Triple Diamond Training

09/15/2023

Listen. To. This. Episode.

It’s always been such a culture in our industry that our horse gets top notch everything, and we treat our own bodies like crap. There needs to be a shift, and see ourselves as athletes as much as we see our horses in that way. Working on our own stability, balance, suppleness, strength and stamina is just as important as our horse’s (and notice how similar some of those are to the training scale 😜). Improving our own bodies and care will 100% have a positive effect on our horses way of going as well.

Enjoy! 💕🐴

‎Show Equestrian Voices, Ep Why Doesn’t Riding Have An Athletic Culture? Embracing Rider Wellness with Ifa Simmonds - Sep 12, 2023

09/01/2023

yes yes yes

Learn grand prix jumper Daniel Bluman's cure for the most common rider fault.

08/15/2023

The training scale is a method with which to order your thoughts within the training process. It is a logical progression of how a horse is developed from untrained (feral) to fully trained (mostly civilized). Gwyneth McPherson is an FEI rider with over 35 years experience competing, training, and t...

06/26/2023

Ian Millar and Amy Millar demonstrate how to walk, count and ride strides between fences for the best stride control.

06/04/2023

Sooooooo proud of this pair! Their first time in a dressage ring together, and Kaylee’s first time actually jumping at a show! They absolutely nailed it, and I’m so proud of how far they have come in a short amount of time. Excited to see what the future holds for them! 💕

03/07/2023

We have a tendency to demand way more of our horses than we should and I find a lot of riders don’t think about lactic acid build up in their muscles. A lot of resistance can be from soreness and pain.

02/14/2023

02/05/2023

Did you know that a horse that hasn't been how to properly support and carry the weight of a rider will instinctually hollow their back away from the weight of the rider? Many riding horses spend their entire careers going around with hollow backs, even upper level competition horses.

Carrying weight with a hollow back is, at best, uncomfortable for the horse, and in many cases is actually quite painful. Many horses tolerate this discomfort because they don't know any alternative. Other horses develop behavioral problems and become labeled as bad horses.

For a horse to remain healthy and comfortable in his work he must be taught how to support the weight of a rider with first a neutral back and then later on with a lifted back. This is a process that takes time, as you can't rush muscle development.

I've found that the best way to teach a horse to lift his back is on the ground first, through classical in hand work. Without the extra weight of the rider, it is easier for the horse to learn how to lift his back and it is easier for him to develop the strength that he needs in order to maintain a lifted back for an extended amount of time.

Once the horse has and understanding of this healthier posture and has developed some strength, it will be much easier for him to accomplish the same thing with a rider on his back.

The horse will then feel more comfortable and have an easier time performing his job. He will be less prone to injuries and behavioral problems and he will be able to continue doing his job for much longer than if he never learned to move in a healthy way.

As stewards of our horses, we owe it to them to give them the best lives possible. That includes taking the time to teach them how to move in a way that is healthy and comfortable for them.

Want to learn more about the horse's back and how you can teach him a healthy posture? We invite you to join our Healthy Movement through In Hand Work course, available in our Virtual Classroom. You'll learn how you can help your horse to move in a healthier way through the use of In Hand Work.

This work is beneficial for horses of all ages, breeds, and disciplines and no previous experience is necessary.

Learn more and sign up here- https://tuskeydressage.com/register/virtual-classroom/

10/09/2022

So proud of all my riders today! Everyone at rustic trail crushed it, along with the second group over at amazing gaits ht! You all are amazing, and what a great way to kick off the show season! Onward and upward! Huge thank you to Rustic Trail Stables for putting on such a welcoming, fun show! And I look forward to getting out to Amazing Gaits Equestrian Center for more shows!

Go ♦️♦️♦️

10/08/2022

Hmmmm, first phase of a show jumping national talent search and they begin with dressage tests ♦️♦️♦️ gotta focus on the flat. Why I always encourage people to go do dressage shows and school in dressage dimensions, even if you never intend on really pursuing it. It will only benefit every aspect of your riding 🐴

08/24/2022

Can’t wait for this years symposium. Last year was amazing.

Who’s that person all the way on the right?! 😉

ICP Now ECP – The Eventing Coaches Program Reboots Education Initiative

08/02/2022

TDT gear available for order!!!!! Window is Aug 2-15th, so get those orders in! 😊 So nice to be able to order directly from Loblolly Equestrian either by scanning the code, or clicking the link below 👍 let me know if you have any questions!

https://forms.gle/NXM7vHFe6uX5VyeL9

06/22/2022

04/14/2022

Eventer Sharon White shows you how to build communication with your horse using simple, time-tested tools to figure out what he needs.

04/12/2022

A few days late, but I just wanted to brag on these two lovely ladies, and what a fantastic job they did at this last dressage show! Julie and Beth, although eventers starting their journey and new to Dressage (originally having to coax them into the sandbox 😂), have really been putting in the hard work to move their riding up to the next level. The proof is in the pudding, and even though outside of their comfort zones, both pairs really went for it and made some big improvements and looked amazing 💕 so proud of y’all, and can’t wait to see what the future holds. Keep up the great work!

04/06/2022

Read , let it sink in, then read again :

“No. 1. Get your tack and equipment just right, and then forget about it and concentrate on the horse.

No. 2. The horse is bigger than you are, and it should carry you. The quieter you sit, the easier this will be for the horse.

No. 3. The horse's engine is in the rear. Thus, you must ride your horse from behind, and not focus on the forehand simply because you can see it.

