Horse & Hound’s new online eight-week training challenge to here to help riders stay motivated through the winter.

Riders can buy the series online and receive three training emails a week across eight weeks, at a total cost of £19.99.

Horse & Hound editor-in-chief Sarah Jenkins said: “The training is focused around improving the qualities needed to ride a really good prelim test, but it’s not just designed for people who want to compete.

“As an amateur rider, I know well the feeling of getting to the yard with best intentions of schooling, only to find mucking out takes longer than planned, I was already running late because the car was frozen, now do I even have time to school?

“This training plan has been designed to give you the motivation to say ‘yes, I will find time to school today’, and to get on with it.”

Riders following the plan are given set exercises to complete and topics to focus on in the school, and are encouraged to note their experiences and progress on a daily tracker as well as sharing their updates with others who are doing the course.

Sarah added: “Sometimes we need focus, otherwise there is a risk we go into the school and trot round slightly aimlessly, repeating go-to exercises rather than trying anything new, lacking inspiration without our instructor there.

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How to ride a winning dressage test

Here, we have put together a selection of top tips to ensure that you produce a winning test, every time

20-minute weekly work-out: raised trotting or canter poles

This exercise helps a horse find its rhythm and is effective for horses working on the flat and those that

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“It helps to have a plan when going into the arena at 6am as well, so you can immediately channel an exuberant horse’s energy on a dark, frosty morning. And knowing you’ve got to fill in a tracker when you get home is another useful bit of motivation!”

For competitors who are experienced at prelim level and want to crack the 70% barrier, and those who have aspirations to start competing soon, the series is structured to give relevant support and advice around each of the specific prelim tests, including training videos with esteemed judge Isobel Wessels.

Find out more here or sign up today here — www.horseandhound.co.uk/online-training

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The Horse & Hound eTraining Prelim Plan has been designed to help you stay motivated and to help you reach your training goals this winter. Whether your aims are to get inspiration for your schooling, perfect your prelim test-riding, compete more, achieve a personal best or join a virtual community to share the highs and lows of training, this programme is designed to help you enjoy your winter training more.

Looking at what is needed for prelim tests 1 to 19, you’ll get the motivation and training you need to perform better than ever during this eTraining series, all from the comfort of your own arena.

Is it for me?

This plan is suitable for anyone who is looking to add some structure to their winter riding. With the arrival of the dark evenings, chilly temperatures and relentless rain, we all need some motivation. Our exercises, tips and advice will inspire you to stick with your training each week, and get you in the school.

This plan is for everyone, from those wanting to take part in dressage competitions to those who just enjoy trying out new exercises at home.

How does it work?

On signing up to the programme, you’ll start receiving a series of emails to guide you through the process. Each week you’ll receive new exercises to try out at home, top tips and expert advice. You’ll also have the option to watch a rider performing each week’s prelim test with feedback from top judge, rider and trainer Isobel Wessels.

What does the series involve?

Training and guidance

Whether you’re looking to try a prelim test for the first time, or you’re a seasoned competitor wanting to beat your personal best, this series will provide you with online test-riding videos, training advice, top tips, coaching expertise and useful exercises to try at home to get you competition ready. Are you ready to start your transformation?

Keep motivated

Share your progress, pictures, advice, results or what you’ve achieved that day with others in our e-community. Our eTraining Facebook group will provide you with an area for secure online discussion and support, whatever time of day, wherever you are. Get involved.

Track your progress

We’ll provide you with a weekly tracker where you can tick off the elements of the plan you’ve completed and keep notes about how everything is going. At the end of the eight weeks you’ll be so proud of how far you’ve come.

Capture the moment

Tell us about your progress and competition results within our e-community. Take photos throughout the series and reflect on just how much you’ve progressed. This is your time to shine.

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Access to Horse & Hound Plus

Joining the H&H eTraining journey also gives you full access to the Horse & Hound Plus service. Which includes access to all the exclusive breaking news and opinion from top equestrians as well as access to our in-depth veterinary library, which contains the latest thinking based on recent research on the most common conditions horses owners are likely to come across which has been curated and approved by Horse & Hound’s top vet consultant Karen Coumbe.

Sign up today here — www.horseandhound.co.uk/online-training

We are continuing to produce Horse & Hound as a weekly magazine during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as to keep our website at horseandhound.co.uk up to date with breaking news, features and more. Click here for info about magazine subscriptions and access to our premium H&H Plus content online.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Teaching your horse to work long and low in a stretched outline is a particularly useful day-to-day training tool. It is also a movement in some dressage tests, so is a skill worth learning and perfecting.

The aim is that you want to feel your horse’s back rise and for him to seek the contact forwards without falling on to the forehand. Here’s how to achieve it:

• You can’t just throw reins at your horse and expect him to understand. Start in working, rising trot on a 20m circle in the frame and outline you would usually school in.

• Think of pushing your horse forward into the contact by squeezing with your legs.
• Take your hands a little wider to encourage your horse to take his nose down and forwards and play on the contact until your horse softens — note that playing on the rein only needs to be subtle movement with your fingers — your hands should remain steady. As soon as your horse softens and takes the contact down and forwards give him a quick little pat with your inside rein and then start again.
• Push your horse out with your inside leg using lateral bend if you need to so that you can allow your horse to stretch. Ensure that while you are riding this exercise you don’t forget to support your horse with your outside leg.
• If you lose continuity in the rein go onto smaller circle and retake some contact until your horse is re-balanced and then try the exercise again.
• Timing is everything with this exercise. You have to have feel for when the horse is seeking the contact and softening. It is the rider’s job to then realise this instantly, follow it and praise your horse.
• Don’t nag your horse in a negative way as you will only dig yourself a hole of resistance between you and your horse.
• When introducing your horse to this exercise, think baby steps. Don’t try or expect to achieve everything that you want in just a handful of sessions.

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Have you ever felt frustrated when you receive your test sheet and see your mark? Although we may feel robbed by a certain judge, it is often the case that we do not fully understand what the dressage judge wants from the test.

Here, we have put together a selection of top tips to ensure that you produce a winning test, every time.

1. Be prepared

This may sound obvious, but it is vital that your horse is well prepared at home in his basic training. It is a good idea to be working at a higher level at home than you’re competing at, as it will give you the chance to show off a little whilst feeling comfortable at a competition. In contrast, if you are pushing yourself to compete at a level you’re not quite ready for, this will show at a competition and not result in a harmonious and relaxed test.

2. Learn the test

Although you may be allowed a caller, it is a good idea to learn your dressage test inside out. This will help you to feel comfortable at a competition and prevent any awkward moments arising, such as not being able to hear your caller. The more confident you are, the easier it will be to ride a successful test. A lack of confidence will translate to your horse and result in poor performance, so knowing your test in advance will help you to ride it with conviction.

3. Warm up well

It is very important that you use the time before your test to accurately warm up your horse and get him working well. Do not worry about what the other competitiors are doing, try to focus on your own horse. It is a good idea to start with rising trot so your weight is off the horse’s back – if your horse’s back is quite weak try working him on a longer contact so that he can stretch down. Remember that your horse’s back bridges his front and back end so it should be swinging. Looking for more top tips for a successful warm-up?

4. Make the horse use his neck

To be working correctly your horse’s neck must be open and not dropping behind the vertical. When the horse is using his neck it helps him to balance his whole body and step under with his hindleg. Aim for a comfortable, natural outline, where your horse is working correctly through his back. Do not try to ride him too short in the neck, as this may result in over-bending.

