Inside Track Training, LLC

08/20/2025

“Horsemanship is the art of mastering our own movements, thoughts, emotions and behavior. Not the horses.” ✍️

08/19/2025

When riding corners, you should only ride them as deep as the smallest circle required for the level at which your horse is currently working.

For example, if you are working at British Dressage Introductory level, the smallest circle you’ll be expected to perform is 20-meters. Therefore, the corners you ride will be fairly shallow, not much deeper than the arc of a 20-meter circle. Elementary horses are expected to negotiate 10-meter circles, so the corners you ride will be correspondingly deeper.

This rule ensures that your horse stays relaxed and well within his comfort zone. He’ll be able to maintain the correct rhythm as he moves through the corners without variance in the tempo. He’ll also be less likely to lose his balance and fall onto his inside shoulder or his forehand, and he won’t swing his quarters out in an attempt to evade a degree of bend that is beyond his capability.

However, this rule is temporarily broken if you are preparing to turn down the center line or ride across the diagonal. In which case, you may need to ride the corners fractionally deeper.

08/14/2025

08/12/2025

08/12/2025

HANDS DO NOT PULL BACK - HAVE "FEELING FINGERS"

Remember, you are holding a piece of metal that's inside your horse's mouth. If you pull back on the reins or jiggle your hands around, your horse will likely shorten his neck, stiffen through his back, hollow away from your seat, lift his head above the bit, and/or come against/behind the contact.

Pulling back on the reins can also encourage your horse to get stronger in the contact, as he, too, will pull against the pressure. This often leads to a tug-of-war scenario that sends many riders down the rabbit hole of using stronger rein aids and bits.

The rein length should be held by your thumb pressing on top of your index finger. The rest of your fingers should be light and supple so you can give subtle communication aids down the reins. If your fingers are gripping the reins tightly, then any light communication down the rein will be blocked. Therefore, if you want to give your horse an aid, you will need to grip even tighter or pull backward on the reins, which is not good.

Keep your elbows, wrists, hands, and fingers supple, and allow them to "breathe" with your horse's movement, rather than remaining fixed and rigid. The aim is to have "feeling fingers" which open and close to give your horse the required aids. It may only be a slight movement, but trust us, your horse can feel it.

07/24/2025

Like no other place…

07/24/2025

I love my time teaching in Montana. I’ve been there enough to feel the friendships and trust of so many of the riders. The whole barn community is amazing and they welcome the new riders with open arms. I’m so proud of everyone’s growth and accomplishments and I can’t wait to see everyone again!

That's a wrap! Thanks to all our horses, riders, and helpers who made this weekend's eventing clinic so much FUN 🥳 And big thanks to Nicole Ackerman for being a positive and enthusiastic teacher, and Leah for keeping the clinic train on the tracks.

(P.S. How cute is Ellie and her new partner Keoni?!)