My riding instructor is AMAZING but sometimes without a visual I have a really hard time understanding the movements, I really overthink. Your videos are wonderful to watch before I ride independently to refresh what I was taught or to help me understand something I might be struggling with. I can not wait for your book to arrive!! Stay in the Saddle. It will be nice to have you right in the arena with me when my personal instructor can not be!
I agree. I normally ride Hunter/jumper but I took a dressage lesson and was so confused without the visual.. her just telling me verbally wasn’t clicking. Ha
Thank you for this video! I really enjoy when your content sort of "makes a bridge" over from what is taught when we first start riding, and how things should be when we start to get more comfortable on the horse.
When sharpening a knife, just thinking about the tip or the edge is enough to visibly change where the knife meets the stone. (something I only learned after about 25 years of sharpening) I can see, with an aware horse and an aware rider, how the slightest movement from center becomes a command.
I LOVE the details in your explanations. it's so important to not only know how to do what we need to do but to understand why. Thank you so much for these videos. ❤️🐴
The horse I’m leasing currently has a tendency to cut the corners after the long wall, particularly on right rein. I’m going to try this technique to keep her closer to the wall and not drift into the inside 🤞🏻 I’ve struggled as a new-ish rider with this exact skill
Thank you so much, Callie! I've been working on my steering in my lessons. I have a tendency to turn my shoulder too much, as you mentioned. I'm going to work on using my center more for steering. :)
Very helpful. I just found your channel today. After hearing you explain the steering in such an understandable and clear fashion, I subscribed. Can't wait to try this tomorrow.
Very nice!!! I'm 67, and have ridden pleasure for many years. Recently moved back to English saddle, and balance has been as issue. Love your explanations of stirring, balance, correcting. Thank you...Can't wait to try the thumb movement!
Great video as always! I love the turning of the thumb. I remember an instructor telling me this a year or so ago and forgot about it. It's really helpful.
When I was in college, I took a dressage 101 class as an elective. My experience was Western which is all about neck reining. What I learned was that is it very difficult to learn these skills from listening and watching another person doing the riding. You almost need to see each move done and then practice it without having to know all the steps completely. You have to feel it in your own body otherwise it makes no sense. "Opening, softening, shifting" mean nothing until you feel what they in motion. And my impression was that the less visible movement on the part of the rider, the better. The instructor was constantly yelling at us to "keep your legs back! Keep your hands down! Look at where you are going and the horse will go there!" It was no fun for me or the horse.
so agree i need a video that zooms into the hands and feet positions both correctly and poorly that i can pause. I am new and really struggling with steering.
Hi Callie. I've only watched for a few minuites, but what's caught my attention is that as a teacher of Tai Chi, this is one of the first things I teach my students - starting to shift your weight a split second before you take a step. Really interesting.
Great lesson! Love this Calli 😊 I will work on changing the lessening the pressure in my hand more and use the position of my body more as a direction guidance 👏🏼
No more cuing the horse for the turn like "riding a bicycle" (give with outside hand and take with inside hand). Initiate the turn with looking in the direction wanting to go; slightly turn my body from the mid-section with shoulders and hips over and under the mid-section; slight pressure with my outside leg slightly behind the girth; establishing a rhythm to the horses forward motion with slight use of my inside leg. This will cause the horse to turn more naturally as he will be turning by moving his shoulder and front legs first, not being "dragged around turn by his nose".
That's nice. I will change my steering aids by using less leg bumping to not create a dull horse. I will think and than look and than turn from my core
I love your videos!! One thing I’ve noticed is that I have a hard time steering in the canter! I’m just learning canter and I have a hard time keeping my legs steady and being able to use them while I’m cantering! Any tips?