5. Use transitions

When riding your test, remember to be forward thinking – for example think “go” instead of “whoa”. Do not think that you are finishing cantering, but rather you are about to start trotting. Use your driving aids rather than your reins as this transition is a forward movement. Practicing transitions and thinking ahead will allow you to ride a smoother test.

6. Find your rhythm

Rhythm and tempo are important factors during your test. Try to keep this consistent throughout your test, and show a clear difference between your movements. For example, the steadier your working trot, the easier it will be to push forwards into a medium or extended trot and consequently show this difference to the judge.

7. Talk to the judge

Most judges are happy to talk through your test sheet after the competition if they have time. This will prove valuable as the judge can help explain to you why you got the marks you did and point out how you can improve on this next time.

8. Practice

Naturally, the more dressage competitions you attend, the more confident both you and your horse will become. It is a good idea to attend as many competitions as possible and build on the judge’s comments at home, so that you can improve on your percentage at your next event.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find out more about getting the magazine delivered to your door every week.

Understanding the feedback on your dressage test sheet can be a struggle, so we’ve translated a few commonly-used phrases:

Against the hand

The horse hasn’t been prepared properly so you haven’t got his attention, or kept his hindleg underneath him. As a result, his head is either too deep or too hollow. This problem commonly occurs when a rider enters with their hands low and wide, winching the horse’s head in to try and get him on the bit.

Needs more freedom and relaxation

The rhythm may well be fine, but tension is holding your mark down here.

Some unlevel steps

It could be the rein contact, but the rider needs to decide from this comment if there is a problem with the horse’s soundness.

Horse resisting

This can cover a multitude of sins — hollowing or hesitant steps, the horse’s mouth coming open, his head going in the air, or his rider trying to drag him back by force.

Inattentive

The horse may appear spooky.

Now needs more engagement behind

This is a positive comment meaning that you are on the right lines and now just need to take your training further.

Must be more forwards

This doesn’t mean go faster and bigger, it means the horse should be more in front of the rider’s leg and have better impulsion.

Needs to be more fluent

A positive way of saying “irregular”.

A carefully ridden test

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the test was well ridden, but that the rider has done their best and may now need to put more energy into the test.

Do you sometimes find yourself feeling like you’re banging your head against a brick wall when it comes to improving your dressage scores?

If so, why not take a look at some of these top tips which could help you push those percentages higher when it comes to performing within the white boards.

Warm-up

Nail your warm-up. Get to know your horse before you go competing and learn how long he needs warming up before he reaches his peak. Ideally you want your horse to peak as he goes into the arena, so you don’t want to over- or under-do it.

The warm-up can obviously be quite a stressful place too, so try your best to focus on you and your horse while being aware of fellow riders and remaining polite at all times. 

Don’t rush 

Once the bell has gone don’t feel like you need to immediately make a U-turn and whiz up the centre line in fear of annoying the judge. Obviously don’t go round and round the arena wasting time, but give yourself the opportunity to get everything in order and ride a good centre line. 

First impressions

Make sure you show the judge a centre line that they will struggle to award you a low mark for. This is the first time the judge will properly scrutinise you and so it is essential that you ride a straight line (on the centre line of course) in a fabulous trot or canter (depending on what is required of you from the test). The centre line will be the first and last impression he gets of you and your horse so it will set the standard for your marks throughout. And don’t forget to smile! 

Ensure your circles look like circles 

It sounds obvious, but these are so often badly ridden within a dressage test. Have a clear line in your head of where your circle is going to be and look around the circle as you ride around it.

Long side 

Use the long sides of the arena to show your horse off to the judge. This also applies to riding diagonal lines. You can check your horse is listening to you by giving them a touch of leg through the corner (the judge won’t have a very clear view of you doing this from the angle they are sat at on C). Then think about riding forwards and uphill down the long side. 

Corners 

Use your corners. You must ride into your corners — they are not the same shape as the turns you would ride on a circle where it involves a softer curve. Using your corners will also help you to set your horse up for the next movement, both by giving yourself more time and to get your horse’s hocks underneath him. Don’t think too much of being backwards on the turns to help the fluidity of the test. Also bear in mind not to do anything drastic when it comes to making an adjustment to your horse on the short sides as you are in full view of the judge! 

Breathe!

This is very important! Remember all of this competing is meant to be FUN. Channel your inner Charlotte and Valegro, get out there and good luck! 

Transitions are a super-important training tool. Obviously they are used frequently and they can aid strength and your horse’s understanding of your aids. Here we explain what you need to think about before in order to nail your transitions.

Rhythm

Establish a good even rhythm within your original pace and maintain it before your transition and all of the way through it.

Balance

Often a half-halt can be a very useful tool in downwards transitions to help warn your horse what is coming and to re-balance him if necessary. It is your job as the rider to stay in balance with your horse throughout the transition too. If you are unbalanced, your horse will be too.

Aids

To achieve a perfect transition your horse needs to be bang on your aids. When you say ‘go’ with your leg, your horse needs to respond instantly. Equally if you say ‘woah’ with your body, your horse needs to sit and collect as required without being abrupt. If your horse doesn’t listen to you, don’t get cross with him, but go back and repeat the exercise again until he responds on your aid.

Don’t do too much

It is important that you don’t over-ride transitions. Do as much as you need to but don’t ‘carry’ your horse through the movement — they need to take some responsibility for the transition too.

Contact

It is important that throughout your training sessions, your rein contact remains constant and soft. Your hand should never be restrictive and it is recommended that when your horse does as you ask, give him a quick little pat with your inside rein, without actually taking your hand off the rein as a reward. You shouldn’t pat your horse with your outside rein if doing this as this rein is there to support your horse.

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The ultimate aim of this exercise is to create a regular, four time, purposeful free walk, where your horse is relaxed and soft through his back, poll, jaw and mouth.

Getting your walk right in a dressage test can help you to score the higher marks, even when your horse doesn’t have a good natural walk. On the other hand a poor walk, or breaking in the walk, can really decrease your final score.

Here are three tips to help perfect your free walk. The exercise doesn’t take a lot of time and can be done out hacking, as well as schooling.

1. Getting a longer stride

Use a shallow angle of leg yield on a circle or straight line. Encourage an inside bend by feeling down the inside rein and asking the horse to move away from the inside leg until he accepts the aids. The pace will become more relaxed, so the over-track will improve.

2. Riding the free walk

Ride the free walk as it appears in your test. Sit centrally with loose hips and soft hands and elbows. Slowly let your arms move forward while maintaining a slight inside bend. Push the walk forward gently with alternate legs until your horse is reaching for the bit.

3. Back to medium walk

Some horses predict the upward transition and jog. Make a series of halt transitions during training, then remind your horse in the test with a half-halt. Keep a soft leg contact on your horse’s side to reassure him. Gather the reins carefully, keeping a slight inside bend.

What can go wrong?

Creating leg-to-hand pressure by using too much leg and a fixed contact will cause tension. Keep an influence over your horse’s mouth, but avoid sudden changes with the contact — make changes in the length of reins progressive.

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This exercise helps a horse find its rhythm and is effective for horses working on the flat and those that are jumping. The exercise can aid balance and open up the horse’s shoulder, improving his stride length and quality.

This pole exercise for horses helps a horse find its rhythm and is effective for horses working on the flat and those that are jumping. The exercise can aid balance and open up the horse’s shoulder, improving his stride length and quality.

The exercise

Start with six poles on the ground and place them three yards apart, in a straight line.

• Walk down the line of poles until your horse is confident. Repeat this exercise in trot and canter, starting from both directions.
• When your horse is trotting and cantering confidently in a good rhythm, build the middle four poles up until they are raised. Keep the two end poles on the ground.
• Repeat step one with the raised poles. You should feel your horse start to open up trough his shoulder.
• You can add a cross pole at either end, but make sure the final pole before the fence is a raised one.

It is really important to keep your horse straight through the whole exercise. A good way to make sure of this is to always aim for the middle of each pole. To straighten your horse, use your legs and really try to avoid using your hands, unless you absolutely have to.

What can go wrong?

This exercise is fairly straightforward — just make sure you ride into a soft contact and don’t get behind the movement… let the poles do the work.

If the horse makes a mistake don’t panic, keep riding quietly through the poles and let him work it out. A young horse or inexperienced horse may want to jump each pole. If he does, again don’t panic. If necessary you can back track by dropping the poles to the floor and starting again.

Lastly, if your horse knocks a pole you must check that all the poles are still three yards apart. If not your horse’s stride pattern and rhythm will be disrupted, defeating the object of the exercise.

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In canter, many horses fall out through their shoulder while their hindquarters swing inward. This exercise uses shallow loops to straighten the canter. The exercise should help straighten the horse, so that he travels on two tracks and achieves self-carriage. It also improves engagement and helps teach your horse to accept your outside aids.

The problem

At lower level dressage this is one of the most common faults in canter because the outside hindleg is the strike-off leg and it carries the most weight. It is therefore easier for your horse to drop his shoulders out and swing his quarters in, therefore reducing the distance the weight-bearing hindleg has to travel.

The exercise

• If your horse’s quarters come in on a straight line, it is often a sign that he is on the forehand
• Ride a 10m shallow loop. The bend of his head and neck should follow the direction of travel
• As you come back to the track, your horse will naturally steady and balance himself, ready for the corner
• Progressively reduce the size of the loop down to 8m, 5m, 2m and 1m
• Once you’re barely off the track your horse should be completely straight

Riding the shallow loops

Start with a balanced working canter, going large around the arena. As you reach the quarter marker, ride a 10m shallow loop on each of the long sides. Repeat again, decreasing the size of the loops to 8m, 5m, 2m and 1m. Finally, ride the same exercise with barely noticeable loops of about 20cm. Repeat on both reins.

The result

This exercise should improve straightness and can also be used as a “corrective” device — if you feel that you are losing straightness on the long sides, you could ride several tiny loops, only a few centimetres off the track, to straighten the canter.

What can go wrong?

The horse might become disunited or even attempt a flying change. He may also become hollow. If so, come back to trot, relax, and then try again with shallower loops.

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When thinking about how to get your horse on the bit, it is important that your horse is working correctly from behind into a soft contact. Before you start schooling, your horse needs to be in good form both mentally and physically. Make sure your horse is up to date with their regular health checks, such as teeth and physio, as well as ensuring your tack is comfortable and well fitting.

A correct outline

A correct outline means that the poll is at the highest point and your horse’s face is vertical, or just in front of the vertical. His neck should arch along the top line, however the jaw and muscle underneath his neck should be relaxed and soft. The back and loins should be supple, the shoulders should be able to move freely and the front and back leg joints should flex and move equally. There should be no tension.

On the bit

If you have a correct outline and good form, asking your horse to go on the bit should simply involve asking him for more engagement from behind, encouraging the forehand to lift and lighten. The energy needed to produce a correct outline begins in the hindquarters and flows forwards into your hands.

Accepting the bit

You should encourage your horse to seek the rein contact by taking a positive, consistent feel. Do not be heavy on the rein or unnecessarily strong. Work your horse forwards in a good rhythm, ensuing your paces are balanced and you’re riding him straight before picking up the contact.

How to get your horse on the bit: what can go wrong?

Ability

Age, level of schooling and conformation may all affect how easily your horse finds it to work in an outline, engage his hocks and stretch through his topline. Account for this and don’t ask too much too soon. Seek lessons from an experienced instructor.

An incorrect outline

A ‘false’ outline is when your horse tucks his nose into the position it should be, but isn’t using himself correctly. If this happens you should go back to basics and school him to correct this problem. It’s a good idea to rule out pain, fear, and a lack of understanding first.

Overbending

If your horse overbends you’ll find that he takes too much contact. Be sure that you are not heavy in your hand – try to work your horse into a lighter contact.

Behind the bit

If your horse is behind the bit, he will not accept the contact and will tuck his nose into his chest. You will find that the poll isn’t in the highest point and his face is behind the vertical. Be sure that you are asking your horse to work forwards with impulsion.

Above the bit

If your horse is above the bit he will hold is head high, meaning that he will hollow through his back. This will cause the hindquarters to trail. Work on his schooling and encourage him to relax forwards into the contact.

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Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

You know how it is — you practice your forthcoming dressage test at home and your horse is impeccably well behaved. You then go to a competition and he proceeds to jog in the walk movements. It’s a gutting feeling, so to help you out here’s some useful advice to try and keep any jogging at bay.

• Get out and about

Some horses are just lacking in confidence while out competing and therefore this comes across in a dressage test as excitability and tension. This can often be exposed as the horse will jog in the walk. To help overcome this, take your horse out to plenty of different environments — not necessarily always competitions, even hiring out an arena away from home is a great exercise to help your horse settle in alien environments.

• Ensure your horse is on the correct aids

Sometimes going back to basics is the best answer. The trot aid is very similar to that of the walk aid, so make sure you are clear from the start how the two differ. It can be useful to ride a slight shoulder-in while training to encourage your horse to accept your inside leg while in walk, rather than running away from it.

• Don’t always practice going from free walk to medium to trot or canter

It is also important while schooling at home that you don’t always make a transition from free walk to medium walk and then straight into trot or canter, as you might do in a test. Instead make sure that you include plenty of free walk>walk>halt>walk>free-walk transitions and so on. By mixing it up, you will help prevent your horse from anticipating an upwards transition and therefore jogging.

• Take a deep breath

Remember that you, as the rider, also needs to stay relaxed to give your horse the best possible chance of also staying relaxed in the arena. So take a deep breath and enjoy it — if it doesn’t go to plan, there’s always another day.

Ready to enter an upcoming dressage event? www.equoevents.co.uk has a wide range of events available to enter quickly and easily online.

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In today’s 20 minute workout we have an exercise to help you think forwards when riding downwards transitions.

The exercise

Simply practice riding straight onto a small circle when you decrease the pace.

So when in trot, ask your horse to walk and, the moment the horse comes back to walk, ride a 10m circle – or even an 8m or 6m circle if you can.

By circling the horse, you prevent him from running on, and you’re more inclined to keep riding him forward into a good contact, rather than pulling back on the reins.

The exercise makes you keep thinking forwards as a rider even when you are decreasing the pace.

Give it a go today and let us know how you get on by posting in the eTraining community.

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Have you been inspired by top riders and suddenly feel the need to fully embrace the dreaded sitting trot?

Everyone knows that sitting trot is tough — how on earth are you supposed to look elegant and effortless yet remain a positive influence on your horse? Most importantly, how do you avoid bouncing all over the place?

The primary problem riders encounter when tackling the sitting trot is a lack of flexibility and movement in the hips.

Here are some top tips to help you on your way:

Stirrups

Make sure they’re not too long else it will make your life very difficult! Your stirrups should be no longer then just below your ankle bone. You can also practice sitting trot without stirrups. This will help to give you a feel of sitting trot and it is usually easier to practice without stirrups first.

Let go of your pelvis

It’s important to try and let your pelvis move with the motion of the horse as freely as possible. This requires loose hip joints which can be improved upon with the help of pilates.

Core strength

Sit-ups will help! Having good core strength will help you to go with your horse, find your centre of balance and remain secure in your position without becoming stiff.

