Archive for the ‘Recreation and Sports’ Category

Do you ever feel like your dressage horse’s shoulders are so stiff and stuck that not only is it hard to turn him, but his hindquarters are disconnected from his front end?

If your horse’s shoulders are stuck, it’s like having a kink in a water hose. The energy can’t flow from behind, over the back, into your hands where it can then be recycled back to the hind legs.

Here are two shoulder suppling exercises for you to try with your stiff horse.

1. Make a 20-meter box with 4 corners in the walk.

o To give you more control of your dressage horse’s shoulders, do the exercise in counter flexion. (That is, you’ll just barely see his outside eye or nostril.)

o If you’re going to the left, ask for right counter flexion with your right wrist. Stay in counter flexion during the entire exercise.

o At the first corner, bring both hands to the left to swivel your horse’s shoulders around the corner.

o Then, soften the contact without letting the reins get loopy.

o After the corner, walk straight ahead in counter-flexion.

o At the next corner, bring both hands to the left again.

o Do this in all four corners.

o As your horse’s shoulders become more supple, it’ll get easier to spin his

shoulders around the turn without meeting resistance.

o You can tell there’s no resistance when the weight in your hands stays the same as you swivel your horse’s shoulders around the corner.

2. Ride down the long side of the ring, and move your dressage horse’s shoulders slightly to the left and right.

o Walk down the long side of arena.

o Flex your horse at the poll opposite the direction you’ll be moving his shoulders. For example, when riding to the left, ask for a counter flexion to the right by turning your right wrist. Then, take both hands to left to slide your horse’s shoulders over. Move the shoulders over only 1-2 inches.

o Now change to a correct flexion by turning your left wrist.

o Move both arms to the right to pop the shoulders back out to the track.

o Smoothly and fluidly move the shoulders back and forth as you work your way down the long side.

Are you sick and tired of complicated and confusing training techniques? Are you frustrated by negative emotions like fear and lack of confidence? Would you like to be trained by a Three Time Olympic Coach? Learn how by going to: http://www.janesavoie.com/ or http://www.dressagementor.com

Author: Jane Savoie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Gadget reviews

You’ve carefully laid out a systematic, progressive training program for riding your dressage horse. Yet every time you add new work, you run into a certain amount of resistance.

Don’t panic. Understand that when you raise the bar, it’s inevitable that you’re going to encounter resistance. It’s a normal part of dressage and horse training. Don’t be afraid of it. Just work through it in baby steps.

Have a checklist in your mind to help you decide if you should back off a little bit, or whether you should push through the resistance. There should be three things on your checklist.

1. Physical issues. You need to know that your horse is not in pain anywhere. Are his hocks are okay? Is his back is okay? Are his teeth okay? Do his saddle and bridle fit him correctly?

2. Check yourself. Make sure you’re giving the aids correctly. You want to be sure that you aren’t giving contradictory signals.

For example, let’s say you’re riding to the right (Your right leg is on the inside). You turn down the quarter in order to leg yield over to the left.

Your right leg is behind the girth asking the horse to move over. However, you have a very bad habit of pushing too hard with your right leg so your upper body leans to the right. Since your horse wants you to stay centered above him, he finds it hard to go sideways to the left because your leg is saying, “go to the left”, but your body weight is saying, “I won’t let you go to the left.”

Then you end up thinking, “Oh, my horse can’t go sideways. He’s not ready. He´s resisting.” But the reality is that you’re giving conflicting signals.

3. The third thing that I do if my horse is really showing me, or telling me with his body language that he can’t do something is that I find a way to take the difficulty out of the exercise. That is, I do the “essence” of the exercise, but I make it more simple.

Here are some ideas so you can be your own problem solver and figure out how to take the difficulty out of exercises but still get your point across. If you take this approach, the resistance becomes manageable or even nonexistent. Then little by little, you can increase the demands again.

For example, let’s say you start to leg yield from the quarter line over to the long side, The first few steps are fine, but then your horse starts resisting. Maybe he slows down or tosses his head. Take the difficulty out of the leg yield by starting only 1-meter off the rail instead of from the quarter line.

Or let’s say you’re struggling when you start your advanced lateral work such as shoulder-in, haunches-in, and half pass.

