You’ve decided to refocus your attention on your riding.  You’re back in the saddle and rearing to go (well, maybe not quite rearing!).  But knowing what to do and where to focus your attention can seem a little daunting.  In fact, maybe it's feeling like there is just too much to do and too little time to do it in…   If we were working together, either online or in-person, there are a few essentials that I would begin asking you to give your full attention to.  Now, obviously this would vary depending on your unique situation.  However, there is a foundation that you build in your riding which is centered on a few specific principles.  Today I want to share those with you… Read More... More Resources on this Topic:-  The Returning to Riding Program - More Information Lunging for Riding -success in just 10 minutes or less each day Groundwork for Riding - Successfully Take the Conversation from the Ground into the Saddle The Daily Strides Podcast The Free Group filled with other like-minded riders 2020 Equestrian Fitness Challenge   

Returning to Riding - Focusing on the Basics

Have you ever had a horse step on your heel while you were leading them?  Or maybe it was your toe while tacking up or grooming?  These are pretty memorable experiences due to the amount of pain they cause!   Horses are great at being really transparent around the consequences of doing something, or not doing something.  And if you have experienced some version of the above, it is due to ‘not’ doing something… Laying down boundaries with your horse.   Boundaries are so important when it comes to making progress as a rider. In fact, I have seen a marked difference between the results riders get in the saddle boil down to whether or not they have, and then actively enforce their boundaries.   Read More HERE...   Other resources that relate to this topic..   Groundwork for Riding - Successfully Take the Conversation from the Ground into the Saddle Lunging for Riding - The Program Groundwork - Pressure & Release The Daily Strides Podcast The Free Group filled with other like-minded riders 2020 Equestrian Fitness Challenge

Boundaries; How They Work for You In Your Riding

Can we sit down and have a quick and honest conversation? If you’re game, let’s go!   As I write this, we are on the brink of a new year and a new decade.  The timing seems ripe for making some serious changes in your riding and your approach to riding.   I would love you to be honest with yourself here…  I know that you know the answers to these questions.  Being honest will truly be the key to making progress with your riding moving forwards; regardless of when you are reading this.   Read More HERE   Join the free Equestrian Fitness Challenge HERE

5 Actions to Your 'Better Version'

Have you ever considered all the different ways you communicate with your horse, every day?  All of the aids you have at your disposal to ask your horse to do things the way you want him to do things.  Imagine if you could become a little more mindful about what you are doing and how you are doing it…   When you are with your horse, there are so many different aids you can use, such as:-        Thoughts Body Language Position Voice Seat Legs Hands Artificial aids        Each time you begin working on a new aid, it has to learn how to blend with all of the aids you have been previously using.  You have to learn how to blend it, and your horse has to learn how to understand it.   Read More HERE....    Other Episodes, Posts, and Resources on This Topic      Groundwork for Riding - Successfully Take the Conversation from the Ground into the Saddle The Daily Strides Podcast The Free Group filled with other like-minded riders 2020 Equestrian Fitness Challenge

Groundwork; Take a Walk with Your Horse

I am fascinated by how our minds work.  I love seeing the co-relation between our beliefs and thoughts play out in our physical day to day lives.  Meeting and chatting with riders for the first time is one of my favorite things to do.  I pay close attention.  I love listening to the stories they tell me about themselves and their riding.   So many riders have themselves convinced they cannot do something, and therefore take action from that place or that perspective.  The place where the thing they want won’t work.  This versus riders who believe they can do something.  They will take action based on their beliefs, and usually prove themselves right. Your Beliefs = Your Results What we believe is crucial to the results we get in our riding.  This, of course, is not just limited to riding.  It can be applied to any area of our lives.  I personally believe (there is that word, again!) that this is due to how we ‘show up’.   Read More...    Resources to help you with this topic:-    Equestrian Fitness Challenge Daily Strides Podcast Free group for equestrians focusing on mindset and fitness Lunging for Riding Digital Course

Your Mindset; What Do You Believe About Your Riding?

