Trevor Woodward

27/01/2025

**BACK TO BASICS – OUTSIDE REIN: A Brief Overview**

**Revision Time is Good Time**

Before we begin, let's take a moment to reflect. How many times have you ridden along the long side of the arena, unknowingly using it as a break from the demands of proper riding? We all do it, zoning out as if to mentally prepare for the next exercise. The horses sense this and also disengage, often leaning slightly towards the wall for security. This is part of the reason we spend so much time riding on the second track.

**Back to Work**

When I have my inside stirrup iron weighted correctly at the girth and my outside leg positioned behind the girth (in a guarding position) to prevent the haunches from swinging off the line or circle, along with maintaining control of the shoulder through the outside rein, your horse will achieve genuine straightness through shoulder-fore.

Without proper control of the outside shoulder (from inside to outside), the horse can easily disconnect from your outside aids, beginning to lean, and worse, learning to rely on the wall for support. When this occurs, if the horse is not moving in a straight and through manner, turning becomes difficult because their shoulder has fallen out of alignment, causing them to fall on the forehand.

If the horse is not framed correctly, it will be impossible to execute turns effectively. I don’t want to sound overly repetitive, but remember:

“Every moment under saddle is a training opportunity for the horse—they have remarkably good memories, and that’s what they learn: to switch off and lean against the wall on the long side!”

**Bonus Tip:** Remember, horses thrive when they can maintain a steady forward energy flow. This creates a self-perpetuating rhythm, and that's where the magic happens!

As another Saturday comes around, I hope it treats you well as you treat it. Talk soon.

Cheers,
Trevor

*"If you want to make a permanent change, stop focusing on the size of your problems and start focusing on the size of you!"* — T. Harv Eker

15/12/2024

💥IBBORSON DRESSAGE💥INTERESTING INTERVIEW & TEST WITH JESSICA VON BREDOW

The then-individual dressage at the 2023 FEI European Dressage Championships in Riesenbeck, Germany, was held at Riesenbeck International from 4 to 10 September. Germany's Jessica von Bredow-Werndl won the gold medal in the Grand Prix Special, repeating her success in the 2021 European Championships.

Cheers Trevor

“Nothing will work unless you do.” – Maya Angelou

Defending champions Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and TSF Dalera BB scored freestyle gold with an incredible new personal best of 92.82%. Hear what Jessica had to say about their performance after he...

04/08/2022

💥PANDEMIC 💥DAY EIGHT-HUNDRED SIXTY-SEVEN 867.1 AUGUST 04-2022

Sorry I have to make this short before the connection is lost again. The Satellite Delays, hopefully, I will have better communication links soon.

Quiet but Intelligent Hands
Whatever you start, you have to finish it 100%, for example; if you take with your hands, you must give with the hands or the job is incomplete.

Nevertheless, you still do it with quite steady hands. It then builds confidence from the horse in your hands and be more responsive to the smaller nuances you can deliver through a good rein connection.

The contact is then given to you by your horse, and you have a horse working for you, not against you!

• Whenever you start a half halt, finish it 100%, and release (yield) 100%.
• Go quietly with your hands; don't go into doing anything in between.

• If they give you too much contact, always give a little and continue to drive.
• They are allowed to go into your hand, but not a gram more.

Never cover up or compromise your standards in your training should they lean on your hand; always address this problem. If not, it will, little by little, get worse.

Never deploy a stride with too much in your hand. If so, deploy your suppleness connection exercises and start again. Horses learn to be mediocre just as quickly as they learn to be brilliant.

I hope today treats you well, take care, talk soon.
Cheers Trevor
"If we are to achieve results never before accomplished, we must expect to employ methods never before attempted." -- Francis Bacon

30/07/2022

Test Response...

29/07/2022

If there is a fix for the current Facebook debacle please email me: [email protected]

Cheers Trevor

Send a message to learn more

29/07/2022

SORRY EVERYONE I'M NOT SURE WHY FACEBOOK HAS CHANGED I CAN'T SEEM TO DO ANYTHING CURRENT--A COMPLETE MYSTERY--TRYING TO GET THE CLASSIC BACK SO I CAN COMMUNICATE--WHAT A MESS.
GOOD ONE MARK.

