How to jump safely ? The horse has a natural balance that can be more or less disturbed when the rider first sits on him. This shows that horses are influenced by the weight of their riders. Since there are different disciplines, we have different positions to maintain balance. Jockeys are in search of speed, […]

To begin with, what is counter canter? In dressage, it is, for example, when you ask your horse to canter on the right lead when the horse is tracking left and vice versa. It’s a very good suppling and strengthening exercise. First of all, let’s go back to the basics with the canter mechanics. Canter

There are several types of water jumps. In the cross-country phase, there are water ditches and in show jumping, there are liverpool and open water jumps. The course designer places these obstacles in the middle of the course to disrupt the balance and the pace of the horses. To approach it well, it must be

How do you practise a dressage test with your horse ? How do you avoid losing points in your dressage test ? When I practise my dressage tests, there are a few things I always do.  First of all, start by warming-up your horse. Focus on the quality of the gaits and on everything you

How do you work on your horse’s responsiveness to the aids ? The first exercise is the responsiveness to the leg aids. Your horse needs to move off the leg at a simple light pressure of the calf, without kicking. The calf pressure is very light. The horse must feel it very gently. You can

Before the season begins, I do a few show jumping competitions to prepare to get back into eventing. But you can also train at home, in your club, and set up a show jumping course that is not too long – seven or eight fences – so you don’t get your horse tired and allow

In show jumping competitions, there are often two combination fences on a course. Either a double and a triple, or two doubles. You really have to work on it at home, so you don’t feel apprehensive about it.  Combination fences are a set of obstacles separated by a maximum of one or two strides. They

Whether at a competition or at home, warming up is essential. It allows you to have an attentive and responsive horse for the rest of the session or competition. You can also use it as a basis for schooling when working alone. I usually start by waking my horse up, i.e. I walk him for

A stride is simply defined as the distance between two successive steps of the same limb.  The canter mechanics, for a left-lead canter for example, is (1) right hind; (2) the diagonal pair of left hind and right fore; and (3) left fore, and so on and so forth. In order to feel the strides

As you have certainly learned with your instructor, the canter leg aids are, for instance if you are asking for the left lead: the left leg on the girth and the right leg slightly behind the girth. A little trick is to teach your horse to always start on the left lead with a slight