Your aids are active when you ask your horse a question, and they are passive when you listen and give him time to respond. Active aids establish the rider as the leader. They say, Let’s do this now! On the other hand, passive aids provide a moment of freedom for the horse [...]
One day, a close friend gave me a copy of the good old H. Dv. 12: Army Riding Regulation 12: German Cavalry Manual on the Training of Horse and Rider that he had bought at a flea market. As I began to read, no one could have imagined the spark it would [...]
Jumping without stirrups is an exercise I recommend for two reasons. One, of course, is that it’s an insurance policy. Everybody loses a stirrup at least once or twice in a riding career; if it happens, you want to be able to continue riding without losing your position, your composure, or your [...]
When you want the horse to yield space by moving back, rather than just moving his head or front feet to the side, you can use the Button on the front of the horse’s shoulder I call the Back-Up Button. The Button is low on the outside of the horse’s shoulder, located [...]
