HippoLogic’s blog written by Sandra Poppema, BSc
Often when I watch people ride I see struggle. I see a lot of frustration and it seems so difficult to learn how to ride. Truth is, that it\’s partially in the way riding is taught, but it doesn\’t have to be like that. Riding and learning to ride can be relatively easy and effortless if […]
The 5 Essentials of Good Riding lessons (2/5) Read More »
In my previous post What if your horse doesn\’t like arena work I already mentioned that the first step is to find out the reason why. If you can exclude physical reasons like pain from the saddle, medical reasons like hoof cracks or maybe an unskillful (or rude) rider and so on, you can look for solutions
How to… make the arena more appealing Read More »
Whenever an idea forms about what I want to teach my horse Kyra I set it as a goal. I then start writing a training plan and make a shaping plan to achieve this goal. Goal setting My goal in this example is teaching Kyra to stand still, next to a mounting block, until I mounted and give the
How to teach your horse anything Read More »
This is a challenge a lot of clicker trainers face. You start making adjustments in your training when you start using positive reinforcement and it works… Then you suddenly find yourself in a traditional/natural horsemanship or other negative reinforcement or pressure-release situation figuring out how to apply positive reinforcement. How do you apply positive reinforcement methods
Create +R solutions in a -R environment Read More »
Dressage riders who use positive reinforcement have asked me: \’I can\’t click and reward my horse during a dressage test. So how can I practice a test and still use clicker training?\’ Or they say: \’I don\’t want my horse to stop in the middle of the test because he expects a treat\’ or \’He stops because he is used to
How to… train for a dressage test with clicker training Read More »
Why would you give your child a whip when it start to ride? Isn\’t that weird. If you think about it… Think about it!
It starts with a helmet and a whip Read More »
In another blog I gave tips for riders who are visual learners. If your learning style is more kinesthetic/tactile you may benefit by practising the test by \’riding\’ it. You can practise without your horse. Kinesthetic/tactile learners You can learn the test by \’riding\’ it by yourself to get the feel. Make a little arena by printing the
More Tips for Training for a dressage test Read More »
Memorizing a dressage test can be difficult. You can read the test over and over, but if you\’re a \’visual learner\’ it helps to \’see\’ the test. In that case a dressage-test-board can help you. With a dressage-test-board you can \’ride\’ the test on the board and make the exercises visual. I used to practise my tests
DIY learn-a-dressage-test board Read More »
I get that question a lot lately. A horse has to to what the riders asks, is a motto most riders have. Otherwise he is \’testing you\’, \’disobedient\’ , \’disrespecting you\’ or \’he will become the leader\’ and what not. Not my horse! The other day at the barn someone said to me: \”You do
What to do if your horse doesn\’t listen? (A question about Clicker training) Read More »
Today\’s filming session didn\’t go as planned. First of all the barn was full of people riding their horses. Most evenings I am all by myself and I didn\’t expect it to be so busy. So I wanted to do something else first, instead of riding. Three days ago I have entered a clicker training
My promised video: cantering with a flag! Read More »
