Category: Coaching

Article, Coaching, Improve Your Riding

Three Exercises for Better Hands

aliciaharper

This article is in relation to our Youtube series ” Improve Your Riding” and the video with the same name as the article. The Youtube series is by our own horse trainer and coach Alicia Harper.

In the video she outlines three exercises that can help you achieve quieter, softer and more steady hands. You can view the full video here: Three Exercises to Better Hands

Carrying the Crop

correct hand position in horseback riding

The first exercise is carrying your crop as seen in the photo with the crop resting between your thumb and forefinger in each hand.

The crop makes the rider aware of the hands and alerts them to uneveness which can be a result of a dropped shoulder or the bad habit of dropping a hand.

When the rider drops the hand, the balance of the horse is off and it is almost next to impossible for the horse to travel true and straight.

Crossed Reins

In this exercise she explains that she has the rider actually cross the reins underneath the horses neck so that the opposite rein is in the riders hand (left rein is in right hand and vice versa).

Alicia explains she then has the riders ride around the outside of the ring for a couple of trips and you would be surprised at home many riders struggle with this. Many have a hard time steering. Keep in mind these are intermediate riders not particularly beginners.

The exercise itself forces the riders to be aware of which rein they are actually pulling and the result is very evident. When the correct rein is pulled the horse travels straight and when it is not – the horse does not.

Another thing that this exercise actually shows is riders who rely too much on their reins. An balanced and educated rider will use their legs along with their reins therefore, the transition to the crossed reins will be smoother with the rider who uses less rein. If you think that you might be relying on your reins too much – this is the exercise for you!

Bridged Reins

If you aren’t familiar with bridged reins, pop on over to “How to Hold Your Western Reins” and check out Bridged Reins. In this exercise, we aren’t only going to hold them bridged but we are going to hold the bridge in one hand.

How this exercise works in awareness. Alicia has the riders ride around the school and if the horse tends to fall to the inside and the rider pulls the bridged reins towards the outside and expects the horse to go to the outside but infact, with the bridged reins it pulls the horse to the inside as the riders hands move to the outside.

Instead of using the reins and getting the opposite effect, we should have the rider open the outside rein enough that the horse feels it can move towards the outside but not enough that it pulls the inside rein and makes it the dominant rein. This exercise makes it obviously to the rider what they are doing and what its effect has on the horse – it just does it in the extreme. The rider may not actually pull the horse completely to the inside in every day riding but with the same motions that the rider would normally make this exercise does.

If you are interested in improving your hand position and understanding check out the full video over on Youtube.

fear and nervous rider in horse back riding
Article, Coaching, Horse Training Tips

Overcoming Fear in Riding

aliciaharper

As I have recently, been dealing with this myself – I thought it a good topic for the blog this week.  Overcoming fear in riding.

Fear is a feeling I would say the majority of amateurs have. I’m not so sure about the professional riders but like any other humans, I’m sure they do. I do. Not only is there fear of falling but there is fear of failing.

In this post –  let’s tackle the fear of falling. As we get older the fear generally becomes greater. As adults we worry if we get hurt who will go to work and make money for our family, who will pick up the kids, do the dishes etc. To be honest, its real. Getting hurt is a real fear, especially with horses. They are fight or flight animals in other words, prey. Their answer to anything that seems odd is to run (spook in rider’s terms). If a horse spooks and catches you off guard – there is a good chance you are hitting the ground.

The fear can effect our riding in many ways. It may make us more tense our body and thus setting the horse on edge as well. Which certainly won’t made the situation any better.  Let’s get to the nitty gritty though. How is it possible to conquer it?

The truth be told, I’m not sure it is always possible to conquer it. However, I think its definitely possible for everyone to manage it. First, let’s outline that everyone’s fear is different so more extreme and some less extreme.

The Steps to Overcoming Fear in Horse Back Riding

The first step, once you have admitted it,  is to discuss it with your coach. Your coach has a unique view on this as she/he sees how many riders deal with their fear and how it has worked out for them. To be honest, I had one student so nervous she went to the Doctor and he prescribed something. Now, this particular rider felt this way in every day life but her want to ride was so great that she went the extra mile. Note that I am not advocating drugs to conquer your fear of riding but I am advocating speaking to professionals about. That professional could be your coach, your Doctor, your psychologist, whoever you have in your support circle.

