From collected walk to collected trot
From collected walk to collected trot Going from collected walk to collected trot might sound easier said than done. Maybe your horse keeps going into canter or does he only make his movement bigger instead of more collected. So how can you correctly go into a collected trot? A member of the online training asked […]
When do you have too much pressure on the bit?
You don’t want to have too much pressure on the bit, but what is too much pressure? Can you express that in so many pounds or kilograms? A member of my online training asked me this question during a live Q&A. This is what I had to say about it: It’s a very good question, […]
In which phase of balance are you and your horse?
What is the difference between a four-year-old horse and a horse that is being trained at Grand Prix level? Actually, the biggest difference has to do with the balance of both horses. The rider with the Grand Prix horse has the balance of his horse under control. That implies that the horse brings more weight […]
Create More Impulsion Within Your Horse Using These Tips
Did your protocol ever say ‘more impulsion’? It might be difficult to get more impulsion within your horse without rushing him forward. But you also want to keep the relaxation. Where do you draw the line and how do you create more impulsion? A member of my online training asked me that question during a […]
8 signals you’re not riding your horse from back to front
Everybody agrees that you should ride a horse from back to front, but a lot of riders find it difficult to decide if they really do it themselves. If you ride your horse from back to front, you can feel a connection from the hind leg through your hand to the mouth of your horse, […]
3 Tips for more collection
If you want to work towards collection, tempo changes and transitions are very useful exercises. But… only if you execute the transition or tempo change correctly. Only then will your horse improve and transfer more weight to the hindquarters. But when do you execute a transition or tempo change correctly? Before you start working […]
How do you ride an asymmetrical horse?
We all want to ride a correctly moving, straightened horse. But what can you do if your horse is still asymmetric? A member of my online training asked me during a live Q&A how she could best ride an asymmetric horse. And I gave her the following advice: Every horse is asymmetric, some more than […]
8 Tips to warm up your horse in the right way
A successful training session starts with warming up your horse in the right way. If you warm up well, your horse will be supple and respond actively to your aids. Besides, warming up correctly is crucial if you want to prevent injuries! But what’s the right way to warm up your horse? Maybe you […]
Always ride your horse deep into the corner? Wrong!
Ride your corners! Don’t cut the corner! Ride deep into the corner! We’ve all heard these phrases. At least I have and I’m sure you have as well. I mean, we have to ride deep into the corner, right? Or not? A member of Rien van der Schaft’s online program asked us how deep she should ride […]
Riding from front to back with a loose rein, is that possible?
Riding from back to front with a loose rein, is that possible? There are a lot of different ways in which you can ride your horse from back to front. But they all have got one thing in common: a correct connection. But can you also ride a horse from back to front when you […]