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Saturday, September 10 2022 / Published in Weekly Feature

Homework for Riders 

By Liz Halliday-Sharp

I have always believed that the best riders are those who continue to learn, work hard and constantly strive to be better. I personally am trying to improve my riding every day, and I’m lucky to have some great trainers around me. However, most of the time I’m at home working through things on my own, and that’s the time for personal assessment and focusing on homework from your coaching sessions. 

Over the years I have enjoyed teaching lessons at home and in multiple clinics, and I wanted to share some of my top training tips that seem to have helped riders the most. 

1 – Use your legs more. I always encourage riders to relax their knee and thigh and to “hug” the horse with their lower legs. This is relevant in both dressage and jumping, and not only does it mean that the leg is on and can then be more effective, but it also means you’re not adding tension by gripping with the knee and thigh. Many times the horse feels behind the leg and stuffy because the rider is in fact holding on with the upper leg and not using the lower leg. This creates the same effect as if you’re pulling the hand brake in your car while trying to push on the gas pedal! 

2 – Praise matters! I’m a big believer in black and white training for horses. I ask them to work hard, but I’m always open with the praise when they do things well. I often see riders ask a lot of their horses, but never give them a quick pat or a word of encouragement. How can we expect our horses to know what’s right and wrong if we never tell them? This is especially important when horses are struggling to learn something new or finding something hard. It’s OK if they find it tough, but we must be quick to offer praise when they do it right, even if it’s correct for just a moment. 

3 – Contact and connection. I think these two things are very important to success for any rider. One thing that I often say in a lesson is to “soften the horse within a feel,” and by this I mean that you should have a connection to the mouth so that there’s something in your hands, and then you can soften the horse with your fingers by squeezing on the reins, but still maintain some contact. The leg is also an important part of this to maintain the energy from the hind legs, and this in turn will ultimately teach the horse to take weight behind and push. I don’t believe that any horse can push correctly from the hind leg into a loopy rein with no contact, so to help the horse be on the bit and connected, we must strive to develop a nice, consistent feel of the mouth that maintains some elasticity. 

4 – Power does not equal speed. Anyone who has been in lessons or clinics with me has probably heard this before! This is especially true in the show jumping phase where many riders think that speed is the answer to tackling a course that they find challenging. Most of the time I find that focusing on the hind legs and generating more power and compression rather than letting the horse get long, flat and fast makes a big difference to the confidence of both horse and rider. 

5 – Keep your shoulders back until the front legs have left the floor. This is very important on cross-country and is essential for corners, skinnies and angles. Riders get into trouble when they believe the jump is going to work and so they tip forward, release the rein and take their leg off on the last stride. When this happens, the horse loses the connection and the confidence from the rider and it “opens the door” for a run-out. When the rider stays locked in, strong in their core with a solid lower leg and their shoulders back, it helps to keep the horse focused and committed to the questions in front of them.

6 – Pull your chin up when jumping. This sounds like the silliest little thing, but sometimes makes the biggest difference! I say to many riders to try and pull their chin up on take-off, in the air and on landing. This then raises the eye level and the balance and can make a big difference, especially for those that are struggling in combinations because they’re feeling disorganized on landing. 

With hard work and focus we can all keep getting better—good luck! 

Photo by The West Equestrian, thewestequestrian.com

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Hello April!!! 🌻🌷 This month's edition of Si Hello April!!! 🌻🌷
This month's edition of Sidelines is our eventing edition and it will not disappoint! Of the many things happening this month one of the most exciting things coming up is Sidelines will be at The Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event held in Lexington KY 🤩

This month's issue of Sidelines features the beautiful and talented Liz Halliday-Sharp and her never-give-up attitude!!

Of the many lessons that Elisabeth “Liz” Halliday-Sharp learned from her father, resilience was perhaps the most important. Liz’s innate ability to overcome adversity has served her well in her quest to become one of the top event riders in the world. Through the highs and lows of a career with horses, Liz’s “can do” attitude has helped propel her through both triumph and defeat. 

Liz, who has won more events globally during the past three years than any other rider in her discipline, continues to set records—with her sights set firmly on the 2024 Olympic Games.

This is truly a can't miss article! Read more in the link in our bio! 

