Bell Mountain Eventing

09/28/2026

09/20/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲. 🐴

Polework has a habit of exposing the things that were already missing.

A horse that stays round and soft on the flat but rushes, tightens or inverts over poles isn't suddenly becoming a different horse. The poles have simply highlighted a weakness in their balance, reactions or understanding. That's why I don't see poles as something to get through. I see them as an opportunity to improve the quality of the work.

If the horse speeds up, I ask them to slow down. If they lose their softness, I ask for it back. If they can't stay relaxed in trot, I'll walk over the poles first until they understand that the exercise doesn't change the standard I'm expecting. The goal is never just to get from one side of the poles to the other. The goal is to go over them with the same rhythm, balance and freedom that you had on the approach. 🎯

When riders tell me they're struggling to keep a soft contact over poles, I don't tell them to soften their hands. I ask why they're having to hold in the first place. Once the horse learns to stay balanced and wait for the rider, the contact becomes softer because the horse is allowing it to be.

𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. ✅

09/18/2026

When you ask your horse to back up, instead of thinking of it as a rein back, think of it as a seat back.

Can you create the backward movement from your seat and body with both legs positioned behind the girth, rather than relying on the reins to pull the horse backward?

The rein back is still a forward energy movement and should come from the horse understanding aids, not simply from pressure on the mouth.

The more clearly we organize our own bodies, the easier it is for the horse to understand what we’re asking.

09/08/2026

𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀... 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲?

It is easy to lump these two movements together because both involve moving the horse's hind end away from pressure. Developmentally and structurally, however, they are entirely different exercises that use the horse's body in contrasting ways. Understanding the distinction is key to developing proper balance, straightness, and self-carriage.

When looking at the 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱, the mechanics require the horse to engage the inside hind leg. The movement maintains on a coordinated diagonal balance pairing the inside hind to the outside front. The horse maintains a correct line of travel, keeping the ribcage lifted and the inside shoulder elevated. Rather than dumping weight onto the forehand, the inside hind steps underneath and takes weight, creating a rotational action around the forehand while the front legs articulate in place or take small, rhythmic steps. This is excellent for teaching the horse to move away from the inside leg, increasing suppleness through the hindquarters, and introducing the concept of weight-shifting without losing structural integrity.

On the other hand, 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀, which is often used as a tool for quick safety disengagements, asks the horse to step the hind legs laterally across, completely crossing the inside hind over the outside hind. During this movement, the horse leans in on the inside shoulder. This shifts their weight forward and down, placing them in an incorrect or temporary defensive or submissive balance. While this is highly useful as an emergency brake, a groundwork tool for emotional regulation, or a foundational control of speed and power, it is not a posture of collection or proper longitudinal balance.

Both have their proper place in a well-rounded training program, but they serve entirely different purposes. A turn on the forehand builds engagement and coordination through the diagonal pairs, while disengaging the hindquarters shifts the horse into a posture of yielding control. Knowing which tool to use, and understanding what is actually happening in your horse’s body, prevents us from accidentally teaching habits that compromise their balance or over-using a simple foundational tool that should only sparingly be applied.

🐴 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 2 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨?

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Our focus this month in the 𝘼𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 is "Turns on the Forehand and Haunches" Be sure to look back over our recent posts and stay tuned for more on this subject all month long.

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09/01/2026

Gathering the Horse from the Core


The Puppet Master’s Touch

When we talk about "gathering" or collecting a horse in classical dressage, the immediate reflex for many riders is to reach for the reins or squeeze with the legs. We attempt to frame the horse from the outside in—using hand pressure to control the front end and leg pressure to push the..............
https://classicalridingreflection.com/blogs-%26-more/f/the-puppet-master%E2%80%99s-touch

08/30/2026

Put it on your calendar! We’re going on a road trip to the mountains! 🏔️🛻

We sincerely hope to see you all next year!
Bring friends!