Loving Presence with Horses

13/08/2024

5 Signs your Horse is not Engaging their Hindquarters

If you’re a dressage rider and you’re not sure how to sense whether your horse is correctly engaging their hindquarters half the time you ride, you may be what I call the Disheartened Rider.

Don’t feel bad if you can’t tell when the hindquarters are engaging or not. Not every rider can sense this so don’t worry. Even high level grand prix riders sometimes miss these indicators.

Here’s something to help: five tell-tale indicators to help you recognize when your horse's hindquarters are not effectively engaged:

✴️Horse slows down on the last part of a 20 meter circle
✴️Horse's head goes up for canter departs
✴️Horse's head above the vertical at the trot
✴️Horse's head behind the vertical at the trot
✴️Horse feels like they are pulling on the reins

We’ve helped thousands of dressage riders learn how to sense when their horse’s hindquarters are engaging in over 35 years of teaching biomechanical conditioning, positive reinforcement and mindfulness for dressage riders. PM me if you think you’re someone we can help.

08/08/2024

Holding the reins with your fingers open on them is a common mistake that comes from a deep fear of hurting your horse’s mouth.

It makes sense to heart centered dressage riders that keeping your fingers open on the reins would make the reins light instead of hard. While it might seem like a gentle approach, it actually causes instability and inconsistency in your contact. Instead of a light touch, it leads to a lack of clear communication with your horse. A soft, closed hand provides steady, compassionate guidance that helps build trust and connection.

We’ve helped thousands of riders in over 35 years of teaching steady hands for steady connection. If you think you could be a dressage rider we could help, pm me. I may have something to help.

08/08/2024

🌟 Remembering Our True Selves with Our Horses 🌟

Don’t forget to:
✨ Remember who you really are when you’re with your horse.
✨ When you’re with people, remember what your horse taught you.
✨ Say “no” when it’s not in your horse’s best interest.

Embrace the wisdom our horses share with us, both in and out of the arena. 🐴💫

01/08/2024

20 meter circles may not necessarily be the best way to warm up your dressage horse -

26/07/2024

🌟 Standing Up for Our Horses 🌟

Recently, an Olympic dressage rider was disqualified due to mistreatment allegations. This highlights a crucial issue in our sport: prioritizing the well-being of our horses. 🐴

Sometimes, our priorities get mixed up, and even those of us who deeply care about our horses can lose sight of what's most important. It's not about being perfect; it's about being mindful of our actions and the impact they have on our horses. By practicing mindfulness, we can stay present and ensure that our actions reflect our true values and the deep bond we share with our horses. 💖

Read my thoughts on why ethical training is more important than ever and how we can all be advocates for our horses.

In a recent and unfortunate event, an Olympic dressage rider has withdrawn from the competition after a video surfaced showing her mistreating a student's horse. This incident highlights a troubling trend in the equestrian world: riders being disqualified due to evidence of abuse, such as blood, spu...

22/07/2024

If you were a rider who had just completed a training level test in a dressage show, which of the following would matter the most to you?
Choose just one that resonates the most with you. (Even if you have no intention of showing, this is a valuable question to reflect on.)
A. The red ribbon you won in the class
B. The harmony and connection you felt in the trot across the
diagonal
C. The 65% score you received
D. The sense of accomplishment that you got through the test

14/07/2024

Great is our need in this country, this world, this universe, for Loving Presence

10/07/2024

5 types of attention that affect whether your horse spooks or not. # PositiveReinforcementHorseTraining

09/07/2024

Are you a rider whose horse pulled and leaned on the reins at least half the time you rode last month? If so, you may be what I call the Disheartened but Discouraged Rider.

I used to be the Disheartened but discouraged Rider but
everything changed after I immersed myself in mindfulness and positive reinforcement. I realized that mindfulness and positive reinforcement training harmonize beautifully with dressage and make horses that pull and lean on the reins a thing of the past.

We’ve helped thousands of riders stop their horses from pulling in 35 years of integrating mindfulness/meditation and positive reinforcement into dressage - we have virtual and in person programs (Texas, USA).

If your horse pulls and leans on the reins and you want to stop it, comment “Stop pulling” in the comments and I’ll send you a free PDF, Stop your Horse from Pulling, the Rein Awareness Exercise.

09/06/2024

If you’re an equestrian who has tried meditation within the last year and you can’t do it, you may be caught in the Unaware Rider Syndrome.
If you’re stuck here with meditation you likely
*Did your best to sit still
*Your mind kept thinking busy thoughts
*A place on your body itched
*You felt like a failure
The reason this is happening is because you focus on the need to sit still and relax your mind and haven't considered paying attention to observing the present moment.
And in order to fix your meditation failure, you probably
*Tried meditating more than once
*Think if you concentrate more, it will get better
If this is you, don’t worry. We’ve helped lots of riders meditate so they can ride better in our Clicker Training Dressage Mentorship. If you’d like to try our free video meditation especially created for equestrians, type “meditation” in the comments.

19/05/2024

When fear rides with you: Is not letting your horse know you’re scared the best way to handle fear?
Every horse person knows you shouldn’t let your horse know you’re scared or the horse will get nervous and “do something,” something riders don’t like and something that could cause you to fall off.
If you ever didn’t want your horse to know you were scared, I bet you felt your heart in your mouth and worried your horse would sense your fear anyway.
But consider this: If a rider never let a horse know when they were scared, then no horse would ever get nervous or misbehave when the rider didn’t show their fear.
Have you ever been scared when you thought you might fall off, like if your horse shied, bucked or bolted? What did you do?

