What's the best tip you have ever gotten?

[EPat]

for the walk:
need to have following hand
I haven't scored less than a 7 on the medium walks since.

for the canter:
the canter is only straight when it's ridden in shoulder fore.

Good one! First because the neck must oscillate to walk and secondly, people and horses are crooked, which a three beat gait brings out.

[EPat]

For the downward transitions:
Pull your belly button in (engages your abs & lower back), lift your toes (pulls you deeper into the saddle), stop following the movement. Works wonders...

Actually, pulling your belly button in is a great way of saying engage your pelvic girdle muscles.. the ones below your belly button that control breathing, your guts and the stability of your upper body. For riding, they also drop your weight into the saddle. Egon von Neindorf used to say blow on your horses ears to get them to extend. It wasn't the breath. Blow out hard and you will feel how it moves your pelvic girdle muscles in the saddle. Best extended trot tip ever. It helps you to sit deeper too because you are not gripping. YOur seat gives the cue.

[netg]

Go sideways.

I've been riding my own horse for so long that I have no idea if this is applicable to everyone, but for me, lateral movements fix most problems I have with my guy.

For me, more specifically - get bend.

I first heard it at a Jeremy Steinberg clinic when my horse was explosive and we spent the first hour and a half bending until my horse released enough tension to move forward without going up. His point was that if a horse is trying to take off bucking, you will never be stronger straight ahead. By getting bend, you get softening in the horse.

Jeremy also taught me that mental tension and physical tension are linked in horses - so if you get them to relax the physical tension, they relax mentally as well. Because my gelding gets mentally tense then physically tense and explosive, this has been very valuable to me to learn. I can't just say "oh, good boy, you're ok" and have him release the mental tension. But if I get the physical tension out, he relaxes mentally.

My last really explosive ride on him was last fall, and it was day 3 of an Alex Gerding clinic. The horses next door had gotten loose and it triggered him. The long muscles on the left side of his back were especially tight as evidenced by hollowing his back and trying to touch his left hip to his ear. So for about 15 minutes we worked in the most bent haunches right and half pass right I could get, walk, trot and canter. By the end of that 15 minutes he was breathing normally again, and we were able to work in forward, swinging gaits without misbehavior. He felt better physically ,so mentally relaxed.

[Scandias]

Ride the horse forward into the contact.

[Gloria]

Hard to say which is my favorite, but one that has stuck in my head:

Trot forward into walk/halt. (or canter forward into trot/walk/halt).

[Nojacketrequired]

"Hips first" to stop me from leaning forward. Thinking "hips first" changed my long-time habit even after years of lessons couldn't get it through my head!

NJR

[BetterOffRed]

this is a tip from my pilates trainer but OMG, it really works for dressage too....
I think we were doing some sort of push up with the arms bent and she wanted them tucked in our sides...

to help keep my elbows in "bend your arms, keep them tucked into your sides, use them to brush your ribs like bar-b-que sauce" It totally made me LOL, but the visual was perfect! now I can keep my elbows tucked and bent but following my horses' movement...

[paulaedwina]

Don't make the corner before your horse does.

I got into a bad habit of leaning forward. This reminds me to sit up.

Paula

[rascalpony]

"If you can't get a halt, it's not right."

I've gotten a lot of good ones from my current trainer.

"Could you jump a 4' fence with this canter?"
"If you're collecting/lengthening properly, the quality of the regular work should improve. If it falls apart, you didn't do it right."
"If you don't feel your stomach muscles burning when asking for shortening/collection, you aren't using your body properly. No hands! BAD!"
"Collection starts at the back end. You need THIS much collection/impulsion for a good canter transition." (As I am trying to hold onto such a big trot! My poor mare.)
"Shoulder goes in, not neck! Stop using your inside rein. *Starts singing Let it Go* Let it GO, let it GOOOO..."
"Your horse is honest. She tells you when you're doing something wrong. She only complains when you aren't riding correctly. Listen!"

And of course the lighter classic:

"Your boobs are headlights! Use them!"
"You should be able to feel your boobs with your upper arms. That's how you know your arms are in the right place. Now don't move them!"

[thatmoody]

After the shoulder in, USE the impulsion you get to improve the trot - THAT'S what all your trot work should feel like LOL.

And the reason it was "best" advice? It reinforced that each movement should have a PURPOSE - it's not just doing it for the sake of doing it :P

[Geniusiwas]

There are some really good tips and visualizations here.

I remember something my friend told me years ago, "Crossing your hand over the withers is against the law!"

I've never had a problem with a non-steering baby since!

[mydogs]

It was at a Walter Zettl clinic. He explained that we cannot influence a weight bearing leg, and so our move sideways aid must occur when the leg we wish to affect is in the air. This was in relation to leg yield and influencing the inside hind leg.

I went to the barn, tried it and

I then started to apply the idea to other things from lead changes to improving the quality of the gait. The idea of influencing the leg became part of the larger idea of timing of the aids. When I started to teach I incorporated the idea of timing and had my students do exercises to help them find the right point in time/in the stride to get the best response. Timing is something that many riders develop unconsciously and those who learn it often move it into the unconscious automatic action. Thus most cannot explain it to a student.

If you could explain it to me, that would be great!!

[ExtendedTrot]

There are some absolute gems in here! Thanks everyone for participating, I added most of these to my "problem notebook" since I'm definitely a list type of person. (:

[earthsister]

My pony gave me a great tip, yesterday!

Hello!

So I know it's not a sage quote, but I just got the best tip from my pony, yesterday. She is eight and still a little green. She and I were trotting and it was one of the best trots I have ever felt on her, because she knew I trusted her and I wasn't scared. I am honestly sometimes quite nervous to ride. I surprised myself with how relaxed I was. All of a sudden she just starts to canter. We have never cantered before! She was just ready! I may have accidentally given her a cue, but nobody has ever taught her what a "cantering cue" is. It was a completely controlled, relaxed canter. I got in a half seat, and I let her go, then brought her back to the trot, then a walk. All this time I was so scared to canter her, and for what? She was perfect, in fact, her canter was really great! What I realized is trust is the greatest achievement between you and your equine. Even though she cantered on accident, she felt comfortable and so did I. It wasn't a big deal, and she and I were both excited we did it together! I know it's not the first time someone has said it, but it sounds so different when your horse explains it to you. I think she was just ready! Now I am, too.

[Scandias]

I went to a Dressage clinic with Aaron Wilson last week and he told me something really profound "The horse is responsible for maintaining the gait that's set by the rider" - mind blown. So now my horse has to work harder than me; she hates it, I love it

[Sdhaurmsmom]

"Make him an offer!" This, from beloved, late dressage trainer Richard Ulmann. He was all about the release...

[EaglesWings]

I'd been struggling for a year with maintaining my shoulder and upper back posture and finally gained a fantastic visual from a very non-horsey friend of mine when I was trying to explain what dressage is.

"So basically like ballet?" Boom. Ballet shoulders and suddenly my core, shoulders, timing, lightness were all there.

I honestly haven't had a bad ride since and my trainer has commented, "you look like you're dancing."

Victory.

[FineAlready]

"Ride the goodness into him."

Said in relation to my tense/reactive horse.