There are several things you can do. You can reduce the angle. Rather than asking for shoulder-in, do shoulder-fore (half the angle of a shoulder in). Or rather than asking for a 3-track haunches-in, ask for half that angle. With your half pass, rather than going from the corner letter to X, reduce the angle by going from the K or F all the way up to G.

Regarding shoulder-in and haunches-in, do fewer steps. That is, do three or four quality steps, and then straighten your horse. Let him take a breath. Then do three or four steps again. Or do the movements at a slower gait such as the walk.

Just be very clever on taking the difficulty out of the dressage training exercises for your horse. Introduce new training work in baby steps so that your horse always thinks he’s a champion no matter what you’re asking him to do.

Are you sick and tired of complicated and confusing training techniques? Are you frustrated by negative emotions like fear and lack of confidence? Would you like to be trained by a Three Time Olympic Coach? Learn how by going to: http://www.janesavoie.com/ or http://www.dressagementor.com

Author: Jane Savoie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty tariff

Is their a difference in training an Arabian for Dressage as opposed to training a Warmblood or even a Quarterhorse?

We found that out! My daughter is the most fortunate girl when it comes to her dressage trainer. Until a couple of years ago, she had mainly trained children and adults for dressage on Warmbloods and Quarterhorses but since we had this cute little Arab which was so willing to please and totally green, she took him on.

Here are some main differences in training hot blooded horses for dressage, versus Warmbloods and even Quarterhorses:

1. Keep your Arabian horse working at least a little 5 -7 days a week. Don’t let him sit and get overly eager to go. They are hard to bring down and concentrate once they are excited.
2. While you can drill a Warmblood over and over again on the same exercise, an Arab needs variety. After you practice something 4 or 5 times, you really need to do something else for a while – preferably before his brain short cuts and he decides he’s done.
3. When you do an exercise the same way repetitively, have him do the exact opposite for a while – otherwise he will let you know what is right and what is wrong. For example, do a ‘leg yield’ away from the rails instead of toward the rails. It breaks his thinking pattern and leaves you in the driver’s seat.
4. Ride the horse you’re on – be calm, don’t override. You are supposed to be the calming agent. If you have an electric seat, take a very deep breath and lower your energy output by lot.
5. Arabs’ heads like to come up, circle, maybe even hit your helmet while doing it. Don’t try to pull his head down. It only makes it worse. On the other hand, don’t give too much either, try to follow with your hands and send him forward and hopefully he’ll learn that that’s not a way to evade the bit and come off the aids.
6. Many Arabians learn to curl and go behind the bit. Again, that is nothing but an attempt to evade your aids (hands) – like above, send him forward while following his mouth with your hands.
7. And last but not least, love him, support him and try to turn all that energy into positive tension. Let him be brilliant and let him show off how cute he is while constantly suggesting to him what you want. You really cannot make them do anything.

Author: Monique Myers
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Cellphone news

A lot of riders struggle to develop trot lengthenings with their first level dressage horses. What follows are 7 quick tips to help your horse with his lengthenings.

1. THE AIDS FOR TROT LENGTHENINGS

When you’re ready to ask for an upward transition from working trot to a trot lengthening, apply the aids simultaneously, as follows:

* Seat: use a driving seat, as though you’re pushing the back of the saddle toward the front of the saddle.

* Legs: press lightly with both legs to signal your horse to express his energy forward over the ground in longer strides.

* Reins: soften your hands a bit forward, but keep a contact with your horse’s mouth, and a bend in your elbows. Do not ‘throw the reins away’.

2. TROT LENGTHENINGS develop suppleness.

Here’s an image that will help you understand the type of suppleness you’re developing when you practice lengthenings with your First Level horse. Think of your horse’s body as a rubber band that can easily stretch and contract. Not only will this quality make him more athletic, but it’s also extremely useful for all disciplines of riding. Take showjumping, for instance. Just think how many jumping faults could be avoided if your horse’s stride were easily adjustable like this!

3. MAINTAIN THE TEMPO OF THE WORKING TROT

As with most new work, when you begin to incorporate lengthenings into your training at First Level, you start in the trot. It’s a bonus if you have a horse that can naturally lengthen his trot. Many Warmbloods and Arabians have this ability, but I’ve worked with a lot of Thoroughbreds, Connemaras, Morgans, and Quarter Horses who really need help developing their trot lengthenings.

