Tag Archives: Horse Training

Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Jane Savoie, Training/Clinics

Motivation from Moshi no. 44, by Jane Savoie

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A new pony came to the barn today! He’s a real showy fellow with a big attitude and joyous energy. It feels good having him here. I love being around him.

Did you know that you feel other people’s energy? Everyone does. We can’t help it. So if you’re feeling grouchy, everyone around you will feel it and may become grouchy too. If you’re feeling happy, you can brighten up a room just be being there.

What are you? Are you the light in the room or the grinch who brings everyone down? You can decide. Even if you feel grouchy, you can pretend to feel great, and soon you WILL feel great! You get to choose!

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Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Jane Savoie, Training/Clinics

Motivation from Moshi no. 43, by Jane Savoie

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I just love show season. I’ve worked all summer long to get ready for the winter shows in Florida. There’s something about the camaraderie of the horses and the people that make a show feel like a special party.

Do you feel that way about showing?

Not everyone does. Some people get really stressed at shows. They know they’re being watched and judged, and it makes them squirm. That’s a natural reaction. We’re all conditioned to worry about what others think about us. And a show is the one place where you’re actually asking for someone to judge and openly “criticize” you.

If you’re trying to figure out what the judge is thinking about while he or she watches you, you’re creating a feedback loop that takes you out of the moment. Instead of concentrating on your ride, your mind has to make a full circle to think about what the judge is watching. As you try to see through the judge’s eyes, it’s hard to pay attention to what you and your horse are doing. WHEW! It’s confusing just to describe it!

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Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Jane Savoie, Training/Clinics

News from Jane Savoie: Canter Questions Answered

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Over the next two months, I’m going to address some common canter questions. This month I’ll talk about the aids for the upward transition to the canter. Next month, we’ll look at the aids for the downward transition.

Question: What do I do with my outside leg to ask for the canter?

Answer: Swing your outside leg back once, and then bring it back to its normal position on the girth. Think of it as a spring-loaded action or a windshield wiper action.

If you wait for your horse to answer, he’s not listening to your leg aid. If he doesn’t canter right away, give him a little bump with your outside leg or tap him with the whip. (Carry your whip in the outside hand for the canter work so you can use it to reinforce your outside leg aid.) Then ask for the depart again.

As soon as he responds immediately to this quick aid, reward him.

You can teach him to canter by holding your outside leg back, but when you start doing half passes in the trot your horse might get confused. He won’t know whether to stay in the trot and go sideways for a half pass or pick up the canter. It’s easier to teach him to canter from an aid that only means canter depart, rather than to teach him to canter from that aid and then have to reschool him when you get to trot half passes.

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Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, JRPR, Products/Services, Training/Clinics, World Equestrian Games

Dressage Rider and World Equestrian Games Competitor Tina Konyot Speaks at Sho Clothes “Shop Talk”

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Tina Konyot, dressage rider and World Equestrian Games competitor, is pictured with Michele Hundt of Sho Clothes. Tina spoke to a packed house at Sho Clothes dressage boutique’s recent “Shop Talk.” (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (December 9, 2010) – Tina Konyot, dressage rider and World Equestrian Games competitor, spoke to a packed house at Sho Clothes dressage boutique’s recent “Shop Talk.” An energetic and well-educated crowd listened to Konyot speak about her experience at the 2010 WEG, the transition from the Small Tour to Grand Prix and her stallion Calecto V.

“Tina was fascinating to listen to and I know everyone in the audience enjoyed learning about her experience with Calecto, a horse that she trained by herself and took all the way to the World Equestrian Games,” said Michele Hundt of Sho Clothes. “Tina was also able to field questions from the audience and they really appreciated her feedback.”

During her talk, Konyot explained that Calecto was only an average performer while on the Small Tour but that she believed he would excel in the Grand Prix. Calecto not only excelled, but made history during the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions, a Selection Trial for WEG, when together he and Tina won four Grand Prix classes.

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Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, JRPR, Training/Clinics, Western/Reining

Pat Parelli Demonstrates Training Methods at the International Dressage Forum in Portugal

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Pat Parelli, founder of the Pat Parelli Program, was invited to demonstrate his natural horsemanship techniques at the two-day International Dressage Forum at the Academide de Dressage in Portugal. (Photo courtesy of the Pat Parelli Program)

Arruda dos Vinhos, Portugal (December 6, 2010) – Pat Parelli may be an American cowboy, but that didn’t stop him from wowing the world’s greatest dressage riders and trainers at the two-day International Dressage Forum at the Academide de Dressage in Portugal. Parelli, who has an international following and is considered one of the founders of the natural horsemanship movement, was invited to participate in the Dressage Forum by Mariette Whitages, “O” Judge and former chairman of the FEI Dressage Committee.

Parelli was part of an international list of respected trainers, riders, judges and breeders at the forum, including Edward Gal, Kyra Kyrkland, Sven Rothenberger and Hans Riegler. Whitages invited Parelli so the internationally renowned horseman could share his revealing insights into the horse’s mind and his concepts on keeping equine athletes happy.

Parelli held the elite dressage audience spellbound as he worked with a Lusitano stallion that was afraid of a longe whip. In quick order, Parelli showed how to get the stallion over his fear of the whip and to trust and pay attention using a natural approach that took the stallion’s individual personality into consideration.

