LaBarre Training Center

09/07/2026

I have been riding more aware and extremely conscience of how & when I use my elbows.
Brilliant !

We all need help sometimes don’t be afraid to reach out for it.
In order to become a better rider, you will have to spend time focusing on your own body.

Many coaches and riders focus the majority of their riding time and energy on improving their horses’ movement, overall carriage and reducing resistances.

Ironically, many of the issues we attempt to correct are the direct result of a blocking or restriction brought about by the rider’s imbalanced or asymmetrical position. Often, when these rider issues are corrected, the resistance held by the horse’s body magically disappears.

Just as we train our horses, we must also train our own bodies, and in this way we will successfully improve both our riding and our horses’ way of going.

Hands and Seat
The rider should be well-balanced, elastic, sitting deep in the center of the saddle, smoothly absorbing the movement of the horse with his loins and hips, supple thighs with the legs steady and stretched well down.
The upper part of the body should be tall and supple. The contact should be independent from the rider’s seat. The hands should be carried steadily close together, with the thumb as the highest point and a straight line from the supple elbow through the hand to the
horse’s mouth.
The elbows should be close to the body the bends in the elbow allows elasticity forward and backward to follow the horse’s mouth every step. Remember in the walk and canter, the horse biomechanically has to move the neck forward and back.

Creating this elastic connection means that you’re not holding the horse on the bit—by pulling his head down and holding it there. But instead, you are riding him forward out to and on the bit.

Many people unintentionally ride with a straight or rigid arm. This causes a braced and backward contact with the horse’s mouth because the arm can’t follow the horse’s head and neck. If the rider’s arm is rigid with a straight elbow, all the weight of the contact is in the rider’s hands and forearms, and the horse can’t properly respond to the rein aids. With a straight arm or a stiff arm, you lose the ability to separate the rein aids from the seat and leg aids because the stiffness connects the arm and the body. This stiff connection to the mouth causes the horse to not move the neck freely forward and back and therefore, he can’t yield in the neck, poll and jaw.

The exact weight you should have in the hand varies from horse to horse. Some horses don’t want to take the contact, so you must encourage them to move into the connection. On the other hand, some horses are heavy and you may need to be more elastic so they have nothing to lean on. The contact may also change depending on what phase of the training session you’re in.
To find the connection, the horse must accept your rein, seat and leg aids. Use your calves to lift his back up. You should feel his withers rise and his neck drop in a relaxed manner. The horse should be on the vertical as he reaches for the bit. Ideally, you create a wheel of energy that gets pushed through from the hind end, over the back and to the bit. The energy travels around the wheel to be recycled again, so you feel that you close the leg and push the horse into the hand until you have a positive contact, which is enough weight to gently pull your arm forward but not enough to pull you out of the saddle.

The final US Cavalry manual was written by instructors who had first attended a year at Saumur and another year at the Italian cavalry school ( Tor di Quinto ). Here is what it says:

"The arms, elbows, wrists, and fingers normally are relaxed,
the elbows falling naturally in front of the hips. As
long as the horse is going at the rate, gait, and in the direction
desired, only sufficient muscular energy is used to keep the
forearms lifted to the proper position and to maintain the
reins securely. A natural relaxation of the arms insures freedom
and quietness in the use of the hands. Any involuntary
contraction quickly communicates itself through the hands to
the horse's mouth, resulting in a loss of that calm confidence
which the horse should always have in his rider.

i. The reins are held in either or both hands, fingers softly
closed. Backs of the hands are up and out at angles of about
30' inside the vertical.

(1) With the reins in both hands, the hands, with fingers
relaxed, are separated about 8 or 10 inches and normally held
slightly above the withers. The wrists are straight and
supple. The forearms, wrists, hands, and reins form almost
straight lines from the points of the elbows to the horse's
mouth. Sometimes, for corrective purposes, hands may be
carried higher, but they should never be carried any lower.
Hands carried too low give the impression of pushing down
on the reins and cause the horse to seek to escape the downward
effect of the bit on the bars of his mouth by raising his head
and thrusting his nose into the air. The elbows are carried
slightly in advance of the points of the hips. Their position
will vary from time to time in guiding or controlling the
horse; but, with reins properly adjusted, they should never
pass in rear of the hip joints. When riding with a snaffle bit,
maintaining a direct line from elbow to mouth is facilitated
if the reins are taken into the hands between the third and
fourth fingers rather than underneath the little fingers...

