Tara Nolan Horses Learning Focused Lessons for Adults

Hello Everyone, This blog is going to discuss my 2018 PSG show at Fox Lea where I had two chances to score 60% to complete my USDF Silver Medal. I have included video from Saturday and Sunday along with what we did differently to improve our performance for Sunday.  While quality, strength and balance are […]

Hello Everyone, It’s been a while since I’ve written about my dressage journey and I will have some back filling to do but for today I want to share a brief overview of our spring training in Florida.  The quick recap is Donzer and I scored a 61.7% on our first PSG and then for […]

Hello Everyone, What I felt on Ava today what how important it is to set the rhythm, cadence and tempo.  I’ve read and heard and seen when giving lessons how the horse can take over the tempo and destabilize the rider.  I also know that part of the natural progression of riding is first you […]

Hello Everyone, As I’m capturing my “aha” moments during my Florida 2015 immersion, I am remembering my Philosophy 101 from my USAFA (college) days.  Aristotle talked about goodness and then there was Good.  Aristotle also discussed the difference in happiness versus Happiness.  What I took away from the lecture is there are actions that are […]

Hello Everyone, Growing up I ran track and cross country and in college I started lifting weights as well.  I had horses out in my country home in West Virginia and we had two basic gears walk (past the neighbors’ houses so they didn’t call my mom and complain) and gallop everywhere else.  Getting ready […]

Hello Everyone, As I am here in Venice, Florida at Fox Lea Farm in my first dressage immersion experience I am making writing a core part of the learning experience for myself.  I was planning to get a lot of work done on my upcoming book, “Learning Dressage at the Walk” but have underestimated the […]

Hello Everyone, I learned almost 10 years ago in a clinic riding my paint mare, Ally, to try to leg yield into the canter as it will help Ally’s balance.  For Ally, who was very unbalanced and, for me, very new to dressage, all the leg yield did was heighten Ally’s awareness that a request […]

Hello Everyone, When I teach my students the order of the aides one exercise is to do a leg yield on the open side of the circle.  To accomplish this exercise the rider must coordinate the inside leg at the girth to move the horse sideways and use their outside aids-hand, knee, leg-to keep the […]

Hello Everyone, For many years I’ve wondered how you bring a horse back from a trot extension on the diagonal to the working gait in the corner without pulling back on the reins.  Pulling back on the reins always blocks the shoulders, the horse brings its nose towards their chest and the horse falls on […]

Hello Everyone, I know what a shoulder in is but to feel it from the saddle is not something I’m 100% sure I can do yet.  Each day on my Florida 2015 trip I am accessing the top line muscles in Donzer’s body so I am getting more air time, impulsion and ground cover.  Taking […]