Riding Exercises

⚫️The first steps to teach the canter-walk transition ⚪️Some horses find this easier, while others have a harder time with it. I've worked with several more spirited types of horses, and for them, this teaching method worked better, so I wanted to share it with you ✨The task: through-a-circle in canter, and ask the horse to walk at the beginning of a straight section 〰️At first, it's good to give a bit stronger cue to ask for the walk 🫧The trick in this exercise is using the dressage pattern fully because in the tighter turn, the horse naturally shortens the canter, making it easier for the rider to ask for the walk, compared to on a long stretch.

Groundwork/Natural horsemanship day At least once a week I like to do some groundwork with my horses, practice exercises asking in different ways and communicate using body language. Yesterday we spent a lot of time asking for lateral movements: side pass, leg yield and shoulder in, along with some natural horsemanship online.

Just another fun exercise

Emergency stop : How to stop a horse who wants to return back and canterThis is a tip and an exercise who enables me staying alive many times during an outride. First you have to learn and train yourself and your horse in an arena when you will be quiet and patient to start learning and slowly repeating the movements. Choose one rein on the side you are more confident first . For exple you take the right rein like you would like to turn and direct your hand to nearly touch your right hip, it means the head and neck of your horse will turn on the same side same as he will want to eat a treat you would have hidden in your hand closed to your knee . At the same time use your right leg same as if you wish to push the hinter legs and the hips of your horse on the opposite side on the left. The right hinter hoof of your horse should be directed under his body . By repeating these movements slowly first , you are training your horse to respond correctly when you will need him to execute it during a tricky situation outside. As long as you are doing your sessions , try to repeat the movements a bit faster so that your horse will respond quickly and instantaneously and same for you , you must be ready to act in one second. Once you will face to a situation your horse would like to return back and canter because he is scared about something : if he wants to escape by his left side , use your right rein and right leg , if he wants to escape by his right side use your left rein , left leg to stop. This will stop his straightness then its impulsions. He will be not able to return back and canter and he will be obliged to stop and stay . This exercise enables my horse to face to what he is scared about and to take time to realize there is no threat for him, once he calms down I could ask him again to continue walking on. I have learned this from my horsemanship trainer , after having experienced quite a lot of scary canters on the road ( has taken me 100 meters before succeeding to stop my horse, feeling my stirrups driving so fast and so next to the cars coming from the other side😱☠️. ). Hope this exercise could help some of you facing to similar cases with some emotional and sensitive horses.

This is a jumping training that I do before any competition. It is basically putting some old saddle pads on top of a vertical. The goal is to be able to teach the horse to go over it without been scared of it.

Just a fun exercise, that involves many things!

Love to use this for hot horses or warming up and reaching for contact, also as an aid for bending

One of my favorite jump exercises. Is having 2-3 bumping jumps before a big jumps. What I do I place the jumps on a line and I don’t allow for a stride in between the jumps. It helps the horse stamina and to lift his leg quick. Then I leave 2-3 stride for the last jump that I would normally put higher to allow him to stretch his leg and really go for it.