Let’s talk about communication between horse and rider ….
Most people think riding their horse means, they ride, and the horse complies.
Time in the saddle is the same as time on the ground, your communication with your horse sets the stage for how successful your relationship will be, and this pertains to people just as it does with your horse!
I just watched a video of a very well-known trainer teaching and this got me thinking about communication and how I like to teach my clients.
The rider in the video obviously was missing some core basics communication skills in her riding which I felt the trainer was ignoring. It was very difficult to watch them just working on the “tricks” rather than helping improve their balance, thoroughness, and communication with each other.
It was hard to watch because it becomes just 2 bodies moving in space very awkwardly and braced rather than 2 bodies moving in unison… which is what it MUST be.
There are expectations in the sport of dressage, and it is natural to see something you don’t like and to make a judgment call. However, it takes a special skill to see what is good and what is lacking with a horse/rider and what is lost in the communication.
How does your horse like you to communicate with them… are they sensitive, reserved, sassy or attentive?
Do you feel like you can whisper your questions, or do you have to yell sometimes?
I see many similarities with how a client communicates with their horse on the ground and with other people, and how this translates into their communication when riding. I personally always want to know what a client does for a living, what type of work they do. This says a lot about their personality and likes and dislikes.
For example, the non-horsey jobs I’ve had in the past that I enjoyed were in customer service…. being a 911 operator, and a clerk in our local Court House. I do have a Criminal Justice degree, so I tend to like order and procedures… which happens to drive my husband nuts!!
Working at 911 can be challenging… Being able to take active distress calls, while talking on the radio and relaying pertinent information to law enforcement and my coworkers.
This is so much like riding!
We must have a system when we mount a horse. We must be able to simultaneously use many independent aids to convey to our horses the questions we are asking them.
These “questions” must be clear, concise, and understood.
The level of the horse and rider dictates their ability to “multitask”.
As a trainer I use the “what, how and why” as well as the “how long, how strong, how often” in everything I ask a horse.
Remember the horse is an instant mirror to us. So, if they are not giving you the answer you want… you need to ask if you are asking the right question or do you need to ask differently so they understand.
Always evaluate your position and aids!
Can you progress if you don’t have the correct foundation?
Do you have a clear system when riding?
Does your horse know what to expect?
How do you connect with your horse before riding? Do you just groom, tack up and get on and then demand they listen to you?
It’s very important to allow your horse to have input, to open the dialogue of conversation prior to mounting… This is a relationship we are building daily!
Do you let them have a minute in the arena, to walk around and settle and be able to take a deep breath and get a soft eye and connect to you? If we are in a hurry and just do things to them and expect things from them, they will feel like an object and not your partner.
Please put the horse first, think about how you would like your relationship to be, how you would like your communication to flow, have a system, be clear, fair, and relaxed!
I share are in hopes of helping others… it is not easy in the horse community to put yourself out there and not be judged. Who are we to judge others anyway!? Everyone must find their own way in life, and if we listen…. Our horses will tell us what they need! Horses are our greatest teachers…
As trainers and horse owners we need to consider the horse always, it is much like solving a puzzle… that can change from day to day!
My horse Delicanto “Eli” has the perfect life in my opinion. He gets about 10 hours of turn out in a grass pasture daily with his BFF. When inside, he has a huge stall 20×12 with a large paddock outside attached. I work him 4-5 days a week, (2 on, one day off, then 3 days on, so it’s split up and not 5 days in a row) and one of those days is super easy, with walks around the property, trail rides, in addition to Liberty work and playing games. After a show he will get 3-4 days off minimum.
I try extremely hard to keep things interesting and different for the horses, to keep them happy and interested.
All that being said, over the past year Eli started struggling with basics and started to have issues with his hooves, quarter cracks and sensitivity. His “9” walk disappeared, it became lateral, he was intermittently lame on his RH. Why… nothing changed!?
Well, if you read my first Blog there was some significant issues with a custom saddle, I had made for him. I know now that it contributed more than I ever imagined! I am not saying this was the only contributing factor, but it definitely caused him major discomfort.
He started having major attitude problems at home and at shows. He loves to get in the trailer and hang out with me at shows, but that does not mean that it doesn’t contribute to his stress.
In addition, I received a comment at my last show from the judge, that the horse had attitude issues. I was unable to get our qualifying score for 1-3 which is only a 66%. This horse had been getting at least a 70%. I was incredibly sad we did not qualify for Regional Championships. I was even more worried that there was something seriously wrong with my young handsome boy!
The Monday after the show, which was July 18, 2022, I called my vet first thing in the morning, and said we need to figure out what is wrong with Eli… x-rays, scans, whatever I need to do, I was afraid! My vet asked what happened and what I was noticing… to which he replied let’s start with an endoscopy. I thought… my horse does NOT have ulcers! He is so chill and has the best life ever!!
