Daily Strides Podcast for Equestrians

You know that feeling when you try something new and you get it right. Maybe your trainer or instructor is with you. Or maybe you just prepared. But, for whatever reason, you got it right. You feel like a better rider. Good feeling, hey?  Until the next time you try… Maybe on your own. A couple of days later. Aaaannnnndddd nothing! Whatever it was that allowed you to create the perfect circumstanc...

Timing... It's an important element of great conversations.  You can give all the correct responses, but if the timing is off - they are not as meaningful.   And this affects the connection and flow. Horse riding is the same. After all, horse riding is just a word we use to describe the conversation between the rider and the horse. As a rider, it takes time to learn how to move one part of our bod...

Landing on the correct diagonal can be hit and miss for many riders. Let's face it, there's a chance you'll get it right 50% of the time! And while most riders are pretty well versed on their diagonals in the trot… It's 'feeling' the diagonal that causes confusion. Trotting has a two-time beat. The 1,2,1,2,1,2,1,2,1,2 that you experience and feel when you're in the saddle. If you do sitting trot,...

It can often sound like a jackhammer... Rrrrrrrrrrrrrr.  Instead of the 1,2,3...1,2,3...1,2,3... that the canter should produce when you listen for the rhythm.  And once either a horse or a rider has become 'used' to a different way, it can be a real challenge to get things back on track.  Or on beat, as the case is when the rhythm is lost in the canter. Some things are taken for granted when we r...

What has changed for you in your riding? If you are not intentionally making a small (or the odd large) tweak here and there, I'm willing to guess that your answer is 'Not a whole lot'… Albert Einstein said it and there's a reason it is repeated by people who try to help others. "Insanity; doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result". But it seems that there are a lot of ri...

Have you been feeling a little overwhelmed when it comes to finding exercises to ride with your horse in the arena? Have you found yourself creating more and more complex grids, and then struggling to make them work for you and your horse? If so, here is a simple exercise you can use this month to help minimize the overwhelm and get you in the saddle and making progress. All you need are 3 or 5 gr...

Is every 30-minute ride starting to look and feel the same for you? Even the ones that you painstakingly chose exercises to work on? Annoying, isn't it? Especially because actually 'moving forward' in your riding is the reason you are riding! If this is the case, firstly, take heart that you're not alone! Remaining focused throughout the day to day riding can really begin to wear on most well-inte...

How many days will you ride this week? What will you do on each of those days? Are all of these things moving you and your horse closer to your goals? Big questions… And ones that I think not enough riders are taking responsibility for in their riding. This is part 2 of a 3 part series to help you really become intentional about your riding plan.  Each part is an important element that, I believe,...

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy… Or so the saying goes. I tend to believe this is true. Especially when it comes to riders and their horses. Yes, 'working' is important. But, if you are only riding to ride… Well, maybe that is what is actually holding you back in your riding? I think that in order to really get the most from your riding plan to help you reach your goals, there are 3 key...

We are all guilty of wasting time at some point or another in our day to day lives. However, I want to challenge you for 1 month to NOT waste any more of your time with your horse. Riding for the sake of saying you rode is a waste of time. Clocking in the hours is not the same as being productive with those hours. And if you have stopped riding or you're not riding as much as you 'want'… Could it...

How do some riders seem to simply handle 'speed wobbles' when they are riding? It seems as though nothing phases them.  They simply effectively and efficiently get things back on track with minimum effort and drama… Their secret?  They have swapped reacting versus responding when they ride. If you are the sort of rider who gets 'triggered' by certain things in your riding, you have possibly looked...

Sprinkled, like confetti. This is how I think the half halt should be applied to your ride. Little ones that are really everywhere. None of them too big. Or 'stand out'. Yet all of them working together to give the desired effect or result. For many riders, the half halt, rather than being like confetti, becomes more like broadsheet newspapers scattered randomly around the arena. Not too many, som...