I’m no professional, but are you taking lessons? You could consider going on the lunge line so you have more time to learn how to fold your hips and moving with the canter. Don’t focus on keeping still but the opposite, using your hips and upper body to slightly rock with the horse. When the horse comes up, you lean foreward, and when the horse is finishing the stride, you should be balancing more behind. Don’t pinch anywhere and focus on contact with your inner thighs & not knees
Jen is right, some lunge work will really help! That's about where I am right now, I can't even sit in rhythm with the canter yet, nevermind the steering, haha! A round pen or lunge line is great for canter work! P.s- had my lesson today, and I did it!!! I sat the canter! Now I finally know what it feels like, so I can visualize properly and the videos will make sense now, FINALLY!!! Sorry, I am excited, haha!
According to the other ones, I also think that getting your heels lower makes you feel more contact with the horse's body, which helps to maintain your leg more still. I don't know why, but only one of my legs flop around, I thought it could be because of a shortned tendon I have on that leg, but it shouldn't make my leg swing that much, but even so, I'm starting my physiotherapy to see if I can elongate that tendon and make my legs more supple Check a doctor to see if that's your case
I had the same problem, and I've tried to figure out what I'm doing wrong for almost the year;) And this summer I found the solution - to have your legs steady, you need to .. relax them:) What you need to do, is to stop tighten your knees, and just allow them to follow horse rythm. But the other aspect of this relaxing - is, that you need also relax your hips:) What I can propose you to do before you start doing it during the canter - is to do it while you are sitting on your horse during walk. Just observe with your 'inner eye' and with your feeling how your body is moving when you relax your whole body and allow arms and especially elbow, and legs just to hang. Feel how your hips are moving while the horse is moving forward. The one thing you need to remind yourself all the time, is to being aware where the pate is (I mean the very end of your head - this point on the top of your head, that is situated above your spine. You need to feel it - simply stand straight, look ahead - your eyes are focused on the point over horizont - and then put you hand on your head and feel the highest point. It is NOT in the middle of your head looking from front to back. It is moved more to back - ca 2/3 of the lenght.). This point should be always up as if you will have the line pin to this point and someone is pulling this line up. This visualisation will help you to have spine elongate (not straight) and therefore more flexible and relaxed (nota bene - even when your horse is bucking - this helps to avoid of fall, because it helps to keep your balance). When you are in canter - you should have exactly the same feeling-you body is moving as much as your horse is asking. No more, no less - because this breaks the natural rythm (but is usefull for down transition and for slowing down the horse movement). I hope this will help:)
HorseClass is amazing, but I prefer to watch different explanations - because different people are explaining in different way. And for gripping the legs this movie was extremely helpfull for me: th-cam.com/video/oC4etA2vI_U/w-d-xo.html Have a nice practice!:)
Thank you for the very thoughtful presentation! I am trying to get balance in the posting trot and have a problem with leaning into the turn. Any tips for training that out of me? Or balancing exercises to do on the ground? Thanks!
Same! I always tend to lean inside of the circle/turn, and posting while leaning to the inside its very difficult. I find that if I don't lean to the inside I think I'll fall to the outside, and it really happens when I go up to the canter, which is very stressful in a higher speed, or even in a gallop
Something that worked for me was something I learned from yoga - think about lifting up as if someone is pulling you up by a string through the top of your head - so basically you lift up from your belly button even if you are also putting a little more weight in the stirrup on your inside through your lower leg.
I will mention here what worked for me to correct that -- I"m sure someone has something better, though. if you have a trainer or someone you trust on the ground, a great exercise for stability is the hands-free trot! You have someone in the center longlining your horse, while you on its back are riding sans-reins. You can go through different hand/arm positions to increase difficulty...e.g. first keep them in riding position, then perhaps straight in front of you, then out to the side, then straight up, then moving through all positions as you sit the trot. It REALLY teaches you to 1) not pull on the reins to correct imbalance (because you don't have any reins! lol) and 2) to keep proper form in a turn. After you feel comfortable doing all of this, you can move on to things like weighted exercises, where you actually hold small (usually ball shaped) weights in front/behind/to the side of you as you sit & post the trot. This was immensely helpful at developing balance in a controlled manner for me. I'm too old to learn my lessons getting bucked off :D
I like your video and this is want I'm doing with and can I ask you is it is good for me to go in out of cone with I'm ride ing my horse thank Nannette
I got a horse a week ago, but when i try to turn her to the arena wall on the right lead, she starts to side past every single time , even when my leg is not on her. I really don't know if it is me or my horse, im really trying, but every single time i ride her in the arena, i end up getting really frustrated or crying.
