Thoughts on Training
Be Clear
Use clear aids/cues. This minimizes the confusion your horse might experience while trying to figure out exactly what you want him to do.
Be Consistent
Use the same aids/cues every time.
Take charge of your Emotions
Everything we do with our horses should be entirely free of any expression of negative emotions. Never allow yourself to show anger or frustration.
Control your body language
Horses react to our body language and it is helpful to be aware of that in order not to send mixed signals.
Reward
When your horse does something well, or even just offers a good try, always honor that by expressing your pleasure or offering a reward. This will help him enjoy being with you and help him understand when he has pleased you.
Step-by-Step
Teach your horse new concepts step by step, so he never feels overwhelmed. Introduce different elements of a new skill separately.
Then, when he’s doing them all well, you can string them together.
Feel
Keep your schooling sessions easy—and THINK easy. Many riders think too much, making dressage more complicated in their minds than it needs to be. I always tell my students, “Feel! Feel what happens under you. Feel what you need.”
Make a game out of each ride.
After your warm-up, start your serious work in whatever gait your horse likes best. Some horses, for example, do better trot work if they do their canter work first.
Play
Avoid practicing every movement every day. Instead of saying, “Hey, you’ve done it wrong again,” encourage him by saying, “Come on, you can do more.” Remember, when the horse has no fun, the rider has no fun. So play with your horse.
Vary the Routine
To keep the training exciting, vary the routine. Practice the movements out on a hack if there are good surfaces. If he likes jumping do that now and then. Try a little cavalletti work if he’s comfortable doing it. Get a feel for what your horse enjoys and work that in periodically to keep his motivation.
Take a step back
Finally, when you encounter a stumbling block in your training, remember that it’s sometimes better to take a step backward than to push forward prematurely.
Take a Break
Instead of drilling a difficult movement/exercise over and over again, take a breather and go on to something else. Often, if a horse understands the general idea of what you want but is having trouble executing it, he’ll come back later and do it better than he did before, once he’s had a break.
