If you are interested in learning more about horses, have you been listening to the Equine Industry Experts on Horse Chats? Dr Andrew McLean discusses ten training principles for interactions with horses, based on his research and standing as non-negotiable obligations for trainers to maintain optimal welfare and optimal training efficiency in trained horses. Or his brother Jonna McLean giving a series on training foals from initial handling through to leading, loaning and stress free weaning . . . keep listening as he continues the series through to riding and training the competition horse. If you would like stories with a difference, learn how David Simons left school to work on a cattle station where he rode up to 12-14 hours a day, breaking in seven-year old horses and some … [Read more...]
Have You Been Listening to This?
7 Tips to Increase Horse Riding Confidence
If you don’t seem to be as motivated as you once were, or have simply lost confidence then here are seven quick tips to get you going again Only ride nice horses Be easy on yourself. If you are not looking forward to riding, it may be because your horse is not the right one for you. Know your horse on the ground first Confirm that your horse can go forward, backwards and sideways, canter on the correct lead and pop over a jump. Horses should have a basic understanding of these requirements before you ask them when you are riding Set Goals Setting riding goals and realising exactly what is possible might just give you the motivation to ride Mindset & visualise Once you have set your goal, visualise it. Don’t just visualise it once, … [Read more...]
Interview with Jen Hamilton
What type of philosophy do you have about riding and training your horse? We make many choices . . . like if we should ride English or Western or if we choose to jump or not to jump. We also choose our training philosophy which could be adopted by our coaches and mentors. In this interview with world renowned equestrian coach Jen Hamilton, she talks about her coaching philosophy... Glenys Hello, today we're going to talk to Jen. Jen Hamilton is one of the highest qualified coaches in the world, equestrian coaches, and Level IV Coaching Canada. Jen, just briefly, could you tell me a little bit about your coaching philosophy? Jen Very simply I believe that we as coaches, it is our responsibility to make the riders and horses into the best athletes they can be. We have to isolate … [Read more...]
I Have a Good Excuse!
Do you have a good excuse why you didn’t win the last competition, or why you haven’t ridden lately? The thing is that everyone HAS a good excuse! No-one wins all the time. But those who win more often and progress to higher levels don’t dwell on their excuses! They work out what went wrong, how they can improve and get on with fixing things. We are all born into different situations, some brought up in families where they could choose what horse they rode, had the best instructors and started competing in big competitions at an early age. Then there are others who had to ride their bike for miles just to get to the nearest riding school. They would work all weekend and be rewarded with a short ride if it suited. It doesn’t matter where you started, it matters where you are … [Read more...]
Do you want a better horse or do you want to be a better rider?
Imagine this . . . you are out on a ride with some new friends and you are really enjoying your ride. They are all more experienced with horses than you, and you think you can learn a lot from them. You are happy they are including you in their ride and hope you will be invited again. As you ride, they show you a few new places to ride including a lovely sandy track where you can all ride along in pairs. Then there is a creek across the track and their horses all happily walk through, splashing and playing. You look in horror! Your horse hates water! What runs through your mind? Or what about this scenario . . . you are at a dressage competition that you know you should do well at. Your horse has either had a win or a place each time you have attended competitions at these … [Read more...]
Horses and Happiness
What type of horse does it take to make you happy? What has to happen to make you feel grateful for your horse? Second Horse To some one who learnt to ride on their first horse, happiness can be a younger, more energetic horse. Teenager To the teenager who has fast growing legs, happiness is a taller horse. Retired Stockman The old stockman who has spent many long days in the saddle when he was younger, happiness could be riding his favorite horse who has grown old with him. Competitor To some competitive riders, happiness could be a horse that was prettier, less resistant, straighter moving, had more collection, was more athletic, was a more accurate jumper or else was a faster, bolder horse. Dreamers While many people are searching for that special horse that will … [Read more...]
10 Reasons Why Equestrian Competitive Riders Should Take A Second Look At Gen Ys/Millennials
Do you wonder why the up and coming Generation Y seem to be a higher quality of competitive equestrian riders than previous generations? What have they got that older competitors didn’t have when they were the same age? (Depending on who claims the research, Gen Y - also called Millennials - could have been born anywhere between 1980 and 2004.) It is common knowledge that Generation Y are the most educated, entertained and materially endowed generation in history, but what makes them better competitive equestrian riders? 1. Gen Ys love their sport Compared to previous generations who have a higher reason for engaging in sport because they want to keep fit and healthy, Gen Y’s look for a sport to engage in because they enjoy it. This generation has a higher participation rate … [Read more...]
