Daily Strides Podcast for Equestrians

Have you ever tried natural horsemanship? The name is a bit of a misnomer; is anything natural about horses and humans interacting and becoming partners? It's debatable. However, misleading name aside, natural horsemanship can really help to build your partnership with your horse. If - and this is a REALLY giant-sized if - it is done correctly and complements what you are trying to achieve in the...

I have a little 'test' for you… Can you describe, in full detail, each interaction you had with your horse 4 weeks ago? Yes, go back 4 weeks and each of the lunging or riding sessions you had with your horse, describe what happened. How was your mood? What did you focus on and how did that go? Now, I'm going to bet that you can probably give some information about those rides. However, can you see...

You have a unique language as a rider. A unique way that you do things when you are with your horse, both on the ground and in the saddle. In fact, every single other rider in the world also has their own unique language. Which is great; special snowflakes and all that. The trouble starts when your horse learns someone's unique language; someone other than you… Once a horse has learned to do somet...

How often do you dismount and honestly have no clue what you just spent the previous 30 minutes working on? If this is happening more often than you want to admit, you're not alone. The good news is that planning can help completely change this. The conversation between you and your horse begins with the conversation already ongoing in your head. Your conversation with yourself. Tapping into that...

Did you know that almost anything you can do from the saddle, with your horse, you can do from the end of the lunge line? And the words lunge line there are important. I often chat with riders who believe in free lunging or loose lunging. They are not lunging! Lunging is when you are using your aids, both natural and artificial, to actively improve your conversation with your horse through your ai...

There is an opportunity right now, as an equestrian, to choose again for you and your horse. To become really intentional about what you want your riding to look like and feel like for you both. Because everything has changed, you are at this unique place where you can change your riding. You can decide what is working for you and what is not, and then build out the coming 6 months to reflect this...

Do you have 5 or 6 poles that you can use in the arena?  They don't have to be the same length or width.  In fact, the more variations you have, the better. If so, I am going to encourage you to ride this exercise a few times this week and begin noticing the differences. It is one of the most simple and effective ways to develop your skills as a rider.  And it will help develop your horse as well…...

As a rider, it can be easy to think that the only way you can improve your skills is to ride.  And yes, riding is important; obviously! However, you can also use lunging as a way to develop your coordination and aids. And not just on the ground, but also to benefit you and your horse when you're in the saddle as well.   Lunging gives you a different perspective when you ride.  And often, this one...

For some reason, many riders have a negative story around artificial aids. And yet, most riders use artificial ads on a daily basis, whether riding or on the ground with their hose.     What is important to remember is that artificial aids are neither positive nor negative.     They just are what they are.  And you can use them to create a positive or negative reinforcement with your horse.  And,...

Both you and I have a voice. I think it is important to begin using our voice right now to help our sport diversify. To change the status quo of what an 'equestrian' looks like. As I write this, early June 2020, it has been a difficult few weeks. So much hurt has been and is being felt by so many people all over the world. It is still being felt right now. And, importantly, it was being felt befor...

Sprinkled liberally all over the arena and every ride. That is how important the half halt is to your riding. However, it is also an important aid on the ground with your horse. And, it consciously practicing it on the ground can really help to clarify the aid for you, as a rider. So many riders think that the half halt is only for the saddle. It is an aid that exclusively happens when communicati...

It's probably one of the first things you were told on your first ride. It is also, for many riders, a misunderstood concept. The truth of 'heels down' is that once you can correctly master it, it is an absolute game-changer for everything else in your riding. It is that important. How much your heel is down will depend on what you are doing at any given time. What doesn't change is that the weigh...

Have you ever thought about what you can feel, in the saddle as you ride your horse? The physical connection points you have with your horse each time you're in the saddle. Often we can become so caught up with our aids and what we 'should' be doing, that we forget to focus on the actual points of physical connection between you and your horse. And the impact these connection points are having on...

So, you've been out of the saddle? And now - you're ready to get back on the horse. Firstly, congratulations! Whether your time on the ground was due to the pandemic or due to some other life circumstance, returning to riding is a great feeling and time in your life.   I personally felt a buzz of anticipation when I got back into the saddle after both of my boys were born.  I made the decision not...

The canter to trot transition is the one transition that so many riders don't ever think about until they are in the midst of it. So much focus and attention are put into getting into the canter, and yet the 'getting out of the canter' is just left to chance.   Today I want to give you a few ideas to work on, in the saddle, before you get into the canter that will help you begin riding a smoother...

The 'New Normal'.  I feel as though we have reached a point where we must begin looking at how we can settle into this period in our lives, rather than wishing for the way things were.  You may have to become the trainer for you and your horse.  I know that many riders are having to now begin, maybe for the first time, be the trainer, the instructor, the chief planner, as well as the rider.   Prog...

As equestrians, we may be at the point where we need to face up an uncomfortable truth; 'normal' may not be returning for quite a while.  Harsh, but true.  Simply put, I feel that this means that this is as good a time as any to begin settling in and making yourself comfortable with this 'new normal'.   For now, anyway. The lives of so many riders have changed dramatically over the course of the p...

Confidence is trusting yourself and your abilities to handle the situation you find yourself in. Right now, we are all finding ourselves in a situation that we have never before found ourselves in.   The COVID-19  outbreak has changed the landscape for most equestrians.   Many riders are no longer able to ride.  Many riders are having to go it alone.  Some for the first time.  All of this is leadi...

This is probably the first time in history that all equestrians find themselves grappling with the same thing. Something has changed for just about everyone.  Ironically it has nothing to do with horses and yet it is directly or indirectly impacting almost every rider... Lockdowns, socially isolating, quarantine and social distancing have become terms that we all not only understand, but most of u...

For many riders, part leasing, renting or sharing a horse is an affordable way to make horse riding possible. With the current turn of events around the globe, I think that many more riders will turn to this method of 'horse ownership' over the coming weeks and months. However, having two or more people sharing a horse has its challenges. This is amplified even more if the riders are at different...

Things are moving fast.  There is an energy that seems blended with so much of what is happening right now, and it is not beneficial energy.  So, what can you, as an equestrian, do to get through this with grace and compassion?   Quite a few things actually.  Here are a few suggestions you can try over the coming weeks…   Read More...   Other resources to help in your riding:- Free Full Weeks Ridi...

The canter can be confusing for many riders. Especially what to do with your seat in the canter. You're told to ride the horse forward with your seat. But you're then told to be 'quiet' with your seat… So which is it? And how can you begin to develop a more effective seat in the canter? I think that canter is the gait that separates 'fit' riders from 'unfit' riders. It is definitely more difficult...

Success has a rhythm. And, as an equestrian, I know that you know a fair bit about rhythm already. As riders, we spend a lot of our time, whether mindful or not, focusing on rhythm. It is one of the most basic principles when it comes to riding. The 'up downs' in trot. Or the '1.2.3. Roll' in canter. Rhythm while on the ground. And the rhythm when working through different movements. Yes, rhythm i...

As I was creating my notes for this episode, it struck me that there is a strong probability that this sounds a lot like Goldilocks!  Too much, too little and 'just right' will come up repeatedly as I begin talking about your hands when you are riding.  Obviously, we are aiming to achieve 'Goldilocks' hands; just right!   But seriously, the reason I recorded this episode is due to so many riders s...

Have you ever begun sorting something out, a room or a wardrobe perhaps?  Halfway through, you find yourself in the middle of a bigger mess than when you began the process.  In fact, it is usually at this point that you begin asking yourself why, in the name of all that is good in the world, did you begin in the first place! Your riding is similar.  Often, as riders, we need to actually realize th...