After a great morning of riding training horses, I drove down to Hartman Arkansas for a Body Control Clinic. During my drive, I listened to a new podcast called Finding the Feel. (Here is the link if you want to check it out! http://www.findingthefeel.com/) This is a great podcast guys, I highly recommend it if you are into the western performance world at all.
Overcoming Competition Jitters
It happens to every rider at some point. Professional and ameateur riders, alike. That gut-sinking feeling of nervousness that accompanies you into the arena or onto the course. Your mind begins to race. Do I know my pattern? Did the judge say they wanted two spins or three? Who is going to be watching me and what will they think? How will my horse react during that first obstacle or maneuver? And all of the sudden before you have time to answer these and countless other questions running through your brain – your name is called and you are up. For some riders the jitters can even begin the day before. Their night is haunted by dreams of going off course or their horse misbehaving.
Slowing Down the Fast Horse
Does this sound familiar?
Have you ever ridden a horse that, no matter how hard you try, you just can not get to slow down at the trot or canter? You may feel totally in control of the direction you are going and even have a great stop or downward gait transitions, but it will all be at 100 MPH? Or maybe your horse naturally is not that fast but you would like more control of their speed at each gait. In this article I will cover the most common causes of a fast horse that I deal with regularly and how to approach and fix the situation.