Top professional competitors share seven tips for riding accurately to the jumps.

In the perfect world, a horse lands 6 feet from the jump, setting up the next in a line. Illustration by Jean Abernethy.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

Today’s AQHA over-fence classes include working hunter, equitation over fences, hunter hack and jumping. Each event, though unique in style and purpose, demands horse and rider athleticism, efficiency, balance and a strong understanding of distances.

Define a Distance

Hunter-jumper riders and coaches use the words “distance” and “spot” to reference the exact geography in which a horse’s legs lift from the ground in front of a jump. A good “distance” or “spot” is a safe, esthetically pleasing measurement – typically about 6 feet away from an average 3-foot jump.

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Get ready for travel season with tips from USRider.

Perform maintenance checks on your trailer before traveling. Journal photo

From AQHA Corporate Partner USRider Equestrian Motor Plan

Before the start of the summer travel season, it is critically important for horse owners to perform basic yet essential maintenance on their trailers. USRider, the national provider of roadside emergency assistance for horse owners, reminds equestrians to invest time doing routine preventive trailer maintenance. This will be time well spent because it will ensure that trailers will be in optimal shape to provide safe passage for precious cargo during the upcoming season.

“A good roadside assistance program is something all horse owners should have but hope they will never have to use,” says Bill Riss, general manager for USRider. “To that end, our mission is to continually educate horse owners about trailering safety.”

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Clinician Martin Black says he never stops learning.

Martin Black at the recent Horsemen's Reunion. Journal photo.

From America’s Horse

Martin Black grew up in Idaho’s Great Basin around some great horsemen. Not the least of those were his grandfather, Albert Black, and his great-uncle, Paul Black. In that company, he had the opportunity to soak in a lot of time-tested knowledge, which Martin tried to take full advantage of.

His family history with horses actually starts with his great-grandfather, who was born in 1875 and grew up among vaqueros who took great pride in their horsemanship. Joe Black ran thousands of horses through the early 1900s, and he handed those skills and that respect for tradition on to his sons. They, in turn, lived with horses their whole lives.

Paul was the cow boss at the TS Ranch in Nevada, where Ray Hunt had his first buckaroo job.

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How easy is it to pick up the correct lead? Much easier if you think like a horse, not a trainer.

Joe Wolter. Journal photo

From America’s Horse

Most of us, if we’ve been around the arena a time or two, know how to ask for a lope departure.

Inside rein, outside leg behind the girth, moving the hindquarters over just a bit so that the outside hind leg is primed to push off.

If getting the correct lead is a problem, riders are often advised to ask for the lope in a corner or while on a circle.

Easy peasy, right? Yep. Until it isn’t.

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Be a “thinking horseman” when you pick up the halter.

Curt Pate says we should remember that every time we touch our horse, we're training him. Journal photo.

By AQHA Professional Horseman Curt Pate in America’s Horse

Before working with a young horse, learn how to correctly catch and saddle him.

In all aspects of horsemanship, horses know when we know, and they know when we don’t know. Skills like catching a horse carry over to riding. If we have the confidence gained from skillfully catching a horse, and if we’re already acting like “thinking horsemen,” we’re well on the way to becoming better riders.

These basic tasks will also give you a good reality check. If none of your horses want to be caught, that might be telling you something. Or if you can’t saddle your horse while he’s untied, you might not be ready to go round up cattle. You need to develop a solid foundation.

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Timing your cues to the horse’s footfall begins with understanding it.

Know where the horse's feet are and make everything a little smoother. Journal photo.

By Holly Clanahan in America’s Horse

Riding through Pole Canyon, a gorgeous hole in the ground near Quitaque, Texas, the scenery took my breath away. And then so did something else: horse feet.

With my horse striding out nicely underneath me, back rounded and hind feet swinging forward, that’s when I could truly feel it. No guessing, no cheating by looking at the front feet. I felt the hind feet. And I couldn’t stop grinning.

If you know where the horse’s feet are – and the hind feet are the toughest to feel, for me, at least – then you’ll know when to apply your aids. Everything from yielding the hindquarters to asking for lead changes is smoother.

Curt Pate offers 10 tips for building a positive relationship with your horse in Training Your Horse for a Better Relationship report.

Here are AQHA Professional Horseman Brent Graef’s tips for finding the feet:

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Fine tune direct reining for a controlled and comfortable horse.

Learn the direct rein position. Journal photo.

From Fundamentals of Horsemanship

Have you ever wondered how a barrel racing horse bends its neck and body and swoops tightly around a barrel? Or how a working cow horse turns the cow on the fence? Those fine-tuned skills are cultivated through a fundamental of horsemanship: direct reining.

Through honing use of a direct rein, you will establish clear communication with your horse from the saddle, and you will learn how to “allow” direction, rather than force it.

How Do I Do It?

