Teach a Simple Riding Exercise

The following simple exercise can be used for all levels of independent riders in a variety of settings and seats ranging from a pole on the ground to

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I Love Off-the-Track Thoroughbreds- OTTBs

Even though I enjoy several breeds of horses Thoroughbreds have always been my favorite, so I was happy to see The Chronicle of the Horse  devote an issue

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Over-Mounted Beginner Riders – Benefits?

An over-mounted beginning rider can have so many problems that I wonder why any instructor would allow it with their students. A Schooling Show Recently I visited a schooling show

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When the Riding Instructor’s Confidence Falters

 It can be unnerving for an instructor to lose confidence during a lesson, but it happens more often than you might think. I’m not talking about losing confidence

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What’s in a Good Riding Instructor Certification Program?

Do I recommend certification to student instructors? Would I tell prospective riders to look for only  instructors who have certification? It all depends, because those are two questions

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Pointers for a Successful Beginner’s Dressage Test

Participating in your first dressage test is a big event and everyone wants to do their best.  You are a fortunate rider if you do your first test

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Signs of a Safe Riding Lesson Program

If you teach beginners you know the importance of developing a safe riding program. Safety is the number one requirement for beginners, but how can you tell if

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3 Tips to Help Combat Riding Instructor Burnout

You don’t wake up one morning and suddenly have burnout. Burnout creeps up over time and is a common problem for riding instructors. What is Burnout? Dictionary.com defines

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Rate the Gait-A Lesson Plan For Horse Control

Why Rate the Gait? Before your students learn lengthenings, rebalancing, corner adustments or even takes a ride in the pasture they need to learn to rate the gait.

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Sexual Abuse at the Barn-How You Can Help

I commend The Chronicle of the Horse for the articles in the April 9 & 16, 2018 issue which speak out against sexual abuse in the horse industry.

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