Articles with the Tag Riding

Training Tips: “The Connection”

Training Tips
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Having a great connection with Mr Solly has been something we have worked on for a long time, it wasn’t always easy, it wasn’t always smooth and it wasn’t overnight.

The connection we have through that training has brought us trust, lightness, focus, flexibility, harmony and confidence together.

We use all the training we have together daily without even thinking about it, it is now a good muscle memory for us both (brain and body), safety through gateways, confidence and relaxation with ground work, liberty, agilty, riding and much more.

  • Shelley – HorseSavvy

 

Training Tips: “Focus for Riding”

Training Tips
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I love having something to focus on when riding in the field. These jumps help me find straight lines and circles between them…the basic’s for impulsion and flexibility.

You don’t have to have jump wings to be able to see the lines you want to ride but if you have trouble thinking about shapes to ride in your field then having something physical there to focus on can really help.

Other objects you could use are cones, polyposts, tyres or filled water bottles 

  • Shelley – HorseSavvy

Training Tip Video: ‘Flight Checks’

Training Tip Video's
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Flight Checks are what I do after playing with my horse and before I ride off from the mounting block. I make sure I have brakes and can move all four feet in all four directions (forward, back, left and right). It also lets me assess whether I have a good Connection and to help the horse get balanced and flexible before riding off. If anything needs working on I will either stay with it until softer and lighter or I’ll get off and work on it from the ground.

Here is a short film of the Flight Checks I do and how they can progress. I hope it helps to remind you to offer and find the ‘light feel’ on the reins, where our weight should be and to use our focus, seat and leg aids before using the reins.

 

Once you and your horse can do these with lightness and no brace you will find you will need them less and less. I use them before riding off and practice them now and then but because our ‘muscle memories’ in our bodies and brains have the techniques and actions stored we can use them when necessary (ie. an emergency halt w/relaxation) but can now refine them so that my breathing out and a lift of the rein is suffice to halt. I want the muscle memories there for if and when I need them…this one rein halt will not work well if the memories aren’t there, we would both be so far removed from relaxation that it would actually cause more tension and braciness….if we can avoid that and teach ourselves and our horses to have a ‘trigger’ of relaxation when the rein is lifted then we will all be safer in an emergency situation that hopefully never happens.

“Be prepared for the worst but hope for the best”

  • Shelley – HorseSavvy