j. Good hands are impossible to acquire without a good seat.
Softness is an essential characteristic of good hands and must
be developed. Relaxed arms, which permit the soft and elastic
opening and closing of the elbow joints combined with the lazy
play of the wrists and fingers, give soft hands. As long as the
horse is going at the speed and in the direction and manner
desired, such hands smoothly follow the movements of his head
and neck while maintaining soft, continuous contact of unvarying
intensity with his mouth. Rough hands are unsteady and
quickly communicate unintentional impressions to the horse's
mouth, making him nervous and difficult to control."

The goal is to ride the horse out to the bit and have a round horse balanced longer in front of you and shorter behind you, as opposed to a horse who is short and low in front and therefore out behind.

09/03/2026

I'm beyond thrilled that the top three horses after day one of Dressage at Burghley are all at least a decade old.
None of this 9yr [minimum age for 5*] & 10yr olds that Americans seem to like to sit on.

A horse cannot simply be rushed into Five-Star Eventing. The sport requires proficiency across three incredibly diverse phases.

Bone and Soft Tissue Density:
Building the structural bone density, tendon strength, and cardiovascular stamina necessary to survive a 5* course without catastrophic injury takes years of slow, progressive "fitness miles".

The mental strain of a 5* course is just as intense as the physical toll.
The Wisdom of Experience: Veteran eventers develop what horsemen call a "fifth leg"—the ability to think critically on their feet, adjust their stride instantly in front of an obstacle, and save themselves from a mistake.

Emotional Control and Focus: Younger horses are prone to panic or over-exuberance when faced with massive crowds, flags, and complex, deceptive cross-country questions (like corners or water complexes). Older horses have "seen it all," allowing them to manage their adrenaline, maintain a steady rhythm, and trust their rider completely.

Ultimately, data from championship events confirms this timeline: the majority of top-tier Eventing fields are heavily populated by horses aged 13 to 19, proving that at the highest level of the sport, experience and slow correct progressive training will positively affect your performance at competitions.

Current leader-Nadja Minder on Toblerone age 19, scoring 29.5.
Second-Gemma Stevens, just 0.1 of a penalty behind Minder, with a 29.6 on 16yr Chilli Knight.
Third-Max Warburton, sits on 31.2 with 12yr Deerpairc Revelry.

09/03/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1C26Gj15tW/

08/30/2026

Today was perfection for a Hunter pace.

Ships Quarters farm presented an absolutely perfectly marked trail, fantastic jumps and as always really well run event.
I think the horses enjoyed it the most, not really because the riders were elated, both of the "retired" mares Smoke & Elli behaving exceptionally well.

And I am, as always, extremely grateful for every ride I am able to have on my favorite horse of a lifetime, Smoke, who always takes the best care of me on our outings.
Elli who April hasn't ridden in probably 3 yrs. Thank you for being the reason I smiled today.
Thank you to April for finding the time to come play with me.

So thankful for our wonderful horses taking great care of us today 🦄❤️

08/26/2026

Transitions—changes in pace, direction, or movement—are one of the most important tools for developing your horse’s balance, suppleness, and responsiveness. In dressage and other disciplines, they help shift the horse’s natural forehand balance toward a more engaged, hindquarter-driven posture, which is essential for collection, maneuverability, and performance.

One of my favorite ways to teach is using what I call ‘transition series'. For example, ride 10 strides of one gait, then make a transition to another gait for 10 strides. I’ll go typically on a large circle and use 12 & 6 o'clock , then shorten it up to 12, 3, 6 and 9, depending on what the riders and horses need.

Series can be tailored to suit horse and rider skill levels with changes between gaits, changes within the gait, and even changes within the frame. I might start out with walk-trot and trot-canter, and then walk-canter to canter halt.

For an advanced horse, add a balanced rein-back, ride straight lines and strides instead of circles, in walk start with twenty strides, then 10 strides of trot and five strides of rein back. Eventually we get the horse more willing to carry weight on the hindend holding himself into different working frames. For competitive dressage horses or western dressage horses in particular, we might go 10 strides of a free gait and 10 strides of a working gait, or 10 strides in a working gait and five strides in a collected gait.

