1. Have a lesson on a schoolmaster horse

One of the best ways to increase your comprehension of a particular movement, or improve your flatwork skills in general, is to book a lesson or training break at a BHS approved training centre on a schoolmaster horse. These horses are suitably experienced so that you can learn how it feels to perform a movement in the right way. Many wise schoolmasters will not respond as to your aids unless you have asked the question of them correctly!

2.Write for a dressage judge

If you write for a dressage judge, you will find it invaluable to Read more

Keeping up enthusiasm and progression for riding and training through the winter months can be tough! It’s cold, often wet, and if you’re fitting in your riding sessions before and after work, then it’s usually dark too. If you’ve only got half an hour or so to play with, then you need to utilise your time as best as you can, to ensure that your horse not only gets exercised, but that there’s some progression throughout the winter months. Without any progression, it can be hard to keep up the enthusiasm to go out there in the cold. By the time Read more

Staying safe this winter, by our head trainer Jenny Richardson BHSAI

Winter-time can mean increased risk factors for horsey accidents – slippery surfaces, darker days, frisky, fresh horses, windy weather and equine dietary changes, for example – so what can we do to reduce the risks, and ensure we enjoy our horses during the colder season?

Here, I share some tips to stay safe in the saddle this winter.

• Develop balance – this can help you sit a ‘spook’. Two main elements aid equilibrium; good core balance, and whole-body balance, the latter gained through co-ordinated muscle strength. Ask your instructor to help develop Read more

Castle Leslie Estate presents: Introducing counter canter, By our Head Trainer, Jenny Richardson BHSAI

If you have aspirations to ride flying changes, I’d like to show you an exercise. It builds up to this movement by helping develop balance. It utilises using quick-fire changes of bend and counter canter.

Step one

Ride a small, half circle in the F/A corner (the top left corner) of the manege on the right rein in trot. You will be on the right rein, with left bend. Turn just before A and bend the horse to the left, as if you were turning towards ‘E’. Instead, Read more

Our Head Trainer Jenny Richardson BHSAI highlights the most common riding mistakes we ALL make!

(1)Imbalance

A rider who loses his or her own balance will compromise the balance of the horse, which will affect the horse’s way of going. Whether riding a simple upward or downward transition, or over jumps, imbalance may create one or more of the following problems: hollowing, wobbling, the wrong bend, the wrong canter lead, running or leaning.

(2)An insecure position

Ensure your position is central, straight and fluid, so that you move as one with the horse, and not in any way against him. Simple Read more