Hill Haven Stable

04/19/2026

Get ready to show!
If this dreadful weather has got you down and you need something to get ready for the season ahead, Hill Haven Stable is offering a RideYour Test clinic on May 17 with Basic EC judge Alison Banbury. It will be held indoors in our insulated 20 x 60 m ring and all levels will be offered. There will be a 15 minute warm up before your test ride, followed by judge’s comments and you may ride parts of your test or the whole test. As Alison is a Western Style Dressage judge, those tests may be ridden as well. FEI tests for both Eventing and Dressage may also be ridden. Approximately 45 minutes per horse for up to 10 horses. A limited number of stalls are available on site for those shipping from a greater distance and we ask that we book in advance.
Please indicate what test you wish to ride , EC , eventing or WSDA so we have it available to you. Comments will be also available on your paper test.

02/09/2026

🐴 DRESSAGE SOLUTIONS!🐴 Forward Half-Halts to Open the Throatlatch

To help your half-halts become more forward so they open your horse’s throatlatch …

Imagine that those half-halts open the underside of your horse’s neck to make it more in the shape of a U instead of a V.
— Carl Hester

🎨 Sandy Rabinowitz

01/19/2026

Cavaletti are where horses really learn about jumping because they teach the foundations of correct jumping without the stress or risk of big fences. Here’s why they’re so powerful:

1. They develop true jumping technique
Cavaletti encourage the horse to:

Lift the shoulders

Use the back (round through the topline)

Step under with the hind legs

This is the same body mechanics needed for jumping fences—just at a smaller, safer scale.

2. They teach the horse to think for itself
With a line of cavaletti, the horse has to:

Judge distances

Adjust stride length

Find balance

Instead of the rider “placing” the horse, the horse learns self-carriage and decision-making, which is critical for real jumping.

3. They build rhythm and consistency
Good jumping comes from rhythm. Cavaletti:

Create a metronome-like canter or trot

Penalize rushing or laziness naturally

Reward steady tempo

Horses learn that rhythm = comfort.

4. They strengthen the body safely
Because cavaletti are low:

Joints and tendons are protected

Muscles strengthen progressively

Young or green horses can train correctly

Strength comes before height.

5. They improve coordination and confidence
Cavaletti help horses learn:

Where their feet are

How to organize their body

That jumping doesn’t hurt

Confidence built here carries over to bigger fences.

6. They reveal—and fix—training holes
Cavaletti expose issues like:

Falling in or out

Crookedness

Uneven push from hind legs

And because everything is slow and small, these problems can be corrected without fear.

In short
Cavaletti teach the “how” of jumping, not just the “over.”
Big fences test jumping ability—but cavaletti create it.

07/12/2025

After 37 years of carefully caring for many many horses, Hill Haven Stable is closing our doors. We will continue to live here and care for our facility and as a longtime coach and trainer, Alison will continue to welcome people who wish to ship in for lessons or training. Alison is still riding and available to teach or offer her skills as both a judge and competitor in Eventing and Dressage as a coach or clinician. Very mixed emotions but necessary to improve focus on the importance of training! We thank everyone for their super support over the many years we have offered our facility and care of your important pets in our hands. We wish everyone the best and look forward to new beginnings.

06/09/2025

Author is believed to be a William Steinkraus
Read , let it sink in, then read again :

“No. 1. Get your tack and equipment just right, and then forget about it and concentrate on the horse.

No. 2. The horse is bigger than you are, and it should carry you. The quieter you sit, the easier this will be for the horse.

No. 3. The horse's engine is in the rear. Thus, you must ride your horse from behind, and not focus on the forehand simply because you can see it.

No. 4. It takes two to pull. Don't pull. Push.

No. 5. For your horse to be keen but submissive, it must be calm, straight and forward.

No. 6. When the horse isn`t straight, the hollow side is the difficult side.

No. 7. The inside rein controls the bending, the outside rein controls the speed.

No. 8. Never rest your hands on the horse's mouth. You make a contract with it: "You carry your head and I'll carry my hands."

No. 10. Once you've used an aid, put it back.

No. 11. You can exaggerate every virtue into a defect.

No. 12. Always carry a stick, then you will seldom need it.

No. 13. If you`ve given something a fair trial, and it still doesn't work, try something else—even the opposite.

No. 14. Know when to start and when to stop. Know when to resist and when to reward.

No. 15. If you're going to have a fight, you pick the time and place.

No. 16. What you can't accomplish in an hour should usually be put off until tomorrow.

No. 17. You can think your way out of many problems faster than you can ride your way out of them.

No. 18. When the horse jumps, you go with it, not the other way around.

No. 19. Don`t let over-jumping or dull routine erode the horse's desire to jump cleanly. It's hard to jump clear rounds if the horse isn't trying.

No. 20. Never give up until the rail hits the ground.

No. 21. Young horses are like children—give them a lot of love, but don't let them get away with anything.

No. 22. In practice, do things as perfectly as you can; in competition, do what you have to do.

No. 23. Never fight the oats.

No. 24. The harder you work, the luckier you get."

Credit believed to be William Steinkraus

05/21/2025

Why ride shoulder-in?

Most people want to be able to ride a good shoulder-in for the sole purpose of getting top scores during a dressage test. However, as with all school movements, shoulder-in has many benefits that will help to improve your horse's overall way of going.

So, here are five reasons to ride shoulder-in.

✅ REASON 1 - Improve engagement, balance, and lightness of the forehand

✅ REASON 2 - Help develop carrying power and collection

✅ REASON 3 - Improve suppleness

✅ REASON 4 - Improve straightness

✅ REASON 5 - Prepare your horse for other lateral movements

Can you think of any reasons? 🤔 Pop them in the comments below.

Illustrations created and copyrighted by How To Dressage

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03/10/2025

My favourite exercise.

🐴 Spiral In and Out on a Circle

Spiral in and out on a circle is a FABULOUS exercise for horse and rider. Spiral in tests the rider's ability to control the outside shoulder of the horse, and to keep forward impulsion in the horse while directing them into a smaller circle. If ridden correctly, it increases the engagement of the outside hind leg, and can help bring the horse into collection. Spiral out tests the rider's ability to engage the horse's inside hind leg while controlling the outside shoulder to keep the horse straight in the body. It also teaches horse and rider the concept of riding from the inside leg to the outside hand. Done correctly, it's a great suppling exercise.

Click on the link below to learn how to do it! 👇👇👇

https://www.myvirtualeventingcoach.com/articles/spiral_in_and_out_on_a_circle

02/11/2025

Jokers Hill was a huge horse facility near Toronto back in 1973 when we took House Guest to compete in an advanced 3 day event there.

The high reach device in the background was where Robert Heath, the announcer, was stationed. From that vantage point he could see most of the cross country course, and there was a loud speaker system that boomed out over that entire property.

In those days, before so many northern riders went south for the winter, the eventing season was short in North America, but of high quality, and Canada was in many ways more of a leader in promoting the fledgling sport than was the USA.

Both countries had access then to good Thoroughbred horses, and both countries had gold medal winning teams in international competition during the 1970s.

Both countries rolled over, though, when the FEI changed the sport to one which favored warmbloods, and in recent times both countries have struggled.

02/01/2025