How do you get a horse to turn left right and reverse and walk without having each side of the reins cross the horses neck? That is left hand and left rein must be left side of the horses neck and right hand and right rein to the right of the horses neck.
Uh - no- The horse must look in the direction they are going.. To do so they need to be at least partly ,' bit reined,' - that way. That is the rider is responsible for moving their inside hand in the direction he wants the horse to travel in.. The above instructor seems to be like lots show system types stuck in the magic of the outside rein somehow causing the horse to look away from it.. Doesn't work- But it got adopted that way cuz the German Nazis liked it and after they warped the spine of classical dressage into the Olympic show system, and because they rode dead headed draft horse crosses, they were able to get away with this crap. best Bruce Peek
8 หลายเดือนก่อน
I am going to focus on my navel, center myself, use thumbs to point in direction, be looser not open shoulder too much
Callie, I'm not sure that you read these, but you really are a wonderful teacher! Thank you for breaking down the basics so well! ~Holly
My riding instructor is AMAZING but sometimes without a visual I have a really hard time understanding the movements, I really overthink. Your videos are wonderful to watch before I ride independently to refresh what I was taught or to help me understand something I might be struggling with. I can not wait for your book to arrive!! Stay in the Saddle. It will be nice to have you right in the arena with me when my personal instructor can not be!
I agree. I normally ride Hunter/jumper but I took a dressage lesson and was so confused without the visual.. her just telling me verbally wasn’t clicking. Ha
Thank you for this video! I really enjoy when your content sort of "makes a bridge" over from what is taught when we first start riding, and how things should be when we start to get more comfortable on the horse.
Fabulous! This corrects my misinterpretations of riding buzz words that have made me think I'm a slow learner. "From Center" makes so much sense!
This is one of my favorite videos. I love the illustration.
Had my first riding lesson this weekend and your video helped me tremendously. Thank you very much for making horseback riding so much easier ❤️🌹
When sharpening a knife, just thinking about the tip or the edge is enough to visibly change where the knife meets the stone. (something I only learned after about 25 years of sharpening)
I can see, with an aware horse and an aware rider, how the slightest movement from center becomes a command.
I'm a beginner and I remember not long ago I was so proud of myself for making a smooth turn while trotting, I barely slowed down :D
This is the best video lesson on steering I have seen - incremental and in close.
Thanks.
I LOVE the details in your explanations. it's so important to not only know how to do what we need to do but to understand why. Thank you so much for these videos. ❤️🐴
The horse I’m leasing currently has a tendency to cut the corners after the long wall, particularly on right rein. I’m going to try this technique to keep her closer to the wall and not drift into the inside 🤞🏻 I’ve struggled as a new-ish rider with this exact skill
My I structure has been trying to get this into my head but the way u explained it make sense ! Thank you!
You explained it perfectly! Thank you!
Fabulous! Easy to understand and to apply right away. Thank you!
Great tips and easy to understand. I'll be passing this along to my beginner students. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Callie! I've been working on my steering in my lessons. I have a tendency to turn my shoulder too much, as you mentioned. I'm going to work on using my center more for steering. :)
Very helpful. I just found your channel today. After hearing you explain the steering in such an understandable and clear fashion, I subscribed. Can't wait to try this tomorrow.
Very nice!!! I'm 67, and have ridden pleasure for many years. Recently moved back to English saddle, and balance has been as issue. Love your explanations of stirring, balance, correcting. Thank you...Can't wait to try the thumb movement!
Great video as always! I love the turning of the thumb. I remember an instructor telling me this a year or so ago and forgot about it. It's really helpful.
This is absolutely brilliant! Will try for the first time tomorrow ❤
I have been working on this. Thanks for breaking it down in an easy to understand way.
