Jane Savoie's Blog (109)

Sit Centered and Balanced for Effective Horseback Riding

Horseback riding is all about balance and staying centered. You always want to keep your horse in good balance for his stage of training no matter what your discipline.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a dressage rider, a western pleasure rider, a trail rider, or an event rider. Correct balance is essential to effective riding because the center of your balance directly affects… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on December 18, 2009 at 9:00am — No Comments

9 Tips to Help You Sit the Trot

One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, “Can you help me sit the trot better?”

So here are some quick tips to help you with this all too common challenge.

1. First and foremost, your horse needs to be on the bit. If his back is hollow, stiff, or tight, you’ll find it impossible to sit comfortably. (And, in turn, you’ll make your horse uncomfortable too!)

To put him on the bit, review my blog post… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on December 11, 2009 at 10:37am — No Comments

Sit Up Straight When You Canter Your Dressage Horse

If you tend to grip with your legs, and lean forward when you canter your dressage horse, here’s a simple exercise to help you sit up straight.

Sit in a chair and do the following exercise for muscle memory:

1. Sit up straight with shoulders over hips.

2. Lean back about 4-5 inches

3. Come back up to the vertical.

4. Do this in the… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on December 4, 2009 at 9:30am — No Comments

What Does the Dressage Term "Long and Low" Mean?

Lots of riders seem to be confused by the dressage term “long and low” . Some riders even think long and low is different from the stretchy circle in the dressage tests.

Long and low is the SAME as what’s being asked for stretchy circles. The stretchy circles were added to the dressage tests to check that the horse’s connection was correct and that the rider wasn’t fudging things by fiddling with the reins.

To get correct long and low, your horse must be connected over his… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on November 27, 2009 at 8:30am — 1 Comment

Rearing, Bucking or Lazy Horses Need to be Taught to "Think Forward"

Rearing, bucking, nappiness as well as needing “a lot of leg” are all symptoms of your horse not going forward. Many people think that forward only means going forward over the ground. That’s the physical expression of forward. That is, going forward is a direction in the same way that going sideways is a direction.

But having your horse “think forward” is even more important if you want a horse that’s safe and not exhausting to ride. There are 2 aspects to this concept of “thinking… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on November 20, 2009 at 10:15am — 3 Comments

My Dressage Horse is Stiff to the Right

You can help your stiff dressage horse bend better by gently doing the opposite of what he wants to do with his body.

Few horses are ambidextrous—meaning they can bend as easily to the right as to the left. So your goal is to make your dressage horse’s soft side more “stiff” and his stiff side more “soft” and bendable.

How Do I Make the Stiff Side “Softer”?

Dressage riders tend to think that the stiff side is the “bad” side because it feels harder for them to… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on November 6, 2009 at 10:00am — 6 Comments

Tips for Riding a Great Dressage Test Part Two

Hi guys,

Last week my first two tips for riding a great dressage test were about the importance of memorizing your test and what to do to make a great entry into the ring.

The tips this week focus on riding your corners and diagonals properly and how to prepare for your transitions.

3. CORNERS AND DIAGONALS

Okay, you’re in the arena. No matter what level you’re doing, you have to ride corners. The general rule for riding corners is that you… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on October 30, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

Tips for Riding a Great Dressage Test Part One

When it comes to riding a polished dressage test, preparation is the key to success. So I want give you some competition tips to help you have the best experience possible.

Before I get started with the actual tests, I want to just talk in general about riding dressage tests because there’s a lot of things that they all have in common.

1. MEMORIZE YOUR TEST

The first thing is that you need to know your test. I mean REALLY know it. Even though from Training… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on October 23, 2009 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Ride Your Horse Proactively with “The Valium Exercise” To Reduce Shying

Horses shy from tension so there’s lots you can do to ride proactively to help them relax. I call one of my favorite exercises “The Valium Exercise” because it’s so effective at relaxing a tense horse.

Let’s say your horse likes to shy at a particular corner of the ring. Start the Valium exercise well before you get to the corner.

Here are the aids for the “Valium exercise”.

THE ACTIVE AIDS

1. The Inside Rein:

• The action of the inside rein is… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on October 16, 2009 at 12:20pm — No Comments

Manage Horseback Riding Fear By Staying In The Moment

Fear is a very real issue for many horseback riders. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, it would be surprising if you never felt afraid when riding. After all, you’re dealing with an animal that greatly outweighs you.

In addition to their size, horses are not always predictable. After all, they’ve survived all this time because of their flight instinct. The fact that they’re reactive creatures rather than logical ones can be scary.

