TRAINING
Balance
Each horse will be predisposed to either being on its forehand with a ‘heavy’ feel - or afraid of the bit and not truly engaging enough to then find their connection and balance.
Habits of either drifting or not tracking 100% straight are other areas of potential improvement. Smoothing out these in horses can unlock additional scope, carefulness and potentially help prevent injury. Sometimes working from the ground for a while can help ‘reset’ a horse, as can more counter-cantering and a review of lateral foundational work.
Ultimately, the goal of lightness of travel, balance and responsiveness to extend and contract the stride while in frame must always be kept forefront in the rider’s mind.
Confidence
Horses benefit from a lot of positive reinforcement - just like people. This leads them to be braver and try harder. Sometimes a little scratch on the neck or a quiet ‘good boy’ goes a long way with more sensitive horses.
Another key way to develop confidence with jumping is to introduce new challenges that make them think. It doesn’t have to be a huge jump, just something different: an angle, rollback, or bounce.
The use of gymnastics is foundational to safely introduce solving ever more complex challenges, while increasingly allowing more freedom to let them figure it out themselves so they develop the physical and confidence ‘muscles’ they need to shine.
Health
Like any athlete, horses need a team that works cooperatively to put a plan in place that prevents injury and provides an early warning for course corrections.
Working with professionals like vets, farriers, nutritionists, and acupuncturists - then listening to the professional’s recommendations is critical for a solid long-term health plan.
Mental health that includes turnout, hacking, and challenging but not overly-so jumping exercises are key to keeping your horses keen to start a new day or jump in the ring.
Flexibility
Sometimes training doesn’t go as expected. Being flexible to try new approaches is a principle that is important to incorporate into your system. That’s why we’ll meet to discuss your goals, and adjust the plan accordingly.
Let’s Discuss Training
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