Well…. my poor boy had Grade 3 (out of 5) Gastric Ulcers present in the pylorus and both the glandular and non-glandular portions of the stomach. I was relieved with the diagnosis because Ulcers can be treated easily!! (Not cheap however)
I gave him 6 weeks off to help with the recovery and did the Gastro Guard Treatment for 6 weeks along with a product that goes into his feed called Relyne. We went on hand walks, and he got body work daily and hung out with his BFF in the pasture!
At his 6-week re-scope he still has Grade 1 Ulcers, and they were just around his pylorus… We did another month of GG. I started riding him again lightly and he felt darn amazing under saddle! I did not realize we had lost so much until we had it back!!
After the Ulcer treatment, I took him back to the same show venue in Santa Fe, NM (which he really does love) and this time our scores in 1-3 over 3 days were:
(I only do 1 class a day with him)
65.56%
69.17%
70.69 % …. MY BOY IS BACK!
After the additional month of the GG treatment, the ulcers were gone. So now we spend a month tapering off the GG. For those of you that have tried GG, without scoping your horse… well, I say scope them to be sure. Why give them med’s if they don’t need them. Also, be sure to ask your vet how to properly dose them, it needs to be on an empty stomach and no food for an hour after. It’s just too expensive to waste honestly!
The symptoms for Ulcers from horse to horse can vary SIGNIFICANTLY! Each horse is unique and has a different tolerance for pain. I will undoubtedly get a horse scoped quickly if there are any unexplained issues now.
The photo with second-place ribbon on my boy’s face means a lot to me… we earned a 70.694% with 7 other successful professional’s in the class (First Level test 3). It’s never about the color of the ribbon, it’s the score that matters.
This was a VERY competitive class, and I am SOOO proud of him!
Please educate yourself, there are many sources available online, here is one from American Association of Equine Practitioners.
“Equine gastric ulcers can affect any horse at any age. Up to 90 percent of racehorses and 60 percent of show horses, as well as non-performance horses and even foals are affected by equine gastric ulcers.” By Scott R. McClure, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVS, Diplomate ACVSMR
If I know the horse is happy in their life, then I can focus on the training.
My Check:
Are they happy in their environment?
Do they have friends/companions, this is vital to their soul! (Think about it, how would you like to sit in a car 8 hours with someone you do not necessarily get along with or care for?
Regular teeth maintenance?
A good farrier that knows how to properly balance their feet?
Has the saddle been evaluated by a professional?
Does the bridle and bit fit properly and is it comfortable for them?
How is the horse’s diet (no processed grain and quality hay)?
Do they get turn out, and access to pasture?
Do they get regular bodywork?
Does the owner exercise and get regular bodywork?
Happy Riding and be sure to be developing your relationship with your horses for lifelong happiness.
I have dreamed of wearing a top hat and tails since I was a young 14-year-old girl, growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. Like many others in this sport, I started riding hunter/jumpers, and when my trainer moved to Lamplight Equestrian Center, I followed. I dabbled in a few three-day eventing shows on a big, beautiful Polish Trakehner who was owned by one of the Lamplight partners. This is where I quickly found my true passion in dressage.
I was fortunate to be a working student at Lamplight Equestrian Center for many years as a teenager in the 80s before “Lamplight” became what it is today.
There’s just something about dressage that makes so much sense, and feels so good and effortless when it is correct. We all know when we get “that” feeling – the feeling that keeps us coming back and striving for more.
My parents never bought me a horse, though, and I had to work for my lessons. I would groom all the school horses, clean tack… whatever was needed. I remember having the horses checked with a white glove for cleanliness, and the tack meticulously examined every single day. In all honesty, I believe this made me a better horseman. I truly loved every single minute spent at the stables, and still do to this day!
I always joked that I would ride anything with four legs, and I learn so much from every horse I ride. Each horse will teach you what they need – if you listen. As a young girl, I was fortunate enough to sit on many horses at different stages of their training, and I got the feel for the FEI work at an early age.
Then, unfortunately, I had some gaps in my dressage life, and I only had the opportunity to own my own horse once I could buy one myself in my late 20s. Fast forward many years, to raising two beautiful girls and moving from coast to coast. I have found a great clientele here in the small, beautiful mountain town of Durango, Colorado.
I met and started working with Whisper, aka “Whisper of God,” in October of last year (2023). His owner, Rae Randolph, found him while perusing Warmblood-Sales.com and dreaming of finally riding dressage after riding and competing Saddlebreds.
