20/20 Horsemanship

Nuno Oliveira told us: ‘If the horse is happy, everything will be all right; if he is constrained everything will go wrong. And in case that it is necessary to use force, then one enters a domain that does not fit the equestrian art, neither for that matter, in the circle in which civilised people dwell’.
“I urge my readers to apply the aids to help the horse, not to put him in a mould.”
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2024/03/nuno-oliveira-and-his-treasure-trove-of-equestrian-wisdom/

When the entire p*e spot is frozen.

Reflect and Connect For Growth in the Equine CommunityWorkshop Registration Form Please click the link to complete this form.

Check out the newly created riding journal. I am working on putting together a PDF for a mindset discussion and created the journal. Feel free to grab it and share! Please let me know how it helps and if you have any feedback.
As always, stay safe and happy riding!

http://ridinglessons.online

One of the biggest keys to mastering the art of riding across equestrian disciplines is how well…and how CLEARLY…you can deliver your aids. The more consistent and precise your signals are, the more likely your horse will learn, understand and respond effectively. Imagine if you were weighing yourself, getting on and off the scale, and it gave you a different number each time? Or you had a calculator that gave you a different answer to each calculation you put in? You’d probably stop trusting the reliability of those things. Same for your horse. If your aids are always messy, inconsistent and all over the place, they’re just going to stop listening. It becomes noise. So we NEED our aids to be clear. Relatively consistent and relatively reliable. Able to move one body part independently WITHOUT spilling into another. And from where I sit, the process of developing clear and independent aids STARTS with your own body awareness. If you’re not sure where your joints are, where your weight is placed, or how you’re moving in space, it’s nearly impossible to deliver consistent and effective aids in the tack. That’s why some of the best ways to build this awareness and control start OFF the horse. Training mobility drills, resistance training, yoga, Pilates, dance—whatever resonates with you—helps you create a more precise map of how your body is positioned and how to move it exactly as you intend. The more reps we can do of things, with feedback (both visually and tactile), the more accurate the “map” of our body in our brain becomes. Next time you’re warming up, take five minutes while walking your horse on a loose rein to practice. Can you move your ankle independently from your leg? Can your lower leg move without affecting your upper leg? Can you control your upper leg without shifting your low back? Isolating and refining these movements builds body awareness and, that’s going to translate to better accuracy for your body position in the saddle.

Big thanks to

Rebecca Myrick

for all your support! Congrats for being a top fan on a streak 🔥!

Huge sale-it all must go!
Horseware blankets, halters, girths, saddles, feed buckets and more! You name it we probably have it ! Stay tuned for pics and descriptions!

We are launching a new branch of 20/20 Horsemanship!

The Riding Instructor’s Academy

The objective is to get information and guidance into the hands of instructors who may be struggling, inexperienced, or feel otherwise ineffective.

Based on my nearly 20 years of teaching, I see and hear the same things over and over again from students who rode elsewhere prior to meeting me.

‘Oh, I never heard that before.’
‘Noone ever told me what LEG meant! Thanks for explaining that’
‘I didn’t know there was a CUE to ask for canter!’
‘You mean I shouldn’t kick him?’
‘You’re kidding. I don’t need to use reins for steering? ? ‘
‘Omg this is so much easier!’
‘It just FEELS better than kicking’
‘You’re actually going to converse with me DURING my lesson?’

We are almost finished with our first product, a guidebook for instructors. Next up is a workbook to pair it with. Then an ebook and a full blown course. We are super excited to offer this!

Just a teaser announcement, we are also working on a version for students. Primarily those who are riding lesson horses. Stay tuned!

The Riding Instructor’s Academy Our method will assist you in enhancing the self awareness of your students. Unmounted changes make lasting habits!

A list of things I wish people knew before taking riding lessons (or signing up their child):

Approach a horse from the side/shoulder.

Scratch (rather than pet) the neck.

Riding correctly is a lifelong journey.

Learning and understanding horses is a life long journey.

Riding is hard.

After you can walk trot and canter you can really learn to ride and are now a beginner.

A rider must move with the horse. Being still inhibits his movement.

Riding cannot be your only fitness activity. You must be strong and fit to ride well. And have good control and coordination of your body parts.

A helmet is a required piece of equipment. Let’s rephrase that. A good helmet is a required piece of equipment. Ask the teacher what to buy and how to measure and fit it.

A rider needs to wear riding tights or breeches. There is a reason riders wear the clothes they wear.

Your riding instructor likely works very hard. A cold drink (or hot) is a very welcome and appreciated gesture.

Riding can be expensive. You pay for the instructor’s time which includes the knowledge they have and all they have done to gain it. AND the horse’s time, energy, wear on his feet or shoes, equipment, the cleaning of his equipment. The overhead is immense. Stabling, shavings, feed and hay, farriers, vets, arena footing and maintenance and more. It’s a wonder anyone does this.

Offering to do something around the barn to help after your lesson is a lovely idea. IF you have experience around horses and are above the age of 12.

Riders have an affect on how the horse moves.

It is always the rider’s fault. Never the horse’s. Always.

You will fall.

Safety stirrups are a thing.

Even kids need sunglasses.

There is more but I will leave that for the next PUBLICE SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT.