Quick Recap: Thank you to everyone who used the TOGETHER coupon code for Memorial Day, for we donated an entire truckload of groceries to the Wellington Regional Medical Center in response. To all of the front line workers, we thank and whole-heartedly support you! Check out the Article on EQ Media here. 

In the midst of the horse world re-emerging, lessons may start to commence and shows are excitingly coming up! If you plan on continuing to social distance yourself as much as possible, there are many online resources to utilize. Training yourself and schooling your horse for a show is a lot of work. Having a watchful eye on the ground is always helpful in pointing out your mistakes with distances, position, transitions and more. When that isn’t available, there are resources available to help develop your skills even during a pandemic. 

Videos are a wonderful thing, and no we don’t mean TikTok. Taking full-length videos of highlights and gymnastics can be highly effective in receiving feedback from your trainer. Smartphones have enough camera quality now that being able to detect details and small mistakes will be easy. Similar to a dressage test, you’ll be able to receive written feedback to review and process before your next ride.

Reviewing videos along with a trainer can be especially beneficial to view their critiques from their standpoint. Watching your own riding from the ground can help reveal what you’ve been struggling with from a different perspective. Being able to pause videos and note specific areas will increase specificity and decrease confusion about what you should be “feeling” vs. what you can physically “see” from the ground. For example, if you have a bad habit of twisting your upper body at the canter, after it has become a habit, it may be difficult to notice how often you do it. Watching the video, it will become plain and simple to see.

Asking someone to videotape for you is an excellent resource and cheaper than an automatic tracking device (significant others that are easily roped in are perfect for jobs such as these!).

If you’ve been saving up and have the budget, check out robotic camera/stand set ups. No need to dismount to adjust the tripod or dragging your S.O. out to the ring on a windy day. 

Using this time to seek professional tips, advice and healthy constructive criticism from other trainers is possible without traveling now too! Masterclasses by Noelle Floyd are an excellent resource to learn from the pros. There are many online resources offer a great wealth of knowledge on a variety of non-equine subjects too from chess to ballet to leadership to filmmaking for your out-of-the-saddle time. 

There are lots of free riding and training blogs, websites and YouTube pages that are dedicated to developing riders via distance learning.