5 Tips To Gain Confidence With Horses
Great horsemen through the ages are admired for their ability to ride spirited horses at speed, over fences and through difficult terrain. Even today we love our Olympians and their equine partners, and admire their ability to take calculated risks, brimming with confidence to make it all look so easy! Many people ask me about confidence, how to gain it back after a bad experience, a long period out of the saddle or even how to gain confidence initially. It takes persistence but if it makes you feel any better, even Olympians had to learn the basics. Despite the saying ‘they were born in the saddle’, every-one needs to learn how to rise to the trot, have their first canter and go over their first jump. These five tips (plus a bonus) below talk about the main situations where people … [Read more...]
Teaching New Horse Riding Skills in Four Stages
In the same way that the beginner horse rider learns to mount a horse or rise to the trot, the four stages of competence apply to more experienced riders as well as horse riding instructors as they progress through their training. In this article we look at the four stages a beginning horse rider learns when they rise to the trot and compare them to a horse riding instructor learning how to control group rides safely. These skills can be broken down into four stages of competence. Unconscious incompetence Conscious incompetence Conscious competence Unconscious competence 1. Unconscious incompetence This stage of any skill could apply to the general public who do not have knowledge of a specific horse riding skill (like rising to the trot), do not realize that they … [Read more...]
Frustration From Horses or Passion For Horses?
I love technology when it is working well but find it very frustrating when it isn’t! I can do some of the basic stuff, but if the wrong button is pushed or a misdirected technical genius makes a website go down then I am not interested in fixing the problem and refer it to the Webmaster. Some people are like that with horses. They become frustrated with them and are not interested in fixing the problem. The only problem is that horses aren’t machines. They live and breathe and there is always a reason for doing what they do. If a resistance or an evasion is not corrected immediately, it can become a habit. As much as I am not interested in fixing technology, I am absolutely passionate about fixing horse problems. Last week one of my students bought a lovely horse as a … [Read more...]
Addicted to Horses
My father sent me this poem, saying that was written about me. Then I put it on my Facebook page and countless people said that it could have been written about them. Of course there are some variations (I know how to make sponge cake), but the addiction to horses seems to afflict so many people around the world. Does this poem describe you? How many of you friends could this poem be about? Why do I like horses? I reckon I must be mad. My mother wasn’t horsey And neither was my dad But this addiction hit me early And it hit me like a curse And I’ve never gotten better In fact I’ve gotten worse My stables are immaculate My house is like a hovel Last year for my birthday I got a brand new shovel I hardly read a paper But I know who’s sold their horse And I … [Read more...]
Your Gift ‘On Horsemanship’ by Xenophon
At Online Horse College, we are partnering with a PhD student to develop courses for Equine Assisted Learning courses. As part of her research, she would love to survey you about your coaching and learning styles and as a reward for your input we have a gift for you! Xenophon is one of the earliest riding masters, training horses through kindness and reward. Topics include his teachings on selection of a young horse, breaking colts, selection of the older horse, care of the horse and grooming, handling correctly and safely, mounting, riders position and training the rider, advanced training of the horse including jumping and cross country and much, much more... If you would love a copy of this book, simply complete the one page equestrian coaching survey on the link below to … [Read more...]
Teaching Trot Diagonals
When your student doesn’t understand something (such as trot diagonals), most coaches automatically go back and re-explain in more simplified terms.Part of re-explaining in simplified terms is to break down a complicated skill into steps. As students develop a greater understanding of riding at each level, they are more likely to progress on to the next level without the constant need for revision and to go back and ‘fill in the gaps’. The explanation ‘Just sit each time the shoulder moves back/forward/up/down does not give a student sufficient understanding of trot diagonals. Unless an instructor has a system of how to teach trot diagonals, it can be confusing for their students and anyone watching the lesson. While I may not teach every step every time, these are the steps I … [Read more...]
Do You Enjoy Early Morning Rides With Your Friends?
Have you ever woken up to realize that your alarm clock didn’t go off and you are now running quite late for your ride? Did you go into a panic, trying to get everything done as fast as you can? Throwing things around, speaking fast or yelling only to forget where you put your boots or keys? Then do you arrive late and blame it on your alarm clock? How did your horse react when you were like this? Do they get upset, refusing to co-operate and generally behaving out of character? Or did you focus on working efficiently? When something like this happens, do you ask yourself what absolutely has to be done to be ready on time? Do you plan each move ahead so you know where everything is minutes before you need them? Do you focus on your breathing so your thoughts remain … [Read more...]
Have You Taken Your Horse Here?