I had not met Rae before; she lives in a neighboring town, Pagosa Springs, approximately one-and-a-half hours from me. She was working with a hunter/jumper trainer in her area, and they were having some issues. This trainer reached out to me and kindly introduced us. The rest is history, as they say. Whisper and I hit it off instantly!! When I first sat on him, I could feel him say (in a whisper), ”You speak my language!” It felt meant to be.
However, in February 2023, I was involved in a horrible accident and experienced many health issues as a result. I was in the passenger seat of a huge Ford F-250 truck, when a drunk driver ran a red light (at 10:15 in the morning, and she didn’t have insurance to boot!), and T-boned us at 50 miles per hour. I took the impact that flipped the truck on its side. While hanging from my seat belt, I couldn’t help but be grateful the airbags did what they were supposed to do.
Thankfully, I did not have any broken bones or visible injuries – although I sometimes wonder if things would have been easier if I had just broken something. Instead, my immune system went haywire, and I was so fatigued that I could barely move for months, and I was left with permanent nerve damage over my right eye; it is droopy now, and my vision has been deteriorating.
In January 2024, when we were setting our goals for the year (one of my favorite things to do!!) Rae said she wanted me to try to compete with Whisper at Prix St. Georges (PSG); it was her dream. I was excited, honored, and a bit skeptical – I did not have the stamina to ride that seriously at the time. Teaching just one lesson would wear me out!
So, we took it one day at a time. Whisper desperately needed a clear foundation, based off of the Pyramid of Training, to fill in some holes in his training by focusing on the basics. A few years prior, Whisper had shown at Fourth Level in Canada, and his work ethic and willingness to learn were unfaltering.
Unfortunately, in our location, traveling to shows in Region 5 is challenging. Our closest competition is in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is four hours away, or we drive roughly seven hours to shows in Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. It takes dedication to compete, but in my opinion, the lessons learned at horse shows are invaluable, and I am an avid seeker of knowledge, education, and advancement in this sport.
Our debut at PSG was in Santa Fe in June 2024, and we earned the qualifying scores for my USDF Silver Rider Medal right off the bat! The PSG test is so fun to ride and flows nicely, and with each consecutive show, our scores keep improving. Our relationship grew, and we really started to get in sync with each other. We just returned from the 2024 Great American/USDF Region 5 Championships, and I am very proud of the effort and experience for both of us. There was some incredible competition, and we both grew and learned much about each other.
It is now time for Rae, his owner, to enjoy her journey in this sport, and Whisper will guide her on that path. I will continue to work with him on the FEI movements, see where the road takes us, and listen to whispers from the horses…
Have you ever met someone and thought… why in the world did it take us so long to connect!?!?! I truly believe that people, horses and circumstances come into our lives when we are ready for them.
Well, Stephany did that for all of us… riders and auditors alike.
Stephany has a phenomenal eye, can explain things in so many ways for each person. Is funny, kind, and easy to talk to. She made such incredible changes in all the riders, and the improvements in the horses were astonishing to say the least. She is incredibly gifted, and we all were so fortunate to soak up everything she had to present and share with us., and it was such a pleasure to watch her help the riders understand where they needed to be in the saddle to stay with the activity and not hinder the horse’s motion and instead improve their balance and movement.
If you aren’t feeling humbled in this sport, you are not growing! Get out of your comfort zone! Expand your knowledge and dare to push yourself and learn from others.
If you aren’t learning, you’re not growing!
If you have been in this horse world long enough, or other sports… you know that our own proprioception is a bugger.
Without proprioception, you wouldn’t be able to move without thinking about your next step. Proprioception allows you to walk without consciously thinking about where to place your foot next. It lets you touch your elbow with your eyes closed.
Remember we are also sitting on a creature that has its own sense of proprioception!! Which is why it is important to ride on different surfaces, use cavaletti’s etc…. digging deeper on working with our horse’s proprioception is for another post!!
I love my horse community; we are so fortunate to have one another, and we all lift each other up and support one another. We had the most amazing potluck lunches, where we warmed up (it was about 30 degrees 😊) and shared thoughts from our lessons and watching the others, followed by a full hour of un-mounted work and Q&A!!
To say our brains were overflowing with amazing new knowledge
is a massive understatement!!
I have always considered myself a bit of a biomechanics nut, and the RWYM program is phenomenal and a great addition to my toolbox.
We will have Stephany back in April 2025. In addition, I am also excited to be heading to Florida at the end of February 2025 to ride with the legend herself Mary Wanless!!
Feedback from the riders and auditors
Stephany, as a representative of Mary Wanless method, was positively artful in her delivery of the message.
I had to go through five stages of Grief to begin teaching myself a better way of being.
DENIAL-I am NOT crooked in my seat!
ANGER-How dare you tell me I am crooked in my seat!
