We all want to be better riders. We can picture ourselves riding confidently, our horse calm but responsive, as we canter through an open field, trot along a winding trail, soar over a brightly colored jump, or prance through the perfect leg yield.
But the truth is… it takes work to get those “great rides”! There is a lot that goes into being a great rider and horseman.
I would argue that this is part of the allure of riding… there is always something to learn.
We can improve how we ride, how we train and and relate to our horse, and how we care for them.
In today’s video, we are going to look at four of the big key parts of becoming a great rider.
Click play to watch the video below and then scroll down to use the resources listed below.
Resources from the Video
Riding
Understanding & Relating to Your Horse
Horse Care
Mental Game
9 Responses
Thanks Callie, really interesting & useful video. You made me laugh when you asked what aspect do we think we need to work on, can I say all of them! I’m getting back into riding after a 20 year break and finding everything a lot harder in my mid 40’s than when I was a kid. I used to own my own ponies and horses as I was growing up but now I just have lessons once a week and your videos really help for in between my lessons. Dressage is my passion but I need to work on so many other things, confidence building being the main one and I love the calm & precise way you explain everything. Can’t wait for the next video. Thanks.
thank you, as always Callie,
ABSOLUTELY agree!
Thank you Callie for today’s video and supportive links offered. I’m new to watching your training videos and therefore this is my first time commenting. I truly enjoy your videos. You are so crystal clear in your explanations. And love the follow-up links offered to check out to deepen my understanding on your topic of discussion. You go to great lengths to reach your audience with a vast array of knowledge. Your very loving, fair and kind to the horses which I respect immensely. I look forward to the weeks ahead when you start diving into these catagories in greater length. Enjoyed how you broke down the big picture into segments. Very interesting. Thank you so much. You are doing remarkable videos with thorough explanations. Thank you so much! Your work is greatly appreciated.
Thank you Renee, I really appreciate your kind words! Glad you enjoy the videos!
I am always baffled by how many “equestrians” do not have any interest in establishing a relationship with their horse, and when they are on their horse, it shows. Even when I’m on a “school horse” I feel that I owe it to the creature to repay his patience and cooperation with a fair bit of kindness and comfort before and after the lesson. That goes triple and quadruple for the abused rescue horse with trust issues that I am helping to rehabilitate! Without relationship building on the ground, and without a certain amount of give-and-take while we are riding (He LOVES running up hills, for example, so forcing him to a walk throughout the trail ride is the best way of setting myself up for a really bad day), I would not have a horse that enjoys leading on the trail more and more. As someone who does both I’d like to say: If you are looking for something that you can pick up whenever, kick it to make it go, and get off and leave when you’re done with it, get a motorcycle.
Awesome video! Great breakdown, and food for thought!
(BTW, good camera work too: look-space, headroom, pan! Camera operators are unsung heroes!)
Yay Julia! 🙂
An excellent set of training videos. Concise information which hasn’t been padded out with loads of babble. Keep up the great work – I will be looking out for more. Many thanks.
Great video! No big surprise! Always learn something new.