Maida Farms

08/25/2025

Finiver putting on the big boy pants Bred by Autumn Charm sporthorses!!

08/14/2025

Do you have forward hands? Hands that work backwards hinder the flow of the hind leg. You cannot stop the front of the horse with a backward motion in your hand and expect the hind legs to continue forward. When your horse gets stuck and won’t go forward, push your hand forward and free up the hind legs !!!! Happy dressaging

07/17/2025

How much outside rein?
(Prerequisites for “Inside-leg-to-outside-rein connection”)
Before we connect a horse into the outside rein, we need the horse to readily flow away from the inside leg.
If the horse doesn’t bend through the rib cage and step under and across from JUST the inside aids, they ARE NOT READY to be connected into the outside rein!
The horse below is clearly not balanced. She is STARTING to learn to soften off the inside aids, but she’s also rushing and leaning. I would want to see this more solid before using much of any outside rein.

People create major resistances by combining the aids, before the horse understands them individually.  We would not ask a child to spell and write sentences when they are still learning the alphabet. That would absolutely frustrate them, and they would most likely have a meltdown! Yet all too often people try to ride green horses, the way they would expect to ride an advanced one, with the same combination of aids.

Once a horse can emotionally regulate and stay at a regular tempo, and demonstrate at least some kind of bend, we can start thinking about adding outside rein.

Inside leg to outside rein connection is all about getting the energy to flow through the horse’s body diagonally, and then catching and guiding it with the outside hand. If the energy isn’t flowing from the horses inside hind leg towards the outside shoulder (or if they are really advanced, the outside ear) then there is nothing to catch, recycle, or guide with the outside rein.

Also, it’s not like one day, your horses ready and then forevermore you connect with the outside rein. It ebbs and flows moment to moment!!  For example, if you try to start a leg yield or shoulder in, and your horse is not quite ready for it, or is distracted, or a little tense, you may open or loosen the outside rein for a few steps, to get the shoulder to start to go a little sideways, and then once the energy is going in the general correct direction, you reapply the outside rein to get a quality movement.  Or maybe you are circling left on your horse, starts to drift right to join his buddy or head to the gate! In that moment you might lock down your outside rein, but you certainly don’t wanna live like that!

The real irony is that take some outside rein to get a horse to really go sideways correctly, but yet we want to be able to go a little sideways as a prerequisite for utilizing the outside rein. 🫣 I bring this up because people who have started young horses and brought them up through the level of doing nice lateral work, absolutely understand exactly what I mean! There is a big difference between getting a horse to just sort of flow the direction that you want, and to get the energy to move through their body diagonally, versus doing “real” lateral movements! Don’t let the fear of doing lateral movements “wrong” keep you from getting your horse supple and soft and moving diagonally through a bendy body!

07/10/2025

"You’re not falling behind. You’re learning."

Progress with horses isn’t linear. Some days you’ll feel like you’re flying. Other days, you wonder if you’ve gone backwards. You haven’t. You’re just in the part of the learning that feels uncomfortable. Growth rarely feels smooth, but it does mean you’re on the path. Just keep showing up and keep going. Your horse doesn’t care how fast you get there — only that you show up with patience and heart. Showing up and consistency beats everything else!

www.wicksequine.com

07/02/2025

04/05/2025

Dressage doesn't demand perfection. It demands perseverance.

This sport will humble you. Confuse you. Occasionally betray you. You’ll ride one day like a future team rider, and the next like someone who just discovered horses exist.

But here’s the thing: the ones who make it aren’t the flashiest or the most naturally gifted. They’re the ones who keep showing up. Who ride through the mental spirals, the sticky transitions, the “why do I do this to myself” days.

The quiet, gritty ones? They’re the real ones.
Because dressage doesn’t w**d out the weak, it builds the strong.

Keep going. You’re probably doing better than you think.

04/03/2025

And a seasoned rider approached and said, Speak to us of Dressage.

And he lifted his eyes to the distant mountains where horses ran free, and after a moment's silence, he spoke:

Your horses were born of the wind and earth before they came to your stables. Born of open skies and galloping storms, they remember what it is to run free.
They come to you not as servants but as teachers of love, art, patience and humility.

You say, "I shall train this creature to move at my command."
But I say to you, in true dressage, it is you who must first be trained. For the reins in your hands are but the visible threads of an invisible connection.

The master does not seek to control the horse's body, But to unbind its essence through the structure of symphony.
As the sculptor does not create the beauty in marble, But merely reveals what was already there, So too must you reveal the natural grace that dwells within your horse.

Your aids should fall like gentle rain, not like the crack of thunder.
Your legs should speak in whispers that only your horse can hear.
At the height of true collection, the horse’s frame wasn’t taken, But have instead gathered its power like a river narrowed between canyon walls.

And some of you say, "I seek perfection in my art."
But I tell you that perfection in dressage is not found in flawless geometry, Nor in the precision of the halt, But in moments when horse and human breathe as one being, When what was once “me” and “you” becomes simply “us.”

The wisest rider understands that each horse carries its own wisdom, And the path of training is not a straight line that you draw, But a circle that you and your horse create together, Returning always to the foundations of trust and understanding.

In your pursuit of dressage, beware the temptation of prizes and applause, For they are but shadows on the arena wall.
The true reward comes in silent moments of breakthrough, When hesitation melts into willingness, And when effort transforms into ease.

And remember always that your horse does not care for your ambitions or your ribbons.
He cares only for your truth. If there is conflict in your heart, there will be resistance in your horse.

Harmony in you is harmony beneath you.

This is the sacred covenant of dressage:

That in seeking to elevate your horse, You must first elevate yourself.

03/20/2025

Christoph Hess tells us, and Carl Hester demonstrates:
“Give the horse the feeling of freedom when you sit on it, always the feeling that it can move forward. Most riders all over the world use their hands to try and control their horse, the neck starts to shorten and then it all starts to go wrong.”
And MUCH more from Christoph.
https://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2020/07/christoph-hess-talks-about-the-basics/

03/10/2025

02/12/2025

True power does not seek attention. It does not rush to prove itself or demand recognition. It exists in the quiet confidence of preparation, the discipline of patience, and the clarity of knowing when to act. Strength is not just about movement but about the wisdom to wait, to observe, and to move with intention.

In a time that rewards urgency, the virtues of patience and stability are often overlooked. But these qualities bear fruits that last—outcomes that are not fleeting but sustainable. While many chase quick success, those who plan ahead understand that the real rewards come from precision and foresight. Thoughtful actions create foundations that stand the test of time. Rash decisions crumble under pressure.

The pressure to act quickly can be overwhelming. Society teaches that success belongs to those who never pause, who move fast, who chase without hesitation. But movement without direction is chaos. Reacting to every impulse, every distraction, and every challenge does not build strength—it scatters energy, leaving no room for mastery. The most valuable trait is not just the ability to act, but the discipline to know *when* to act.

Control is not about force but about understanding. Not every situation demands a response. Not every moment requires action. Those who react to everything are controlled by everything. Those who cultivate patience and foresight dictate their own path. The strongest are not the ones who chase every opportunity but the ones who recognize the right one when it comes—and move with precision.

Let others mistake stillness for inaction, patience for passivity. Their perception is not reality. Those who prepare, who plan, who wait with intention are the ones who ultimately succeed—not just momentarily, but in ways that endure. True power is not in urgency, but in the quiet discipline that ensures when the time comes, the action taken is one that truly matters.

11/13/2024

PREPARATION What do you do to prepare your horse to begin his workout?