29/07/2022

What the Heck has happened to the Classic Facebook ans Messenger...

28/07/2022

💥 PANDEMIC 💥DAY EIGHT-HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE 861.1 JULY 29-2022
Quick Friday Evening Tip - Slow Down, Don't Overcorrect:
One misgiving we are all guilty of is fixing the problem within the movement.

Unless we tactfully understand connection exercises within the striding, the horse can perceive any correction as punishment.

Significantly, youngsters do-not correct within an exercise unless it is a minor adjustment, for we have to get them to trust our hands and have a clear understanding of the aids.

Be concise, give them time to mentally digest what you are asking for, and use the slower version of repetition to help the learning process.

For the more mature, better educated, slow it down, stop and enhance the preparation more so.

Preparation for the exercise is usually the problem; stop, calm things down, prepare more, and try again -- with greater consequent (determination) firm but fair and non-drilling repetition!
I hope your evening goes well for you; keep on keeping on and seek your goals, take care, and goodnight.
Cheers Trevor
"Experience tells you what to do. Confidence allows you to do it."
-- Stan Smith

21/03/2019

Found on Google from mthotham.com.au

24/11/2018

SATURDAY MORNING BRIEF

Simplicity — keep to the basic concepts, especially when you get lost at the start of your training session, it happens to all of us, as "I can't remember what I was supposed to do, or you lack the motivation?"

In this, or sometimes you have doubt about your horse's functionality on that day, simply go back the basics and start following the principles as in the "Scales of Training" which is not only for dressage horse it is for all types and Olympic disciplined horses.

It is amazing that the principle of "just-do-it" psychology kicks in and when you start your brain function by following the "Scales" all of a sudden you are now in, "proactive" mind-set mode and schooling rational just starts to appear in your brain.

No matter what their work level is at, when in doubt, always go back to the logical progression, of the "Scales of Training" (Rhythm, Suppleness, Contact, Impulsion, Straightness, and Collection."

And, then start breaking down the training into achievable goals within the parameters of the "Scales of Training."

Good luck and have a great day -- Wish I was with you I have so much in my head I want to pass onto you, and I apologise if my enthusiasm is sometimes a little over the top, but there is a golden message in there for you and your horse(s).!
Cheers Trevor

23/11/2018

COLLECTION --- The next level up for many is Collection — to develop collection, work on transitions. As a rider, I dreamt of transitions — forward and back, forward and back.

Changes of tempo within a gait / pace must be ridden correctly from seat and leg to work like an accordion, compressing and extending the horse’s body to promote gymnastic ability and develop collection fully over time.

The transformation in our horses was palpable, the difference in one month was outstanding.
Cheers Trevor

19/07/2017

MAKE them WAIT

Make them Wait is taken from an article re Passage and training manuals that are being written little by little, thanks, please read on...

Whether you are at upper-level training or just starting, it is essential to teach your horse to wait for you to give the next aid or command as to what to do next. We must teach our horse to wait for you, if he/she is not waiting, you’ll never be able to go on to passage later and or transitions from passage to piaffe and passage to trot plus all of the lower level transitions.

In dressage it is the top down model of training and part of the analysis of how you train is to understand the little nuance or pieces that make the jig saw of dressage.

Make them wait in the transitions by asking for a few slower strides before going forward again. Mix the number of waiting strides up, so that they can never ever anticipate what comes next. This is rideability in the making. Remember it is always rideability first!

Also, mix up the gaits as by way of medium to working and collected for example:

1. Be inventive and throw in a full halt in making them wait for a
minimum of 3 seconds before moving off.
2. Always work them forward from behind, and work them back to
you, and having them working over their backs.
4. Forward and back, forward and back, so then they can develop
impulsion, collection, suspension, sensitivity to the aids, and then
expression.

If the horse is running all the time, they are on their front legs, unbalanced and will never make a nice collected trot. It’s the same in the canter, half halt back, half halt forward, from behind, get them to sit, play with them with flexion.

The hindlegs need to be engaged and the front legs need to float more so.

Hope this helps you keep the questions coming providing time is available I will help you as much as possible as a mentor.

Best Regards Trevor
FEI4U Dressage part of CWS Dressage Breeding & Training
61 +429 638 511
[email protected]