Build up slowly

Don’t go straight for big paces. Try to start small so that you give both yourself and your horse a chance.

Relax

Remember to relax your thighs. Riders tend to grip and squeeze with their thighs thinking it’s going to help them to stay in the saddle when in all reality it actually pushes them up and out of it. Also relax your lower back to help absorb the motion.

Practice

Unfortunately there is no quick fix, and practice will eventually make perfect.

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We can’t get away from them. Even moving from halt to walk with your horse counts as a transition. Whether you’re under the watchful eye of a dressage judge, or you just want to be able to establish your horse’s work on a day-to-day basis, nailing transitions is something you’re going to need to get right every time.

Here are some useful tips on how to perfect transitions:

• Transitions are the ultimate exercise for training your horse better balance and collection. Your horse is naturally balanced on the forehand, so if you sit on your horse and let him move on long reins, 60 percent of his total weight is on the forehand. If you go forwards to trot or canter, the horse goes more on the forehand, and you want to avoid that. Essentially you want your horse to take most of his weight behind, but this takes time and patience.
• The last stride of the previous pace should be active forwards and the first stride of the next pace the same energy and stride length as the following strides as opposed to a gradual energy pick up.
• If your horse doesn’t respond to your leg within one stride of you asking for an upwards transition, make a more deliberate aid, making sure the horse reacts positively and you allow him to move forwards without you nagging him with your leg. Always remember that when you ask you horse to go forwards and he responds, that you are soft with your hands — do not restrict him down the rein as this gives a mixed message to your horse.
• Don’t think backwards when riding a downward transition. Instead push your horse forwards so that his hind-leg comes underneath him. This also helps to prevent your horse dropping through the transition and coming behind your leg. You shouldn’t need to be strong in your rein — use your bodyweight to make the transition.

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If you’re looking to compete in some upcoming dressage competitions, don’t miss these tips to help ensure an effective dressage warm-up and allow both you and your horse to feel calm and ready for your dressage test.

• When schooling your horse at home note how long your warm-up takes and try to always stick to the same routine. This means that when you get to a competition you already have a good warm-up plan and know what time you need to mount before the class.

• When you arrive at the venue find out where the warm-up area is and the route to get there from your lorry once mounted.
• Make sure that you don’t get on too early… this can be tempting if you’re ready, but could jeopardise your performance. Listen to some music, have a chat to someone or go through your test in your head if you have time to kill.
• Always check your tack before you get on. Even if someone else has tacked up for you, it’s your responsibility if you go on to have a tack malfunction.
• Make sure that you’re dressed correctly. It is worth making sure that you look good, feel confident and are ready to present yourself with pride. If you have a helper, give them a copy of the test to take to the warm-up area in case you need it.
• It is a good idea to allow an extra 10 minutes to warm-up, in case of any unexpected dramas. This also gives you some time to focus yourself before you go into the ring.
• During your warm-up, picture yourself at home and force yourself to stick to your normal warming in routine. Be careful not to be distracted, or compare yourself to the other competitors around you.
• If your horse is happy to be out, or feels different in any way, just relax and deal with it as you would if you were not in a competition environment.
• 15 minutes before your test have a break from warming up and find out which arena you are in.
• It is now a good idea to visualise yourself doing your whole test in that arena, including where you are going to prepare for each movement. Note any places where your horse might spook and decide in advance how you would deal with it – above all make sure that you’re doing the right test; you could read it aloud to someone with a hard copy.
• This is also a good time to take off your boots or drop your whip. You now have a little bit of time before you are sent into the ring to complete the final bit of your warm-up.
• It’s important to know how your horse is inclined to go in the ring, for example if he raises his head, keep him low during the last bit of your warm-up. Alternatively, if your horse curls into himself, encourage a more open frame. If he doesn’t change, now is the time to get into your competition outline.
• Use the time outside the white boards to show your horse any potential spooky things and also show off a little to the judge – lateral work is a good idea, or even a bit of medium trot. Remember to acknowledge the judge with a smile and “Good morning/afternoon”.
• When the bell goes you normally have 45 seconds to enter the ring; this is long enough not to rush or panic… so don’t! Take a deep breath, pat your horse and give yourself enough room to enter straight. Also, remember to smile at the judge!
• Remember to stay focused on your job, however there is always the potential for something to go wrong, so it’s important that you just do your best and most importantly enjoy it.

Tune in next week for some top tips to ensure an effective showjumping warm-up. Now that you perfected your dressage warm-up why not enter some upcoming events near you?

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Without a decent topline, your horse cannot be truly athletic and move and jump to the best of his ability. Developing the right muscles along the horse’s back enables him to use his body effectively, carry the rider’s weight and achieve the movements we ask of him. Helen Triggs asks experts from different fields for their top tips to help develop a horse's topline

The physio

Osteopath Kate Lockwood offers ‘Pilates for Horses’ courses to help owners build their horses’ physiques from the ground.

“Remember that no one muscle works alone — they work in groups, chains or pairs. The topline means the dorsal chain that sits above the spine and behind the hip and includes the neck extensors, spinal erector muscle and hip extensors. They all help forward motion.”

“But just as important is the ‘bottom line’ – the chain of muscles which goes from under the spine to the front of the hip and includes the abdominal muscles and make up a large part of the horse’s core.”

Tip 1

“I recommend a session with an equine osteopath or other qualified practitioner who can show you the best stretching exercises to do with your horse from the ground. Or buy a book such as ‘Activate Your Horse’s Core’ by Stubbs and Clayton, which will give you a lot of illustrated exercises.”

Tip 2

“Walking in a purposeful manner in a long and low frame up hills and over raised poles will utilise all the muscles in both chains.”

The nutritionist

Dodson & Horrell’s veterinary surgeon and nutritional team manager, Dr Chloe Casalis de Pury, MA(Cantab) VetMB MRCVS advises owners that diet can help in the muscle-building process, but without proper exercise the excess nutrients will simply be excreted.

“Good quality protein and amino acids are essential to build muscle, but the exact quantity will depend on age, body type and kind of work. Hay and haylage may not provide all the protein required. Alfalfa and soya are some of the best sources. Lysine is an important amino acid as it is the first one to limit muscle development — it is often added in performance feeds,” says Chloe.

“Anti-oxidants vitamins E and C are also important in repairing the muscles after use by mopping up excess free radicals and can help prevent stiffness after exercise.”

Tip 1

Instead of using molassed straw chaff, use one which is alfalfa-based. If your horse does not get a full daily ration of a complete feed, supplement with a balancer.

Tip 2

Make use of the nutrition service provided by feed companies. They can check your horse’s existing diet and suggest ways of ensuring they have the correct level of nutrients.

The trainer

Working on the basic way of going in a correct way will help performance in all disciplines. Simon Battram trains a wide variety of riders and their horses.

Tip 1

“I believe in working horses long and low to release the muscles of their topline to allow the back to swing and make them more supple and loose. The head should not be curling backwards; the face should be on the vertical at the lowest point of the stretch. Whether the horse is being lunged or ridden, I still want the frame to have all the ingredients of a working pace — contact, balance, forwardness and rhythm, enabling the hind leg to come forward and under.

Tip 2

“Too often I see round necks that are bulging and tending backwards. When you pick up the working paces, think of pushing the ears out, not pulling the nose in.”

The rider

Dressage rider and trainer Anna Ross (pictured top) endorses the importance of correct feeding and ridden exercise, alongside working in hand. “We feed our horses yearling cubes to build them up and design specific exercise routines to suit the individual,” she says.

