The Cavalli Connection

10/01/2025

There are many aids to use for the same thing, many schools of thought of how to accomplish a movement or result:
high hands or low hands, inside leg back or outside leg forward for a turn. Moving the hindquarters or shoulders always in front of the hips. Reducing tension by way of jaw flexions or drive the hind leg forward - and so on.

Which one is right?

When we follow a school or a tradition, we need to have a clear picture of the result it takes us to. Who is it for? What type of rider and what breed of horse? And what is the function of the progression?

Different aids have different functions, but beyond that they are designed to produce different outcomes: obedience only, or a biomechanical function, and within biomechanical functions there are different schools of thought of not just how the horse should move but how they should FEEL.

For example, if you’re training a cow horse, you need a very different function than a dressage show horse, and so the aids will produce different feelings and be applied in a very different way.

And you need to understand what styles blend together and not. Many people mistakenly cherry pick pieces and parts of opposing systems and try to mash them together, when parts of the training progression are in direct opposition of others. Very gifted horsemen have blended styles, but after having an above average understanding of their purpose and result. When you learn the rules of art, you can break them.

So when seeking a set of aids to follow, or a methodology to follow, consider its history, its purpose, and who it was intended for. If you don’t know this, it’s well worth a trip down research lane to get a solid understanding before confusing the horse with mishmashed aids that aren’t congruent with a desired goal.

What do you want to the horse to do? Where is going to lead? And how do you want the horse to feel?

You should have a clear picture of this in every turn, corner, circle, transition, and so on.

09/25/2025

I did a little experiment a while ago -

I didn’t tell anyone at this barn I was riding at anything about me. They didn’t know I was a teacher or trainer or anything I do- and so minding my own business riding my horses, I was plagued with advice. A few women at the barn gave me advice while I rode, told me what trainer to follow and what perceived mistakes I was making - how to fix it, what methods they like, gear to use and supplements to solve my problems.

They were not being mean. However annoying unsolicited advice is, most people’s intentions are probably half helpfulness, half proving themselves to others out of insecurity. Comment sections on videos are full of people like this - you need to follow so and so, take that nose band off, put this thing on, this horse probably has such and such physical ailment —

This experience made me think of my students - trying their best to learn, clinging desperately to new information and patterns they don’t quite have a grasp on yet or understand, and being bombarded by conflicting advice: the barn busy bodies, the internet, sales pitches in your inbox. It’s got to be completely overwhelming! It’s no wonder people’s anxieties are higher and leadership is far lower-
How is one supposed to know which way to go?

It’s important to be open to advice - but consider the source.

Are they trying to help you, or prove themsleves?
Are they trying to help you, or make you afraid of something?
Are they trying to help you, or sell to you? (Obviously all pros have to sell but is it a sale or your long term betterment as well on the table?)

You have to stay sharp out there. Trust what is working and stick to it - sometimes you don’t know if it’ll work til you stick to it for a while. But look at the evidence around you -
Are the horses in the program you’re using getting sounder over time? Or are you just seeing curated snippets decorated in slow motion with music ? Who is it marketed for?

If they can get you afraid or emotional, they can sway you.
Think about it. Stay sharp. Trust yourself and trust the process.

It’s a messy, confusing and chaotic world out there - but if you find someone you trust, hang on to them with both hands.

09/24/2025

It’s important to be open to change, and gathering new information.
But we can’t be so open minded we create a disjointed, cherry picked, hopping around mess of a program.
The principles we adhere to should be steady, in order for both horses and students to trust in them. The application gets refined or tweaked, but how can anyone trust who you are if it changes whenever the wind blows another fad methodology through?

If we find something better, it works best in whole, not in fragmented parts. A logical approach toward an end result can make sense to horse and human. We live in a fragmented, sound bite world- but we owe it to the horse to see and approach the big picture

09/22/2025

Tolerance for the discomfort of not knowing -

Like a lot of people, I want to know and know it all now!

I wouldn’t say that I didn’t have patience to learn, or was resistant to basics, but I was extremely frustrated by not understanding concepts immediately. When is this all going to come together? Why are we doing it like this? What does it all mean??

A really good teacher can explain these concepts, but learning is like building - you have to lay a foundation and create scaffolding. Without those laid through repetition and time, there is nothing for the information to “stick” to. Over time, you start seeing patterns, understanding how things relate, and seeing the connections.

But a big part of learning is not just drinking manically from the fire hose of information, it is somewhat a trust fall. If you trust your teacher, and like the results you see or the ways of going and expressions the horses they work with carry - then there is some degree of trusting the process required.

This might mean getting comfortable with not understanding, relaxing into the unknowing, and letting time and repetition do their thing. I have learned over time not to panic when I don’t understand or don’t have a skill I want, and to watch the process unfold over years.

09/21/2025

https://dressagetoday.com/featured-articles/7-steps-to-breathe-for-a-better-ride-and-happier-horse/

You may not realize it, but your breath affects all aspects of your riding. Use this easy exercise from Dave Thind to improve your breath for a softer seat, more upright spine and overall better ride.