Weight aids are often overlooked and underused by many riders.  I want to help you begin to see how powerful your weight aids have the potential to be in your riding.  I also want to use your weight aids to see demonstrate how power intention and focus have on your goals as well.  Less is more where your weight aids are concerned.  Unfortunately, many riders seem to throw everything they have behind a weigh aid when they think they should apply one.  All this serves to do is unbalance both horse and rider.  Your goals are similar.  If you put all your focus and attention on a single goal, you will soon find that life, in general, will become unbalanced.  And this can go against how many of us feel when we set goals.  We get all caught up in the initial enthusiasm of the potential outcome, often to our own detriment. Finding Balance Balance means that you have a center point where you feel happy.  As everything is moving and you are moving with it, you will make continuous small adjustments to make sure that you return to ‘balanced’ all the time.  Small little ‘course corrects’ that helps everything work together.  In riding, I call this the ‘balance of aids’.  Yes, there may be a ‘leading aid’, however, all the other aids have supporting roles in order to keep the balance.  Life is the same.  If you choose a single goal and decide to just focus all of your intention and energy on it, the rest of your life will suffer.  It may be able to sustain for a while, but sooner or later, things will begin to show the strain of this unbalance. Read More... Join the FREE Equestrian Fitness Challenge HERE

Weight Aids & Using Them With Intention & Focus

Have you ever considered how much you are either helping or hindering your horse when you’re riding?  Do you wonder what you could do, today, to begin improving your influence in the saddle?  Well, I am going to give you something fun to do in the saddle that will improve your riding - and put a smile on your face as well.   I want you to begin figuring out how independent you are in the saddle when riding. You are going to do this by riding the light seat or two-point seat.  Your bum out of the saddle as you ride.  Some lovely daylight between the arse of your trousers and the seat of your saddle.   I already know that many riders will have clicked away by now, but if you are still here; good on you!  This exercise is for ALL riders.  Improving your balance will always improve the overall conversation with your horse, regardless of the discipline that conversation occurs in. What Is the Light Seat? The light seat happens when you are riding.  It involves you actually ‘standing’ on your own two feet while working your horse.  It requires you to balance yourself.  This means no leaning, holding on or crouching down on your horse's neck, a neck strap or breastplate, or the pommel of the saddle.  Also, no holding onto the mane...    Read More...   Other resources for you to help with your conversation with your horse:-   FREE Equestrian Fitness Challenge Daily Strides Podcast Free group for equestrians focusing on mindset and fitness Lunging for Riding Digital Course    

Improving Your Riding with Your Light Seat

I believe that every rider or equestrian can be put into one of two categories. I know, a pretty big generalization!  However, from working with thousands of riders, I have yet to meet someone who does not fall into one or the other. Knowing which category you fall into will help you to get clear on what your ‘next step’ is when it comes to developing your skills as a rider.  I have named the two different types of riders as being either:- 1. Passengers 2. Influencers You see it all comes down to your focus when you’re in the saddle. You can easily figure out which of the above you are by noticing where you are focusing your attention in the saddle for the majority of each ride. Is the focus on you or is it on your horse? Read More... Other episodes & resources to help you with your riding:-    Free Map for Progress in Your Riding Equestrian Fitness Challenge Daily Strides Podcast Free group for equestrians focusing on mindset and fitness Lunging for Riding Digital Course

1124 Which Type of Rider Are You?

Learning is great. As a rider or equestrian, there is a never-ending stream of knowledge out there just waiting for you to dive into and begin exploring. However, learning can sometimes be the very thing that holds riders back from making progress in their riding. You see, learning is only really useful if you go and then implement what you learn. And it is the implementation that riders fall short. They fail to take action on what they learn. All their newly gained knowledge just remains in their heads, never to be acted upon in the arena. I create a lot of free training for riders to use to help them make shifts and progress in their riding. Things like the 5 Days to Clarity Mini-Course or the Equestrian Fitness Challenge. What I see, over and over, is riders watching, listening or reading the training but then failing to take the next step.  The vitally important step of implementing what they have learned.  It’s a bit like the story about the dog lying on the nail; the nail is uncomfortable, but not enough for the dog to actually get up and move. He will rather lie on the nail and simply complain about how uncomfortable it is to lie there! I also see this happening with my paid programs. People invest money and then fail to take the required action… Lunging to Riding and the Clarity & Confidence Riding Program are just two examples of this. The What, When, How and Why of Riding… When you are learning to ride, knowing the above will make your life easier. it will also, usually, make your horse's life more pleasant as well! I am not saying not the learn the above. In fact, I believe that all of the above are vitally important, especially the ‘Why’ behind whatever it is you are learning to do.  Time and again, I see riders know what, when and how, but they completely miss the bit about the why. The 'why' is what allows you to take your knowledge and apply it to different situations. Read More 

