The Trot Vs Jog

The Jog is the cowboy delight 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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Short Frame & Long Frame

Short Frame – Short Neck – Short Stride, My Hands are Up. Long Frame – Long Neck – Long Stride, My Hands are Down. Happy Trails!

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I Never Leave Home Without Them

I NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THEM The tradition of having to “earn your spurs” reaches back to the beginning of the cavalry. When green Troopers first arrived at their new cavalry assignments they were assigned a horse with a shaved tail. This led to the nickname “Shave Tail” for newly assigned, spur-less Soldiers. These new …

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“Contact is a private matter between the horse and the rider.”

“Contact is a private matter between the horse and the rider.” People are always telling others what “contact” they should have with their horse. But the appropriate contact is a conversation that is constantly changing between the rider and the horse. I greatly appreciate Nuno Oliveira believed it to be a private matter that only …

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Lift the Front and Ride the back

As the withers lift and rise out of the shoulders, the back is lengthened. The poll is raised and the weight shifts to the back end of the horse as the hip flexors lower the croup. Contraction of the abdominal muscles lifts the back.

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Hold your Reins

“Hold your reins like a flower, not like a stone. Ride your horse with your core and seat, not by your hands and never by force. If you do it by force, it is not the art of riding, it is something else.”

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Find the connecting parts – Discover the secrets of riding!

RED is RIGHT – LIME GREEN is LEFT Find the connecting parts – Discover the secrets of riding! The rider’s hands and rein should be connected through the bit to the horse’s front legs. The rider’s shoulders are mirroring the horse’s shoulders. The rider’s pelvis should be connected to the horse’s pelvis through the horse’s …

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Rattlesnake Trail

Take a lesson from the famous serpent as you choose your path through Rattlesnake Trail. With long wavy loops or quick tight turns, alternating actions of lengthening and shortening one side then the other. Always with a fluid grace and ease, instantly adjustable. Explore the strength and flexibility in every direction and side. 
One movement …

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Life Style is What Matters

LIFE STYLE IS WHAT MATTERS “There was a time when the land held no fences….where a man could ride uninterrupted for weeks….a land where great herds roamed without boundaries….where the hand of man could not be seen….a perfect scene created by the hand of God himself….in the evenings the sky held a blanket of stars….one …

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From our book “Dressage the Cowboy Way”.

“We have borrowed the concept of the “training scale” from classical dressage but have adapted it to fit the Cowboy Dressage horse and rider.The “scale” or “tree” (as we call it) illustration is so apt because it not only illustrates the lineal progression of training but the relative time that is spent in training at …

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