The last week of sessions has come and gone for us already and I forgot to make a holiday-themed activity! I think I made up for it though with a long pattern, enjoyable lessons, and that for client appreciation each rider got to give their horse a treat from a bucket after their lesson. (Some … Continue reading
Tagged with poles …
Ground Pole Exercises
Here are four good ground pole exercises to help create a solid foundation in your riders. They are from the Certified Horsemanship Association’s Monthly EBlast from a year or so ago – click on the link to subscribe! The author was Jennifer Wiley a CHA Certified Master Instructor and Clinic Staff. I rewrote/simplified/clarified the exercises … Continue reading
A Few Links – Programs, Gloves, Trot Poles, Transition Exercises, The Aids
First off, I had a baby! Baby human, not a baby horse. Although I did speculate how fun it would be to take baby bump pictures with my mare having a baby bump too… Anyway, this is why I have posted nothing new for a few weeks! However, it’s time to jump back in, so, here are a … Continue reading
Patterns 2.0 – for both horse and rider
This past weekend I went to the Midwest Horse Fair where I discovered Jec Ballou, one of the clinicians who focuses on horse fitness and classical training. Her perspective and exercises were so refreshing and very applicable to therapeutic riding, I believe. She wrote Equine Fitness and 101 Western Dressage Exercises, both of which I have and highly … Continue reading
Riding a straight line to 3 trot poles
Once my riders can trot 1 lap around the arena independently and switch directions across the diagonal, I find it’s time to come off the rail. Otherwise they get bored, they start to wander, so their horses start to wander, or their horses decide it’s a better idea to hang out with the instructor and … Continue reading
Extending and Shortening the Walk (again!)
I really like teaching extending and shortening the walk. I like to teach it soon after the basics (how to balance, halt, walk on, and steer your horse) because I think it gives beginners a needed sense of more minute control of their horse and a feel for what is a normal speed for their … Continue reading