Solutions: Seek the Connection

Try this tip from Karen Adams to have your horse reach into both reins when asking him to stretch forward and down.

To encourage your horse to seek the connection and reach into both reins when asking him to stretch forward and down … 

Close your leg and give your reins forward, thinking of the reins as telephone lines where the messages can be sent and received only if the circuit is not broken or loopy.

— Karen Adams 

Illustration by Sandy Rabinowitz

Karen Adams is s a retired U.S. Equestrian Federation “R” dressage judge, instructor and coach in Keedysville, Maryland. Previously, she was the head instructor at Linda Zang’s Idlewilde Farm and competed through Prix St. Georges.

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of Practical Horseman. 

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