Hi Guys.  Today’s topic is a great one and one I’ve worked really hard to achieve, it’s a work in progress for me but worth the effort. So many riders don’t realise they are actually working against their horses movement by just sitting on the saddle and by not utilising the hips to follow the natural motion of the horse.  So ask yourself … Self-Assessment Question #7 : Are You Blocking With Your Seat? Your seat must follow the horse’s motion in a rhythmical way in order to allow the horse to move forward. If you say ‘go’ with your leg aids but your seat does not immediately fol ..read more

Are you sure you are achieving your full potential or is it time for a different approach?  Traditional forms of dressage training see the instructor working with the rider in the transfer of skills.  They take what they have learnt and pass it on to you.  Absolutely nothing wrong with that.  A tried and tested method that works for many. Unfortunately, this method doesn’t work for everyone.  The reason is simple – you are not your instructor.  Yes, you will experience similar issues and knowledge of their experiences may be of help to you.  It is the unique ..read more

  Is my vision of a community of people I feel comfortable with that help me nurture my very own sanctuary from the stresses of every day life, aka my livery yard, too big a goal? My ‘people’ are those who accept me as I am with enthusiasm and are glad to be in my company.  They share my vision.  When amongst these people I want to be able to feel free to be my imperfect self.  To engage shamelessly in this activity we so enjoy.  To rely on them for support.  And I want to return that support to them in abundance.0 My vision is of gathering a group of my ‘people’ that I can feel comfortable i ..read more

Hey, dressage fans – long time no blog!  It’s been a strange year for me and I have neglected you somewhat, but I’m back and will be doing all I can to help you on your dressage journey for 2018.  Starting with revisiting my much loved Christmas tips. A bit of festive fun and some useful stuff in there too … On the 1st Day of Christmas the Dressage Tipster said to me … “Above all else ensure that your horse is forward. As long as the horse goes forward, he will not have time to think of evasions. Whenever you get a problem of any description, think of my favourite ‘F’ word”   On t ..read more

I was struggling with my balance at the weekend so I am sharing with you a conversation I had with my wonderful mentor about sitting tall and finding neutral spine. So, sitting on his horse in a very tongue in cheek manner he said … “watch and learn, I’m sitting upright in my saddle, pelvis is level, leg is soft and draped over my horse’s side, my position is already great.  I sit tall” Then he sat up a little more, lifting his shoulders, relaxing his arms “Now I’m even better.  I sit taller.” Then he stretched up through his neck as though he is being pulled up by the ears. “Now I could give ..read more

Most horses will understand your canter aid whenever it is given and be willing to depart into canter as soon as they can.  But if you’re having trouble; if your horse is sensitive; if you truly want your horse to progress through the levels or if you’re riding a horse that’s trained to a higher level than you, you will want to give your aids at the right moment. Do you … Know which leg is doing what through your seat? Time your canter depart aids in conjunction with your horse’s footfalls? Time your aid to coincide with the exact moment that the outside hind is about to come to the ground? Th ..read more

You are the proud rider of a horse that you have trained to strike off on the correct canter lead; you can maintain the canter and balance and now it’s time to begin thinking about counter canter. Counter canter is found in Novice dressage tests upwards and it’s a tricky one  because if your horse is anything like mine she just did not want to stay in counter canter, preferring to change legs (not yet my sweet another couple of levels until we get to that) or drop into trot (we worked hard to eliminate that some time ago!) Counter canter is when your horse is cantering on the opposite lead to ..read more

Recognising the influence we have with our seat early in our dressage career is essential.  Only then can we begin to appreciate how very generous our horses are for allowing us to ride them at all.  We owe it to them to try and be ‘at one’ with them for this honour. How many riders are able to feel the movement of their horse’s hind leg through their seat and really understand what is happening underneath them? In the Trot … Do you need to visually check your diagonal when rising? Is it automatic to you and always correct? Can you feel when you take the wrong diagonal? Do you think about the ..read more

The head is essentially a 10 to 15 pound bowling ball at the top of your neck. Good head alignment means that you use a minimum amount of muscular effort to hold up your head, allowing the skeleton to do most of the work. When your head is well-aligned front to back, you can lengthen through your spine all the way through the top of your head.  This counters the downward force of gravity. Whenever there is tension in the core of a rider’s body be that pelvis, lower back, abs, lats, you will notice it at the extremities of the body in the form of moving hands, jiggly feet, unstable lower leg or ..read more

“Nag, nag, nag, nag, nag, nag, nag, … why not give your horse a break and see whether he’ll keep moving if your legs stop flapping – it’s worth a try!”  Artist – Zella Strickland I am a big believer in putting the leg on and then always immediately off – a squeeze and release.  This assumes that your legs are hanging gently at your horse’s side and only being used when needed and not clamped on for dear life or bump, bump, bumping with every stride. The mechanics, when your horse is not responding are as follows: The leg is on and immediately off No response? Try again – same pressure – click ..read more