Haven't we all been frustrated in our search for the perfect breech? 

I remember when I tried on at least 4 different styles and went home empty handed..I am vertically challenged a shortie to be exact;a 5' tall and very petite dressage rider.  Many of my friends have the opposite issue being of normal height and a more curvy build...we all curse at pants too tight, too low, saggy butt, etc.

 

NOT ANYMORE LADIES!  Since working for USG, I have been incredibly happy to…

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There is so much debate currently about methods of training: German vs. French, classical vs. competitive, natural horsemanship vs. anything with an English saddle. It can get adversarial.

Most people agree that finesse is better than force in horse training, but we seem to have a hard time agreeing upon a definition of what those words actually look like in technique. That starts the debate…

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This week Debbie was gone to some big show, so I had to ride by myself Wednesday. Waking up vaguely nauseous I got to the barn, groomed and tacked Mia, and with my husband's help got to the arena. Remembering my thoughts about last week's ride, we started off at a gentle walk, with SOFT contact, following every move of Mia's head. Mia rewarded me with a good walk, moving right on out with minimal use of my legs. Then two flocks of ducks started sparing in the adjacent pond,…

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Happy children and happy summer riding days. Full of friendship and partnership with both their ponies and other riders. How lucky these young riders are as long as they come under the wing of a good coach. A coach who fully understands that what children learn first tends to stay with them, just as with a young horse. So our young riders and young coaches need excellent coaches. They don’t need to be high-level coaches of elite performers, they… Continue

The Incredible Shrinking Leg (or How To Avoid Losing Your Stirrups!)

I've been giving a bunch of seat and leg position riding lessons lately, and I've discovered some interesting things about the correlation of the pelvis, lower leg, and losing

your stirrups.…

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Your Seat And Your Saddle



So many riders find it hard to keep their seat and pelvis in the correct position on their horse. Your own conformation and the conformation of your saddle plays a huge role in allowing your seat to be in the correct position.



Take a look at the conformation of your saddle. Make sure that your saddle allows you to find a neutral pelvic position. Even if your saddle fits your horse, it doesn’t mean it fits you. Just because your… Continue

As someone who specializes in movement…

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Question: When I ride my hands bounce up and down at all the gaits. Not a lot but enough so I am not riding horses to the best of my ability and knowledge. I can keep the horse on the bit but in the posting trot every time I go up my hands come up too.Holding a strap doesn't help. Trying to make my hands go down as I go up doesn't help. What can I do?



Basically if you are stiff in mid-back or in the upper chest and shoulders and the shoulder blades don't slide well over the rib cage… Continue

"Many clients approach me with various saddle balance problems. Balance issues are usually very easy to diagnose and fairly simple to remedy."





SADDLE FIT TIP #1 - BALANCE (in a series of 9 short videos)



Have you ever experienced any of these problems which may indicate… Continue

“Tummy out, tummy out,” I heard in lesson after lesson when I rode in Germany at Etoile International Equestrian Academy under the direction of Stephan Kiesewetter, chief trainer. Tummy out? I’d never heard such a direction from a dressage instructor, yet when I did it, I felt my lower back fill out and hip joints relax, the mobility of my lumbar spine increased while my upper torso stabilized, and I sat deeper. I found it easier to follow each big, bouncy stride—in fact, my horse gave bigger,… Continue

I've been giving a bunch of seat and leg position riding lessons lately, and I've discovered some interesting things about the correlation of the pelvis, lower leg, and losing your stirrups.

Does this ever happen to you?

• Do you lose your stirrups in the sitting trot?

• Does your horse slow down in the sitting trot or when you work without stirrups?

• Does your knee come out over the front of the saddle when you're in the sitting trot or canter?

• Does it seem that the… Continue

Question: I am just learning to ride western. I have been riding english for 5 years. Will I need to learn how to post all over again? Is there a difference? I don’t want to look stupid. And how do I get diagonals?



Answer from April Reeves, Horseman's U.com: Posting the trot in Western is the same as English. Remember, horses cannot distinguish the difference in disciplines, only humans do. The movements of a single horse are the same regardless of a Western or English… Continue

I get questions about going faster without bouncing--trotting, cantering, loping, galloping--and realize that novice riders are often intimidated by faster gaits, not realizing that riding the trot or canter on a calm, well-trained horse is fun and relaxing, even exhilarating.



Part of learning to ride comes from spending time in the saddle but plenty of riders spend hours in the saddle without really learning the one simple thing that will make it enjoyable to ride: moving with the… Continue

I have been asked a lot recently about why riders have such a hard time keeping their heels down. A heel that is not "down" may not have anything to do with the heel its self, but rather the knee and the calf muscle.



Many times the heel is not down because the calf needs to be stretched. A soft calf allows for the heel to drop below the toe when the foot is resting on the stirrup bar. When the heel is "down" in a rider, it drops just below the stirrup bar. The more important thing,… Continue

"Even among experienced riders, fear or anxiety can seem like an insurmountable obstacle in riding or just being around horses. Your horse spooks and you get hurt, you experience pain and lose the ability to be relaxed and supple, you see someone else get thrown. All of these events can cause anxiety and excessive fearful responses. Because horses tune in to our emotional states, our anxiety can cause unwanted behavior like shying or what seems like disobedience. When we are calm and confident… Continue