09/08/2025

A horse perceives your weight aids first-

They weren’t born with legs around their sides or hands attached to their mouth. They have to learn how to understand and respond to those. But they were born inherently tuned in to the sensory world. A rider’s weight is the first thing they feel, before the leg and the rein, and the first thing they adapt to.

As riders, we must take great care that the weight aid, intentional or not, is not countering the hand or leg. If we aren’t aware of our bodies, our hands and legs will be forever in opposition to our weight. A horse has to make sense of this confusing cacophony of signaling, and decide which to ignore. Ultimately, a hand or leg become stronger, and the horse is forced to ignore the seat. It’s then that riders begin describing a horse as dull, not forward, or disobedient- when they are obeying exactly what we told them- which was a load of nothing.

08/30/2025

08/28/2025

“Why didn’t you tell her to ____?”

Teaching is an art. You first have to see what’s in front of you, what is going well, what skills are missing. Then you have to get a read on the person- what are they ready to hear? What’s the first skill to be introduced? How can I build a good mind frame and confidence in this student? How do I prevent them from feeling discouraged or overwhelmed?

And nowadays, more than ever; teaching requires preventing sideline teachers from bombarding your student.

I remember about five years ago asking an auditor to leave my clinic, who, every time a student rode by, would shout “wrong diagonal!” “Don’t let your reins get sloppy!” “Half halt!”
After speaking with her and asking her to not harass my students with advice they had not asked her for, she continued, and was asked to leave.

Being a sideline teacher is easy. You get to feel important immediately, and right. You don’t have to develop a relationship with students; to carefully measure what’s needed in a moment, it requires no tact: you simply blurt out what others are doing wrong and go on your merry way.

Being a student is harder than ever - you have a cacophony of noise to Wade through, a hundred different styles to choose from, all with labels of “ethical” and “correct biomechanics” and “positive,” so much it makes one’s head spin-
What do those words mean?

Then you have to sort through the Internet forums, the well meaning friends handing out advice like candy on Halloween long after you’ve had your fill, the bystanders who watch and know it all but can’t and won’t do -

You have to sort through the muck, and hold on tight to what feels right to you. You have to ignore friends and family at times, to close your eyes and ears to the outside at times, and stick like your life depends on it to a path before you’re pulled back into the chaos.

Being a teacher is getting harder. But I imagine being a student is probably hardest of all.

Photo by Nicole Shoup

08/20/2025

https://dressagetoday.com/theory/creating-excellence-in-dressage-7-pieces-of-the-puzzle/?lid=qau4u2jb0jq0&utm_source=braze&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_content=DTD%20-%20Newsletter%20-%2020250820%20-%20Weekly&uuid=66f68a661c0441f7a784ca8b

Dressage Excellence Part 1: Olympian Sue Blinks examines the qualities that contribute to rider success at every level.

07/25/2025

THIS: Don't waste your money on equipment solutions when the real solution is to be a better rider. Spend your money on riding lessons instead of on equipment "solutions".

I'd like to see horse owners spend their horse money in more effective ways. For example, the two left images are about a horse keeping the bit in the optimal position in their mouth. The top left picture shows a purchased solution to this challenge. You just buy some kind of dropped noseband and "problem solved".

The lower left image shows the best way to ride a horse with following hands that do not disturb the bit's position and helps the horse to carry the bit comfortably and correctly so it can be used more precisely. Don't waste your money on equipment solutions when the real solution is to be a better rider. Spend your money on riding lessons instead of on equipment "solutions".

At the top right we see a vet, and at the bottom right a horse trainer. This is another example of how today people will spend huge sums of money on vet care when sometimes the solution, like with behavioral issues, is best addressed by a professional horse trainer. But today, for some reason, people are adverse to paying a horse train and instead purchase "calming supplements" and prescribed drugs. Again, "problem solved".

Horse trainers do more than fix current problems. They also prevent future problems. A good horse trainer will get your horse going well in terms of their balance and precision of movement. This allows a horse owner to ride their horse more effectively, and effective riding keeps a horse fit and comfortable, which is a real and lasting solution.

I see a lot of horses today that are overweight and out of shape. This is the source of many vet bills today, a lack of physical conditioning. Spend some money on a horse trainer, ride regularly and briskly and you probably will spend less on vets.

07/18/2025

READ. THIS.

Training Is Not a Democracy: Your Horse Doesn’t Get a Vote

One of the biggest shifts I’ve seen in the horse world over the years is how much people have softened in the wrong direction. Now don’t get me wrong — I’m all for kindness, for patience, and for empathy. But those things mean very little if they aren’t wrapped in clear leadership. Somewhere along the line, too many people started confusing kindness with permissiveness and leadership with cruelty. That’s where the wheels fall off. Because here’s the truth:

Training is not a democracy. Your horse doesn’t get a vote.

We are the leaders. And we have to act like it.

