Today the Dressage Mentor Reunion starts at the horse show where I’ll critique the rides through headsets! Then on to more lessons, position analysis, EQui-Chi with Kris Garrett, and Thermography demo.

Sunday, we’re back at the horse show to critiques both rides and warm-ups. Then off to my farm for two more lessons (One with an Olympian who I’ve taught since she was a kid!), and then a saddle fitting demo with Jochen Schleese,

We’re having a blast at the Dressage Mentor Reunion in this 75 degree, sunny , Florida weather!!!!!!

The key to seeing shades of gray is to recognize when things are just
“a little bit better”. For example, when you think of your ride, ask
yourself if:
• Were your hands a little quieter?
• Did you sit a bit more centered today?
• Did you keep your eyes up for more of your ride than you did
yesterday?
• Were you able to use your legs, hands or seat a bit more
independently? That is, when you used your legs, did your
hands stay somewhat quieter than last week?
• Did you remember to use your legs before your hands more
often?
• Did you control your emotions a bit better so that you were
more relaxed, patient, brave, or calm?
• Did you stay slightly more focused throughout your ride?
• Did you remember to breathe more often?
• Did you reward your horse for every effort he made that was a
bit closer to what you want as a finished product?
As long as things keep getting “a little bit better”, pretty soon you’ll
be riding “a whole lot better”.

www.janesavoie.com/hhinvite/happyhorse

The reason that I’m making the Happy Horse courses available for ONE MORE DAY is that since I ended the promotion last Sunday, I’ve had a ton of emails from people who missed the offer because of technical difficulties, double orders, and payment issues.

I’m happy to say that we’ve sorted out all the glitches. And since the majority of the issues were on my end (sorry…but you know I’m technically challenged!), I’m going to open the cart again for 1 day only to give you a chance to grab all of the bonuses and the ONLY chance to do a 4-payment plan.

To grab your courses and bonuses, after midnight, go to:

http://janesavoie.com/happyhorse/onedaysale

1.Slow the tempo down. Just be sure your horse stays reactive to light driving aids in the slower walk. He shouldn’t get lazy or fall behind your leg.
2. Step slightly sideways. That will break up the legs on the same side so he can step more deliberately with each leg. With a young horse, do a bit of leg yielding. If your horse has more education, do shoulder-fore or shoulder-in.

This tip is excerpted from The Happy Horse Course. For more info on how to train a happy horse, go to: www.janesavoie.com/happyhorse/

Try this exercise at home first. You might be surprised by the reaction you get. So you don’t want to do it for the first time at a horse show.

• Take your legs off your horse’s sides.
• Move them back an inch or two.
• Place them back on his sides lightly.

This tip is excerpted from The Happy Horse Course. For more info on how to train a happy horse, go to: http://www.janesavoie.com/happyhorse/

A terrible thing happened today, and I’m really struggling to get over it. There was a loud hissing sound that hit my nervous system with a scream that said, “RATTLE SNAKE!” I was so startled, I jumped sideways really hard and fast, and unseated Jane! Her off balance body clinging to my side triggered, “MOUNTAIN LION!” in my brain. So, I bucked. Not just a little, I bucked from one end of the arena to the other until I shook off the “Killer Lion!”

But that lion was actually my best friend, Jane. I dumped her! In the dirt! I bucked her off! I’m so upset! Jane and I have been best friends for ten years! I’ve never bucked her or anyone else off. NEVER! Not even once.

Fortunately, Jane was not seriously hurt. She’s a bit banged up, but no broken bones. Of course she was wearing her helmet. She ALWAYS wears her helmet. Thank goodness! I would never have intentionally hurt her, but I could have anyway just reacting like a normal horse!

No one has ever come off me before, and it freaked me out. I was wide-eyed for twenty minutes. But I’m not going to let this ruin my time with Jane. I’m going to look at this with clear thought, do some EFT meridian tapping to release the energy pathway that my neurons created during this fear episode, and move on.

Jane understands that I was acting out of instinct, not maliciousness. Still we both feel really bad about it. We have to just have to make sure that we FEEL our feelings, do the techniques we know to release the energy of the past, and move on.

Have you ever been bucked off? No fun.. is it?… I hope you always wear your helmet! Even your quietest, most trusted friend is still a big powerful horse. And he could do a normal horse thing and accidentally hurt you. Even if you only get bucked off once every ten years, like Jane just did, you never know if today’s ride is going to be the one. Put on your helmet! EVERY ride!

Love, Moshi

So if you’re a horseback rider, why not have a stationary, mechanical horse that simulates riding so you can improve overall fitness and practice skills?  After all, horseback riders are athletes too!

Treadmills, exercise bikes, and other exercise machines, offer great exercise in general. But they don’t work your core and the important muscles you need specifically to ride a horse.

So what’s the answer for horseback riders who want to improve their fitness? I found it in an Equicizer!

The secret to this mechanical horse’s ability to improve your strength, balance and coordination is that you, the rider, make it go! The simple exercise of pushing with your hips offers an amazing core, abdomen, back, and leg exercise for anyone to simulate working those muscles you so importantly need to ride a horse.

So what makes the Equicizer move? When you’re seated on the Equicizer, you push and tilt your hips forward in a rhythmic manner. This action puts the Equicizer into motion. Gently riding in this manner creates the sensation of a horse walking. If you were to watch a rider’s seat on a real horse while the horse was walking, you’d see the same forward rhythmic movement in the rider’s hips. The only difference is that a real horse is doing the work for you.

And the cool thing is that you don’t have to ride the Equicizer fast to gain good healthy exercise. Being able to ride it slowly and gently enables people of all ages and level of abilities to ride and exercise. This is what makes the Equicizer extra special. People with injuries or disabilities that may not be able to use traditional exercise equipment can ride the Equicizer!

For more information on how you can improve your horseback rider fitness and skills by riding this fun mechanical horse simulator, go to www.equicizer.com