Photo l-A More Elastic Topline

Thank you, Joanna, for submitting this photo of you and your Mustang partner. First, we do not think you are too big for this horse. The only consideration when you ride a smaller horse and you are taller is that you must learn to be very correct in your position and weight placement, because it has such a great effect. Also, you must learn to use your aids quietly and effectively so you compliment each other. Of course, all riders need to consider these same issues but it is espe­cially important in cases such as this.

We like the look of your horse, and he seems a sensible type and suited for this activity. He has a good hind leg that reaches under his body, is nicely turned out, and is in good weight and condition. He seems to be correctly on the bit and just needs to continue his development by coming up a bit more in the shoulders.

Here is a good exercise for getting a more elastic topline: Ride as you are in this picture and then supple your horse with a combination of forward-driving aids (to keep him forward) as you use a suppling flexion rein and a series of balancing half halts (to keep him from speeding up). Use your legs to ride for­ward toward your suppling hands.

You will come to a moment of elastic­ity and balance, and you may miss that moment a few times as you pass by that window of opportunity, so pay atten­tion and watch for it. When you feel that spot where your horse is a bit more supple than normal in the rein and his back but still pushing forward in good balance, then soften your reins slightly and push him with a bit more vigorous leg aids so he tries to lift up and ac­celerate through his shoulders more. He is likely to be good for just a few strides before running out of balance or getting wrong in the bridle. When he does, go back to the beginning of this exercise and set up that feeling again. Eventually, you can coordinate this in all gaits and your horse will develop better range of motion and work toward an uphill structure.

There are a few things to address in your posture, as well. Your overall alignment of shoul­der, hip and heel is quite good, but-you could open your chest a bit by taking a deep breath and then letting your shoulders open and relax a bit as you exhale. Let the relax­ation flow all the way through your arms and then spend a bit of time thinking about your fore­arms and hand position. You need to bend your elbow just a bit and then arrange your hands about two to three inches above the withers. Keep your fingers softly closed around the reins with thumbs on top. Keep checking this position after you apply any aids, and fix whatever is wrong.

Even for a schooling show, it is nice to wear white gloves and light-colored breeches (even if they aren't white) so that the judge can see all of your parts without them blending together too much. This looks like a fun project. Good luck to you both!

Please thank your readers for all of the encouragement given to Haley and Beau to ignore the “your horse won’t be taken seriously” comment because apparently the judges thought differently. Out of the six different events in which she competed, Haley placed first, second, third and fifth in her first show with her first horse. She was so thrilled. And we heard lots of chatter among the other riders about “the mustang” and how he was such a cute horse and so well behaved. Haley’s best friend, Ariana, was her groomer for the day.