StableManners, LLC

12/05/2025

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀?

Because every “neat” moment you see in the ring - the clean flying change, the tidy rollback, the effortless distance - is built on a mountain of basics: rhythm, balance, straightness, clarity, repetition, and trust.

The real magic lives in the base of the pyramid - not the shiny bit at the top.

Advanced work only works when the foundations feel solid, repeatable, and understood by both horse and rider.
And that’s exactly what creates the horses who are genuinely 𝘧𝘶𝘯 to ride… the ones who jump easily, land balanced, turn like a dream, and both accelerate and wait when you ask.

So yes, I love riding the advanced stuff too.
But I love the basics more - 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦.

12/02/2025

Training Tuesday!

I think the biggest mistake we can make in developing our seat is to try and sit “still”.

Rather, work on following the horse with an elastic back and elastic arms and hands.

Learn to absorb the motion of the gait you’re in and follow the motion in the way the horse moves.

It’s impossible to sit still on something that moves, you can only make it look that way by moving with the motion in an elastic way.

12/02/2025

Good riding is twelve steps ahead of your horse

One of the reasons why riding well is so tricky is that it is essentially the act of spinning plates. Initially you spin three plates: track of travel, rhythm, and tempo.

Then you begin adding in bending and flexion, inside and outside aids- coordinating it all without getting tight or in the horses way. 

When done well, to the outside eye appears as if almost nothing is happening. When done poorly, you can see every little aid: an inside leg scrunching or too heavy a half halt or grinding and bumping and other such unpleasant sights.

The rider who seemingly floats along is usually working very hard mentally: feeling imbalances as they shape and fixing or redirecting them- not waiting until the horse is very crooked to then be met with overuse of the leg and rein. They are riding stride for stride without micromanaging , but not waiting for the horse to fall apart only to be over corrected either.

It’s true that training and retraining will not always look perfect. The rider doesn’t serve the horse by keeping perfectly still on a green horse who needs assistance- but very often, we could use far less aids by thinking ahead. If you know the horse is going to fall in the corner, don’t wait to fix it after the fact- shape it up to prevent it in the first place.

Ride twelve steps ahead for a happier horse, quieter hands, softer legs and a more beautiful ride.

11/30/2025

11/27/2025

Great visual aid - this is helpful to see and trigger muscles that we don’t normally recruit!

11/27/2025

Be thankful for what you have!

11/27/2025

Some Horses You Just Can’t Sit—Yet

There are horses you simply cannot sit—and nor should you try.

If a horse is difficult to sit for any reason—tight in the back, heavy on the forehand, rushing in the tempo, pulling on the hands, or lacking strength—it’s a sign the horse is not yet in a place of balance or understanding where they can accept a deep (full) seat.

A rider should never try to sit deeply on a horse that does not have its back lifted, supple, and swinging in rhythm.
To do so only creates tension, prevents the horse’s back from lifting, and makes the rider brace or guard themselves. None of this leads toward true collection or a harmonious ride.

A horse struggling with any of the issues above should be ridden in a light seat—or even a two-point position. This frees the back, allows it to lift, and gives the horse the room they need to find their own balance.

Only through time and correct gymnastic exercises can a horse develop the strength, rhythm, and suppleness required to carry a deep seat without discomfort, tension, or fear from the rider. A horse must first learn to move through its back before that back can carry a rider fully.

Being able to sit the trot and canter is not a talent—it is a result of correct training.
It is allowed by the horse, not forced by the rider.

Be patient.
Wait for the right moment.
Sit only when the horse invites you.

That is when the deep (full) seat becomes effortless.

11/25/2025

A good frame isn’t something you put on a horse.

It’s something the horse grows into when the balance is right.

When the rider creates activity from behind, keeps the body supple, and allows the horse to find the connection, the neck frame appears naturally.

No pulling. No shaping. No forcing.

A horse in self-carriage carries himself, and that’s when the frame becomes real, not manufactured.

💭 Be honest: are you creating a frame with your hand, or allowing one to appear through balance?

classicaldressage