I'm going to take one common mistake per post since getting your horse in frame is a very complicated and involved process (which is why I am skeptical when someone says their new horse goes into frame so easily!).
1) We ask them to go forward and they: grab bit and go faster, take faster steps without stretching out stride, head up and go faster w tension. All three responses are assuming your horse is obedient to the leg but not stretching into contact. These responses are all due to tension in the horses body.

• Assuming you've already covered your bases w chiro/massage and proper fitting tack, one of the biggest things I would work on as a rider would be: balance, strength and connection to the stirrups. (Can you stand in the stirrups indefinitely walk and trot?) 
• Things to work on your horse: they need to learn to stretch down so riding with as little rein as possible so as to not interfere with the natural response of dropping neck is a helpful first step (reward every time the head goes down naturally). Some exercises to incorporate into your rides: 
  
  • Keeping your horse on the inside track for the whole ride, riding circles-spiralling in and out, and counter flexion on a circle: The goal is to get steering totally off the leg. 
    
  • Opening and holding pressure on a rein and waiting for your horse to stretch down (w leg on!) is another great way to get your horse to find a stretch over the back. And switching the flexion to inside and outside until they FEEL symmetrical (this can take a very long time especially if your horse isn't used to being flexed through the poll). The key is to be GENTLE when needed and also FIRM when needed in complete harmony with the level of resistance they give you. I only recommend experienced riders try this and ideally with supervision if unsure of the mechanics as it can be confusing to both horse and rider. The principle that we are apply is: Pressure on mouth (via the bit) should result in the horse softening to the pressure  (through the poll only) either bringing nose from poked out to perpendicular to the ground, or softening to inside or outside flexion
    
  • If your horse is tense by nature I highly recommend putting them on Magnesium Oxide (Pureform is the brand i use and an average sized horse gets 4 scp a day). It relaxes the mind and the body. I have a blog post about it somewhere...
    

1) What happens when you lengthen reins while in w/t/c?
2) What happens  when slow your horse down or do a half halt?
3) What happens if you try to push your horse forward? 

What should ideally happen
1) Rhythm and balance should remain unchanged, neck should follow the bit. Nose should reach down to the ground, ideally not going too far behind vertical and should remain supple to flexion inside and out. Stretch over back and neck should lengthen and deepen.

2) Poll and shoulders should lift up, weight should shift back on to hind legs (flexion in hocks), frame should evenly shorten from nose to tail. Transition should be seamless and smooth due to relaxation in horse. 

3)Horse should remain on the bit, power should come from hind leg reaching under further and pushing forward, rhythm shouldn't change drastically. Before a smooth, relaxed, and measured increase in speed, the horses back should lift up more if contact remains consistent.  

Riding a horse "in frame" is one of the things I hear horse people say a lot but often it is not the kind of frame that we want our horses to have. My intention for this blog post is to serve as a reminder (or wake up call) for those who want their horses moving in a way that not only looks good, but is healthy for horse and rider. The kind of frame I want every horse of mine (including lesson ponies) to move in, is a soft neck (due to relaxation) and engaged back and hind quarters, I want them stretching their backs and necks and bringing hind leg under. This is a very broad  definition because depending on the fitness of the horse and knowledge and strength of the rider, the shortness of the frame will vary drastically-but what remains the same is all of the above, no matter what! Even when you see the upper level dressage riders w their horses polls up above the wither-the horse is still (ideally) stretching to the bit, and as relaxed as possible (within reason). This is what gives their movements fluidity, makes the trot comfortable, and it also keeps them sound longer. If you're not sure if your horse is properly or improperly in "frame" AKA in to the contact, moving over its back, through, stretching to the bit, in the bridle etc... here are some questions for you to think about (consider their head set, body, and demeanour when answering questions).

1) What happens when you lengthen reins while in w/t/c?
2) What happens  when slow your horse down or do a half halt?
3) What happens if you try to push your horse forward? 

Who knows the correct answers to the above questions? Ie. What SHOULD happen when you do all of these things? 