Can you put into words what the half halt is? Let's say you are speaking with your friend, who is not a horsey person, and you're telling her all about the half halt. What would you say? This week I had two eye-opening conversations. One with a rider and one with my sister… I drew a similar conclusion from both conversations. My conclusion? There are a whole lot of riders out there who don't reall...

What would happen to you and your riding if you began embracing your unique style as a rider? If instead of trying to ride like someone else, you began to really understand and know what it is to ride like you? I think that many riders are trying to ride like or act like someone else in their riding. Maybe it's the rider at the barn who has been at this a few years longer than you. Or the rider wh...

What will you be doing with your horse this week? Seem's like an innocent enough question… 'Ah, a bit of this and a dash of that'... And there is the problem. If you committed to actually planning out the answer to this question for the coming 4 weeks in your riding, you can, potentially, change everything. The Same Thing = The Same Result So many riders are doing the same thing, day in and day ou...

How many times have you been working with your horse on the lunge, only to have your line end up a tangled mess? Or perhaps your horse did something unexpected. Maybe he turned in or went from 0 to 60 in .5 of a second, and you couldn't respond quickly enough because of a loopy, knotted, or twisted lunge line? Your lunge line is an important artificial aid that you can use to actively encourage co...

Have you ever considered that, if something is not 'working' in your riding, the reason might just be a lack of forward? We spend a lot of our focus on making sure we have established relaxation and rhythm. Yet, working forward is actually essential for either of those two to be present and working for you in your riding. Here are 4 simple actions you can take every time you ride to help you begin...

Your lunge line is not there to keep your horse on the circle while lunging . I would love for you to take a moment just to consider this statement. Is it at all possible that you have been using your lunge line, in some shape way or form to do this for you?  If lunging is not enjoyable, a tug of war, or just too darn difficult, this could be why. Have you been using your lunge line to keep your h...

Are you guilty of saying one thing to your horse, when you actually mean another?  You're not alone!  This is the second part of a 2 part series all about blocking with your seat, and how to stop doing it! Part 1 is HERE Before we dive into the actual riding exercises you can do to discover if you have been blocking.  And then, using those same exercises to actually begin allowing.  Let's get clea...

So you say go. But immediately follow it up with whoa. And all because you're blocking with your seat. It's like trying to drive a car with the handbrake on! And you continue to blame the car for not going forward… For many riders, the even more frustrating part of it is that it can be hard to notice. If you are blocking with your seat, you probably don't even realize you're doing it.  I have 2 ex...

Have you ever considered that, when riding, you have been thinking about things all wrong? You have been trying to move your horse; rather than asking your horse to move. One of the areas I see riders trying to move their horse is when working laterally. Leg yielding is a great example. Riders will try to push and shove their horse across the arena. You don't move the horse. You ask your horse to...

Are you a pushover? So many riders describe themselves this way. And this is unfortunate because what's happening between you and your horse on the ground, is a good reflection of whats going on in the saddle. Groundwork is so important. Every single conversation you have with your horse starts and ends on the ground. Failing to pay attention to what is happening there is simply setting you both u...

Think about the last time you were with your horse. How many times did you ask him to halt while working with him on the ground? Before you mounted up? Was it 4?  Maybe 10? And what about after you dismounted? When interacting and working with our horses, so much of it happens on the ground. Beside your horse. Here is how you can begin using this in a way that will help you when you do mount up in...

Forward and sideways. And yet, without leaving the spot you're in… It can feel so contradictory and, maybe even asking for the impossible! But no, It is all possible. And pretty simple to get started with. You're simply beginning to really work on turn on the forehand with your horse. So many riders fail to include the 'forward' part of the equation when working on this basic movement. And the pow...

I recommend 16 to most of my riders. However, maybe your's is 12. Or 20… The number is not really that important. What is important is that you choose one and then stick to it. And what does this number represent? Your number is the number of interactions you are committing to this month with your horse. Riding, lunging, groundwork or anything else in between! Your number must work with your curre...