Tip 1

“We take our horses to nearby gallops with an incline. We don’t let them off the contact, but always keep them in a frame. We work up the hill at all three paces.”

Tip 2

“Walking over poles gets the horse to lift his back. In the school we use exercises that help the horse develop such as shoulder-in and canter-walk-canter but it depends on their stage of training and level of strength. The most important thing is regular, organised training and building up slowly.”

Sometimes learning your dressage test is one task too far on top of all of the other bits you need to remember while competing. We all dread that moment when your mind goes totally blank mid-test and you’re left standing there like a lemon, your horse confused and the judge madly beeping their horn.

To help you gain the confidence in learning a dressage test and to help prevent you from forgetting where you’re meant to be going, here are some common methods used to aid memory — each person will have a different learning style, so it’s all about finding the one that works for you.

Patterns

Rather than trying to remember your test as it is written on the sheet, try to think of it as a pattern. You will hear a lot of people say “halt in the middle”, “circle at the end”, “canter in the first corner”. Drawing out the test on a blank piece of A4 can help you remember the pattern.

Logic

Look at the dressage test and think about why one movement might come before another. Making sense of the test will help prevent mistakes.

Visualise

Close your eyes and imagine you are riding through the test. You can also use your finger to trace the test in mid-air.

Practice

Perhaps you will find it useful to ride through the test with someone you trust on the ground telling you if you make any mistakes. It might be beneficial to not practice it too much with the horse you are planning to ride the competitive test on, as your horse might start to anticipate the movements. You could even ‘walk, trot and canter’ your way through the test on your own feet — you might look silly but it’s a great tool!

Watch the test

Often video channels like YouTube will have recordings of people riding the test you are trying to learn.

Deeper understanding

Once you are confidently learning the bones of a test it might be beneficial to learn the exact preparation you will need to do for each test too. This might be instinctive for some, but for others it isn’t and it will help to boost your marks.

On the day

Try to look at the test before you go into the arena on show day to try and refresh it in your mind.

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We would all love to look like Carl Hester or Charlotte Dujardin while doing flatwork with our horses. To help you on your way, here are some useful tips to help you work towards improving your position.

1. Three points

Focus on obtaining the three connection points with your seat — your crotch and two seat bones in the deepest part of your saddle. Make sure your body is symmetrical on each side. If you sit ‘wonky’ then your horse will learn to adjust to you and also become crooked in his ridden work.

2. Long legs

Even if you don’t have long legs, it is important that you still think ‘long’ with your legs. Stretch your thigh back from your hip, pointing your knee towards the ground. Let your calf fall below your knee and push towards the ground. Keep weight in your heel, not your toe. Stay relaxed, and try as hard as possible not to grip with any part of your leg — the most common part of the leg that riders grip with is the knee and thigh so look out for this.

3. Upper body

Think ‘tall’ through your body by stretching your abdominal muscles upwards, which will in turn lengthen your back. Think of stacking your upper body on the three points of your seat. Viewed from the side, you want to have a straight line from your ear to your shoulder, hip and heel.

4. Core strength

The world’s top riders work very hard on having as much strength as possible through their core. This help riders to follow the movement of their horses freely, without collapsing and losing balance. Exercises such as sit ups and the plank, plus gym classes like pilates can really help to improve your core strength.

5. Lunge

Doing ridden work while on the lunge helps you to concentrate on your position and balance. It can make you realise how dependent you are on your reins and it can help develop a longer leg and deeper seat which helps you to follow motion of horse. Warm up with stirrups and then take them away, working from walk up to canter. You can take your stirrups back at the end of the session to help you feel the improvement.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find out more about getting the magazine delivered to your door every week.

In today’s 20 minute workout you’re going to teach your horse — and yourself — not to cut corners.

The exercise

First ride a square in trot at one end of the arena, turning across the middle of the school at E or B. Then two strides before each corner, ask your horse to walk. Imagine the horse’s whiskers touching the wall so that you ride well into the corner, before trotting out of it. This is a good way of teaching horses to use the corners. It will also help build your horse’s balance and improve your transitions.

Keep in mind

Think about pushing the horse sideways a little with your inside leg so that he bends his body through the corner – think about pushing the quarters towards the outside of the arena. As the horse becomes confident and consistent, instead of walking in the corners simply slow the trot instead.

Progress

And as both your balance builds, build up to riding a consistent trot rhythm on the whole square, making sure you don’t cut a single corner. And if you do, enter the next one at walk.

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This week’s 20-minute workout is designed to help riders focus. The ability to look ahead and plan is a key skill for any rider, across all disciplines. This instills confidence in the horse, which can help minimise potential problems.

This week we are using poles on a circle to develop rhythm in trot and canter. This encourages your horse to listen to you and trust you. Ultimately, this will help with accuracy questions when going cross-country — if you are in the right place for approaching a fence it won’t be a problem.

The exercise:

This exercise is based on four poles placed at each of the four quarter points on a 20m circle (see diagram). The rider should aim for the middle of each pole. This is easier said then done.

You must look ahead and plan your route, so that as you are riding over one pole, you are simultaneously setting yourself up to approach the next one correctly.

By looking at the next pole while going over one, you are automatically placing your horse correctly for the next.

This exercise can be done in any size arena. The usual size for a circle is 20m in diameter, which works for most horses in trot or canter

What can go wrong?

At first, a sharp or young horse may make a meal of the poles — jumping, spooking and losing concentration. Here you must keep calm and re-establish the rhythm.

You must not leave the circle or give up. You must work through the problem while continuing to ride to the middle of each pole.

If necessary, make a transition down to trot or walk — but don’t abandon the exercise.

Variations

Once the rhythm is established, you can make a transition up or down after every second pole (every half-circle). This discourages you from slowing down to do a transition — instead encouraging you to ride forward through the transition.

The exercise can be ridden in canter as well as trot. Expect the move into canter to echo any initial problems that were encountered in trot.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find out more about getting the magazine delivered to your door every week.

Keeping track of your training, goals and achievements will help you measure your progress, stay motivated and see how far you've come!

You won’t school every day, but whether you’re in the arena, go for a hack, or give yourself and your horse a well earned day off track it here with any observations including what went well, what you enjoyed, what you still want to work on and what was an improvement on last week.

Download this week’ eTraining Tracker here as a pdf to print and complete

or if you would prefer to complete and save online

Make a copy of the eTracker Google Sheet here. A pop up window will open in your browser, select that you would like to save a copy of the sheet.

Dressage Olympian Richard Davison highlights his pressure and release techniques, which he uses daily in his training

How many times have you put on a pair of tights or a pair of glasses only for them to feel ‘foreign’ yet hours — or sometimes minutes — later you can’t even feel them?

Desensitisation goes on all the time, but is there a way of increasing the sensitivity to a particular stimulus, namely the rider using their leg on the horse’s side, or their rein?

Lazy horse training tips

To train a lazy horse, Richard advises starting with the basics.

From halt, give the horse a small aid with both legs. Wait for a second (the second’s gap is crucial). If the horse does not react by stepping forward smartly, then give a second, larger aid. When the horse reacts to this sharper aid, pat him and allow him to go forwards. After a good few strides, bring the horse back to halt and use the small aid to ask him to walk on again.

Within a short space of time, the horse will learn to move freely forwards from the original, small aid.

Once the horse has become more reactive to the small walk aid, ride the same exercise between walk and trot, then walk and canter.

To further refine the use of the leg, the rider can also lean forwards (in an exaggerated way at first, but eventually so subtly so as to be imperceptible from the ground. This broadens the rider’s arsenal and gives them another way of asking the horse to go forward other than the leg.

