Q. I’m retraining my walker/thoroughbred this summer after a six-month bout of very minimal riding. I learned to ride in an English saddle and wish to return to it. My horse surprised everyone last year by being more than mannerly on a lunge line and lead. His previous owner mentioned that he’d been ridden hunt…
Q. I was asked to ride an 8 year old that’s been broke but is very green (won’t bend and is fast – very fast). She went away for western training and is back for a month or until she’s sold. They used a loose ring snaffle. I’m riding her to keep her working. She’s…
Q. I need some help cantering my horse. When I first ask him to canter, he leaps into it and onto his forehand. He also goes extremely fast – so fast it begins to scare me. On circles, the more I ask him to move in with my leg, the farther he moves out. He…
Q. I am thirteen years old, and I have shown Quarter Horses all my life. I recently got into the Arabian circuit and purchased an Arabian gelding showhorse for this upcoming season. He is six years old and won’t take his lead hardly EVER! I have had professionals ride him, and not even they can…
Q. My Paint gelding has an extremely hard mouth, and recently he’s been getting trained in dressage. Is there any way I can make his mouth softer at all? A. Who, exactly, is training him for dressage? If it’s a reputable and knowledgeable dressage trainer, that person should have no problem softening your horse’s mouth through…
Q. My horse is very stiff, especially with bending. Do you have any ideas about what I can do to soften him? A. I have found lateral movements to be instrumental in developing spinal flexibility and softness in my horses. Leg yields are generally easier for most horses to learn and to perform than are…
Q. I’m behind my pony’s motion a lot. If I moved my legs toward the girth more, would that fix it? A. I would guess your legs are already too far forward, forcing your seat too far back in the saddle, causing you to feel like you’re behind the motion. Move yourself as far forward…
Q. I’m helping a rider who pinches with her knees. How do I tell her to fix it? A. Try the old slip-of-paper trick. Place a slip of paper between the lower part of her inner calf muscle and the saddle. By concentrating on maintaining steady contact along her lower, inner calf, she’ll automatically release…
