Innehållsförteckning för Practical Horseman Extra Volume 12 från Practical Horseman

For a successful equitation, hunter or jumper round, your aids need to effectively communicate with your horse. And he must respond to those aids—shortening his stride for a steady line or lengthening it for a forward line and moving laterally for turns and to navigate bending lines. How well he responds determines his rideability—forwardness, straightness, balance and rhythm. And the more rideable he is, the smoother—and in jumpers, the faster and cleaner—your round will be. To help you and your horse develop and improve these skills, I’m going to share one of my favorite exercises. The Exercise This exercise is basically a figure eight with jumps. It’s a course of four lines—two bending 3-stride “fans” at the short ends of the arena and two 3- or 4-stride lines across the…

• YARN: It’s important to use 100 percent acrylic yarn because it won’t snap. Thicker natural fibers like wool will separate and break more easily, so stay away from those. I typically use Trait Tex® acrylic yarn. I get it from former braider Kelly Ward of All Dressed Up. Don’t be afraid to use color, but keep in mind using color draws attention to the mane and can highlight mistakes. If you aren’t confident about your braid job just yet, use a color that closely matches the color of your horse’s mane. • COMB: You don’t need anything fancy. A 7-inch plastic comb for $2 to $3 that does not have sharp teeth works well. I like getting my combs from Sally’s Beauty Supply because they tend not to break easily. It’s…