hey there in today's video i'm going to be helping you figure out what you need to do
to achieve your dream ride so let me know in the comments below what is your dream ride and
a lot of having your dream ride at least to me comes from this word rideability
so when i think about my dream ride and what that feels like and what that means to me
it's a feeling of communication it's a feeling of connection it's a feeling of controlled power so
my dream ride is when i feel my horse's energy underneath of me and where my thoughts
are transferred into my horse's energy where i have control over that power
and there's a true sense of connection between my thoughts and my horse's thoughts and i think that
as much as all of us as dressage riders we want to you know do the movement perfectly and
get a good score at the horse show at a very basic level the reason that we love to ride comes from
achieving this ride ability and when you have that control over your horse and that feeling of
connection with your horse then everything else is just kind of gravy so in today's video i'm
going to give you four tips to achieve this dream ride and to achieve ride ability with your horse
i kind of have been thinking a lot about this because i've been promoting my master class
on the dressage training scale and the dressage training skill the purpose of the training scale
is that it gives you this ride ability the training scale is what allows you to have your
dream ride so if you're interested in the master class it's in the links below if not i'm going to
give you four really really helpful tips to help you achieve this ride ability with your horse so
give me a thumbs up if you want rideability and let's get started okay tip number one
is consistency horses are creatures of habit so the more that you're able to be consistent
with riding your horse the more ride-ability that you're gonna have the more that you're gonna be
able to communicate with your horse the more that you're gonna be able to stay safe now i realize
that we're just coming out of winter and it's hard sometimes to stay consistent especially when the
weather gets in the way especially when life gets in the way so a few tips to staying consistent
are one to really have a schedule and stick to that schedule i always kind of look at my week
ahead of time i look at the weather i look at any meetings or plans that i have during the week
and then i prioritize my rides around that i'm really bad that i like ride before doing other
probably more important things but riding is really important to me
another tip is that if you're not able to ride for whatever reason whether it's
the weather whether it's that it got too late or you ran out of time at least go to the barn
and do something with your horse even if it's just grooming your horse even it's it's groundwork i'll
link in the comments some groundwork exercises but even that kind of consistency where you're seeing
your horse you're connecting with your horse will help you to have more ride ability when
you actually get in the side tip number two is to follow a routine with your horse in the riding
and this is super important with all of my horses i have a little bit of a different
routine depending on the horse but i always go through more or less the same warm-up routine
another great way to have routine is to practice certain patterns and certain exercises i'll link
in the description some exercises and patterns that you can do some of my favorites are the
three loop serpentine or the snowman or leg yields those are all really good exercises and patterns
that we can use to achieve this right ability so when you're following a pattern when you're
following a routine it gives your horse confidence because you're in charge of what's happening
you're directing your horse's energy and you're guiding them onto that line and onto that pattern
and so that gives your horse security that gives your horse confidence
therefore it allows you to have more rideability and more control over your horse's energy so
have a routine have a plan again i always consider the training scale and really think about moving
my way from the bottom up to the top of the training scale as i go through my warm-up and
as i go through my ride the third tip i have for you is education so there's a quote that says that
frustration begins where knowledge ends and that is so true so whenever you're feeling
like you're getting frustrated or you're stuck or you're afraid or your horse isn't listening
or any of those things that come up you need to reach out you need to get help
you need to come on here and watch a youtube video or take an online course or have a lesson
or have someone else ride your horse because it's so important that you continue your education that
you learn new exercises that you understand the theory of dressage and that's so much
of what i focus on in my videos and in my master classes is really giving you guys more tools
in your toolbox that you can use to achieve this rideability and when you have more tools
you're able to communicate better with your horse you're able to stay safe as well as move up the
levels of dressage improve your scores and all of those other fun things that we want and then my
fourth tip is about your comfort zone so we've all heard of our comfort zone that is where
we feel secure and it's important to know what your comfort zone is like what you're comfortable
doing and kind of write down some things that you're good at even if it's just as simple as like
i'm good at walking serpentines on my horse i'm good at grooming my horse all of those things are
important and valuable no matter how small they are is to write down some things that you know you
can do well and that is your comfort zone and then what you want to do is every day get just a little
bit outside of your comfort zone and then just a little bit farther outside of your comfort zone
and then when you start to get nervous or your horse starts to get nervous go back
to your comfort zone and then just little by little work your way out to the edges and it's
important to take these baby steps you don't want to over face yourself or over face your horse and
end up in the panic zone you just want to take little baby steps outside of your comfort zone
every day until gradually you'll find that your comfort zone is getting bigger and bigger and
bigger so that is four tips to help you achieve rideability dressage is a very
slow sport it takes a long time but if you're consistent if you follow these steps you will
get there you will improve no it might be slow but you'll get there and i'm really dedicated to
help you achieve this dream ride to where you feel connected to your horse to where you're
safe with your horse to where you have education and routines and patterns that you follow
with your horse to help achieve this right ability when you have a partnership with your horse when
you have this right ability with your horse it truly is just incredible and amazing and with
me personally with my horse harvey i have such a partnership with him and such a trust with him
it's just an incredible feeling and it's something that's really priceless that you cannot sell or
purchase but something that has been earned by years and years of dedication and consistency
and trust and trial and error and starting in the comfort zone and gradually making it bigger so
i really hope this video was helpful let me know in the comments what your dream ride is and maybe
some exercises or patterns that work best for you and your horse to achieve this ride ability
and if you've signed up for my training skill master class this week i'm so excited to have you
here if you're watching this video when it first comes out there's still a few days left for you to
sign up for the master class and let's get working on our rideability because i'm telling
you guys when you have the ride-ability all the movements everything else is easy
so thumbs up to all of you see you in the next video next wednesday
so
you