Canter
Start with a minimum 20 strides in one gait and 10 strides in the next gait. Eventually, you can work toward 10-stride sets between working and collected gait.


Lines and Figures
Whether you ride your transition series on a circle or more lines and diagonals depends on the horse.

If you are trying to relax the horse to help him find balance, tempo and smoothness, do more on circles. Straight lines and larger circles tend to create more forward impulsion, while smaller circles tend to balance the horse better. Spiral circles both in and out with transitions are extremely useful to help the horse find the balance.

With everything one of the hardest keys is not preparing for the transition early enough and correctly, it's helpful to count the strides out loud; be very particular that the transition happens on, say, stride 10. So, on stride eight you prepare, stride nine you half-halt, and stride 10 you make the transition.

Patrick King has quoted “In general, riding should be about 80 percent seat, 18 percent lower leg, and two percent hand, but often we find riders working 80 percent from their hand in the downward transition and 80 percent from their leg in the upward transition.”

Good riding boils down to clear communication with your horse. Timing refers to the moment you can properly influence the horse’s body, which is dictated by the mechanics of the horse’s movement.
Good timing requires feel, which many riders find tricky to learn. Ask for upward transitions during the “thrust” phase of the gait; this is the only time you can influence its quality.
With repetition and practice, timing eventually becomes automatic.

Making a seamless transition takes some finesse. We want the transition to be smooth and flawless, like if the judge were to blink, the horse would be in the next gait.
The key to that continuity lies in riding each gait. Often when riding a canter-walk transition, for example, riders think about stopping the canter, when they should think about starting the walk. You need to think about starting the new gait as opposed to stopping the other gait.

Riding correctly before, during, and after the transition brings everything full circle. Across all disciplines, the quality of the transition depends on the quality of the last stride of the last gait, with the quality of the first stride in the new gait the same as in the last gait.

Riders who do transitions “just because” without clear purpose often see less improvement. Focus on quality—smooth, balanced, and responsive transitions—rather than quantity. Over time, this builds the horse’s topline strength, engagement, and the ability to carry more weight on the hindquarters.

In short, transitions are not just about changing paces—they’re about shifting balance, strengthening the horse, and deepening the rider–horse connection. Mastering them is essential for both training and competition success.

08/24/2026

Hacking out

Hacking out breaks the monotony of arena work and builds better balance, mental freshness, and stamina in horses.

Physical Benefits
Better balance and coordination: uneven ground, hills, and natural tracks force the horse to engage core stabilizers and improve proprioception (body awareness).
Increased strength: Walking up and down inclines builds hindquarter and back strength naturally without the repetitive strain of arena circles.
Soundness and bone density: Varied terrain and straight lines across firm ground strengthen bones, tendons, and ligaments while preventing the wear-and-tear of synthetic arena footing.

Having a happy, fit and confident horse is every rider’s dream.

Mental Benefits
Prevents sourness: Changing the scenery keeps the horse mentally engaged, happy, and willing to work. Builds confidence: Experiencing open spaces, sounds, and new sights reduces spookiness and helps the horse stay brave in unfamiliar competition venues. Lowers stress: Moving forward on a long rein lets the horse relax its mind and body outside the pressure of four arena boards.

Hacking is a great place to start. Variety truly is the spice of life, so taking time out of the school to introduce your horse to different sights and sounds will do them the world of good.
Taking a horse out for a solo or group trail ride or hack is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, get some new scenery, and build a bond with your horse.
But what these rides aren’t meant to be is tiring, scary, and fraught with tension. Unfortunately for some of us, getting out of the arena signals to our horses that it’s time for lots of jiggy-jog, sideways prancing, cantering, and straight up pulling on the reins.
If you spend the whole time trying to stop your horse from pulling you out of the saddle and going at full speed, here’s how to get a little more control and softness in the hand.

Start by not pulling back
Remember, it takes two to be strong. If you’re not pulling back on your horse, they can’t pull on you. Of course, it isn’t as simple as just throwing away the reins, although relaxing your contact is always a good first step. But swapping out the urge to pull back on your horse’s mouth with one of these strategies might help you keep things quiet and soft.