So what do you do about the… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on October 9, 2009 at 10:20am — 3 Comments

2 Quick Tips For Coping With Irrational Fear while Horseback Riding

I often hear from horseback riders that they have irrational fears about being out of control or getting hurt when riding. The fear seems irrational because they’ve never actually had an accident or injury. So they wonder where the fear comes from.

For what it’s worth, I used to have “irrational fears” about flying. It was so bad that I would only do clinics within driving distance. It turns out that the fear of flying was just a convenient “hook” to hang stuff on. It allowed me to… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on October 2, 2009 at 10:48am — 5 Comments

4 Tips On Breathing To Help You Relax When Riding Your Horse

The simplest, quickest, way to find relaxation on your horse is to BREATHE. Here are 4 quick tips to help you with your breathing.

Now, I know you’re breathing or you wouldn’t be reading this! But are you breathing in a way that promotes relaxation?

1. Let’s find out. First, let’s dissect what you do when you inhale. Stand up. Take in a really deep breath. Did your shoulders go up? If they did, you’re just breathing in your upper chest. And there’s always tension… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on September 25, 2009 at 10:03am — 5 Comments

4 Tips for Riding a Great Dressage Test

When it comes to riding a polished dressage test, preparation is the key to success. So I want give you some competition tips to help you have the best experience possible.

Before I get started with the actual tests, I want to just talk in general about riding dressage tests because there’s a lot of things that they all have in common.

1. MEMORIZE YOUR TEST

The first thing is that you need to know your test. I mean REALLY know it. Even though from Training Level… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on September 18, 2009 at 9:00am — 2 Comments

Sit in the Direction of Movement in Half Pass

Many riders lean to the outside in half pass because they use too much outside leg to push their horses sideways. Use your outside leg mainly to help bend your horse around your inside leg and secondarily to ask him to go sideways.

Keep in mind that the predominant aids in half pass need to be inside leg and outside rein…not outside leg pushing sideways and inside hand pulling the neck around in a fake a bend.

Here are 3 quick tips to help you sit in the direction of… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on September 11, 2009 at 10:40am — 3 Comments

Freedom from Fear

I'm excited to tell you that my new program, Freedom from Fear, will be available on Tuesday, September 15.

This 7 CD/3DVD set covers both mental training techniques as well as strategies to use while riding so you feel more confident.

When the program is launched, it will also include a FREE Bonus of my new ebook called 101 Tips for Riding Your Horse on the Bit.

Plus, folks who subscribe to my free newsletter will be able to get the program and the book at a special… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on September 7, 2009 at 3:33pm — No Comments

Sit Up Straight on Your Dressage Horse

Horseback riding is all about balance for both you and your dressage horse. To ride in good balance, be sure to keep a good plumb line with your shoulders directly over your hips and over your heels.

In this post, I’ll give you two quick tips to help you sit up straight and in balance.

1. Many riders lean behind the vertical (especially in trot… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on September 4, 2009 at 11:30am — 2 Comments

How To Make Your Lazy Horse More Energetic

Are you sick and tired of doing all the work while your lazy horse plods along without energy? Remember that a horse can feel a fly on his side, so logically there’s no reason for him to be dull to your legs.

Here are the steps to put the lazy horse in front of your legs:

1. Give a light leg aid

2. No response, half-hearted response, or delayed response

3. Correct him by sending him forward

4. RETEST

5. 100% response (99.9% isn’t… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on August 28, 2009 at 8:41pm — No Comments

3 Tips For The Correct Length and Height of Your Horse's Neck

Lots of you tell me you're confused about the correct length and height of your horse's neck so I thought I'd address that in this article.

Neck too high: The height of the neck is determined by the degree of engagement of the hindquarters. So, the height of the neck changes as you go up through the levels and your horse becomes more collected.

Always keep in mind, however, that if you ride with the neck too high and short and the angle of the throatlatch too closed, there… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on August 21, 2009 at 9:00am — 2 Comments

Why are the Lateral Movements in Dressage like Leg Yields and Shoulder-in Easier in One Direction?

Since very few horses, are ambidextrous, it’s inevitable that the lateral dressage movements like leg yields, shoulder-in, haunches-in, renvers, and half passes will be easier in one direction than the other.

Your goal for lateral movements in dressage (and everything else you do with your dressage horse!) is to strengthen his weaker hind leg, make his… Continue

Added by Jane Savoie on August 15, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Freedom from Fear

Remember that only the folks on my newsletter list get the Freedom from Fear program at a REDUCED cost, and you also get the FREE ebook 101 Tips to Ride your Horse on the Bit.
In that book, I reveal things that few people explain in a way you can understand and use! If you're not already signed up for the newsletter, go to www.janesavoie.com NOW so you're eligible for the special offer on Freedom from Fear!

Added by Jane Savoie on August 9, 2009 at 7:34pm — No Comments