Hello and welcome to this week's WARider Challenge. This week's exercise is called Take the Plunge - Plunge meaning to jump or dive quickly and energetically, and of course, being a Wild Atlantic Rider, I had to have a little play on some water words! This exercise is designed to get you thinking on your … Continue reading Take the Plunge! WARider November Lockdown Riding Challenge
Fear. Everyone fears something. Every rider has some little thing that scares the livin' bejaysus out of them. The sound of the jump cups tinging as your instructor puts them up a hole, sharing a lesson with the some one who appears to be absolutely flawless with an amaze-balls horse, or the pre-competition nerves leaving … Continue reading F.E.A.R. & Determination
More often than not I get riders asking me to run through their dressage tests with them a day or two before a show or event. Sometimes, I notice little things that can be improved with basic schooling exercises which can add a a couple of extra marks on a score sheet. It's important to … Continue reading Dressage Test Preparation: 5 Schooling Tips for Improved Marks
In 2016 the Not On My Yard anti-bullying campaign was launched by Tudor Rose Equines in an effort to high light bullying within the equestrian industry. Having worked with children and young adults for over a decade, bullying and its effect on those involved has become a subject that is very close to my heart. The Not On … Continue reading The “Not On My Yard” Anti-Bullying Campaign: Why every riding school should get behind it
Today's Tuesday tip is going to be short and sweet; Try to keep it simple. As riders and as instructors we can sometimes get too "into" it and complicate things. I myself am very guilty of it - both as a rider and an instructor. It's because we love what we're doing and want to … Continue reading Tuesday Tip! Keeping it simple
Some rider's struggle with understanding the term "contact", what it means in terms of riding and it's importance. Experienced riders will be familiar with the classic image of a correct contact - a straight line from the rider's elbow, to the hand, through the reins down to the horse's bit. However, this can be a tricky … Continue reading Tuesday Tip! The Tunnel of Contact
For those of you who struggle to "get the diagonal" this little ditty may be of help to you... Always remember to RISE AND FALL WITH THE LEG ON THE WALL! Now for the explanation.... 1. How many beats are there to the trot? Two you say? Correct!  You can say up-down-up-down if you like but … Continue reading Tuesday Tip! The Dreaded Diagonal
Wild Atlantic Rider 