Techniques
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Studying jumping
Yeap! After a year of riding, now I learn how to jump! Well, don’t expect miracles, I have not made a successful jump yet. There is a difference between learning to jump and jumping successfully. I’m in the former situation for now. And it’s OK, given the fact that it took me a year to learn how to trot. Since I like studying very much, I thought I should first understand the mechanics of a jump, that is how the horse’s body works on a jump and how the human body must be positioned. I found what I needed on the Jumping page of Wikipedia. The author of the article explains each of the four…
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Not all cultures ride the same way
As I said on my last post, different cultures ride in different ways. There are substantial difference sometimes regarding basic things. This post comes from my experience as a foreign rider in Britain. Having started in Greece, I noticed “it’s done” differently in Britain sometimes. Controlling a horse: In Crete I learned that when I turn on one specific side, I need to hold the opposite reign higher. So, if, for example, I want to turn right, I will pull the right reign and I will rise a bit the left one. The logic behind this is that in this way you “lock” the neck of the horse, so that…
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How to braid the mane of your horse
As I continue discovering the world of equestrianism, I learned that braiding is compulsory for equestrian shows. This gives the judges the impression of a clean and tidy horse. And actually plaits must stay tight and in place all day when you have a show. Interesting. So, today I watched some videos about braiding manes. These ladies do it so beautifully: The lady below plaits the rich mane of a friesian horse! Oh, mon Dieu! Going to bed now! See you tomorrow!
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Doing the dirty job: How to clean a stall
It’s nice to ride along a valley or jump around in the arena or dancing with your equestrian friend, but, like us humans, our equestrian friends produce, well, “waste”, which needs cleaning. This might not be a fun process obviously, but it is necessary for a healthy horse. Why do we clean/muck our a stable/stall? For several reasons; the stall does not smell, the horse does not swallow the toxic ammonia coming from its own urine, flies -horses’ worst enemy- have no reason to stay inside a stall, the hooves are kept healthy, the floor of the stall has the chance to dry, and our equine friend has a soft,…
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Improving the jump of a horse
I found on youtube this video, on which the lady shows how to make a horse -especially a young one- to jump more willingly. The lady has placed three obstacles in a small distance from each other, for the horse to have just enough room to jump.
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How to stay balanced in the canter
I observed last week that while I was cantering, my butt was going here and there and I thought I was going to fall off. It wasn’t the front or the back, it was the side that I was concerned with. I had a thought about it, and I remembered Yannis telling me that there’s a problem with my balance. So today I searched on YouTube for videos focusing on keeping oneself balanced while cantering. And I found the one that follows: The lovely lady here says that stomach is very important. The problem is that, I have never taken my stomach into account when it comes to riding!