Confusing Emotion with Permission
A horse isn’t a dog, and even dogs need structure. But horses? Horses are flight animals. Horses are herd animals. They’re hardwired to look for leadership. And if they don’t find it in you, they’ll either fill that role themselves — which never ends well — or they’ll become anxious, reactive, or even dangerous. Either way, they’re not thriving, they’re surviving.

Somewhere out there, people got this idea that a horse “expressing itself” was the same thing as “being empowered.” But when that expression looks like pushing into your space, refusing to move forward, slamming on the brakes at the gate, or throwing a fit about being caught, that’s not empowerment — that’s insecurity and disrespect. That’s a lack of clear expectations. That’s a horse operating in chaos.

And a chaotic horse is a dangerous horse.

The Illusion of Fairness
I know some people mean well. They want to be “fair.” They want their horse to feel “heard.” But horses aren’t people. They don’t negotiate. They don’t take turns. They live in a world of black and white — safe or unsafe, leader or follower, respect or no respect.

If you try to run your training like a democracy — where every cue is a polite request and every command is up for discussion — you’re setting that horse up for failure. Because out in the pasture, that’s not how it works. The lead mare doesn’t ask twice. The alpha doesn’t negotiate. Leadership in the horse world is clear, consistent, and sometimes firm — but it’s always fair.

Being fair doesn’t mean weak. It doesn’t mean permissive. It means you set a boundary and you keep it.

Confidence Comes from Clarity
One of the things I say often is this: a horse is never more confident than when it knows who’s in charge and what the rules are. Period.

A horse that’s allowed to “opt out” of work when it doesn’t feel like it isn’t a happy horse. It’s a confused horse. A horse that’s allowed to drag its handler, rush the gate, balk at obstacles, or call the shots under saddle isn’t empowered — it’s insecure. It’s operating without a plan, without leadership, and without trust in its rider.

And let me tell you something — trust isn’t earned through wishy-washy “maybe-if-you-want-to” training. It’s earned through consistency, repetition, and follow-through. That’s what gives a horse confidence. That’s what earns respect. That’s what makes a horse feel safe — and therefore willing.

Manners Are Not Optional
When people send their horses to me for training, one of the first things I work on is manners. I don’t care how broke that horse is, how many blue ribbons it has, or how fancy the bloodlines are. If the horse walks through me, pulls away, crowds my space, or refuses to stand quietly, we’re not moving on until that’s fixed.

Because manners aren’t cosmetic. They’re the foundation of everything.

If your horse doesn’t respect your space on the ground, what makes you think it’ll respect your leg cues under saddle? If your horse doesn’t wait for a cue to walk off at the mounting block, what makes you think it’ll wait for your cue to lope off on the correct lead?

We don’t give horses the option to decide whether or not to be respectful. That’s not up for debate. That’s the bare minimum of the contract.

Leadership Isn’t Force — It’s Direction
Now before somebody takes this and twists it into something it’s not, let me be clear. I’m not talking about bullying. I’m not talking about fear-based training. I don’t train with anger, and I don’t train with cruelty.

But I also don’t ask twice.

When I give a cue, I expect a response. If I don’t get it, I don’t stand there and beg — I escalate until I get the response I asked for. And then I drop right back down to lightness. That’s how you teach a horse to respond to softness. Not by starting soft and staying soft no matter what. You teach softness through clarity, consistency, and fair correction when needed.

That’s leadership.

Horses Crave It — So Give It
Some of the best horses I’ve ever trained came in hot, pushy, or insecure. And some of those same horses left my place calm, willing, and confident — not because I over-handled them, but because I gave them structure. I told them where the boundaries were, and I held those boundaries every single time. I wasn’t their friend. I wasn’t their therapist. I was their leader.

And in the end, that’s what they wanted all along.

They didn’t want to vote. They wanted to be led.

Final Thought
If your horse is calling the shots — whether that’s dragging you out to the pasture, refusing to go in the trailer, tossing its head, or dictating when and how you ride — then your barn doesn’t have a training problem. It has a leadership problem.

Stop running your horse life like a town hall meeting. Training isn’t a democracy. Your horse doesn’t get a say in whether or not it respects you. That part’s not optional. Your job — your responsibility — is to show up, be consistent, and take the lead. Every time.

Because if you don’t? That horse will. And I promise you, that’s not the direction you want to go.

06/25/2025

There’s this old, tired idea that riding is about control. That dressage is about making the horse submit. Taming the wild. Forcing precision.

But here’s the truth:

You don’t ride to break the horse. You ride so 𝑦𝑜𝑢 don’t break.

Because the horse isn’t the chaos. You are.

Your fear. Your tension. Your ego. Your overthinking.
Every crooked thought runs straight down the reins.
And the horse? He doesn’t care about your excuses. He shows you exactly who you are.

So you learn to breathe. To feel. To listen more than you speak.
You learn to hold your position in the storm.
You learn to ride into the fire, not to dominate it, but to survive it.

Dressage doesn’t make you perfect.
Done right, it makes you unbreakable.

Not because you control everything. But because you learn to hold your seat when everything falls apart.

It’s not about who you are when the ride begins, it’s who you are when you dismount.