Never miss a moment with Sidelines by following all our social media and subscribing to get your own edition of Sidelines, the magazine for horse people about horse people 🦄

📸Portraits by Melissa Fuller

#olympics #tokyo #sports #tokyoolympics #sport #india #olympicgames #athlete #olympic #figureskating #athletics #horses #fitness  #training #usa #goldmedal  #motivation #athletes #teamusa #skating  #champion #love #sidelinesmagazine
Sports Psychology column🐎 By Margie Sugarman I Sports Psychology column🐎
By Margie Sugarman

I just bought a new horse. I think he’s amazing, but I miss the feeling of just “clicking” with my old horse. I know that it takes time to grow that connection, but do you have any tips that can help me be confident and in tune with my new horse in the short term?

You kick off your sneakers and realize that there’s a big hole in the sole of one shoe. Well, you’ve had them for quite a while and have worn them everywhere, from hiking to riding. They’ve served you well but it’s time for new ones. (It’s time to move on to a new horse.) You turn on your computer and order a new pair. You wait in anticipation. You’re excited, they’re cool looking. (He’s pretty!)

Upon arrival, you quickly open the box and slip your feet in. They’re great sneakers, but they aren’t as comfortable as the pair they’re replacing. They don’t bend as well—the sole is stiff. They don’t feel as comfortable—they have to be broken in. They don’t fit like the others did—the old ones were so well molded to your feet. (He’s a new ride, a different ride. He needs some suppling work.)

Of utmost importance in the human/horse relationship (especially the ones with the strongest bonds) is the horse looking to their owner as the leader and respecting their personal space. This important dynamic comes from groundwork—no matter what discipline you’re involved in. Just as it is with friendships, there needs to be respect. Respect is developed when one is on the ground and not mounted.

The things you do might seem small, but if done consistently and in a positive way, the results are huge. The confidence and trust you develop between the two of you will carry your relationship to wherever you want it to go.

To read Margies full column click the link in our bio! Never miss an article by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine 🦄

Photo by Ali Kelman

#psychology #mentalhealth #love #therapy #mentalhealthawareness #anxiety #motivation #psychologist #selfcare #mindfulness #selflove #life #mentalhealthmatters  #mindset #wellness #meditation #inspiration #mind #Sidelinesmagazine
Breeding season is underway at Iron Spring Farm! W Breeding season is underway at Iron Spring Farm! We're proud to offer exceptional modern Sporthorse stallions, with wonderful temperaments and quality gaits to North American breeders.
 
Among our stallions are Cum Laude and Kaiman. Cum Laude (Apache x Weltmeyer) is a winning FEI horse and sire of quality dressage horses, breed show champions, and offspring scoring 9.0s on gaits.
 
Kaiman (Dark Pleasure x Gribaldi) earned high scores at his stallion testing and in the young horse classes. He's also the sire of a Licensed Oldenburg stallion. Kaiman's first North American foal crop is arriving now and they are gorgeous!
 
If you're looking for top international bloodlines please check out our 2023 stallion collection, now available fresh, frozen, and by the dose.

Among our stallions are Cum Laude and Kaiman. Cum Laude (Apache x Weltmeyer) is a winning FEI horse and sire of quality dressage horses, breed show champions, and offspring scoring 9.0s on gaits.

Breeding season is underway at Iron Spring Farm! We're proud to offer exceptional modern Sporthorse stallions, with wonderful temperaments and quality gaits to North American breeders.

https://www.ironspringfarm.com/biolink/

@iron_spring_farm 

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❗️George Williams column❗️ The FEI World ❗️George Williams column❗️
The FEI World Cup Final in Omaha is coming up quickly. That means that it’s starting to heat 
up as the end of the qualifying period for both the Western European League (WEL) and the 
North American League (NAL) nears. I started to write this column before the Amsterdam CDI- W, and I was using the FEI Ranking List from January 15 as a reference. As I sit down to finish 
my column, I’m now looking at the results from Amsterdam. While the list of the top contenders 
for the WEL hasn’t changed, they’re definitely moving around on the ranking list. The WEL has 
three more legs, as they’re referred to: Neumünster February 16–19, Goteborg February 23–26, 
and ’s-Hertogenbosch March 9–12, and they could change things dramatically.
Looking at the top 12 athletes from the WEL as they were ranked on January 15, there are five 
from Germany, three from the Netherlands and one each from Great Britain, Denmark

➡️Read Georges's full column by clicking the link in our bio, and never miss an article by subscribing to Sidelines Magazine 🦄 

#horse #horses #horsesofinstagram #equestrian #horseriding #equine #pony #pferd #equestrianlife #horselove #dressage #horselover #instahorse #love #cheval #showjumping #horselife #photography #nature #pferde #horseofinstagram #caballo #riding #horsebackriding #pferdeliebe #caballos #horsepower #horsephotography #instagram #Sidelinesmagazine
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