If you ask your horse to lengthen in the way I’ve described and the tempo gets quicker because he runs with short, fast steps, you need to systematically develop his lengthenings. Part of his difficulty may be purely physical. He may lack the suppleness and strength that he will gain in time by basic dressage training. But part of the problem may be that the horse just doesn’t understand that he is to take longer strides in the same tempo. He actually thinks he’s being obedient when he rushes off because he feels you close your legs, and he responds eagerly by immediately going forward.

I often find that I can help him understand that he is to lengthen his strides without speeding up, by asking for the trot lengthenings while going up hills. Once he gets the idea, I go back into the ring and see if he can transfer this concept of lengthening in the same tempo on the level footing.

Sometimes I do something unusual with the horse that tends to quicken his trot tempo when asked to lengthen. Since it takes time to develop the trot lengthening, I go out in a big field, or I go all the way around the ring and round off the corners so that I don’t have to slow down for them. First, I take up a heavier contact than normal. In this way, I can temporarily act as the horse’s fifth leg and purposely support him so he doesn’t lose his balance. Then I ask for a lengthening in posting trot. While posting to the trot, I rise very high and stay in the air a fraction of a second longer than normal. I pretend that I can hold the horse in the air with my body. And, in my mind’s eye, I picture him floating over the ground with his feet never touching the ground.

I ask my horse to give me a greater and greater effort and eventually one of two things will happen. The first is that he realizes that his legs can’t go any faster, and he ’shifts into overdrive’ and takes some longer, slower steps. At this point, I immediately stop, praise him, and let him walk on a loose rein.

In my experience I’ve found that the first time, I might have to go all the way around a ring once or twice before I get a couple of longer, slower steps. But after the reward, the next effort yields results much sooner. And the same for the next attempt.

The other thing that might happen is that he loses his balance and falls into the canter. This isn’t the disaster it seems to be. If my horse hadn’t lost his balance and cantered, his next trot step probably would have been a bit longer. So I re-establish and immediately ask for a trot lengthening. It’s in that moment that I’m most apt to get a longer stride in a better tempo. And once again if I get even one or two better steps, I stop and praise him. The reward helps the horse to understand that by doing something different, even if initially he doesn’t understand what it is, he’ll be praised.

Once I get two or three better steps as soon as I ask for the trot lengthening, I leave them for another day. During each session the horse builds his understanding of what’s being asked, and over time he physically gets strong enough to lengthen in a good tempo for a greater number of steps.

4. HEAR THE TEMPO

Use some good auditory images to help you while you’re teaching your horse to do a trot lengthening in the same tempo as his working gait. Pretend you’re standing by a paved road and your eyes are closed. Because the tempo stays exactly the same, you can’t tell from the sound of the footfalls whether your horse is in the working gait, lengthening, or doing the transition in between.

Here’s another auditory image to help you teach your horse to lengthen the trot in the same tempo as his working trot. Pretend you hear a metronome ticking. The tempo stays exactly the same both when you’re in working trot and when you’re in the lengthening. (Even though I’m discussing trot lengthenings at the moment, you can use the same type of auditory image if your horse quickens his tempo in a canter lengthening. ‘Hear’ the tempo as if your horse is moving over the ground with big, ground-covering bounds in slow motion.

If your horse still tends to quicken his tempo when you ask him to do a trot lengthening, overcompensate by imagining that you ‘hear’ the tempo get slower. Pretend that the tempo gets slower because your horse stays suspended in the air for a long time. If you’re doing a posting trot, try rising and sitting more slowly to see if you can be the one to set the pace rather than automatically posting at the speed that your horse chooses.

5. USE FIRMER CONTACT FOR SUPPORT

Don’t be surprised if the contact with your horse’s mouth during trot lengthenings becomes somewhat heavy. Remember that lengthenings are developed out of the working gait at First Level, and the weight in your hands is somewhat firm to begin with. In addition, while your horse is learning how to balance himself during trot lengthenings, his center of gravity might shift even a bit further to his forehand. Don’t be alarmed by this. It’s a stage of his training, and it’s fine to temporarily support him by maintaining a firmer contact. Later on, if you decide to go on to more advanced work, you’ll develop ‘uphill’ extensions out of collected gaits. Because the horse will have a greater degree of self-carriage when he’s in a collected gait, the contact will be lighter.

