Michaela Hempen

Hi, As we have seen in the last email, Malou’s turns would have benefitted from a “magnetised” mat that pulls her forward after the tight turn. An excellent lesson to get this “tractor-beam effect” is ​Alexandra Kurland’s “Runway lesson”​ to teach her foundation lesson “Standing on a mat”. In a nutshell, you set out a … Read more

Hi, Your horse turns just fine? Why spending so much on time on turns? Being able to get and, in fact, recognise a good turn, is an important skill for beneficial gymnastics later on. A good turn sets you up for good lateral work. A good turn helps you to create the bend, which brings … Read more

Hi, In this email, I want to look at two things: Feeding position and turns. Where you deliver the treat is important.Blondie and Malou are both Quarter Horses and they are very low in front. We want to be careful where we feed so that they don’t get even lower. Graya, a PRE, has a … Read more

Hi, You are probably wondering when we’ll talk about riding. But before putting a person on our horse’s back, we want to have good leading skills. So in the next emails, we will build those skills. Our horse is now self-haltering and knows how to give to pressure, i.e. she yields to pressure without tension … Read more