To increase sensitivity to the rein aid, use a similar exercise: to bring the horse back (from walk to halt, for example), use a small aid down the rein. If he doesn’t respond appropriately — not forgetting allowing that second for the horse to react — then give a larger, stronger aid with the rein. Again use of the upper body can help here. Lean back slightly to teach the horse that moving your weight backwards is asking him to come back to you or slow down — this means that, once refined, the horse should respond to a subtle shift in the rider’s weight, freeing up the reins to do the fine tuning on bend and steering.

Both these exercises ultimately mean that the rider should have to do less in the saddle and be able to sit more quietly while exerting a more subtle yet effective control of the horse.

Welcome to the first Horse & Hound eTraining elesson with grand prix dressage rider Keith Robertson. This week, Keith focuses on riding accurate circles, with a view to pushing up your percentages when riding prelim 1

This guide is broken into two sessions, giving you plenty to work on in the school this week. The first focuses entirely on how to ride circles, and the second gives further advice specific to riding British Dressage prelim 1. Once you’ve tried out Keith’s suggestions, let us know how you got on.

Session 1: Using markers to achieve well-shaped circles 

In prelim 1, you ride a 20m circle on each rein right in front of the judge at C, so it’s important that you perfect these.

Tip one: Whenever you’re asked to ride a circle, remember to produce a circle, not a corner or series of corners — it seems obvious, but circles should always be round. Ensure you know where the markers are and where to position your circle between them. A 20m circle at C should touch X, but only touch the arena at three points including C – the judge wants to see that you’ve positioned your circle well.

Tip two: You also ride half 20m circles in prelim 1. When practicing these, aim to achieve a maximum of one or two strides of straightness over X — you’ll need to illustrate that you’re straight for this moment before changing the bend and beginning the next half circle. 

Tip three: If you’re struggling with accuracy, break the movement down and ride it as four quarters, rather than attempting the circle as a whole. Put markers down and aim for the quarter marker each time.

Riding 20m circles in canter 

Tip four: When practicing circles in canter, ensure you keep the rhythm, maintain a bold canter and think about keeping the horse straight when you come out of the circle and go large – it’s tempting to ride too much off the inside rein and end up with too much inside bend, especially with a greener horse.

Tip five: In canter, judges commonly see the horse’s quarters coming in on a circle and his weight going onto the outside shoulder. If you have a horse that’s quarters have a tendency to come in, he may need a little bit of outside rein to help stay straight. This will also help make a smoother transition to trot. Try using counter-canter in your training to help improve the evenness of the true canter.

Tip six: If your horse is stiff on one rein, you’ll often find it’s the one on which he looks straight in canter, while on the softer rein he may be too bent to the inside, even though you think the canter feels nicer. Make sure you work your horse evenly on both reins.

Let others know if you found this session useful by sharing your progress and pictures with the rest of our e-Community.

Session 2: Practise the whole test

It’s now time to practise riding the test, remembering what you learned in session one, but first, watch this week’s test riding video with Isobel Wessels.

If you can not see the video player above please click here to view

We will focus on other movements throughout the series that will also help improve your prelim 1 marks, but taking things one step at the time for now ensure that you are comfortable with the following given Keith and Isobel’s advice:

• Riding half circles — both 20m and 10m diameter
• Riding accurate 20m diameter circles
• Changing the rein in free walk and staying straight

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find out more about getting the magazine delivered to your door every week. 

Welcome to your midweek eTraining lesson with grand prix rider Keith Robertson. This week Keith explains how to improve your stretch on a circle with a view to improving your prelim test riding — and we focus on prelim 19. Enjoy your schooling and remember to let us know how you got on!

Session 1: 15m circles 

In prelim 19 the first challenge you’ll face is riding an accurate 15m circle. Firstly, ensure that you know where your three-quarter line should be. Remember, a 15m circle from a marker on the long side has to come three-quarters of the way across the school. You can get away with the circle being deeper, but the width needs to be spot on.

To try at home…

Find an imaginary line down the three-quarter line and ride accurately to it. Try using a cone and riding around it to get a feel for the dimensions of the circle required.

When you start the circle you want to be able to keep turning consistently until you reach the three-quarter mark. The horse must be bending evenly around the rider’s leg, remaining soft and supple and working in a good rhythm. No collection is required at prelim; the judges want to see the horse trotting with relaxed energy.

Horses tend to fall in or out through one shoulder in one direction, therefore riders end up producing 15m circles that are bigger one way than the other. The judge will notice this, so work on controlling the outside shoulder in training and ensure that you practise this on both reins. 

Session 2: trot stretches 

Prelim 19 requires you to perform your first trot stretch, so it’s important that you practice this when schooling this week. Two issues can arise when doing this: giving away control and steering, and asking your horse to demonstrate it on a circle. Therefore it’s advisable to educate your horse on how to do this in terms of performing the stretch and executing a circle without full guidance from the rider. 

To try at home…

Start by working on your stretch on a straight line. The horse should be seen to slowly and calmly take the contact down and forward – allowing a stretch of his topline, but avoiding curling behind the contact. 

If your horse tilts his head to one side, check that you don’t have a stronger contact on that side. When he tilts, deliberately lighten the contact on that side by exaggeratedly moving your hand forward. Push him more strongly with your leg on that same side — you need to get that particular hindleg to take a more energetic step forward.

As his head straightens, allow him to reconnect to the contact, but only lightly: too strong a contact may block his hindleg from stepping forward correctly. In time, he will step into the contact equally without tilting. 

Learn whether your horse is likely to drop off the stretch and come off the contact, or plunge and take you with him. You need to know were your horse stretches most consistently and correctly.

Practise this for short periods of time over smaller segments of a circle. Use these segments as a stepping-stone, and gradually build up to your horse being confident and balanced enough to take a full stretch over course of time.

Remember, the stretch doesn’t need to be for the entire circle in the test, so give yourself time to allow yourself to bring the horse back onto centre line in a balanced working trot in balanced way. 

Session 3: practise the whole test

It’s now time to practise riding the test as a whole, but first watch this week’s test riding video with Isobel Wessels:

If you can not view the video player above, please click here

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/?bctid=5307671107001

Welcome to the fifth e-Lesson in the series. This week Keith Robertson explains how to master your give and retake during prelim 14 and gives us some top tips for training your horse to have a soft and accepting mouth. Enjoy your schooling and remember to let us know how you got on!

Session 1: mastering your give and retake 

The give and retake is designed to show that your horse is in balance and is not relying on your hands.

You need to demonstrate a clear and obvious release of contact for three or four steps over the centre line. You should allow enough opportunity for the judge to see, but not so long that the horse loses balance.

Give and retake your reins smoothly so that the horse isn’t shocked or disturbed and therefore loses the consistency of the circle. Your horse should look comfortable when you retake the contact.

To try at home…

First practise giving and retaking your reins in a corner, as you don’t want a big, hot horse powering round corners or cutting them. If you do have an onwards horse, give him a forewarning, such as the odd half-halt.

Then work on keeping your horse between leg and hand during the give and retake. You want him to remain in self-carriage and not speed up — the temptation for him will be to surge forward but you must hold him with your seat. 

Don’t give and retake unless you feel that you have your horse collected. If he’s not it will give him the opportunity to run away with you. If, when you give the reins, he puts his head up or runs off, try just giving with the inside rein quietly, keeping the outside rein to half-halt, and build it up from there.

Let others know if you found this session effective in our Facebook group.

Session 2: training your horse to have a soft and accepting mouth 

At prelim level a lot of riders ask how they can train their horse to have a soft and accepting mouth, so these tips should help.