Exercises to help your horse properly move into bridle:
1) Get your horse wonderfully obedient to right and left leg and both legs together
2) Get your horse obedient to body/weight aids and reins for half halts and halts
3) Get your horse soft through poll by gently flexing in and out 

Who's brave enough to comment below? I'll post answers in next blog post <3 

If you want to be as kind to your body and horse as possible I recommend body work until your spine and muscles are used to being in alignment. Straightness is imperative for both horse and rider but we can't feel our crookedness after a while as it becomes normal to us.  Chiropractic and Massage are my favourite for both horse and rider for restoring straightness. These modalities are especially important if you always find yourself sitting on one side of the saddle or your horse can only pick up one lead reliably. If you can't afford these options due to time or money I recommend chiropractic and consistent yoga and riding. If you've done all of the above and still need help, then contact me for a lesson (once covid allows me to teach again!)

Common rider positional errors and yoga poses that can help
1) Rounded shoulders
The obvious potential causes are poor posture and resultant tight muscles through the front of chest and shoulders. The goal is to open the chest (and the heart chakra) by pushing chest forward and bringing shoulders back.

• My favourite yoga poses to accomplish this are: camel, cobra and puppy pose. 

Side note: rounded shoulders can also be caused (from personal experience) by tight low back and hips which leads into my next point...

2) Tight hips
Sounds simple but so many muscles are involved in the hip joint, and so many different ways we can be tight. I'll cover the most common ones for riders but I recommend experimenting with your own range of motion and finding which positions are the most comfortable and which are the least. Work on the ones that are difficult (with kindness!). 

• For tight inner thighs./groin: frog pose
• For tight hip flexor and/or outer hip: mermaid pose
• For tight hamstrings: forward fold (try using table top if you're especially tight) and downward dog (try one leg downward dog to compare right and left side). Keep chest and bum pushed out so as to maintain arch in the back and not put pressure on disks in lumbar spine
  • ​Downward dog also helps to stretch calves which is helpful for riders who can't put their heels down

3) Weak Core
Self explanatory! Boat pose and Plank 

This is a very short list but powerful nonetheless. I recommend (not a doctor) doing yoga DAILY and once already warmed up- after a hot shower or after riding/walk/barn chores.

Happy Yoga-ing! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sRCfGiSmgk
My meditation I created for riders! ^
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At this point, I think we all know the benefits of meditation, whether it be first hand knowledge or just a nagging thought that we should really start doing that...I hope the meditation I created can help push some of my fellow equestrians to take the leap. Through my own experience I have found my riding has become much "cleaner" once I was able to really focus in on my body. Without distracting thoughts, the sensations in the body become much stronger, and so the feedback mechanism between you and your horse becomes much clearer. Think of listening to music in a crowded room (your thoughts) vs. listening to music in a quiet room, with your headphones on. My mind is clear and so my commands are clear and so, my rides become much more controlled and effective. Training takes less time and when resistance comes up in a ride, I can see exactly where it came from, thereby placing "blame" where it is warranted and figure out ways around it (or through it) the next time I ride. If you can't write out what exactly you did during your ride and where things went right or wrong, then I suggest meditating before (and during!). Meditation has removed those frustrating rides from the past where everything went to sh*t and I had no idea why me and my horse were both so sweaty at the end of it! There are no more unnecessary power struggles or frustration (at least on my behalf). This doesn't mean every command is immediately obeyed and there aren't rough patches, it just means when they come up I have full confidence they will subside again because I deeply understand what has happened and WHY. I start to identify the horses strengths, weaknesses, and their triggers CONSCIOUSLY. I have noticed a lot of riders (myself included in the past) unconsciously avoid our horses triggers in an attempt to keep the horse happy and the ride easy. This is one of the biggest problems, and why so many horses are hopelessly (not really) crooked. Once you are able to get a clear mind, you'll be able to consciously work through your horses weak spots and issues and catch yourself BEFORE you adopt or act out of  habit. I often have my students say they don't know what to work on when not in a lesson and I totally understand (especially with the way I teach-a comment every couple seconds sometimes!). I feel however, that this comes from lack of clarity in the mind. Every time I sit on a horse I just ask questions...I gentle close my calf, do you want to listen to a gentle aid today and go forward? I listen for the horses answer and go from there...that is how the ride continues until I feel accomplished. I understand that is very vague but I think you get the point- just stay totally present and your horse will show you what needs working on that day-theres only so many movements you can do on a horse- forward, back, and to the side. Play with each until you find something that isn't perfect and work on perfecting that one thing and then check and see how sweaty you and the horse are- simple!