No. 4. It takes two to pull. Don't pull. Push.

No. 5. For your horse to be keen but submissive, it must be calm, straight and forward.

No. 6. When the horse isn`t straight, the hollow side is the difficult side.

No. 7. The inside rein controls the bending, the outside rein controls the speed.

No. 8. Never rest your hands on the horse's mouth. You make a contract with it: "You carry your head and I'll carry my hands."

No. 10. Once you've used an aid, put it back.

No. 11. You can exaggerate every virtue into a defect.

No. 12. Always carry a stick, then you will seldom need it.

No. 13. If you`ve given something a fair trial, and it still doesn't work, try something else—even the opposite.

No. 14. Know when to start and when to stop. Know when to resist and when to reward.

No. 15. If you're going to have a fight, you pick the time and place.

No. 16. What you can't accomplish in an hour should usually be put off until tomorrow.

No. 17. You can think your way out of many problems faster than you can ride your way out of them.

No. 18. When the horse jumps, you go with it, not the other way around.

No. 19. Don`t let over-jumping or dull routine erode the horse's desire to jump cleanly. It's hard to jump clear rounds if the horse isn't trying.

No. 20. Never give up until the rail hits the ground.

No. 21. Young horses are like children—give them a lot of love, but don't let them get away with anything.

No. 22. In practice, do things as perfectly as you can; in competition, do what you have to do.

No. 23. Never fight the oats.

No. 24. The harder you work, the luckier you get."

~Bill Steinkraus

03/22/2022

Stalled Progress

When we start something new, horseback riding being a good example, we start from so low a place that almost any improvement seems significant.

Watch a lesson. Inevitably, someone will have been given some instruction, and within minutes, that person will ask, “Is this better?”

We all do that, but what it shows is that humans are hungry for progress, and frustrated when they don’t feel as though they are getting “better.”

In reality, though, it takes a long time with hundreds---some claim thousands—of hours of practice to become adept at something as complex as riding a horse, and on that road there will be times that it seems that zero improvement is happening.

I believe that it has been called by sports author George Leonard “long plateaus of seeming non-improvement.” For those who need the constant stroking of being assured that, “yes, you are getting better” on a lesson by lesson basis, this is when many of them jump ship. They can’t stand the frustration of not “improving” even when they ARE improving, but at too imperceptible a rate as to be reassuring.

So they go off to hunt for some next fix of “Oh, this is SO MUCH BETTER,” in some other pursuit, when if they’d had the true grit to stick it out, they could have been successful as riders.

There was a famous German dressage trainer giving a clinic some years ago in Massachusetts, and when this topic came up, she summed it up like this.

“I have seen them come. And I have seen them go. So many more go than stay."

03/06/2022

An amazing show at Mahan today! More pics and video to come (I think we’re ALL exhausted) but I’m so proud how everyone rode this weekend. I love seeing all the work paying off with those light bulbs moments, positive experiences, and goal achievements! 💕🐎♦️♦️♦️ and could not have asked for better weather! Thank you Mahan Farm for hosting a fantastically run show that was fun and educational for all.

02/27/2022

This handsome hunk is gaining strength, consistency, and confidence 💕 one of my absolute favorite things is feeling those ‘light bulb’ moments where they truly begin to understand what we’re asking and how to move through their body better. It’s slow and steady progress, but always just keeping the priorities straight is so important. (Aka learn they training scale!) Reward the slightest try, and help them to keep gaining that confidence 🐎

02/01/2022

The five-time Olympian and team silver medalist shares training advice and strategies with clinic riders.

02/01/2022

01/30/2022

Lessons are wonderful. We obviously need to be partaking in lessons regularly in order to progress or even just tune up our riding. Eyes on the ground are invaluable. However an instructor can only teach you so much theory in an hour... it is your job to also work on educating yourself as a rider. Ideally, when your trainer says something, it’s not completely foreign to you. Then they can discuss the concept with you and help you to understand it more thoroughly as well as put it into application. I love finding books that enable me to solidify concepts and theories as well as learn new ones. It also allows me to find new ways of explaining things to students so hopefully I find a way to educate each and every student I work with.

Here are some of my favorite books on my shelf:

All the pony club manuals. The advanced book has great training theories and explanations of classical principles.

‘Modern Gymnastics’, and ‘Cross Country’ by Jimmy Wofford (and basically anything by Jimmy Wofford). These are both amazing and really shows the progression and methodical process to training jumping/eventing horses. (FYI, he’s a huge fan of DRESSAGE)

‘Riding Logic’ by W. Musseler. It’s an old book, so some of the stuff is a bit outdated/foreign, but there are some fantastic explanations of how the rider should feel, utilize their body etc.

‘Centered Riding’ by Sally Swift. Obviously a classic. If you are a visual learner (and even if you’re not), this book is invaluable to help with riders position and feel.

Not pictured: ‘Horses are Made to Be Horses’ by Franz Maringer. Absolutely fantastic book. Lots of great theory, and nice concise chapter summaries at the end of each. It lives on my nightstand and I flip through it regularly as great reminders of principles etc. Even as a trainer it’s easy to sometimes get stuck focused on one thing and forget the big picture. Reviewing concepts regularly helps keep your ‘eyes’ open and things in perspective.

Long story short, books will never, and shohld never replace a good trainer/instructor. But they definitely are great additions to help you become the best you can be for your horse. 😊💕🐎

01/25/2022