Encourage a long and low frame:
Allow your horse to stretch forward and downward by giving them longer reins and encouraging a relaxed frame. This encourages relaxation and discourages pulling by encouraging your horse to engage their hindquarters and lift their back.

Rebalance Your Horse
If a horse is dragging himself along on the forehand or doesn’t have much strength, they can often pull to help themselves balance. It’s usually particularly obvious in canter but could be there in trot and even walk too. Using half-halts, bending, basic lateral work, and transitions during the ride can help to rebalance your horse and stop pulling. It can also stop them from gathering too much momentum and activating freight train mode.

Use Natural obstacles
Incorporate natural features of the trail, such as jumps, trees, fences, or rocks to help your horse bend and turn. You might do some serpentines around trees, ride a turn on the forehand at a gate or rock, or ride walk-trot transitions at every fence post for a section. This encourages your horse to be supple, to use their backs, and to pay attention to their surroundings and respond to your aids.

Change Their Focus
A horse who is attentive and listening to your aids is less likely to pull, provided they have the strength and balance to carry themselves. Keeping your horse’s attention and encouraging them to focus can help keep them more relaxed, and in turn help them pull less.
Use little leg yields or shoulder ins, work on flexion and bend, ride transitions, and change your horse’s frame during the ride. This helps to keep them waiting for your aids rather than getting excited and pulling at the reins.
Walking uphill is a great exercise to increase muscle tone and strength, and it will help to increase your horse’s cardiovascular fitness too.
Asking your horse to go up hills in walk encourages them to engage their hindquarters and step underneath themselves. You'll also start to see the back muscles and top-line developing as the horse engages their core while going uphill.
What goes up must come down.
Going down hills is also great for the horse as it teaches them how to balance. If your horse is new to downhill gradients, start on gentle slopes rather than on steep gradients and always in walk, building up to trot and canter when the footing allows and you both feel confident enough.

Finally, remember the magic of positive reinforcement.
Reward your horse with verbal praise and pats, when they’re calm and when they offer you the response you want to your aids. Positive reinforcement helps reinforce good behavior and encourages your horse to remain calm and attentive, and will get you there much quicker than smacking or shouting when they do pull.

Hacking is a great all-around activity for horses, covering different terrains, gradients and seeing a host of different things while out and about. All these things will help them become more confident and will improve their outlook on life.

Hopefully, with a little work, you and your horse will be enjoying pleasurable hacks for years to come.

08/06/2026

Thank You

While as instructors we will at certain times ride a student’s horse during a lesson whether to model correct behavior, demonstrate aids, or assess the horse’s response, this approach isn’t always the most effective or appropriate.

Reasons it can be problematic

Horse–trainer bond vs. horse–rider bond:
When a trainer rides your horse, the horse learns their signals, feel, and timing. This can create a mismatch when you return to the saddle, as the horse may perform differently under your own cues.

Training stickiness:
If the horse is trained by someone else, old behaviors can re-emerge quickly when the trainer is gone, because the underlying cause (often the rider’s own actions) remains unchanged.

Over-reliance on the trainer:
Riders may become dependent on the trainer’s presence to “fix” problems, rather than learning to correct issues themselves.

Different riding styles:
Each rider has a unique feel, timing, and pressure application. A trainer’s style may not translate well to your own riding.

Risk of miscommunication:
If the trainer corrects the horse in a way you don’t understand, you may struggle how and why to replicate it later.

BUT it can be beneficial

Immediate problem-solving:
If the horse is unresponsive or showing clear issues, the trainer can quickly assess and model the correct response.

Building trust:
For nervous or green horses, seeing the trainer handle them can reassure the rider and help them feel confident.

Demonstration:
In some cases, riding the horse briefly can clarify what the rider is doing wrong.

Best practice

Use the trainer’s presence only when necessary—such as for a specific, urgent problem or to model a complex aid.

As instructors we should focus on teaching the rider to replicate the trainer’s actions and cues so the horse learns their own signals.

Encourage the rider to practice the correct responses on their own, with the trainer’s guidance, to build independence.