1123 Taking Action on What You Learn in Your Riding

It is inevitable. All riders find themselves there at some point in their riding journey. The point where progress stalls and the comfort of the plateau is no longer what they are looking for. Recognizing that you are feeling a little stuck is the key to making the necessary changes to ‘unsticking’ yourself. The key to starting working towards progress again. Before we dive into this topic, I just want to point out that this happens to all riders. It is absolutely inevitable. If you were never to reach a plateau, you would burn yourself out and become exhausted with the constant ‘effort’. However, remaining there leads to feelings of boredom and ‘same old, same old’. A Plateau is Often Necessary I love hiking. I especially enjoy it when there is a sizeable hill or mountain involved. One of the reasons is because I feel that it ‘tests’ me a little. There is a climb. The discomfort and effort involved in actually moving up to where I want to go. And then there is the feeling of relief and accomplishment when I reach the next plateau. The plateau almost compliments the climb necessary to get there. Horse riding is very much the same. There are feelings of discomfort when you’re learning something new. The feelings of ‘gosh, maybe I should just turn around and go back to where I was comfortable’. The doubting. The necessary focus and concentration. Your ability to ‘dig deep’.

1122 Overcoming Plateaus In Your Riding Progress

Having a map often simplifies the journey.  It helps plan a clear route from A to B.  Riding is a journey.  And so many riders want a map or a plan to follow for progress in their riding.   Well, hold your horses!  What if I was to tell you that there is a map available for equestrians.  Oh yes, and it is loosely called the training scale or the traditional training scale.  So many riders discount this because they think that they have to be riding at a certain level in order to use it.  Or that the training scale is only for riders of a certain discipline, usually dressage.  Many riders also believe that the training scale is only for the horse.  And a certain 'type' of a horse at that. This couldn’t be further from the truth.  Horse riding is a team sport.  Your horse's long term success depends on your abilities in the saddle.  Improve your riding skills and you will have improved conversations with your horse.  It is as simple as that. What is the training scale and how can you use it as a map in your riding? The training scale is a basic system many trainers use when working with horses.  There are certain principles or ‘steps’ which, when followed, ensure that the horse and rider have the mental, emotional and physical ability to progress in their training and riding.   Read More...   Free Resources over at:-  https://stridesforsuccess.com/episode1121/  Sign up for the free mini-course at  https://stridesforsuccess.com/free/

1121 A Map for Progress in Your Riding

Lunging is one of those rare things to do with horses that has a pretty low ‘barrier to entry’. Getting started is pretty easy and ‘do-able’ for most riders. All that is needed is a few essentials and most riders can get started and off to the races with their horse. This is fantastic news because lunging, in my opinion, is something most horse and rider combinations can only benefit from including in their training routine. This is regardless of experience, training, age, discipline, goals, etc. It is also something that many riders can use to build their own confidence more...  And, make sure you're kicking off the new decade the right way by joining us on the free 2020 Equestrian Fitness Challenge.  All the details are at https://equestrianfitnesschallenge.com Happy riding, Lorna

1119 | 4 Essentials to Get Started with Lunging that will Help Your Riding

As I write this, it is that time of the year. The clocks have just gone back here in Ireland. It is dark by 5:30 pm each evening. It is still dark at 7:45 am each morning… And we have close to two months left until the official shortest day of the year. Meaning things are only going to get darker between now and then. In the top half of the world, Winter has come! And with it, a complete lack of daylight, warmth and ‘perfect riding weather’. This means that riders have to begin changing their approach slightly if they are to still keep moving forward with their riding.  Couple this with upcoming holidays and the Christmas season, flexibility is the name of the game for riders this time of year.  So how do you keep your riding moving forwards when your riding times are shorter? And when your actual number of days in the saddle each week possibly changing week on week? Taking a different approach is the answer. I am going to give you 4 different options you can use to work with your horse, that take either lack of time or bad weather into account… 1 . Lunging I personally believe that every rider in the world can benefit from learning to lunge correctly and well. It is something that is so easy to get started with. And, even better, your riding skills do not have a whole lot of sway over your lunging skills.  Meaning you don’t have to be a ‘great’ rider in order to have a huge positive impact with lunging.  This is a topic that we have covered many times here on the podcast and I am going to give you links to all the relevant episodes and resources I have created for you. Visit https://stridesforsuccess.com/episode1120 for all links to mentioned content &amp; resources 2 . Groundwork The true bookends to every ride you will ever have. Groundwork is worth investing time into improving as it is something you do every single time you interact with your horse. It is also great for when the weather is less than ideal for riding. When you are confined to a smaller space, even if that space is a stable or barn.  I am going to suggest starting with something you do every time you’re in the saddle; halt.  The quality of your halt can be dramatically improved before you ever get into the saddle. Work on the pressure and release concept on the ground. This then allows you to refine something that is the foundation of how you apply your aids in the saddle. I have spoken about groundwork a lot in previous episodes. Here are the links to those episodes and other resources I have created for you about groundwork. Visit https://stridesforsuccess.com/episode1120 for all links to mentioned content &amp; resources   3 . Massage or Desensitising Wet, cold weather often makes us want to settle in. Get nice and cozy and leave the weather outside! Well, you can do this with your horse as well, kind of! Massage is a great way to really bond or connect with your horse. It helps to build trust in your relationship with each other.  Massage is also