However, there’s a fine line between a solid, supporting contact and one in which your horse is leaning so heavily on your hands that your arms ache. Here are some things you can try to improve a contact that is too heavy. Before you even begin to ask for a trot lengthening, make sure you drive the horse’s hind legs more under his body by closing both of your legs. In order to carry himself, your horse needs to have his hind legs underneath him. If his hind legs are trailing out behind his body, he can’t support himself in the lengthening and he has no option but to lean on your hands.

You can also ride some quick transitions: from trot to halt and back to trot again, or from the canter to the walk and back to the canter again. This will help to re-balance your horse and make the weight in your hands more comfortable.
Another reason the contact can get too heavy is that you may be asking for too many lengthened strides at one time before your horse is ready. Doing well-balanced trot lengthenings with his hind legs underneath his body for only a few strides at a time is much more valuable for your horse than lengthening for many strides with his hind legs pushing out behind his body. Remember that when you do the downward transition back to the working gait, be sure that you close your legs to send his hind legs under his body. It might feel natural to ask for the downward transition from the lengthening to the working gait by just using the reins. But, as you know by now, if your goal is to rebalance your horse and improve the contact, you need to add hind legs while doing the downward transitions.

6. ALLOW THE FRAME TO ELONGATE IN TROT LENGTHENINGS

In trot lengthenings, the front feet should touch the ground on the spot toward which they are pointing when each leg is at its maximum extension. When a horse has to draw his front legs back toward his body before placing them on the ground, or his toes flip up in front, it usually indicates that he hasn’t been allowed to lengthen his frame.
Sometimes a rider makes it difficult for the horse to lengthen to his utmost. Although I said earlier that you shouldn’t be concerned in the contact is a bit too firm, you want to be sure that you’re not making it heavy because you’re cranking his neck in. If you keep your horse’s neck short by restricting him with strong or non-allowing hands, he has to draw his foreleg back before putting it down. Allow your horse to lengthen his neck and point the tip of his nose more or less forward. To help you to do this, think about ‘opening the front door’ by softening your hands a bit toward your horse’s mouth and by cocking your wrists upward in a way that allows your little fingers to go more forward.

7. SIT UPRIGHT

When you use your driving seat to ask for the transition into the trot lengthening, don’t try to ‘help’ your horse to lengthen by leaning back. Even though you might feel that you can drive him forward this way (and I see many dressage riders doing this in lengthenings and extensions) you’ll just end up driving his back down and making it hollow. Stay vertical at all times.

I learned this lesson about sitting correctly in trot lengthenings the hard way while trying to qualify for the Olympic Festival with Jolicoeur at a competition that was being held at Knoll Farm in Brentwood, New York, back in 1987. One of the finest international judges in the world, the late Mr Jaap Pot, was there. He was a stickler when it came to the correctness of the rider’s seat. I remember Jo and I doing huge extended trots for him. I thought we had done really well until my score sheet came back with extremely low marks for the extensions and the simple comment – rider leaning behind the vertical. Believe me, it made an impression.

Author: Jane Savoie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Beading Necklace

Horseback riding has grown as a long time favourite sport, and has just recently begun to become popular not just in the USA but all over the world, which is why using the correct rein contact is so important in riding. A rider’s hands needs to guide, encourage – with a little give and take without being hard or too strong. This is something riders should try. You may be delighted to see how quickly your horse will respond, as the reins are a means of communication. The reins must not be used to punish or to maintain a rider’s balance. Just following that advice will certainly add benefits and a touch of adventure to your riding! Evidence of the growing popularity of horse riding is the availability of horses. There is knowledge and experience for anyone who is unfamiliar with this sport.