Hi Callie. How do you turn and do circles when in a 2-point position?
When I was in college, I took a dressage 101 class as an elective. My experience was Western which is all about neck reining. What I learned was that is it very difficult to learn these skills from listening and watching another person doing the riding. You almost need to see each move done and then practice it without having to know all the steps completely. You have to feel it in your own body otherwise it makes no sense. "Opening, softening, shifting" mean nothing until you feel what they in motion. And my impression was that the less visible movement on the part of the rider, the better. The instructor was constantly yelling at us to "keep your legs back! Keep your hands down! Look at where you are going and the horse will go there!" It was no fun for me or the horse.
so agree i need a video that zooms into the hands and feet positions both correctly and poorly that i can pause. I am new and really struggling with steering.
Always a pleasure to watch your videos
Hi Callie. I've only watched for a few minuites, but what's caught my attention is that as a teacher of Tai Chi, this is one of the first things I teach my students - starting to shift your weight a split second before you take a step. Really interesting.
Hi thanks again for this video ! What would be the right steering from standing still walking straight forward ? thanks for considering🎉
Great lesson! Love this Calli 😊 I will work on changing the lessening the pressure in my hand more and use the position of my body more as a direction guidance 👏🏼
No more cuing the horse for the turn like "riding a bicycle" (give with outside hand and take with inside hand). Initiate the turn with looking in the direction wanting to go; slightly turn my body from the mid-section with shoulders and hips over and under the mid-section; slight pressure with my outside leg slightly behind the girth; establishing a rhythm to the horses forward motion with slight use of my inside leg. This will cause the horse to turn more naturally as he will be turning by moving his shoulder and front legs first, not being "dragged around turn by his nose".
Thank you. Really good advice 👍👍
That's nice. I will change my steering aids by using less leg bumping to not create a dull horse. I will think and than look and than turn from my core
Well said! Thank you for the detailed explainations and well rounded coverage of all the aspects of guiding a.horse.
Thank you 🙏
Excellent
I love your videos!! One thing I’ve noticed is that I have a hard time steering in the canter! I’m just learning canter and I have a hard time keeping my legs steady and being able to use them while I’m cantering! Any tips?
I’m no professional, but are you taking lessons? You could consider going on the lunge line so you have more time to learn how to fold your hips and moving with the canter. Don’t focus on keeping still but the opposite, using your hips and upper body to slightly rock with the horse. When the horse comes up, you lean foreward, and when the horse is finishing the stride, you should be balancing more behind.
Don’t pinch anywhere and focus on contact with your inner thighs & not knees
Jen is right, some lunge work will really help!
That's about where I am right now, I can't even sit in rhythm with the canter yet, nevermind the steering, haha!
A round pen or lunge line is great for canter work!
P.s- had my lesson today, and I did it!!!
I sat the canter!
Now I finally know what it feels like, so I can visualize properly and the videos will make sense now, FINALLY!!!
Sorry, I am excited, haha!
According to the other ones, I also think that getting your heels lower makes you feel more contact with the horse's body, which helps to maintain your leg more still. I don't know why, but only one of my legs flop around, I thought it could be because of a shortned tendon I have on that leg, but it shouldn't make my leg swing that much, but even so, I'm starting my physiotherapy to see if I can elongate that tendon and make my legs more supple
Check a doctor to see if that's your case
I had the same problem, and I've tried to figure out what I'm doing wrong for almost the year;) And this summer I found the solution - to have your legs steady, you need to .. relax them:)
What you need to do, is to stop tighten your knees, and just allow them to follow horse rythm. But the other aspect of this relaxing - is, that you need also relax your hips:) What I can propose you to do before you start doing it during the canter - is to do it while you are sitting on your horse during walk. Just observe with your 'inner eye' and with your feeling how your body is moving when you relax your whole body and allow arms and especially elbow, and legs just to hang. Feel how your hips are moving while the horse is moving forward. The one thing you need to remind yourself all the time, is to being aware where the pate is (I mean the very end of your head - this point on the top of your head, that is situated above your spine. You need to feel it - simply stand straight, look ahead - your eyes are focused on the point over horizont - and then put you hand on your head and feel the highest point. It is NOT in the middle of your head looking from front to back. It is moved more to back - ca 2/3 of the lenght.). This point should be always up as if you will have the line pin to this point and someone is pulling this line up. This visualisation will help you to have spine elongate (not straight) and therefore more flexible and relaxed (nota bene - even when your horse is bucking - this helps to avoid of fall, because it helps to keep your balance). When you are in canter - you should have exactly the same feeling-you body is moving as much as your horse is asking. No more, no less - because this breaks the natural rythm (but is usefull for down transition and for slowing down the horse movement).
