Hey dude, what ya doin' ?

I saw you* yesterday and the day before.

You look like you were going to war instead of riding. Equipped with half a mile spurs stolen from John Wayne and all those side reins...I had to look twice just to be sure that you were NOT going to perform some kind of stunt or marionet show with all that material. I mean, my mum can dry whole familys laundry with less ropes than you have on your horse.

Tell me what's the deal with it. First you tie the horses head down and hang in the reins. That means for the horse: "stop". Then you push and kick to make him move. How the poor horse should know what to do? And dont come to me with explanation about how you are "collecting" the horse, cause collection has nothing to do with pulling from the reins.

The horse has all the weight on your hand, behind legs dragging after and you just keep going cause "the horse just has to do this".

And if he is not, you start sawing his head right-left-right-left.

Is this a horror show, cause I wanna go out!


Leave the ropes. Its not even a short cut cause it puts you out from the right way. Leave the spurs untill your horse works collected. A horse can feel a fly touching his skin, why would he not feel your leg touching him slightly?
Just make it easy for you and your horse. Legs without hands, hands without legs. One aid at the time.
Legs-forward, reins-stop. Voilá!

Horse starts working "in the right form"or "on the bit" when he easily reacts to your aids. When he thinks forward, moves in a right tact. DO NOT run, but is active behind. He can relax his back muscles and tighten the abdominal muscles and reach the inside behind leg under his belly.
And .... a secret: He can flex his neck just around the two frist vertebraes laterally. Make a small rotation between the first and second, pointing the nose a bit sideways. So, NO pulling backwards. Other hand allways still and soft, no sawing. He will be light to your hand and CARRY himself.


So, flexibility is the key for lightness. From behind, over the back, towards the hand.

Now.... this could be a start of a beautifull relationship. :)




* Yes, ofcourse this "you" in this blog is an imaginary person and no-one in my stable. So, all of you there can just relax and continue pulling and kicking your horses with good feeling for the rest of your life.