14/05/2024

If you’re a rider whose horse goes too slow everytime you ride, even when you reward them for speeding up, you may be caught in the Unaware Rider Syndrome.
To fix it I bet you are:
*Using more leg to get them going
*Clucking and smooching to get them going
*Rewarding them after they speed up for several steps
*Praising them and saying “good boy” or “good girl” when they speed up
If this is you, not to worry. We have helped lots of riders fix this problem in our Mentorship program. DM me if you think you are someone we can help.

11/05/2024

If you don't have all three types of connection when you ride your horse, you are riding with tension in your hands, shoulders, and seat.

01/05/2024

Join My FREE Facebook™ Group For Horse Owners Who Want to Ride With Positive Reinforcement Enter your Name & Email Below to Let Me Know Where To Send Your Group Invitation… Inside you’ll find… Weekly training videos to help you ride better with positive reinforcement Tons of exercises and tr...

17/04/2024

If you’ve ever held your breath when you’re trying hard to get your horse to do something, you may be caught in the Unaware Rider Trap.
If you’re stuck here, you hold your breath, tense your shoulders, or clench your jaw. As the tension rises when your horse doesn’t do what you want, you can’t help but hold your breath too.
The reason this is happening is because you are not paying attention to the part of you who is a heart-centered rider. You are super focused on doing it right, getting the right technique, and the right position. These are important but not the only things you need to get connection and performance with your horse.
In order to fix it, you may have tried taking more lessons, going to the gym, or working on your core but haven't yet considered that heart-centered part of you is the one who can make the biggest difference when you're riding.
If this is you and you don't want to be stuck holding your breath in the unaware rider trap, Dm me here on facebook. I may have something to help.

31/07/2023

What does a good rider do when their horse pulls and leans on the reins? Find out in this ride better exercise!

Teach Your Horse to Stop Pulling in 3 Steps FREE Exercise! Even high-level dressage riders sometimes accidentally teach their horses to pull on the reins. Want to find out if you are doing the same? Download the rein awareness exercise. Teach Your Horse To Stop Pulling in 3 Steps FREE Rein Awareness...

28/07/2023

Many people think dressage is fancy, snobbish, and difficult, but anyone and any horse can do it if they know how to pay the right kind of attention.

It’s more than circles, half passes, and piaffe.

Dressage of course takes diligent practice, but the riding becomes irresistibly beautiful when presented alongside loving and compassionate communication, understanding, and a connection that sometimes feels as if the two of you are one.

26/07/2023

You do not have to throw your equestrian ambitions out the window when you use positive reinforcement!

You can actually progress faster when you learn this way of working with horses.

What is your biggest dream of competing with your horse?

25/07/2023

Scratch Your Horse The Way They Want!

Most horse owners don't know how to scratch their horse the way they really want to be scratched. Watch this video to learn how to ask your horse how they like to be itched.

21/07/2023

When you reflect on how your ride went, you support your own progress! Being a positive reinforcement trainer/rider is more than giving treats! Focus on at least 3 things that went well, even on less than good days.

19/07/2023

Every dressage partnership is a unique journey.

The more you focus on your and your horse’s journey, the easier it is to let nagging thoughts of comparison fall away.

What's the nagging thought that's driving you crazy? Comment below, and I'll tell you how to get rid of it.

18/07/2023

Teach Your Horse to Stand Politely EVEN when you have pockets full of treats!

Watch me teach a young horse not to mug me for treats. This is an easy step to make your journey with positive reinforcement training a massive success!

16/07/2023

Help your horse calm themselves with the Head Down Cue when you're riding!

1️⃣ It helps calm a horse who gets excited
2️⃣ It helps a horse understand stretching towards connection with the rider, sometimes
called stretching toward the bit
3️⃣ Your horse trusts you when he does Head Down.

14/07/2023

Has your horse ever surprised you with a buck or a bite?

Sometimes it's not so easy to know how to respond if you're training with positive reinforcement!

Suss out why It happened - from the horse's viewpoint - and you'll be on the right track. If you were your horse, why would you have reacted this way?

12/07/2023

How can I ride better with positive reinforcement if my horse is always wanting to stop and get a treat?

10/07/2023

Have you ever been told you’re sitting crooked? Or noticed your horse having an easier time going one direction and harder going the other?

Start building your awareness here!

Imagine yourself seated in the saddle. Using the information in the graphic, do you feel yourself in or out of alignment? Share below which one of the 3 is off for you, and I'll give you one tip for how to fix it.

06/07/2023

ATTENTION DRESSAGE RIDERS!
A few points away - or more - from the scores you want in dressage? If you’ve ever felt that there’s got to be more - that there must be a way to advance your scores and feel good riding if you could just figure it out - you won’t want to miss this training! CLICK THE LINK TO REGISTER.

Harmony in the Arena
Ride Better with Positive Reinforcement
with Mary Kay Hasseman, KPA CTP, USDF Bronze Medalist
https://www.indianadressage.org/event/ride-better-with-positive-reinforcement-presented-by-marykay-hasseman/?fbclid=IwAR2aCg7XP0wcqv85UdYmGW-xhHfYDm6pqfC5HtEmVC4QrWPvA-GZbzoE1v

The Indiana Dressage Society continues its education webinar series, at no charge to current IDS members. Non-members may audit the program for $20. All participants should register using the form …

30/06/2023

“Breathe!” Has your instructor every told you this in a lesson? I said, “breathe” to myself the other day when my horse wasn’t moving sideways when I wanted to leg yield.

It worked!

The next time I asked for the leg yield, it came easy and I felt him glide right over.

28/06/2023

Place your target where you know your horse is going to rush so you can condition a different behavior.

For example: if they speed up going to the gate, use a target so they will slow down to touch the target, interrupting their usual pattern in a positive way.

26/06/2023

Don’t tell yourself that you can’t! Tell yourself that you are still figuring it out. Are you struggling with any limitations today?