I hope this will help:)
HorseClass is amazing, but I prefer to watch different explanations - because different people are explaining in different way. And for gripping the legs this movie was extremely helpfull for me: th-cam.com/video/oC4etA2vI_U/w-d-xo.html
Have a nice practice!:)
Excellent!
Thank you!
Can I ask how do I get my horse to counter thank you Nannette
Thank you for the very thoughtful presentation! I am trying to get balance in the posting trot and have a problem with leaning into the turn. Any tips for training that out of me? Or balancing exercises to do on the ground? Thanks!
Same! I always tend to lean inside of the circle/turn, and posting while leaning to the inside its very difficult. I find that if I don't lean to the inside I think I'll fall to the outside, and it really happens when I go up to the canter, which is very stressful in a higher speed, or even in a gallop
Something that worked for me was something I learned from yoga - think about lifting up as if someone is pulling you up by a string through the top of your head - so basically you lift up from your belly button even if you are also putting a little more weight in the stirrup on your inside through your lower leg.
I will mention here what worked for me to correct that -- I"m sure someone has something better, though. if you have a trainer or someone you trust on the ground, a great exercise for stability is the hands-free trot! You have someone in the center longlining your horse, while you on its back are riding sans-reins. You can go through different hand/arm positions to increase difficulty...e.g. first keep them in riding position, then perhaps straight in front of you, then out to the side, then straight up, then moving through all positions as you sit the trot. It REALLY teaches you to 1) not pull on the reins to correct imbalance (because you don't have any reins! lol) and 2) to keep proper form in a turn. After you feel comfortable doing all of this, you can move on to things like weighted exercises, where you actually hold small (usually ball shaped) weights in front/behind/to the side of you as you sit & post the trot. This was immensely helpful at developing balance in a controlled manner for me. I'm too old to learn my lessons getting bucked off :D
Very informative
I like your video and this is want I'm doing with and can I ask you is it is good for me to go in out of cone with I'm ride ing my horse thank Nannette
I got a horse a week ago, but when i try to turn her to the arena wall on the right lead, she starts to side past every single time , even when my leg is not on her. I really don't know if it is me or my horse, im really trying, but every single time i ride her in the arena, i end up getting really frustrated or crying.
How do you get a horse to turn left right and reverse and walk without having each side of the reins cross the horses neck? That is left hand and left rein must be left side of the horses neck and right hand and right rein to the right of the horses neck.
What breed is this horse?
Looks like a morgan
I have a horse that he puts his head down what can l do
I feel that if I do this, I allow him to go through my inside leg and build a wall (restriction) with my outside leg
Ellie’s too cute. She’s like an oversized pony.
Im the horse Hiii
It would be easier if you didn't bother with the wrong way and get right to the correct way.
Uh - no- The horse must look in the direction they are going.. To do so they need to be at least partly ,' bit reined,' - that way. That is the rider is responsible for moving their inside hand in the direction he wants the horse to travel in.. The above instructor seems to be like lots show system types stuck in the magic of the outside rein somehow causing the horse to look away from it.. Doesn't work- But it got adopted that way cuz the German Nazis liked it and after they warped the spine of classical dressage into the Olympic show system, and because they rode dead headed draft horse crosses, they were able to get away with this crap.
best
Bruce Peek
I am going to focus on my navel, center myself, use thumbs to point in direction, be looser not open shoulder too much