Leg Yield
Your horse moves slightly sideways away from your leg while flexed in the opposite direction from which he’s moving. His body remains straight with a slight flexion at his poll. Both front and back legs should cross as he moves. For example, you are on the rail going to the left. You ask for [...]
Trot is a two-time, diagonal gait with a moment of suspension after each step. The legs move in diagonal pairs like this, left hind and right fore together, then right hind and left fore together with the moment of suspension between each pair.
To ride on the correct diagonal, a rider must rise when the horses [...]
Show jumping fences are often colorful, sometimes very elaborate and artistic in design, particularly at the highest levels of competition. Types of jumps used include the following:
Vertical or upright – a jump that consists of poles or planks placed one directly above another with no spread, or width, to jump.
Oxer - two verticals close together, to [...]
Bombproofing is nothing more than giving your horse the opportunity to become comfortable with the objects, places and sensations involved in activities foreign to him.
Take a moment to picture this ideal experience with your horse: He responds to your leg cues energetically, yet calmly as you ride along on the road or bridlewayt. Just the [...]
The horse is rushing on the lunge
Slowly decrease the size of the circle and speak softly with your voice low to your horse. Never pull your horse sharply onto a smaller circle, just take a little at a time from the lunge line until the circle becomes smaller. The horse will be forced to slow [...]
Various obstacles are found in cross country. The size and type of obstacles vary depending on the course and the level of the horse and rider. Fences used in cross country are generally made to look rustic and natural and they are built extremely solidly.
There are 3 main types of obstacles that distinguish cross-country from [...]
What is JumpCross
JumpCross is the brainchild of Robin Dunlop, Grange Farm Equestrian Centre, Peterborough. After many years of building and observing cross-country courses and the manner in which they were ridden, Robin felt there must be a better way for both horse and rider to achieve a rhythmical, balanced style whilst developing a clean, accurate [...]
Any rider that competes in show jumping has at one stage or another had the experience of a horse refusing to jump an obstacle. This can be extremely distressing and worrying, particularly if you are unsure as to the reason the refusal arose.
The reasons why horses refuse at jumps fit into two basic categories. These [...]
Turn on the forehand is a movement in equestrian schooling that is of great benefit to both horse and rider. It involves the horse’s near fore marking time on the spot. The off fore moves forward very slightly and the hind legs move in a semi-circle around the near fore. A clear walk rhythm and [...]
Horses are natural pasture animals. Their typical activities include grazing anywhere from 12-16 hours a day, walking, and playing with other horses. Problems can arise in horses that are confined to stalls for long periods of time without access to natural activity – these are called vices.
What constitutes a vice?
A vice is a bad habit [...]