The direct rein position is as follows: Pick up the reins in the middle, and slide your hand down the rein. Keep the rein between thumb and forefinger.

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AQHA Professional Horsewoman Debbie Owen explains the transition from flat work to over fences.

This simple gymnastic begins with trot poles. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

“There are three things that I think are really important in a flat horse before you even start them over jumps,” AQHA Professional Horsewoman Debbie Owen says.

The horsewoman based in Bisbee, Arizona, might like to linger over a cup of coffee in the morning, but it’s always after her horse chores are done. She knows the importance of getting the work done first, and having a horse prepared on the flat before approaching a jump is just that.

“They need to go straight; that is first and foremost,” she continues. “They need to move connected between your hand and leg so that their bodies can track straight.

“They need to go forward. If you put your leg on them, they need to know what that means.

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AQHA Professional Horseman Bennie Sargent shows you how to achieve power steering.

Your reins should create a straight line from your elbow to your horse's mouth. AQHA file photo.

Your reins should create a straight line from your elbow to your horse’s mouth.

When the reins get too long, your hands are either too low or they get up way too high. You lose your leverage, your guide and effectiveness.

Your reins are a steering wheel. A horse carries most of his weight in his front end, so most of your guide and your balance is in the front.

You want light contact on the horse’s mouth and drive from his hind end.

Use your leg as your gas pedal to control how much drive you want. Keep an even amount of pressure on your horse, and do not move your legs back and forth.

I have kids who ask me all the time, “Are my reins short enough?” and yeah, standing there they are, but in the pen when you’re moving, you have to feel and be able to adjust your reins for whatever maneuver you’re performing at the time.

Whether you are showing in pleasure, horsemanship or western riding, there’s no set amount of pressure. It’s give and take.

Learn how to tie your horse safely with AQHA’s FREE Report How to Tie a Lead Rope.

Too Much Pressure

Release when your horse gives, and take hold when he takes hold. If you take hold of a horse and feel that he has not given to you, and you pull just a little bit more, that’s probably enough pressure

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The creator of Centered Riding and mind-body riding guru still inspires.

The cover of Sally Swift's book. Photo courtesy of Trafalgar Square Publishing.

By Randee Fox in America’s Horse

I was determined to become a proficient rider, and I was as green as spring grass. The year was 1990, and I was 37 years old. I never got over my “girlish horse craziness” and had enjoyed riding trails since my childhood. As an adult, I was ready to learn more. So I signed up for real riding lessons. I didn’t know what a leg yield was, and I didn’t know how to use my hands, seat, eyes or body correctly. My instructor recommended a book called “Centered Riding” by Sally Swift, “a book for ‘thinking’ riders,” as she put it.

I bought the book and kept it on my nightstand, consuming it night after night before retiring to sleep. After turning off the lights, I’d close my eyes and visualize what I had read, riding my imaginary horse, with growing compassion and awareness, into my dreams. I’d imagine riding with soft eyes, breathing and a balanced seat, along with all of the useful imagery that Sally presented in her book.

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Tom and Margo Ball share more of their halter-starting program based on good, old-fashioned horsemanship.

Have patience while training your foal. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

“We don’t halter-break foals until they’re ready to be halter-broken,” says Tom Ball of Fort Collins, Colorado. For Tom and his sister, Margo, a longtime AQHA judge and trainer, that often means waiting a while.

“You don’t have to start halter training the first week of a foal’s life,” Margo says. “It depends on the foal and his temperament. If you start a foal too young, you can create problems. But if you wait until he’s mature enough to handle what you’re doing and used to humans, he’ll actually come along quicker and do better with fewer problems.

“Your program has to adjust to the temperament of the horse,” Margo continues. “Your basic techniques are the same, but you adjust as to how long you spend on a step or how old they are according to the individual foal.”

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These four exercises help build a more supple horse and a stronger relationship between horse and rider.

These four ways to yield the hindquarters will help you check your horse's suppleness. Kris Graef photo.

By AQHA Professional Horseman Brent Graef in America’s Horse

There are lots of reasons why it’s important to have control over all of your horse’s body parts – including his mind. These four ways to yield the hindquarters will help you check your horse’s suppleness; you’ll notice if he yields his hind end more easily to one direction. They’ll help you improve his softness and suppleness both directions, and they’ll also improve the communication between you and your horse.

1. One Rein, One Leg

This is the easiest way to move the horse’s hindquarters, and it’s a good place to start.

Let’s say I’m moving the hindquarters to the right. I’d pick up softly on my left rein and bend the horse’s neck slightly to the left. I’d want the head to remain vertical (not cocked sideways), with a soft bend at the poll. If the nose is tipped sideways, so that the ear would fill up with water if it were raining, that means the horse is locked up in his poll, which is not what we want. Read the rest of this entry »