In discussion with your coach, discuss what the proper way of falling is. Here at our farm once a year we have a lesson on falling. Where we educate riders in the proper technique to try and fall that way when they know they are falling. It also gives you a bit of confidence that its possible to fall and not get hurt. You certainly don’t hurt yourself every time you fall. Hell, I’ve been falling for decades and the only thing I have done is pull a ligament. Riders then get to practice proper falling technique off the horse. It’s usually a good week for laughs.

The third step is to lower your expectations for each lesson and plan to push yourself just a little bit each lesson. Rome wasn’t built in a day and riders certainly aren’t. Push yourself, discuss with your riding coach this plan, just a little bit. Put yourself just slightly out of your comfort zone and once you have accomplished that, go back to something that isn’t scary. Think of it like building a tower using Lego, each week you will add a new leg but also add a few more blocks on the same level to create stability.

The last step is KEEP TRYING! It won’t be easy but only those who persevere will push through it.

what do i do if I cant afford lessons
Article, Coaching, Horse Training Tips

When a trainer isn’t an option

aliciaharper

As a rider, sometimes having a weekly lesson or a boarding at the trainer’s barn is not always an option. In this article, we are going to discuss what other avenues are out there to help continue your learning and keep your horse education moving forward. I must admit. I don’t have time to ride in a weekly lesson. I have a regular trainer who doesn’t even do jumping, coach me whenever she isn’t gallivanting around North America judging horse shows. If we are lucky I see her once a month. I believe education –simply said you should constantly be learning and challenging yourself if you plan on continuing to improve.

#1 Take a clinic

Clinicians have a way of pushing you because their job is to get results within the span of the clinic. They don’t generally get to know you enough to chit chat at the beginning of your lesson or consider some of your downfalls. They just get it done.

Recently, I was lucky to be able to attend the Lucinda Greene clinic here in Maple Ridge. I was riding horse who I had ridden once before the clinic and wasn’t exactly what I would say experienced over fences but was talented. Lucinda wasn’t gentle about what our downfalls were but her great ability to tell us when we sucked without saying it. She also had us do ditches, angles I had never done again, in Hunterland and she challenged us riders. She gave me information, exercises, and the guts to get my students to also do those things. I had material for 3 weeks for our more advanced riders in our program to keep challenging them.

 

#2 Try a new discipline

If you are in a remote area or don’t have time for weekly lessons trying signing up for a clinic even if its in a different discipline, then you are currently participating in. Different disciplines have a way of making changes in yourself and your horse by pushing you out of your comfort zone. A few months ago I wasn’t really sure where I wanted to go with my riding so I tried a few different disciplines. One of them was cattle penning. Yep me the hunter rider in a western saddle and the only one with a helmet on. I was very awkward in that group to say the least. But funny enough, I learned a different way to teach and explain the spin. Although we certainly aren’t teaching our horses to spin on the haunches in Hunterland we do need to control the shoulders and I found when I used this exercise the horses and riders seemed to understand it better than the method we had used in the past. I also learned that chasing a cow around was quite fun! And gave my students a break from jumping and for the next couple of weeks we spent our lessons sharping our skills while chasing cows (FYI I lost about 20 lbs being a pretend cow!)

#3 Go to a show without your horse

Yep head to the show! Watch riders in the warm up ring – with their trainers – listen and watch to see what they have them do in the warm up ring to prepare for their class. Watch riders at your own level and see what they are doing and what their coaches are saying to them. Then head to a higher level and see what those riders are doing. Park yourself where you can hear what the coaches are saying. Just last week I was out a local schooling show and I was warming my students up and one of coaches said something that just resonated with me to explain to my students or a different way to think about it.  I heard once a show someone say the difference between a good rider and a great rider is reaction time. The rider’s reaction to the horse’s movement. It could also me whether the rider gets over the fence or not. It’s not like I did realize that yes riders get better reaction time with practice but rather better results are achieved as the riders get quicker. It was mainly just a different way to think about and outlay it to my students.

 

The truth is I have 20 years of horse experience. I’ve broke hundreds of horses, ridden hundreds of horses and owned probably close to a hundred horses and every day in my life I am learning something new whether that is just talking to other horse professionals, auditing a clinic, watching a YouTube video, lunging a horse or listening to another coach. I am always looking for learning opportunities and they are everywhere so if I can keep finding them, then so can you.