Training & Top Tips

Research has shown that when an individual engages in vivid and absorbing imagery the brain interprets this as identical to the event happening. In other words, the brain can’t tell the differen...

Anyone involved with horses will have probably encountered 'the lazy horse' at some point in their lives. Whether you’re fairly new to riding or have been an equestrian for years, and whether yo...

For many riders, a dressage lesson itself is often too boring. Practicing a prelim test over and over again, or trying to get a horse into an outline that may be a little older or stiffer is not fun, ...

Do you set your horse up in a nice rhythm only for him to throw his nose up and run through the last few strides to the fence? Rushing to a jump, or through a combination, is a common problem for many...

This is a very quick tutorial on the walk, improving the quality of the walk, the walk to trot transition, and a couple of tips on how to develop responsiveness. So this is Reggie, a show jumper I ...

Ponies make great carriage drivers, especially if they no longer have a rider due to them being outgrown. This is the perfect solution if your pony is part of the family, as it means you can still enj...

Here's a quick tutorial on perfecting your sitting trot. Firstly I must apologise for my dulcet tones... I sound rather like a Sergeant Major! I was a little concerned that you wouldn’t be ab...

Lunging a horse is a great form of training for the horse, and not only in the work they are doing at the end of the lunge line. It’s also ideal for getting them to listen and learn the handler&...

This is a follow-up to my last two tutorials on walk and trot - now the canter! Again, I am focusing on how the rider should be following the movement of the horse within the connection, so in thi...

Taking inspiration from the recently completed infamous Bury Farm Bareback Challenge, I thought I’d share a few tips and tricks on learning how to ride bareback and how to do it successfully. ...

“What road do I take?” asked Alice? The cat asked, “Where do you want to go?” “I don’t know”, Alice answered. “Then”, said the cat, “it r...

I’m reviewing the video 'First Cross Country Training for the Young Horse' with Ingrid Klimke, on the wehorse site. Anything to do with cross country will always appeal to me over dressage etc, ...

As a biomechanics coach, I’m always interested in other trainer’s perspectives on the subject. Recently, I watched Dr. Britta Schöffmann present her video, ‘The Ideal Dressage S...

We at Hesteyri Horses have been exploring wehorse.com, a website which allows access to many videos from top trainers around the world. Consider it YouTube for horse riders, a rider can get lost in ho...

This new training website, wehorse, which appears to have been produced in Germany, is a well constructed, clear and concise online resource which should appeal to all equestrians and their interests....

British Dressage judge and Horsemart ambassador, Edward Chitty, gives us his thoughts on wehorse, the new Online Riding Academy for both horse and rider. wehorse promotes a horse-friendly training app...

Here's a quick tutorial on the movement of the connection, with the horse and the rider working together. So, as you can see, today I am talking about the rising trot. I’m trying to demonstra...

Today's tutorial is Walk Pirouette. I call this my 'Tuning fork and figure of eight' exercise. Start from a regular collected walk, ride on parallel lines like a railway track. I lineup with my mir...

This time I'm doing a quick walk tutorial for you. This is to demonstrate how the rider should follow the movement of the walk within the connection, and how important it is for the rider to not sit s...

Here's a very quick tutorial on leg-yield. This can be performed in walk, trot or canter. Start in your favourite pace, with a warm horse that is going evenly into both reins, and can be ridden on ...