Nervous riders

It will not matter if you are not an expert at horse riding, because there is always a skilled rider who will be available to give a few horse riding tips to those who are completely inexperienced, but who want the thrill of riding and owning their own horse(s). As a learner, you may be afraid of being run away with the faster gaits; jumping can also cause you to become preoccupied with keeping the horse down to a reasonable speed for control, rather than developing fluidity and freedom. This can cause a nervous rider to pull on the reins subconsciously. There is also the fear of falling off, and this fear can be transmitted to the horse, often resulting in the horse refusing. Under a nervous rider, a galloping horse will go faster, generally, because it senses the lack of control. The horse will get nervous itself, and will do what most frightened horses do – run away!

What You can do

Consider your abilities and genuine fears. You want to ride a horse and be professional like a Pro. You want to learn dressage riding – the set series of movements performed by dressage riders. There is no need to struggle on your own, without help, as this could result in you or the horse getting injured. Ride more suitable mounts under good instruction until you are more competent and confident. Get good quality help and instruction from people who have years of experience and know. Ride at a slow pace that you are happy with under instruction, from an understanding instructor. Once you follow the instructions and are confident you can progress on to the faster gaits.

You need to understand, through a good teacher, exactly what you are doing to stop the horse. You may badly want to do something, but are afraid of doing it, such as jumping or cantering or having a gallop in a wide, open space. You may be pulling back on the reins unconsciously, clinging and gripping – pulling back with your body? The epitome of fear could be the “foetal crouch”, which you may be unaware of doing.

Author: Sonia Dixon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rates

Dressage is the fastest growing equestrian leisure interest today!

Horses maintain a vital role within the history of mankind. They have taken part in several purposes from carrying to arduous cavalry. Today, due to the development of know-how horses are thumbs down very widely; horses are used for sale, intended for something else. They can be located working with humans within ranches, farms, circuses and driving carriages in place of amusement rides.

In support of this, course of action, you can purchase horse apparel and riding accessories like jackets, boots, hats and saddles. Although horses are not the same as they were back in the field of traditional of riding; things did not vacillate. Equestrians were regarded in the role of nobles inside Rome, who are members of the cavalry. In this day and age, dressage is the fastest growing equestrian leisure interest, and at hand there are riders who take part in a quantity of sports.

Equestrians now are well-known to be in favor of equestrianism. It refers to the skill to ride and drive horses. This definition does not solely include the aid of horses in place of recreational activities and sports but as well as for working and useful purposes. The phrase refers to other skills not merely riding them on behalf of equestrian sports.

Classical riding and training methods has been exhibited survival for hundreds of years, largely accepted by word of mouth. Dressage is in relation to riding and training your horse or else your pony; it recognizes the meaning of training the rider, which enables you to develop your horses’ talents.

A Dressage test

Dressage tests practice set activities and sequences with the purpose of reflecting the horse’s education. A complete size dressage arena can happen to be a completed one, which is 60×20m. The tuition sheet used for each dressage test specifies the size of the arena with the aim to be used. If it is a comprehensive sized arena, and you simply have a minute area inside to practice, nominate yourself to know wherever the additional markers are placed. You ought to also check the rules regarding tack – they are very exact. Generally anything not permitted inside the arena is not permissible in the warm up area either, with the exception of boots and bandages.

Equestrian actions include dressage, exhibiting show jumping and trials. The rider, training the horse and the dressage competition are all valuable factors. Equestrians ought to be able to get the horse convey natural actions on demand while running free during competitive dressage. It is additionally referred to, for example, “Horse Ballet”. Its goal is to develop a horses’ physical ability and its initiative to carry out and take full advantage of its capability. The Show jumping is a timed even somewhere equestrians are vital to leap over a succession of obstacles with the least mistakes. At this level, riders and their horses suppose to be able to get through the blockage with the slightest knocked over portions of obstacles.

Eventing is the combination of dressage and show jumping. Riders and horses are popularly renowned for participating featuring in equestrian sports for the duration of Olympics. Horse back riding is still kept for the rich. Even now horses are still expensive and prized. Riding the horse, you undergo a sequence of fixed obstacles such as stonewalls, water, logs banks, ditches with the fastest moment possible.

Although the role of equestrians has altered through the centuries with the culture of (English dressage and the American Dressage), it still holds the aura of nobleness that it previously enjoyed during medieval period.

