Nearside Equestrian

17/08/2024

25/06/2024

Chica is the most patient anatomy teacher there ever was.

24/06/2024

The Nearside Team did some dry land training to give our horses a break in the heat last week.

02/05/2024

17/03/2023

16/11/2022

03/11/2022

so true 💜
www.thecinchycowgirl.com

28/10/2022

“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

22/10/2022

TRUE story 😂
credits: The-CinchyCowgirl

20/09/2022

For all you trailblazers, dreamers and creatives out there …

13/09/2022

Do the best you can and then level up. ♥️

Quote credit: Maya Angelou

01/09/2022

Two of my favourite girls 😍

01/09/2022

Me: let’s take a nice pic in this amazing light!
Cooper: let me bite you in the face!

21/08/2022

Let’s talk about the the phases of jumping position and how I prepare for each fence.

Approaching a jump-
I want to have a tall position. The goal is not to use my hands to balance the horse off of the jump but use my body with a vertical position. To accomplish this - Think of pushing your stomach forward at the jump while keeping soft hands for the horse to be able to use their neck.

Next Over the Jump!
I think about keeping my chin behind my chest (It still might happen, but that's the goal)
so that my position becomes a half halt - preventing my horse from getting quicker in the air—which allows my horse's back to lift underneath me.
I even think about my fingers and keeping them open to follow the line of the horses shoulder during the release allowing release so that the horse is able to use it's neck

On landing….
I don't want to fall back in the saddle when the horse lands, so I think about pushing my leg forward which allows me to stay over the horse. When I stay over my horse without falling back, I able to recover faster for things like one strides two strides and so on

One thing I always tell my students - You Want to be able to at any time to take a snap shot of yourself jumping and cut yourself out of the saddle and remove the horse. Do you look like you would land on your feet? Yes? Perfect,That’s the goal!

17/08/2022

"Every class had that kid who was obsessed with horses." - I was that kid
🐎

17/08/2022

😮 *Follows new group immediately*

14/08/2022

What a great horse show! So proud of Holly & Ruth, way to go ladies! 💫

11/08/2022

Ivy, Frankie & Sam out for a post lesson hack around the farm.

01/08/2022

25/07/2022

This is fundamental advice regardless of the discipline in which you ride, I have built my method and career around all of this, if you study the greatest horsemen in the world you will see all of the points in action. This was said by one of the best modern horsemen Bill Steinkrause.

“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

24/07/2022

31/05/2022

If you want to make progress as a horseman, you have to hold yourself accountable.
An instructor can tell you to open your left rein, but only you can actually open your left rein! I can tell you to step right. I can tell you to step right more, or reword it until you do it enough that your right seat bone drops down where it belongs. I can remind you to do it every 30 seconds. I can remind you again every time we change directions, or change gaits, or after your horse tripped. But none of my riders take a lesson with me every day! At some point you have to remember it and execute it all on your own. And isn’t that the type of rider you want to be???
I mean, When you are doing a dressage test, I can’t remind you to sit back in the corner or to not over bend the neck in the shoulder in.

The only time I am the head trainer is when I am instructing myself. Otherwise, I am always the assistant instructor and YOU, THE RIDER, HAVE to be your own master. I am merely the Layman who tells you where we are at in this project, and what step needs to happen next. You are the lead contractor who needs to make sure it gets done. (I know enough people who have major projects going on at their facility that maybe this is a really bad example! Lol but you get my drift hopefully)

I’m not sure how I made it through the levels as far as I did knowing how long it took me to get accountable on actually keeping my inside rein open 🤦‍♀️. Now I’ve realized how often I, just for a moment, open my outside rein when I’m supposed to be using my inside leg. I’m NOT letting this habit go on for years. I’m not. I’m not. I’m not working on anything else until I’m so consciously competent when I do allow my subconscious to take over, it sticks! Even then, I’ll be checking in regularly.

I had an adult student say that she’s always ride with puppy paws/piano hands (thumbs turned in, fingernails posted down) and “good luck changing it”. My tone was light hearted, because that’s who I am, but I basically told her that if she can’t hold herself accountable for something so easy to fix, get off the horse- why bother! It helped that I gave her the REASONS why it was important- it isn’t just to be pretty. But fixing it was hard for her because it’s so tough to turn her wrist- it was “hard” because it took focus.
Put in the focus. Hold yourself accountable.

31/05/2022

Oh Zephyr ❤️

05/05/2022

Tic Toc & Holly 😍

05/05/2022

Cooper & Nikki 😍

05/05/2022

Working on our skills outside the ring on a beautiful day ☀️