wehorse Blog

Everyone talks about how stretching forward and downwards towards the bit is good for the horse, but actually being able to do it correctly is not so easy. Knowing the “how, why and when” all comes into play and are important factors to riding, or training, a correct forward downwards frame. Dr. Britta Schöffmann explains everything.

Here are tips to help you get through winter whilst keeping your horse happy, healthy and sound. The appropriate warm-up, the right care as well as what you feed all have an impact on your horse in winter. You will also find tips for keeping your horse motivated throughout the winter season.

The effect of integrating riding specific exercises into your fitness program, or just doing it once or twice a week as your fitness program, will yield fabulous results. Many riders such as Eventing Champion Bettina Hoy and Dressage Champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl uses fitness training for improving performance in the saddle.

The ability to ride your horse with soft, quiet hands is the first step towards developing an even, elastic contact to the bit and, therefore, with the mouth of your horse. Between the need to guide your horse precisely through the exercises and controlling your own seat and legs, keeping your hands steady and in front of you can be a challenging task.

Correct impulsion isn't only meant to look nice in the dressage arena, it's also a requirement of correct dressage training. In this article you'll see how correct impulsion looks, how to improve the movement of your horse, as well as 5 rules to keep in mind when developing impulsion.

In this article you will find out why paying more attention to your training in walk will help your riding, with the likelihood of making more advanced movements easier to ask for and achieve. If you're not quite sure what a correct walk should actually look like, read on! We are also going to explain how to improve the walk, no matter what breed of horse you ride.

Combinations and distances are an elementary part of the showjumping sport. If you don't know how many canter strides your horse needs for a certain distance or how big the canter stride of your own horse is, riding a course will be unnecessarily difficult. In order to ride combinations and distances confidently, it is important for the rider to know how to measure the distances between two jumps as well as how many strides are needed.

Does it sometimes feel that no matter what you do, you just can't seem to get your horse to understand what you want? You're not alone! Not only is the correct application of the rider's aids important but the timing is also vital. Communicating quietly with your horse can only come about when your horse understands the rider's aids and their meaning.

Jumping cross country can be dangerous. British eventing champion and German team trainer Chris Bartle holds seminars on the best ways to stay safe in the saddle when facing tricky situations on cross country courses, from slipping the reins to the "Oh shit!" position.