1120 4 Ways to Work Your Horse when Time is Short

So how do you know if your horse is really engaged? For many riders, we know that it is important, however, we struggle to make it happen consistently. When your horse’s core is engaged, it means that energy is able to flow through your horse’s body. Through the container that is you and your horse when you are riding. Your horse’s core strength will determine how much energy can flow through the channel or container at any given point more...   Have you joined our free community yet?  Connect with other like minded equestrians and get some free trainings on mindset, riding and everything in between over at https://www.facebook.com/groups/SFS30DayRiderFitnessChallenge/  And, make sure you're kicking off the new decade the right way by joining us on the free 2020 Equestrian Fitness Challenge.  All the details are at https://equestrianfitnesschallenge.com Happy riding, Lorna

1118 | Engaging Your Horses Core

Setting goals and making plans can feel like a waste of time when your horse is continuously tossing or throwing his head about. If you have a horse who reacts this way when being ridden, you will agree with me. It seems that no matter what you do, this issue is going to taint everything else in your riding. And it will. Horse riding his about the conversation between horse and rider. A big part of that conversation is the contact and the connection. Tossing or throwing of the head makes consistency in both of these things pretty impossible. more... Happy Riding, Lorna Improve your riding today by join us here.

1117 | Riding a Horse that Tosses or Throws his Head

Does your horse go from 0 to 120 in half a stride whenever he sets his sights on a jump?  If so, you will probably agree with me that jumping is definitely not the thing you find most enjoyable to do with your horse!  In fact, very often it can feel terrifying! And I agree. Jumping with a horse who is rushing at the fences is not just scary, but also dangerous and frustrating more...  Happy Riding, Lorna Improve your riding today by joining us here join

1116 | Riding A Horse That Rushes Jumps

So how do you become a ‘better’ rider?  What should you be focusing on in order to make progress regarding your communication skills in the saddle? I believe there are three specific areas that, if you work on, you can really begin to see a difference in your riding. more...  Happy Riding, Lorna  Improve your riding today by joinng us here http://stridesforsuccess/join/

1115 | 3 Areas that Can Change Everything in Your Riding

The conversations with your horse begin with the conversation going on in your head. Your conversation with yourself. So many riders create stories to explain why things are the way they are. We do this with all the elements of our lives. The unfortunate fact is that a lot of these conversations can be really limiting. more...  Happy Riding, Lorna  Improve your riding today by joinng us here http://stridesforsuccess/join/

1114 | Having Realistic Expectations for Your Riding

It is possibly one of the first things you heard when you initially took up the reins. Yet, it is one of the most enduring struggles riders have in the saddle. And even when it is mastered on the flat, it seems to crop back up again when a jump is required! Heels down is one of the most important things to ‘do’ when riding a horse. There are a lot of reasons why mastering this seemingly simple thing is vital to developing as a rider. I say ‘seemingly’ because more...  Lorna  Improve your riding today by joinng us here http://stridesforsuccess/join/

1113 | How to Keep Your Heels Down When Riding

Where should I start? Have you ever found yourself wondering about this with your horse? The beginning is the obvious answer. However, sometimes the beginning is not as simple to pin-point. This is especially true with it comes to your ex-racehorse or OTTB. Your retired racehorses beginning when he gets to you is not the same as the beginning with other horses. They have already ‘begun’. However, now we are asking them to perform a ‘re-do’. To re-start. At a new beginning… more...  Lorna  Improve your riding today by joinng us here http://stridesforsuccess/join/

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