Author: Sonia Dixon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Electric Pressure Cooker

Advice on Dressage and Horses

Dressage is the fastest growing equestrian activity today. It covers training the rider, training the horse and preparing for dressage competitions. Classical riding and training methods have survived for hundreds of years, largely passed down by word of mouth. These techniques have been proven to do the greatest good for the greatest number of horses. It is all about the gradual, systematic and gymnastic development of the horse. The emphasis is all about training the rider, explaining the basic riding skills, which will enable riders to develop their horse’s talents. Dressage appeals to all riders looking for humane and sympathetic approaches to riding and training their horses.

Dressage horses for sale

Buying a horse is real business. Aside from the initial expenses that you would incur, there are other maintenance costs that are relatively taxing. This is why you must be very decisive when buying a horse, especially dressage horses.

While we may benefit from on-sale items, we still must discern if we would profit in the long run. Before indulging yourself with the least expensive horse at your glance, be sure that you are secured with your choice and that you will have no regret in the end. As we have said, buying a horse, any type of horse for that matter, is a taxing business. You would not want risking your money over an old horse that can’t speed up while on track.

One of the major considerations when selecting an option for al horse is its speed. After all, horses are bought normally with speed in mind, not on the beauty of might or elegance of your steed but on its agility and performance. You are against no subjective rules while on racetrack but your bane is the time. Thus, you must give priority on how fast the horse for sale can go.

You should also put in mind the training a horse for sale has gone. Early discipline is vital with a dressage horse as this is not only a discipline-based event for horses; it also incorporates focus while on track. Earlier during the selection, you should ask for some display of skills.

There are horses that have problematic temperament, regardless if they are oriented to dressage. Even some of the best can present difficult behaviours at times. Common problems include hesitance before the competition, which may manifest during the onset of the game or the ending of the competition itself.

Some horses can be very aggressive which leads to missing the angles that must be hit to be able to perform the cloverleaf pattern perfectly.

Others, on the other hand, could be hard headed with following commands during the dressage level. Thus, common mistakes occur. Still others can be very timid or too deviant during the end of the competition, which could then result to delayed acceleration towards the finish. Put in mind that a slight delay due to the horse’s hesitation while on the arena would mean lesser points on your end. Thus, you must check into the temperament of your prospect horse. Lower price is nice but if this would endanger your performance then it would be better if you go with much priced barrel horse with greater capacities.

Dressage tests:

Another problem commonly encountered with horses is their tendency to become tired of training. It won’t hurt if you would ask bits of information about the horse’s background. This way, you would know how to get around the stuffs that would stress the steed. Say, sudden change of environment would be detrimental for the horse.

As much as possible, if the horse got fixed with a specific atmosphere that has proven to be healthy for him, make it a point that this same environment can be partly adopted. In such case, you would need ample assistance from the previous owner of the horse.

Lastly, but certainly not among the least consideration is the justification of the price. Too low price, considering that the horse is for sale might imply lesser efficiency on the horse’s part. High commanding price may also be too advantageous. Either way, you must discern things properly.

Author: Sonia Dixon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Make PCB Assembly

For most people, speaking French is nothing but a dream. Let’s face it, the French language is not an easy one. Although it is a beautiful language, it can be hard for people to pick it up. Of course, for those who live various parts of the world where French is an official or common language, it is much easier. But there are ways in learning to speak French.

But, for those who don’t, it can be quite a challenge. In order to overcome these obstacles, you should purchase a high quality audio-based program. In order to start speaking French, it’s important to listen carefully to the program and repeating. This is clearly the optimum way to learn this language as quickly as possible.

Although it’s important for some people to also write and read in this language, some of these programs also offer tips on learning French grammar, increasing your vocabulary, conjugating verbs, among other important aspects of learning a language.

And, these programs will do so in a fun way. There’s nothing worse than trying to learn a language that is boring you. In fact, boredom is what makes people give up on these programs.

Another incredible way to learn French is to pick up DVDs of movies or television shows, that might have voiceovers in French. Not only do you get to watch something interesting that you may already know what it’s about, you’ll also pick up on a lot of French that way.

Online courses are another way to go. You can learn French very quickly from the comfort of your own home and at a pace that you can handle. They are more affordable than being tutored privately or even taking classes, when you factor in transportation costs, as well as every other cost involved in taking a course.

Next check out our review of Rocket French, an affordable and effective online program for Learning to Speak French.