Hidden Ponds Stables

Hidden Ponds Stables Welcome to Hidden Ponds Stables!!! Full service Boarding and Training stable. Hunt seat riding lessons, childrens programs, showing, driving.

Indoor Arena for year round riding.Approved to teach Girl Scouts.

Christmas Eve lesson!
12/25/2025

Christmas Eve lesson!

Uhoh...a little messy! Lorraine Hathaway ! We need you! Or perhaps children could be a bit neater...AND put their bridle...
12/18/2025

Uhoh...a little messy! Lorraine Hathaway ! We need you! Or perhaps children could be a bit neater...AND put their bridles away!

11/15/2025

When trainer Geoff Case watches riders flatting their horses, he sees a lot of the same thing: people lapping the ring, zoning out, and missing a huge opportunity. “It’s one of my biggest pet peeves,” Case said. “People just go around the outside, staring off into space. That’s not riding. That’s exercise.”

In Case’s eyes, flatwork isn’t just something to do when you’re not jumping—it’s where you actually become a better rider.

To Case, a good flat session should feel like a jumping round. “You should be riding lines, bending, adjusting your rhythm,” he said. “Every step is a chance to make something better.”

He encourages riders to ride patterns and turns with purpose. “Don’t just stay on the rail,” he said. “Use the whole ring. Make a circle, ride across the diagonal, do transitions in different places. Ride like you’re setting up for a jump.”

That kind of thinking builds skills that directly transfer to the show ring. “When you ride with that much attention, the horse gets sharper, you get straighter, and suddenly your distances show up easier,” he said.

The flat, he added, is where you learn timing, balance, and control without the distraction of fences. “If you can’t organize yourself between the jumps, you won’t do it over them either.”

For Case, good riding starts with details: straightness, rhythm, transitions, and connection. The riders who stand out to him in the warm-up ring are the ones who treat flatwork like an art form, not an afterthought.

“You can tell the difference between someone who’s just getting around and someone who’s actually training,” he said. “It’s in the way they ride their corners, how they prepare for a transition, how the horse looks in the bridle.”

That difference shows up in competition. “When you’re in the ring, it’s too late to be figuring those things out,” he said. “If you’ve already practiced being precise on the flat, it’s automatic when you’re showing.”

Case also pointed out that judges can spot the riders who do their homework. “Even in a jumping round, you can tell who spends time on the flat,” he said. “Their horses are balanced and adjustable. It’s obvious.”

Many riders, especially less experienced ones, rely on the rail for security or spacing. Case urges them to break that habit. “The rail becomes a crutch,” he said. “You stop steering, you stop thinking. You let the wall do the work for you.”

Instead, he suggests riding off the track, staying a few feet inside the rail to keep both you and your horse accountable. “When you come off the wall, suddenly you have to ride,” he said. “You’ve got to keep your line straight, keep the horse between your leg and hand, and make the turns yourself.”

At first, this can feel uncomfortable, but that’s exactly the point. “It’s supposed to feel different,” Case explained. “That’s how you know you’re actually doing something.”

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/11/15/get-off-the-rail-creativity-and-focus-in-flatwork/
📸 © The Plaid Horse

Happy Birthday Emilee Bennett !
11/15/2025

Happy Birthday Emilee Bennett !

We had a fun time at our Veteran's Day Camp, inspite of chilly weather!We practiced lunging, made funny scarecrows, and ...
11/12/2025

We had a fun time at our Veteran's Day Camp, inspite of chilly weather!
We practiced lunging, made funny scarecrows, and rode ba****ck! (warm!) We also went over parts of the bridle and saddle for our youngest member.

11/03/2025

Riding is a sport built on partnership. Unlike hitting a ball or running a race, success in the saddle depends on another living being with its own instincts, fears, and preferences. As riders, we choose to ride. Our horses don’t choose us, and they certainly don’t choose to jump fences or canter endless circles. That truth carries weight. Because the work we ask of them isn’t natural, we owe it to our equine partners to do our part as thoughtfully as possible.

A horse doesn’t understand the ribbons or the prestige of the show ring. To him, a course of jumps is just an odd arrangement of obstacles interrupting a good gallop. As Joe Fargis once said, “It’s not very often that you put a horse in a field with a bunch of jumps and he’ll jump around in beautiful pattern.” The motivation to jump with precision, halt squarely, and move willingly forward comes from the rider’s request and the horse’s willingness to trust that rider. That’s why the foundation of good horsemanship begins with respect for the horse’s role in this shared endeavor.

Every experienced rider knows the truth of the old saying: good horses make good riders. The most effective lessons often come not from words, but from feel. Like the half-halt that finally connects, the first balanced transition, or the moment a horse softens into your hand and tells you that you’ve gotten it right. A well-trained, kind, and capable horse is the best instructor a student can have because he mirrors our efforts instantly and honestly.

In the early years of riding, a dependable horse teaches timing, rhythm, and confidence in ways no human instructor can. His steadiness forgives our mistakes and helps us internalize correct responses before bad habits have a chance to form. Over time, that quiet consistency builds a foundation that allows skill and empathy to flourish.

There’s also a practical truth here: if you must choose between riding one good horse or several mediocre ones, choose the good one. While variety has value, quality shapes a rider faster and more effectively than quantity ever can. A good horse allows a student to feel what “right” truly is. That feeling becomes a lifelong guide.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/11/01/good-horses-make-good-riders-why-your-partner-is-your-greatest-teacher/

Another HP Halloween show has come and gone. Thanks to everyone who made it a sucess! Alumni mom, Anita M Goedel helped...
10/27/2025

Another HP Halloween show has come and gone. Thanks to everyone who made it a sucess! Alumni mom, Anita M Goedel helped by timing some of the events , and another alumni mom, Anna Shoemaker , stopped by for an annual visit.
My 'staff' was organized and kept us running smoothly.
A group of the girls dressed up as Minions, and Makayla dressed Derby as Vangough.
The ba****ck sit a ghost riders were amazing, and we had a very hard time eliminating anyone!.
All the horses were spectacular! Chevy won apple bobbing...4.33 seconds!
No Stirrups November is next! Sign-up is in the barn...don't forget! Nice prizes!

Today was our last Tot Camp for this year, and our Halloween party. We started out finding painted pumpkins and decorat...
10/20/2025

Today was our last Tot Camp for this year, and our Halloween party. We started out finding painted pumpkins and decorated them. We also had a variety of fun games, and face painting, as well as the best...riding!

TBT! Stella had many fans. We miss her!
10/17/2025

TBT! Stella had many fans. We miss her!

We had such a fun Barn Rats day today! Inspite of the gloomy, chilly weather we got thru our list of chores, had time t...
10/14/2025

We had such a fun Barn Rats day today! Inspite of the gloomy, chilly weather we got thru our list of chores, had time to do a craft,ride, decorate cookies, and play. What could be better than a day at the Barn!

TBT! 2012
10/03/2025

TBT! 2012

Who's home?
10/02/2025

Who's home?

Address

390 Wells Road
Norwich, NY
13815

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