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Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Jane Savoie, Products/Services, Publications/Media, Training/Clinics

Happy Horse Had a Baby!… And It’s Called Happy Horse Solutions

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Have you ever thought that your horse is being uncooperative if he picks up the wrong lead, comes above the bit in transitions, or ignores your leg?

Often the problem isn’t disobedience on your horse’s part. Sometimes your horse seems unwilling simply because your aids are jumbled, confusing, or unclear.

Because the aids are unclear, he has to try to figure out what you really want. And if he chooses the wrong thing, it’s natural to think he’s being uncooperative or disobedient.

Plus it can get very confusing when you hear a lot of different things from different trainers. And if YOU’RE confused, you can be sure your horse is confused.

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Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, JRPR, Training/Clinics, Western/Reining

Dressage Training Online Founder Helps Launch Website for Reiners – ReiningTrainingOnline.com

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Trainer Jordan Larson is one of the trainers who will be participating in the new reining website. (Photo courtesy of Dressage Training Online.)

Alamo, CA (November 23, 2010) – Dressage enthusiasts around the world have spent the last three years benefitting from the world’s premier online training resource, DressageTrainingOnline.com (DTO), featuring a vast array of training videos. Now reining enthusiasts will have a similar website, ReiningTrainingOnline.com, which will be dedicated to the sport of reining and feature a video library and virtual training.

Reisa Bonetti, founder of DressageTrainingOnline.com, is assisting with the launch of the ReiningTrainingOnline.com (RTO) website through the parent company Enthusiast Training Online.com. “ReiningTrainingOnline.com consists of George Kiss, Martha Torkington, Lorie Sapergia and Cody Sapergia, and will launch in November of 2010,” Bonetti said. “Reining, which is enjoying its first year as an Olympic discipline, is in a prime position of growth and development.”

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Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, JRPR, Training/Clinics, World Equestrian Games

WEG Competitor Tina Konyot to Teach Dressage Clinic at Waterbury Dressage Center

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Dressage rider Tina Konyot will teach a clinic at Waterbury Dressage Center near New York City, December 10-12. (Photo Courtesy of phelpsphoto.com)

Warwick, NY (November 15, 2010) – Dressage rider Tina Konyot, who represented the United States at the 2010 World Equestrian Games on her magnificent stallion Calecto V, will be giving a dressage clinic at Waterbury Dressage Center, a world-class dressage facility near New York City. The Tina Konyot Clinic will be held December 10-12 and room is available for auditors.

“Tina is fabulous and I ride with her every time I get the chance. She has probably trained more Grand Prix horses from start to finish than any other woman in the country,” said Kathryn Theallet, FEI rider, owner and trainer at Waterbury. “Tina is a coach’s coach and she can really teach you how to get the most out of your horse.”

The clinic will feature riders from novice to the advance level, including FEI level dressage riders and trainers Theallet and Katja Eilers who will be participating in the clinic at the Grand Prix level. “Our students will also be participating in the clinic at the FEI level,” Theallet said, adding that an additional strong point of Konyot’s is working with problem horses.

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Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Jane Savoie, Training/Clinics

Nine Quick Tips to Help You Sit the Trot, by Jane Savoie

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One of the most frequently asked questions I get is, “Can you help me sit the trot better?” The following tips will help you with this all-too-common challenge:

  1. First and foremost, your horse needs to be on the bit. If his back is hollow, stiff, or tight, you’ll find it impossible to sit comfortably — and, in turn, you’ll make your horse uncomfortable too!
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Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Equestrian Assistance, Racing Sources, Training/Clinics, Western/Reining

Curb Your Enthusiasm

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Dennis Moreland shows the one-buckle leather curb strap commonly used on snaffle bits.

Curb straps and chains are an integral part of the bridle.

Curb straps or chains send very important signals to the horse. When a rider picks up on the reins, a shank bit will begin to rotate in the horse’s mouth. Then the curb will come up against the horse’s chin and stop the bit action. It says “Whoa.”

Whatever kind of curb you use, it’s important to have it adjusted correctly. If you’re using a curb chain, make sure the links are laying flat. And you’ll want to adjust it so you can get a couple of fingers underneath it. If it’s too loose, the bit shanks will be able to come all the way back before the curb ever touches the horse. And if it’s too tight, it can pull the bit shanks forward.

  1. There are a variety of curbs on the market. The most popular is a two-buckle curb chain with leather on each side. A basic curb chain has stainless-steel buckles and a stainless-steel chain. It’s a good all-around piece of tack and is very easy on the horse.
  2. The “dog chain curb” is also very popular. It’s a small chain with nylon tie strings. It is more severe than the flat curb chain. You’ll fasten these onto the bit with bowline knots, just like you use to tie a rope halter. There is a safety issue with these curb chains; when you put one on your bridle, be sure to check it the first few times you ride. Once the knots are pulled down good, they will be set, but sometimes they’ll slip at first.
  3. The two-buckle leather curb strap is very mild, and a lot of times, people use these on young horses who are just being introduced to a shank bit.
  4. The one-buckle leather curb strap is used on snaffle bits. It actually doesn’t have any curb action and never touches the horse’s chin. Its only purpose is to keep the snaffle-bit rings from being pulled through the horse’s mouth. Make sure the curb strap is put on the bit below the reins. (Note the pieces of garden hose on the reins. I use these as martingale stops.)

By Dennis Moreland in America’s Horse

American Quarter Horse Association
1600 Quarter Horse Drive
Amarillo, TX 79104