BARGAINING-I’m old, injured, tired, please let me ride with my crooked seat…
DEPRESSION-geez, I’ve been riding with a crooked seat for so long I don’t know if I can change it…
ACCEPTANCE-Okay, I got this crooked seat, and when I sit in the most uncomfortable, awkward position, I can feel knots disappear out of my horse’s back, loin, haunches and brain. I’m all in.
I had to be called out on my extreme stubbornness to begin, to offer my horse a better deal. While difficult to hear, it was exactly what I needed to experience a vastly better way of dancing with my horse.
Pictures don’t lie~
Stephany was able to offer me what I could afford to hear and left me wanting more. Just as a good trainer should leave the horse.
I’d like to name just a few pearls that I continue to ruminate on:
1. Where do I hold tension in my body? What can I do?
2. Remind myself to just breath, for me, a nice hold at the top is helpful.
3. Can I feel both seat bones? Raise my left toes? Narrow the left seat bone. Hang right cheek.
4. How much weight is in my feet? Knees internally rotated?
5. Line of sight, through the ears? Horse’s neck straight?
6. How do those three parts feel? Is the front traveling the same speed as the back? Fix it.
7. Are you focused? Are you fair? Do you have bridles on those monkeys?
8. Is your front the same length as your back? Shoulders, relaxed?
9. Down dog ribs.
10. Un weight right seat bone-be very, very aware going right. Centrifugal force throws me off. You gonna let it? Going left is easier, pay attention to how great it feels. Recognize the difference.
11.What’s my self-talk? Get out of my own way, do the work.
12. Be stubborn for good!
13. Observe, remember and compare.
14. Also, words are just words, it’s not personal. Am I missing the lesson because I don’t like the language?
I cannot thank Carol Cunefare enough for this incredible experience, I never would have grown so much without having the garden prepared.
The journey just keeps getting better. I much look forward to the view from the next mountain.
When the student is ready, the teacher appears.
Gratefully yours,
~Laura
Participating in the clinic taught by Stephany has been transformative for me and my mare. She is a delight to work with, laughing and communicating with her students in such a respectful way, making everyone feel comfortable so they are in a place where they can learn effectively.
Stephany teaches concepts so clearly! I learned so much about biometrics and body awareness. My riding has improved with a state of balance, and with strength and confidence, and yet also lightness and nuance. The most impactful thing she gave me was confidence to ride! To be a leader for my horse. She has given me the knowledge and skills to go to the next level, now I just need to put in the practice!
Thank you, Stephanie! I can’t wait to have you back for more learning in the spring!
~Holly
The 3-day clinic was everything I expected it to be. Stephany was an exceptional clinician, very knowledgeable, made it fun and was able to instruct each horse and rider combination through different techniques.
I was able to learn plenty by observing and listening to the individual lessons. The question-and-answer sessions were also very informative. She shows a passion and a true desire to share her expertise on rider biomechanics.
I look forward to her return in April.
~B.A.
I thought it was a great clinic! I thought Stephanie had a great eye and a very easy way of explaining things. She had a lot of different analogies that helped riders make sense of what she was looking for.
I LOVED it when she asked people if they were breathing down to their belly button and immediately the horse would take a deep breath! So cool how much our horses can feel us up there and tune into our breath, our tension etc…. I loved that she had one person sing the ABCs and the horse very visibly started to relax. This was a good take away for me, to sing or hum when I’m riding, because I forget to breath and get tense and too in my head.
Her explanation of what the “seat” consists of, was interesting to me. I’ve always thought of the seat as core and pelvis only.
~Meg
Our three-day clinic on the Bio-Mechanics of Riding with Stephany Crossman revealed not only my weaknesses but also my strengths. Alignment was a key topic for me, as was the proper use and balance of the aids.
Stephany’s explanation of rhythm and how to find it and keep it, relating to my horse specifically, was extremely helpful. A very unique and meaningful clinic!! Thank you, Stephany!!
~Janet
IF YOU ARE OUT OF BALANCE, YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM
This statement keeps ringing in my head following Stephany’s amazing three-day seminar at Durango Dressage.
When riding Whisper, I had been aware of certain weaknesses in my body that I knew were negatively influencing our performance and ability to move forward in our goals. Stephany, however, was able to pinpoint those weak areas which created loss of balance, which then created negative tension resulting in an inability for Whisper to move freely and “carry” me.
Stephany personalized the training experience with specific exercises that isolated the areas that were contributing to my imbalances. She then made it fun and challenged me with descriptive names for my newly acquired aids. My “hunchie-old-lady,” “laser-beam” and “chip-clip” are now art of my arsenal to keep myself, and therefore my horse, in balance.