In short, while instructor riding can be helpful in certain situations, it’s not always best for long-term training success. The goal should be to develop the rider’s ability to train and correct their own horse, ensuring the horse learns their cues and riding style.

Today I refused to get on a client’s horse.

Not because I didn’t want to.

Because it would have been the least helpful thing I could have done.

The rider was struggling with the canter transition.

One of those classic situations where the issue wasn’t ability.

It was timing.

She’d ask.

Nothing.

Ask again.

Still nothing.

You could see the frustration building with every attempt.

So we changed the exercise. Broke it down. Made it simpler. Started rebuilding the pieces.

Then came the words I hear all too often…

“Will you just get on her and do it?”

“No.”

The look on her face suggested she’d expected a very different answer.

So I explained why.

Could I have got the transition?

Almost certainly.

I’ve ridden thousands of them. I know the timing. I know the feel.

But that wouldn’t have solved the real problem.

In fact, it probably would have made things worse.

Firstly, she’d already started doubting herself. Watching me hop on and make it look easy would only reinforce the story that I can do it… but she can’t.

Secondly…

I don’t need the practice.

She does.

My job isn’t to prove I can ride.

My job is to help someone else become a better rider.

That means giving them the opportunity to discover the feel for themselves.

To make mistakes.

To adjust.

To try again.

Because that’s where learning lives.

As coaches, it’s tempting to reach for the cheat code.

Jump on.

Fix the problem.

Everyone feels better for five minutes.

But has the rider actually learned anything?

Sometimes, yes, I’ll have a quick sit. There are occasions where it genuinely gives valuable information or helps the horse understand something.

But that’s never my first option.

My first responsibility is to the partnership standing in front of me.

To give the rider the tools, the understanding and the confidence to solve the problem themselves.

Because the goal has never been for my clients to need me forever.

The goal is for them to become the rider their horse needs.

If that’s the kind of coaching you’ve been looking for—where understanding comes before shortcuts—you’d fit right in inside the Informed Equestrians community. We’d love to welcome you.

Katie

08/03/2026

My profound appreciation to the riders, my fantastic scribe and organizers of the English horse show department of the Carroll County 4H & FFA Fair.

I was fortunate enough to be the Dressage judge for some very talented riders on very nice horses.

I especially appreciate the ones who were brave enough to try something new...whether it was their first time showing, in a Dressage ring, or on that particular horse.
You all did so well today 💓 Be proud of yourself.

Heartfelt gratitude that I was once again privileged to share the day with Mr. Bob Shirley.
To you Mr. Bob,
Here's to the five decades with and because of you.
I hope you know that if it wasn't for you, I would not be where I am today. You have been a great influence in my life.
Thank you

07/28/2026

Keeping our horses sound and competitive for many years involves giving them time off, just as Woodge does with her horses.

Giving event horses time off involves balancing mental and physical recovery with maintaining basic fitness.

Growing up I remember giving horses downtime either during the hottest part of summer and/or again over the winter every year.
Nowadays, depending on the discipline, but for most disciplines, you can compete your horse year-round.

When to Turn Your Horse Away
This will be influenced and depend on when your season finishes and what your competition goals are. Also, your lifestyle and what you have planned in your life.

For me, after they have had their last run of the season, that’s when they tend to go out on holiday which is usually near the end October or November.
I really like my horses to have their shoes off [if they can] which is really good for their feet.
It’s important that they have their downtime, which for me, I consider it a really nice thank you to my horses for all the hard work they have done for me over the season. It’s their time to chill out, relax both physically and mentally and an important part of their annual routine.

Remember, your horse’s holiday will depend on your own personal circumstances too!

It may not be practical to turn your horse out in the field on his own 24/7. However, if your horse has had a busy season competing, then a rest can be extremely beneficial.

Your horse’s downtime could simply be time off of schooling. You may be able to turn your horse out for longer periods or move fields for a change of scene. It’s a chance for your horse to relax and unwind.

Consider the age of your horse when deciding the length of your horse’s holiday. Young horses may benefit from shorter breaks to maintain their mental and physical conditioning. Healthy adult horses can typically handle a longer holiday whilst older horses might require more tailored breaks based on their health and workload. For seniors, maintaining light exercise during this period can help with mobility and muscle tone.

