Tag Archives: dressage

Jane Savoie: Canter leads

Posted on November 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

How do I Get My Horse To Pick Up the Correct Canter Lead Every Time?

Jane Savoie and 'Moshi'

Do you struggle getting your horse to pick up one of his canter leads? If so, here are some tips and exercises to help you with this all too common problem.

The first exercise is done completely in the walk. It’s great rider coordination exercise. You’ll practice positioning your horse alternately for the left lead and then switch to the right lead after
a few strides.

Let’s say you decided to pick up left lead:

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Can You Tell the Difference Between When Your Horse Runs and When He Lengthens?

Posted on November 17, 2009 | Leave a comment

Jane Savoie and Moshi

Answer by Jane Savoie: People often ask me to explain the difference between “running” and “lengthenings”. In fact, in this article I’m also going to describe the difference between running, lengthenings, medium gaits, and extended gaits.

1. Running– When you ask your horse to lengthen his strides and frame, and you hear his tempo (the rate of the repetition of the rhythm) get QUICKER, he’s not lengthening. He’s just running.

2. Lengthenings– In a good lengthening, your horse lengthens his stride and frame to the utmost he can at this relatively early stage of training (around 1st Level) WHILE staying in the same rhythm and tempo. He ends up covering more ground with each stride.

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What do I (and my mare) need to know for lower level dressage? How can I evaluate my foal for dressage?

Posted on June 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

Question: I’m interested in beginning to do some lower level dressage with my mare. I know there are terms like extended trot, but what are some other major terms that I would need to know? What types of movements would my mare need to be able to do in order to go through lower level and the more advanced levels? I also have a newborn foal who I think would do well at dressage but I’m not sure. How can I tell whether or not the foal will excel at dressage just by watching him play and run in the pasture with his dam?

Answer from April Reeves, Horseman’s U.com: Lower level dressage is called the ‘Training Levels’, and is judged on the basic foundation a horse is trained to. Those basics include:

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Can a Dressage rider benefit from Natural Horsemanship?

Posted on November 17, 2008 | 2 comments

Question: I have been a traditional English rider for almost 30 years now. I am currently at level 2 dressage, but hope to go higher with this horse. I have also ridden the hunter circuits.

My question to you is I have no real information on how Natural Horsemanship works with the English riders. My dressage gelding right now displays some rather undesirable manners. Would learning NH help us, and is there a way English traditional riders can learn this. I’m not interested in the ‘cowboy’ way.

My trainer is also curious about whether or not NH could be integrated into our programs.

From April Reeves: Thank you for this question! Yes, Natural Horsemanship can and should be a part of all English disciplines, and especially so since many of the horses are much larger and full of personality.

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Posted in English Riding answers, General riding answers, Natural Horsemanship

Tagged adiva murphy, April Reeves, dressage, english riding, Natural Horsemanship