The Rider Effect

30/09/2026

Try this rein hold next time you ride and see what you notice!

Hi all! So in the next day or two we have some great little video's for you on stabilising your contact.
Just to whet your appetite though, I thought I would share this simple little exercise to a) make you super-aware of how still or moving your contact is, and b), to make you aware of which hand does what.
Does one fix whilst the other jiggles?
Does one always feel like it's pulling whilst the other feels 'baggy' in the rein?
This exercise will also help you to solve at least part of the problem, as it requires your brain to do some new 'wiring'.
It can help to make a new, better habit, which will in turn give you better results.
I call it 'Carriage Driving Hands' (forgive me if that isn't altogether accurate, driving friends!)
One of the best effects of holding the reins like this is that if you point your thumb towards the horse's mouth, it is really hard to pull!
Can you walk, trot and canter like this?
Try it, you might get more than one surprise!
Let me know in the comments below...

29/09/2026

New client Molly had her first sit on a horse since she was a child today!
She was awesome to teach, and it is the best feeling to see people remembering why they love horses so much.
I think 'nitpicking' was a positive... 🤣
Top marks to our gorgeous Chardonnay for being a great schoolmistress today - even though she very clearly told us we were standing about too much at the end and delaying the treats!

28/09/2026

How to get the walk bigger - nail those 8's!
Today I worked with Rachel who is riding gorgeous Florence- or 'Queen Florence' as she prefers to be addressed. 😅 Rachel had a habit of pushing too much with her seat, which is a very common thing to do because it feels like it should work - especially when we get a bit desperate about the horse going forward (we've all been there!)
As I explain the timing of the leg aid Rachel gets a lovely walk from Queen Flo, showing a clear increase in the side/side swing of Florence's rib cage, which is a good way to get her to work through her back.
Love seeing a difference in the horse when the rider changes, and particularly love Rachel's smile!
What a great job I have!

27/09/2026

More on connection, and the mysteries of the outside rein!
A little follow on from yesterday's reel with Zoe learning about what happens in the horse when she pulls her ribcage down towards her pelvis.
Channeling the energy flow through the horse to the bridle is complex, but for Zoe, learning that she can sometimes soften the outside rein to assist the degree of curve really helped.

26/09/2026

Is 'sit up tall' a good instruction?
Well...it depends.
If the rider is tending to be round-backed or round-shouldered, then yes, it really can be.
But maybe not so much if the rider is hollow-backed or has a tendency to take shallow breaths.
It all depends really on the effect of those particular words on that particular rider.
If those words produce a lifted ribcage which pulls up and away from the pelvis, then the opposite may be more effective.
'Pull the entire ribcage towards the pelvis' is working here for Zoe, and she is learning to what extent the horse mirrors her.
As she does this fix she has much better access to her core, and Quabri begins to change too, shortening his loin area (drawing his pelvis forward and strengthening his back).
After 40 years of doing this work, it never fails to amaze me how the changes we make reflect in the horse.
As coaches we must remember that the meaning of any words we give out is defined by the person who receives them.
Not by us.
I love to use imagery and new descriptions so that riders can really change!

25/09/2026

How do you make your horse light and responsive?
Here I talk you through how I break down the communication between us into one aid, one response.
Horses don't process well when there are multiple incoming signals, so I teach each response separately so that the reaction can become 'deeply trained'.
In other words, when the horse feels the aid, the 'deeply trained' response is the first thing that occurs to them.
Of course, there is more than one system, but the system of aids that I teach my horses means that if I am 'talking' to a part of the horse that is in front of me, I use the rein and if I'm talking to a part of the horse behind me, I use the leg.
The very first aid is always the intent /visualisation.
Happy to take questions on this below, as it might divide the crowd!

23/09/2026

Does anyone ever ask you why you still have lessons when you can already ride? 😅🤔
I literally get this all the time from non-horsey friends (yes, I know some normal people too!)
I thought I would use these lesson clips to introduce you to my horses and my 2 fabulous coaches.
The light bay is Diesel, 18 year old warmblood x appaloosa, who is on long term loan to me.
We have just started competing together ❤️.
The grey is my beautiful PRE, Coco, whom I am training in the hope to compete him someday. He is 7, and a total labrador (appetite wise too!)
The black cob is my lovely Thomas, bought unseen from trusted Irish dealer, Micheal Gormley.
Thomas is 6 yrs old now, and has been out of action for a little while due to colic surgery.
This video was not long after I had him.
My two amazing coaches are Stef Eardley, with whom I have trained for nearly 8 years, and I have a lesson (or 2 or 3) with her twice a month, and the inimitable Pammy Hutton, who coaches me every couple of months.
I absolutely LOVE my lessons. How about you?

21/09/2026

Do you feel crooked in the saddle? The 'V' shaped thighs solution is like a magic fix!
This is our follow on video from yesterday, showing how well Emily did to correct her longstanding asymmetry.
If you would like my help with your riding, please do get in touch.

20/09/2026

More applications for the 'V' shape of the thighs -
So this one will have a follow on tomorrow, but in today's post I am teaching Emily (aka Emily Poshboots - you will see why!) on the simulator.
We are using the V shape of the thighs to make her more aware of her asymmetry and how to fix it.
Where the point of the V would meet makes a massive difference! As does getting the two arms of the V to mirror each other.
What would YOU like more detail on in your riding?
Comment below and I will try to help.