To start with, try riding in a loose-ring snaffle — the judge wants to see the horse accepting the bridle in a natural and soft way, so this is a good place to begin.

When riding, never pull back — your hands should stay there for the horse to work into so never try and balance him with the rein. Pulling is the beginning of the end as it blocks the horse and stops his hind leg from coming through and stepping underneath. The secret is never to allow the horse out of balance, so you’re never inclined to draw back.

Use your voice for downward transitions and don’t rely on your hands. Even if your horse breaks to canter from trot allow him to go forward for a moment and circle to bring him back to you.

Top tip: lungeing in loose side-reins helps the horse get used to working into that soft, consistent contact.

Session 3: practise the whole test

It’s now time to practise riding the test as a whole, but first watch this week’s test riding video with Isobel Wessels:

If you can not view the video player above please click here

Ensure that you are comfortable with the following given Keith and Isobel’s advice:

• Demonstrating a release of contact while maintaining the shape of the circle during the give and retake
• Medium walk (double score)
• Transitions to walk for one horse length

Welcome to your final e-Training lesson with Keith Robertson. This week Keith explains how to ride super serpentines with a view to improving your prelim test riding — and we focus on prelim 18. Enjoy your schooling and remember to let us know how you got on!

Session 1: serpentines 

In prelim 18 you’re required to ride serpentines for the first time, so it’s essential that you practise these at home this week.

Your horse should show a consistent bend – not big variations or massive turns – and look like no change is occurring through his body. Serpentines are a great way to display a horse with a good rhythm and an easy change of bend from left to right, and vice versa, so mastering these will really put you at an advantage.

To try at home…

View the tops of your serpentines as half circles – don’t ride them as squared off edges – remain smooth and consistent.

Remember that when crossing the centre line your horse should be completely straight for a few strides. 

First, you need to know your arena and think about where you should be in the arena within your turn. Put markers down to help you if need be. Start on the left rein and ride a three-loop serpentine, ensuring that all of your loops are the same size.

If you are struggling, break the serpentine down and focus on the flow and regularity of the trot. 

All horses will have a stronger side, so be sure to practise these serpentines starting on both reins at home – some horses will have an easier change from one direction to the other, but you want to orchestrate them to be as equal as possible. Return to focus on the straightness of your horse now you’ve bent on both reins.

Let others know if you found this effective in our Facebook group. 

Session 2: balancing a big horse 

It’s important that your horse is balanced when riding a serpentine, and this can be trickier if you have a big horse.

A big horse and will take longer to mature than a smaller one. Try to help him develop strength and balance in canter by riding smaller circles, at first just down to 18m, and then as he finds that easier reduce them to 15m.

As long as he remains upright (i.e. not leaning over) with a genuine bend, he will bring his inside hindleg further underneath himself, which will improve both his balance and the weight carrying capacity of his hindquarters.

Session 3: practise the whole test

It’s now time to practise riding the test as a whole, but first watch this week’s test riding video with Isobel Wessels:

If you can not view the video player above, please click here

Welcome to your third e-Training lesson. Here Keith Robertson shares his top tips for mastering your free walk, and we focus on prelim 12.

Session 1: Changing the rein in free walk

With a free walk, the braver you are, the better the mark can be. You want to allow the horse to stretch and take the contact, without throwing the reins at him.

Look to achieve rhythm in your walk and softness in the neck. Although it’s a free walk, a clear four beat rhythm is preferable, rather than one that hurries.

To try at home…

Tip one: If your horse struggles to stretch, ride a circle to help keep the shape through his body and neck.

Tip two: If he is inconsistent in the hand, gently hold the contact until he’s still and then try and let go a little more.

Tip three: Repetition is key — you want to teach your horse to be confident, eventually allowing him to stretch down further.

Tip four: When you take up the reins the judge wants to see a smooth transition, so practise gradually picking up the contact at home, so the horse doesn’t struggle or tighten.

Tip five: If he gets tense, take the contact up slowly over a period of three or four sections, rather than all in one go.

Let others know if you found this session effective in our Facebook group.

Session 2: Half 20m circles in free walk

In prelim 12 you are required to ride a half 20m circle in free walk (double score). Lots of people allow the horse to become inattentive during this movement, so don’t drop him onto the buckle of the reins.

To try at home…

Tip one: Practise riding a free walk on a curved line. It is beneficial for green horses, or those who struggle with the contact, as it encourages them to have more bend. Ensure you keep an even contact between your hands – don’t hang off the rein to get the bend. Instead, think about creating the bend with your legs as well as your hands.

Tip two: When riding the half circle, be careful not to “strangle” the walk — allow the horse to continue marching forward. If the horse gets tense when returning to medium walk from free walk, wait longer to pick up your reins.

Tip three: Have several walk breaks in training so that when you pick the horse up again he doesn’t necessarily anticipate he’s about to be asked to trot — you want him to expect to be asked but not predict when. 

Session 3: Practise the whole test

It’s now time to practise riding the test as a whole, but first watch this week’s test riding video with Isobel Wessels:

If you can not view the video player above, please click here

Focus on ensuring you are comfortable with the following prelim 12 movements:

• Half circle 10m diameter
• Half circle 20m diameter in free walk (double score)
• Transitions when changing the rein

How are you getting on so far with your e-Training? Remember to let us know how you find this week’s session in our Facebook group.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find out more about getting the magazine delivered to your door every week.

Welcome to this week's Horse & Hound eTraining lesson with grand prix dressage rider Keith Robertson. Now that the series is well under way it’s time to think about what judges are looking for at prelim level.

This week we focus on accuracy, rhythm and impulsion so that you can really push up your percentages when riding prelim 15.

Session 1: accuracy and rhythm 

At prelim level it’s important to keep your horse attentive. You need to work on keeping the same rhythm for long distances without variation while showing positive paces.

Simple polework exercises can help if you struggle with maintaining your horse’s rhythm and balance, and focus both your own and your horse’s mind.

To try at home…

Use circles to gain the horse’s attention and focus on accuracy. You don’t have a fence line when riding your circle in prelim 15, so practise riding quarter turns, rather than an oval. If your circle is misshapen look to see if you’ve had too much or too little bend – you don’t need much at this level. 

Set out four poles on a 20m circle at the four points of a clock face. Canter around the poles first and then raise them, altogether or one by one, depending on your horse’s level.

This will help keep your horse supple through the turn and also help with his rhythm and balance. The exercise should help your horse to sit in the canter, carry himself and lighten the forehand more easily.

Let others know if you found this session useful by sharing your progress and pictures with the rest of our e-Community.

Session 2: impulsion 

If your horse lacks impulsion you must train him to become responsive to your aids, rather than ignoring them.

To try at home…

Practise walk to trot transitions to keep your horse alert. Use quick, sharp aids – don’t nag.

If he’s slow to respond to the upward transition, use one quick aid from your leg and try clicking with your tongue. Carry a schooling whip if needed.

If he goes forwards quickly don’t restrict him in the mouth and give mixed messages – if necessary school with a neck strap. Praise him when he goes forward immediately.

This will help train him to go off light, effective aids so that when you come to ride your test it looks effortless and you don’t need as much work to keep the forward impulsion.

Repeat this until your horse understands he is to go off a light leg aid.

Session 3: practise the whole test

It’s now time to practise riding the test as a whole, but first watch this week’s test riding video with Isobel Wessels:

If you can not view the video player, please click here

Key movements to ensure you’re comfortable with before riding the test include the following:

• Riding in a 20x60m arena
• Half circle 20m diameter in free walk (double score)
• Quick, sharp transitions

We have expert training tips from Keith Robertson plus test riding tips with international judge Isobel Wessels

 Hertfordshire-based dressage trainer Keith Robertson offers the following advice to work on improving these movements at home…

Session 1: canter to trot transitions across the diagonal

In prelim 17A you’re required to change the rein in canter, coming back to trot as you approach the track.

