Tagged with Skills

Slow Down and Speed Up (Rating Speed)

This seemed like a good skill to teach before allowing the independent trot. How to slow down and speed up! Also known as, rating your horses speed. What Rating your horse’s speed = using the Slow Down and Speed Up cues to keep him one consistent speed Why To be comfortable to ride and easy … Continue reading

Seat Aids – to energize & slow down

Today I researched and taught the seat aids. It worked out pretty well, and I got some great feedback and ideas from a friend, so I thought I’d share! The Seat Aids Helpful Warmups Shoulder circles backward – tends to be tight – one at a time then together “growing taller in your spine” Lift … Continue reading

Skills: Basic Hand position

Some things I’ve compiled about hand position: What Keep your hands in the correct english riding position. Why “When your hands get out of position, you’re much more likely to lose balance, and you end up reacting to what the horse does rather than directing his actions.” (John Lyons’s Perfect Horse) Gives you a more … Continue reading

Skills List

The Therapeutic Riding Association of Virginia has a great list of skills to teach riders through 3 levels posted on their website. The have created a Rider Achievement Certification program along with it. It’s a great resource! http://www.travinc.org/programs However, the links don’t all go to the right download, so I’ll link them here too: http://travinc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/TRAC_1.pdf … Continue reading

Teaching the Canter tips from Julie Goodnight

Julie Goodnight posted these pearls of wisdom on Facebook today: “Watch any horse canter and you’ll see his nose drop down on the third beat of every stride; this is especially true on the first stride, when he is launching his whole body off the ground. It is critical that the rider reaches forward and … Continue reading

Improving the Seat

This is a nifty little video about the classical seat, some common problems, and exercises to help fix them. Very basic, but good for the beginning instructor, and the visual learner! If that doesn’t work, use this URL: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-improve-your-classical-seat-in-horse-riding Enjoy! **************** Note: This is not professional advice, this is a blog. I am not liable for … Continue reading

Skills Articles

I recently discovered this list of articles about riding. It’s a great collection of short 1-2 page articles about many of the skills you teach your students. They come from the Meredith Manor equestrian college and their school of thought. I have found them very helpful and easy to understand. Click below or use the … Continue reading