Don’t underestimate the power of just practicing standing tied. During all this wet weather in Texas it has been hard to get horses worked. But having them stand tied while you groom, feed, clean or sit and read a book has many positive effects for your horse. A horse that can stand tied patiently is easier to haul, doctor, and groom. So don’t let the wet weather stop you from working on some basics.

Sidepass. In a perfect world your horse is bent the direction they are traveling. They have their shoulders slightly leading. Their legs are crossing deeply under their body.

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“Lessons in Lightness“ by Mark Russell. Contributions by Jillian Kreinbring.

Here is a slow motion video of canter. See if you can see the three beats and the suspension phase.

Let’s learn footfall sequence of canter

Big hides bad. Big is easier.

If you can tell me your horse is distracted by something, that also tells me you are distracted by it. You allowed the horse’s distraction to become your distraction. You reinforced the horse’s distraction. Stay focused. The more focused you are, the more focused your horse will be.

Judging takeaways: These are my opinions based off my experience, study, practice and knowledge of the sport. Know your rules Understand obstacle requirements Your geometry being off says a lot to the judge about the effectiveness of your aids Choose the course lines that work for your horse. Going into an obstacle with tension because the line was too short or approach incorrect for your horse will affect your obstacle score and your course navigation/ transitio

Teaching takeaways

Common rider errors:

Fear and anxiety are real emotions. To be successful in the saddle we have to learn to control those emotions

Leave your ego, expectations, frustration, fear, anxiety, stress, attitude at the gate. Ride the horse you have. The more you push your goals and desires on the horse, the more frustrated you will be. Take each ride as a new ride. Don’t bring yesterday’s baggage and don’t have unreasonable expectations. The best rides happen when you just let things flow as they were meant to on that day. Even the rides that start out challenging can end well if you just focus on creating rel

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Notes a student took from a clinic I gave 3yrs ago. Enjoy

Picture of a good canter: You can drop the rein and have no change in rhythm or tempo

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“Winning the battle” that ends with a tense horse will “lose the war”.

There is a Facebook meme that says “when dealing with 1,000 pound flight animals only one of you is allowed to freak out and it’s NEVER you