Have you ever taken one of your beginner students or a young horse to a small unofficial club day so they can gain experience? Did they go out and build their confidence, learn a lot and totally enjoy their experience? What about the judges? Did they judge every class correctly and fairly, following ring etiquette and competition rules while acting like experienced polished professionals? No? Were they inconsistent with their scoring, unfamiliar with the rules or totally unprofessional? Remember that beginner judges need the small unofficial days as well. They need them to gain confidence, learn a lot and enjoy their experience. Many talented people stop judging because they have been abused and treated unfairly by competitors and their supporters. Judges and officials … [Read more...]
Your checklist for Your Horse’s Satisfaction Rating
Methods to measure students’ satisfaction during their riding lessons are fairly well researched, but the horses’ satisfaction in their lessons is also important. Children may jump out of the car and quickly find their favorite horse to say ‘hello’, does your horse have their ears pricked and look forward to visits from humans? When a student is getting ready for their riding lesson they could be excited about their lessons. While you may not want your horse to be excited, are they entering the arena pleasantly without napping, snarling their face or swishing their tail? Even when a student is concentrating on improving their riding, they should be enjoying themselves. Does your horse understand what you ask and do their best to perform? A keen student will want to continue … [Read more...]
Teaching Canter Video
If you were one of the people who used the techniques I suggested for teaching trot, thanks for your positive feedback! When you teach some-one how to perform a skill it makes you analyze the whole process in a lot more depth. So when I am training some-one how to teach a skill I analyze both the skill development and the teaching process in a lot more depth. People have been asking me about teaching canter to beginners, so I have made this video with some tips on both the skill development of the learner and the teaching process for the horse riding instructor. Click Here For A Video With Tips On Teaching Canter Students enrolled in our new updated courses will have access to these videos and many more as part of their Student Resources. If you enroll now, you can save … [Read more...]
Teaching Confidence
I have some potentially bad news for you below. But first... Thanks again for those who have sent me the positive feedback on the tips for teaching trot and canter to complete beginners. Now for those horse riding instructors who would like to have some tips on teaching confidence. How often do you talk to someone who has lost their confidence on a horse? Sure you have. We ALL have! Why? There are many reasons why people lose their confidence! They may have only been on a horse once, or they could have ridden when they were younger or have a bad memory with a horse. Click Here For The Free Video On Teaching Horse Riding Confidence Watch this short video I've prepared for you because I reveal some tips for teaching your riders to be confident in any situations! Now, for the bad news... It … [Read more...]
What is Your Riding/ Teaching Philosophy?
I have had some fantastic feedback from the video interview with Jen Hamilton . . . you know, the one that the survey participants received... Jen has a great philosophy which is to use a sympathetic approach to encourage riders to become 'Students of the Sport” help riders understand the what, why and how of what they are doing produce thinking riders and horsemen/women who understand horses and can communicate with them in a clear simple language be able to problem solve by reading and evaluating the horse’s reactions in order to help do its job to the best of its ability Do you have a philosophy for either your horse activities, you teaching activities or both? If you have one, I would love to hear it! Happy Riding, Glenys :-) … [Read more...]
Windy Days Horse Problems
Horses are notorious for being ‘fresh’ and ‘excitable’ on windy days. These reactions are part of the reason that horses have evolved and are still alive in the twenty-first century. They have survived by being ‘on guard’ against predators as their sense of smell and hearing has been minimised by the wind. Learn to look at the world through your horse’s eyes. Remember why your horse is ‘on guard’ on windy days so understand them, accept that they will behave differently and be ready! If you are not confident to ride on these days, take the time to improve your ground work or lunging skills. Live your passion and enjoy your horse, Glenys :-) … [Read more...]
How Do you Receive Feedback in Your Riding Lessons?
Feedback should be given regularly to horses and riders for them to continually improve. For riders, there are two main forms of verbal feedback. - The ‘Sandwich Technique’ where your comments are positive-constructive-positive. An example is “Your leg position has improved and is much stronger, remember to keep your hands still and keep up the good work” - The ‘What, How, What Now & Why” is the other form of verbal feedback. An example of this method is “When you rise in the trot, open your elbows and when you sit then close them, this will keep your hands more still so then your horse will be happier without the constant movement in their mouth” The ‘what, why what now and how’ might be used more in a lesson, whereas the ‘sandwich technique’ may be used as a summary at the … [Read more...]
How You and Your Horse Can Have a Winning Day
While winning first prize at a horse competition is wonderful, it is not the only way to have a winning day. Some may consider the final proof may be on the competition day, but the real winning is in the training. Consider the progress you are making in your own training, your horse’s training and/or your student’s training. A simple explanation of the stages of learning (using the rising trot as an example) could be Unconscious incompetence This might be some-one who is having their first ride, are walking quite happily but have not yet experienced trot Conscious incompetence This could be once they realise there is a much easier way to sit on the horse at trot, but haven’t quite fallen into the rhythm of the trot Conscious competence Then the beginner … [Read more...]
