7 More Tips for Success
• Don’t forget the walk. Engle made sure the horses were going forward into the riders' hands and engaged at the walk before they could move on to trot or canter. “The walk is very important. You can correct• If your horse is strong, keep your leg. When a horse is strong, many people take their legs off, Engle told one rider. When the rider’s horse started to lighten, Engle said, “That’s coming from leg, not the hand. Push with leg.”• Get your horse’s attention back on you when he spooks. When a few of the horses spooked or shied away from something in the arena, Engle’s advice was to take the horses’ attention off the spooky object and back on them. They did this by using inside leg and bending the horses away from the source of the spooking.• Be assertive when necessary. When Katie Plaisted’s horse, Counterno Boy, spooked at Engle, who was standing at the side of the arena, and swapped to the counter canter, Engle said, “Even if he swaps, send him forward. Don’t pull up.… When you put leg on and he backs off, you have to be strong and assertive and make him go forward. If he’s not listening to your leg, go to the stick. He’s kind of got your number. He’s doing what he wants to do. You have to have him do what you want to do.” Plaisted’s horse then bucked and balled up his stride, going up and down, when she asked him to go forward. Engle coached her through the episode: “Get him in front of your leg. Kick him hard even if he bucks.”• Practice riding in a full seat, even if you ride in the hunters. This was partly to help in collecting the horses and partly so that riders were comfortable in seats other than the two-point position.• Carry a stick and wear spurs on the flat for the same reason you get insurance, Engle said. “You hope you never have to use it, but it’s good to have just in case.”• A few minutes of collected, balanced work each day is better than working longer but without requiring collection. “When you’re jumping, you have a lot more options when your horse is balanced,” Engle said.
