May 11 2020
Are you Loping, Cantering or Galloping? The Lope is the western gait! The lope is the three-beat rocking-horse gait for which the Western horse is so widely known.(fig.1.) It is soft in its cadence and also without suspension. The lope may be either right- or left-“leaded” with the lead of the gait being assigned to …
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May 09 2020
Maneuvering the Horse’s Body on the Ground Once the horse has learned to lead with Soft Feel in the correct position, he is ready to start to learn to bend from the ground as well. Forward on the ground from Eitan Beth-Halachmy on Vimeo.
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May 03 2020
Playing The Snaffle The greatest musical instrument given to a horseman is the snaffle. It’s easy to play with, all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will create magic. (fig1.) “The most common bit choice in Cowboy Dressage for all ages and stages of horses …
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Apr 30 2020
THE COWBOY DRESSAGE COURTS “Dressage is just a French word for training. We can dressage a parrot, dressage a cat, dressage a monkey. Don’t be worried about the word ‘dressage.’ Just ride your horse.” In Cowboy Dressage, we have three “Courts,” 20 by 40 meters, that we ride in competition settings: the Cowboy Dressage Court, …
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Apr 30 2020
Holiday Compadre 1987 – 2019. Rest In Peace. “Save the Last Dance For Me”! “Compadre has earned worldwide recognition and exceeded his notable ancestors in so far as the numbers of humans that have seen him perform and know his name. His name means ‘friend’ in Spanish, and there is no better friend in promotional …
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Apr 29 2020
Get Framed! The goal of good horsemanship is to engage your horse’s hind legs to create energy, and welcome it with your hands. This develops a connection from his hind end to his front end, helping him to move forward in self carriage and soft feel. Do not forget that hips and legs drive the …
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Apr 23 2020
The Jog – The Cowboy’s Gait In classical dressage, the two-beat diagonal gait of the horse is called the trot. The trot is characterized not only by its two-beat diagonal movement but by the suspension desired between the foot placement of the diagonal pairs. It is this suspension that give the trot its animated jaunty …
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Apr 15 2020
The Queen of Gaits: The Walk Within equestrian tradition, the walk has always deserved to be called the “queen of gaits” because of the benefits that both horse and rider can derive from this gait. The walk is the gait of choice not only when teaching the horse something new but also in confirming and …
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Apr 04 2020
The rider’s hands directing the horse’s front feet through the rein aids, while the rider’s legs direct the horse’s hind feet as the seat drives those hind legs forward. The visual representation of the rider’s hands speaking directly to the horse’s feet through the reins is important to understand because proper timing of these aids …
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Apr 03 2020
“Riding your horse should be a conversation that nobody else can see or hear.” – 8 Your aids are the collection of tools that you use to communicate with your horse. You use your body to speak directly to different parts of the horse’s body. Your aids include hands, legs, seat, weight, energy, and voice. …
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