It’s important to set yourself up well for changing the rein, ensuring that your horse is attentive and listening to your aids.

Remember, the judge wants to see how straight you can perform the transition. A common mistake is to break into trot early at this level, so introduce variety in where on the line you perform the transition at home.

To try at home…

Try using your voice initially when practising your transitions, so that you’re not interfering with the balance of the canter, and then slowly fade the use of the voice out. This will mean that your horse will become used to little rein aid and therefore won’t expect you to carry him. 

It’s important you get to know what to expect from your horse while you’re at home. If your horse is likely to drop the canter, leave the transition as late as possible. Conversely, if he is very bold, adjust yourself before the marker. 

Work on steadying your canter while keeping your leg on, so your horse doesn’t break before trot. The tiniest amount of flexion towards the leading canter leg will help the horse find his balance and maintain roundness before the transition to trot.

When returning to the track, make it clear to the horse that you’re now remaining in trot. It’s advisable to resume rising trot so he doesn’t think he’s about to canter again. Keep him straight, don’t use too much outside leg and push him into an even contact.

You must also work on sustaining canter for longer periods of time, so the horse doesn’t learn to make a transition every time he gets to a certain point. 

Keep practising riding transitions at home to help build confidence. Your horse should be ready for a transition at any time, and not be surprised.

Session 2: improving your horse’s self-carriage

Transitions are also a great way to improve your horse’s self-carriage — and good self-carriage will help push up your percentage scores.

To try at home…

You should not use your hands to create an outline, but ride the horse forward into a light contact, encouraging self-carriage.

Repeat lots of trot-to-canter and canter-to-trot transitions at home. Make sure you have the horse forward in the trot before you make the next transition and that he’s on the bit and that you’re riding him from “back to front”. Think of keeping his forehand slightly to the inside to keep him straight and avoid the hind quarters creaping to the inside — only the forehand though, don’t bend the neck.

Session 3: practise the whole test

It’s now time to practise riding the test as a whole, but first watch this test riding video with Isobel Wessels, key movements to look out for:

• Transitions across the diagonal
• Half circles returning to the track
• Transitions to medium walk
• Halting from trot

If you can not view the video player above, please click here

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Welcome to your fourth e-Training lesson with Keith Robertson. This week Keith explains how to improve your centre-lines and we take a look at prelim 13, which includes three of them.

Session 1: Nailing your centre line

You’re required to ride three centre lines in prelim 13, so it’s vital that you perfect them for this test.

When you don’t have the luxury of warming up outside the arena, you can often trace a bad centre line back to the horse not being turned correctly at A. The rider either overshoots the centre line with too much neck bend and lets the horse’s quarters fall in or out, or doesn’t complete the turn, meaning the quarters are not following the shoulders. Both these faults mean the entry cannot be straight, which leads to a low mark.

To try at home…

Tip one: If you’re in a 20x60m arena, work on an accurate turn and trot down the centre line with confidence with the horse working between your hand and leg — imagine you want to ride through the judge at C.

Tip two: If you have the space, enter from outside the arena so you’re already straight and on the centre line by the time you enter.

Tip three: If the line gets wobbly, straighten it by asking for more power using your legs — don’t try to straighten the horse with your hands.

Tip four: Think “short reins and longer arms”, so you don’t end up riding with your hands in your stomach. You want there to be a straight line from the bit through your hands to your elbows.

Tip five: You also need to practise turning back onto the centre line, as it can be a tight turn. It’s better to practise steadying slightly and achieving it comfortably.

Tip six: If your horse tends to overshoot, pay attention to the outside contact and turn him through the shoulder rather than the nose. Remember, the judge will prefer to see a turn that is slightly smaller and drifts, as this is the easier correction, rather than a horse overshooting the centre line.

Tip seven: The key to making a good turn is to think about riding the horse straight into both reins with only a small amount of flexion at the poll to control the bend. Don’t push the horse sideways, as you will cause his legs to cross. Instead, think about turning just a little bit with every stride, lifting your ribcage and looking ahead.

Tip eight: It is easy for the horse to drop behind the leg and start anticipating the halt, so at home practise plenty of turns onto the centre line, but do not halt every time. Instead, use half-halts so he learns to accept the preparation, but keeps moving forward.

Tip nine: If you have to chase your horse down the centre line to prevent him jamming on the brakes, you are advertising the fact that he is behind your leg.

Let others know if you found this session useful by sharing your progress and pictures with the rest of our e-Community.

Session 2: Practise the whole test

It’s now time to practise riding the test, remembering what you learned in session one, but first watch this week’s test riding video with Isobel Wessels:

If you can not view the player above, please click here

Ensure that you are comfortable with the following given Keith and Isobel’s advice:

• Mid test centre line
• Transitions to walk for one horse’s length
• Give and retake of reins
• Trot to canter transitions on a circle
• Changing the rein in free walk (double score)

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find out more about getting the magazine delivered to your door every week.

Dressage rider and trainer Keith Robertson explains how to perfect your halt, which can be an easy way to gather important marks.

Session 1: Achieving a straight, square halt

In prelim 7, for example, you are asked to halt at G from trot. Many riders stop too early — either because they’re unsure of the position of G or their horse predicts halting at X — or they perform a poor halt. The halt happens just before the judge fills in your collective marks, which are usually worth double, so this is an influential moment. Success in this test depends on nailing this movement.

Remember you want your body — not the horse’s nose — in line with the marker. A good judge will reward quality of the halt over accuracy of the positioning, but they’d prefer to see both. Once halted, the horse has to stay still and balanced.

A lot of halts are ruined because the rider keeps on at the horse to square up. Judges don’t want to see you pulling and kicking. If the halt isn’t square, leave it — it’s preferable to be immobile than fidgeting. If no immobility is shown, you’re likely to get a low mark.

To try at home…

Practise halting on the track so you can use the fence line to teach the horse to stay straight. Begin riding a progressive transition, through a few steps of walk, so the horse is less likely to swing his quarters out.

Then practise riding this evenly on the centre line — avoid twisting and ensure equal pressure through your legs, seat bones and hands. It’s important to keep straight, even if the halt doesn’t end up square.

With a fidgety horse that is reluctant to stand, avoid riding abruptly to halt — instead practise asking for trot to walk to trot on the centre line. This will give the horse confidence and help develop softness in his back and neck.

As your horse gets straighter, think about making him square. One of the most important ingredients for a square halt is control over the horse’s steps.

From trot, ride a downward transition to halt, but then ask the horse to creep forward with tiny walk steps, controlling each one with your seat and leg. The horse mustn’t feel trapped, so keep your hands soft and forward.

Once you can influence his steps with your seat and leg aids, keep asking for subtle adjustments until his hindlegs come under him and he is square. Repetition is key — if you always insist on this it will become the norm.

If this isn’t working, try going back to basics. Take the problem out of the arena and spend time halting anywhere and everywhere, making sure that every single time your horse stands still, it is on your terms. Pretty soon, he’ll get the idea. You will get there eventually, but it is a case of quiet perseverance and practice.

Session 2: Practise the whole test

It’s now time to practise riding the test as a whole, but first watch this test riding video with top judge Isobel Wessels.

If you can not see the video player above, please click here

At this stage, focus on ensuring you are comfortable with the following:

• Transitions on a 20m circle
• Medium walk (double score)
• Halting from trot

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find out more about getting the magazine delivered to your door every week.