Jane Savoie’s Happy Horse Tip #6-Improve Your Seat in the Canter

Happy Horse Tip #6-Improve Your Seat in the Canter

Think about how your seat moves when you’re cantering. Notice how your hip angles open and close. Start with your upper body on the vertical, and then open your hip angles and let your upper body rock a bit BEHIND the vertical. Then come back up to the vertical with shoulder over hip over heel.

Visualize arrows extending down from your seatbones. Whichever way those arrows are pointed, is the direction you’re sending the hind legs. If you lean forward and close your hip angles, you push the hind legs out the back door.

If your upper body is on the vertical and you rock behind the vertical, you open your hip angles. As a result the imaginary arrows extended down from your seatbones point forward. You’re saying to your horse’s hind legs, “Come along, come along, go with, go with.”

Elastic Contact with Your Horse’s Mouth in the Canter

Happy Horse Tip #3 In the canter, your horse telescopes his neck forward and back in the same way he does in the walk. You need to follow with your arms in the canter. If you don’t, your horse can’t use his neck as balancing rod. So, he struggles, gives up, and falls into the trot. He’s not being bad. You’re just putting him in a position where it’s very difficult for him to continue to canter.

Imagine that when you pick up the reins, your arms don’t belong to you anymore. They’re an extension of the rein, and they belong to your horse.

Here’s an exercise to help give you the feeling of an elastic contact in the canter. You can even practice this exercise in the halt first to get some muscle memory.
• Get up into a two-point position.
• Pretend you’re a jockey galloping down a track with your hands pushing your horse’s neck forward every stride.
• While doing that, notice how your elbows open and close with every stride.
• Then sit back down, and keep your elbows opening and closing in the same way.

For more info on the Happy Horse Course, go to: www.janesavoie.com/happyhorse/

Dressage Trainer Jane Savoie on In Country TV

I’m excited to tell you that you can actually see some dressage on In Country TV this Monday and Saturday.

My segments will be aired May 24th at 8p & 11p eastern and Sat May 29th at 7:30pm. There will be 2 segments–cantering & straightness.

Here’s a link to In Country TV. http://www.incountrytelevision.com/show.cfm?id=70

Don’t miss the chance to see some dressage on TV this week!

How Dressage Riders Can Feel When Their Horses’ Hind Legs Are On The Ground

It’s important for dressage riders to learn to feel when their horses’ hind legs are on the ground. This is because you’ll want to time giving your leg aids to coordinate with when a particular hind leg is on the ground. You need to have this
skill because the only time you can influence a horse’s hind leg is when it’s on the ground, and specifically,
just before it pushes off the ground.

Here are some tips to help you learn to feel when your horse’s hind leg is on the ground:
1. As you ride your horse at a walk, close your eyes. Focus on, let’s say, your inside seatbone. Some
people describe the feeling as their seatbone being higher. Others describe it as feeling like it’s being
pushed forward. Each time you feel your seatbone being pushed forward or higher, say the word
“Now.” As your horse walks, you’ll be saying “Now, now, now….” That way you can get into the timing and rhythm of
when that hind leg is on the ground.

2. Ask a friend to call out “Now” each time a certain hind foot is on the ground. Coordinate what your
friend says with the feeling under your seat.

3. If you’re working alone, sneak a peek at your horse’s shadow or a mirror if you have one. Check
that you’re feeling the right thing by calling out the footfall and looking at the shadow or mirror to see
if you’re right.

4. Watch other horses and riders and notice where both the horse’s hip and the rider’s hip are when a
particular hind leg is on the ground. When the horse’s hip is high, his corresponding hind foot is on the ground. His hip drops as his foot is in the air.

5. Teach yourself how to feel when the inside hind leg is on the ground in the canter by watching your
horse’s mane. It flips up during the second beat of the canter when the inside hind leg is on the ground.
Say “Now” each time you see it flip up. Then you can coordinate what you’re seeing and the word
“Now” with what you’re feeling under your seat.

Click here for more training for dressage riders.