August 7th: Stephen Bradley Clinic

 Join us for another day of lessons on August 7th with Stephen Bradley at the awesome A Bit Better Farm in Brookeville, Maryland.   

Stephen enjoys teaching all levels of riders from beginners to the advanced competitor. His enthusiasm, talent for communication, and ability to inspire confidence in the horse and rider make him a hit with riders of all levels. When training with Stephen, you can be confident that you will receive expert instruction for your level of riding. You can learn more about Stephen at www.stephensbradley.com.

Jump lessons will be 75 minutes each, with 3 riders per group

Dressage lessons will be 45 minutes each, private (limited availability)

Costs: $115 for Jump lessons; $155 for Dressage lessons (cash, check and credit cards accepted)

Please contact Margaret Rizzo at margaret@mythiclanding.com or (301) 502-8929 to sign up for any (or all!) of the clinics.  Cash, checks and credit cards accepted.

A full list of activities for the year can be found on our web site (http://mythiclanding.com/activities.htm) or facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mythic-Landing-Enterprises-LLC/231445710243540).  Be sure to check back often for updates.  Or just tell Margaret to add you to our e-mail list.

Why You Don’t Want to Pull on the Inside Rein – and What To Do Instead

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share this brief, informative article with you all about pulling on the inside rein because I feel it is a concept that is known, but not fully understood among many riders. Growing up in the hunter/jumper world, I was told about outside rein contact but I was never taught the importance of it, or why that is your main support rein. I often used my reins to assist when steering my horse and sometimes, I found myself in trouble, yet didn't know why it didn't always work for me. It wasn't until a few years ago, when I began taking dressage lessons, that I fully learned about outside rein contact and why it is such a major "no-no" to pull on the inside rein. Once the biomechanics of the horse and their body movements were broken down and explained, it made perfect sense that pulling on the inside rein prohibits the hind leg from coming all the way through. DUH TARA! While I am fortunate I learned this and my dressage riding has greatly improved, I still see a lot of riders out there, in all disciplines, that pull on that inside rein a little too often.

This article, from Horselistening.com, does a great job of explaining the importance of not pulling on the inside rein, as well as things to do to avoid this common mistake. Enjoy!

Tara

Ps- If you really have some time to kill, here's another great article on properly turning your horse. Check it out here.

My crooked eared friend ...

So while in the Dominican Republic for our honeymoon, Scott and I decided to go on the horseback riding excursion in the nearby town.  I didn't know what to expect, as I've never done the rent-a-horse type thing before, but overall it was fun.  The horses were a bit skinny, but no more so than I expected. The tack was ancient and sometimes rusty.  But all in all, the horses didn't have the worst life you could imagine.  So instead of a lot of rambling, I'll just post the photos here.  Enjoy!

The view for my ride. Note to self: When going on a rent-a-horse excursion, don't let your well-meaning husband announce that you are a VERY experienced rider.  They give you the crazy horse that tries to take off any chance he gets.  And instead of sitting like a bump on a log like everyone else, you spend the first portion of the ride trying to install a half halt.

All the horses looked to have mostly Thoroughbred blood in them.

A Dominican barn dog.

The stables.

You know you want one of our helmets.  PS Ignore our horses' cranky faces.  They did not like each other.

Going up one of the big hills.

One of the views.

Our resort in the background.

We came to like each other by the end of the ride.

Scott's pony.  He told me he felt safer on this critter than he does on Lissell.  I was moderately offended.

My little crooked eared friend.

Check out MLE's YouTube Page!

Did you know that MLE has our own YouTube Channel?  Check us out here: http://www.youtube.com/user/mythical84.

You'll find videos of our clients in action, plus horses for sale and clinic coverage.  Plus Lucas makes an appearance here and there!