For you this is also an ideal time to reflect on the season to date how it’s gone. It’s a really good opportunity to look back across each of the phases – think about all the things that you were happy with and also the things that you might want to improve on going forwards into the winter and into next year’s season. It’s a really useful time to be able to do that because what it means is that you can identify your areas of training that you want to work on and your goals for next year.
I think it’s important to have tactical goals, which maybe a particular skill development for you and your horse as well as performance outcomes ie. improving your dressage test by 2 marks or making sure that you are within the cross-country time.

It’s a useful thing for you as a rider to be doing while your horse is on holiday.

When to bring your horse back into work
Bringing your horse back into work will be largely dictated by how long they have had off work. So, depending on this time, it will dictate your work pattern in terms of their gentle progression back into full work. If they’ve had a long holiday i.e.. A month to 6 weeks you would like to start with some gradual hacking and then again depending on how long they have had off you would probably want to do some walk/trot hacking and then start to increase that over the next couple of weeks before then introducing the schooling work – starting on some flatwork and then it would be a gradual amount of time before you start building up to some gymnastic exercises over cavaletti and then progressing that into full jumping exercises.

Depending on the length of time that your horse has had off, I would work around one month’s hacking, one month’s schooling moving onto pole work and progressing into full jumping/lesson type work. Speak to your coach and your training team around you which will help to influence what bringing your horse back into work looks like for you.

07/20/2026

Understanding light and shadows when walking your XC course.

Horses often react to shadows by spooking, stopping, or hesitating because of their unique, dichromatic vision, which relies heavily on contrast. Shadows can trick a horse's depth perception—making flat ground appear as a deep hole or an insurmountable obstacle. Since they are prey animals, sudden dark patches trigger a natural survival instinct.

Walking a cross-country (XC) course ideally at the exact time you are set to go and taking note of how shadows obscure or alter the appearance of jumps is essential for keeping you and your horse safe.
Because the sun's position changes throughout the day, shadows can create deceptive optical illusions or dark pockets right at the takeoff point.
Use your course walk to mentally (or physically) mark jumps that have significant contrast between bright sunlight and deep shade. Note if a shadow falls across the landing side or directly in front of a skinny fence, as this can make the jump look much smaller or cause horses to hesitate.

Light affects how horses jump by altering their depth perception, color visibility, and startle response. Poor lighting, harsh shadows, or sudden transitions from bright to dark confuse their vision. Additionally, jumping visibility and the height of their takeoff depend heavily on the color contrast of obstacles under various lighting conditions.

Time of Day Awareness
Remember that early morning or late afternoon sun creates long, dramatic shadows. If you are walking the course in the morning but riding in the afternoon, try to anticipate how those shadows will shift and shrink or grow before your ride.

Assess the Ground Line:
Shadows directly in front of a jump can completely wipe out the visual ground line for your horse. On your walk, consider whether you need to approach an affected jump more steadily or give your horse a bit more time to lock their eyes on it.

Specific factors regarding light and jumping mechanics on a course include:
Depth Perception and Shadows:
When the sun is low, it casts long shadows that can trick the horse's eyes. A horse may interpret a shadow as a solid object or a drop-off, which causes them to over-jump or stop entirely.

Jump Color and Contrast:
The amount of light also dictates how a horse perceives the color of the jumps. Research has shown that horses have difficulty seeing orange and red obstacles in varying lighting conditions.
In contrast, bright blue, white, or fluorescent yellow colors stand out much better, giving the horse clear contrast to gauge their takeoff distance in both bright daylight and lower light conditions.

Eye Mechanics:
Because horses are prey animals, bright glare mixed with dark, shaded patches disrupts their spatial awareness. It's crucial for horses to be acclimated to jumping under varying natural conditions (such as the low-angled sun or wooded areas) so they don't panic or misjudge their distances when approaching technical combinations like drops or water crossings.

Eventing legend Lucinda Green discusses the importance of handling shadows and the sun's glare on course:
"Ride with an "Engine": "Because horses may spot shadows late, it is vital to ride with a forward, adjustable canter. Maintain a strong rhythm so that if your horse takes an unexpected peek at a shadowy fence, they still have the power to pop over safely without running out." How to Walk a XC Course with Lucinda Green