer to the second part of the question it is to be noted that Nuno Oliveria considered a horse to have mastered the basics and to be ready for High School work when he was “light” in all parts of his body at all times during riding. It took up to 15 years for him to “educate” a horse to this level…
The Horse – Human Partnership
A basic question which we must answer regarding ourselves and our horses is: What kind of relationship do we want? Do we want a relationship where the horse is a beast of burden made to do our bidding and we are the master and he is the slave? Or, do we want a relationship which brings us together in a partnership?
The Circle of Horsemanship
I believe an explanation is in order about the circle of horsemanship schematic which has recently been added to the student section. If not an explanation, per se, then at least what was going through my mind at the time I developed it and why I chose the words I used (although that will become evident with the definitions provided.)