In this video, Karen demonstrates counter-bending exercises to do at the walk and trot that help in creating alignment, flexibility, and suppleness. This will help riders coordinate between bend and line of direction. These exercises are helpful for anyone who has working or collected gaits, and ...

This video shows you a 4-Step exercise that will help you check how much your seat connection works inside the connection with the reins. Sometimes it's easier to have a seat connection when riding with no reins, but it can be a challenge to keep that seat connection when the reins are there! Thi...

Watch as Karen coaches a rider through an exercise to give her a feeling of her horse becoming more engaged. This horse and rider have an excellent foundation and connection already, but the horse is built downhill, so when the rider tries to bring the horse up, they get stuck with a heavier cont...

In this video, you will see a challenging but potentially powerful exercise to do to increase your horse’s collectibility. It is a simple pattern with a lot of relaxation built into it, but it also requires that you and your horse organize yourselves for collection! You will see a rider play with...

Karen describes and shows different postures of stretched versus working versus collected. She includes a comparison of Working Gaits with the poll the highest point and with the poll low. Karen took video from some normal training sessions and describes the different postures she asked for at di...

Karen reminds you of the importance of knowing the purpose of the exercises you are doing.

This video shows how active transitions in and out of back ups can be very engaging. You will hear Karen narrate over video of Solana, Natilla and Ovation to show how this simple skill is important for more advanced movements later.

This video is good for anyone developing collectibility. It is ...

Karen rides Natilla as she demonstrates a counter-intuitive exercise: To ride your horse down a hill in order to help get a feel for lightness in the shoulders! Of course, it’s all about HOW you ride down the hill! This video is good for anyone who is able to stop from their seat and is ready to ...

Karen demonstrates how to ask your horse for more energy and effort in the walk. Horses often break gait into the trot and Karen will show you how to handle that. What Karen teaches here can also be applied when you ask your horse for more energy at the trot. In this video Karen is riding Hot Sho...

It is not uncommon for some horses to 'hop' into the trot from the walk. This can happen for several reasons, but it's often related to tightness in the back or lack of thoroughness. Some horses just tend to do it by nature, but often I see it appear at a stage when riders are asking for more col...

In this video, you will see Karen coach two very differently conformed horses through a similar exercise in order to increase their thoroughness, balance, and power during Medium Trot. Medium Trot is a lengthened trot, but with a more uphill balance than a Lengthening. Both of these horses have a...

Karen gives you the 3 questions that are in her mind when riding refined transitions. There are many ways to ride and use transitions when training your horse. This video is meant to help riders who have a sweet spot of working gaits and are wanting to be able to smoothly transition from one work...

This video shows different stages of a ride Karen did on Ovation so you can see the difference in his posture and biomechanics as he increases his engagement. It’s so helpful to observe how one particular horse can transform within one ride. Of course Ovation is advanced, and developing this take...

Watch Karen do a complete ride on Natilla. Karen will explain what she was doing and thinking during the ride. Karen is seeking to sustain her level of collectibility more consistently while touching on some more difficult movements. You will feel like you are there with Karen watching a typical ...

Karen coaches two students to do Hindquarter Yields - In Motion while riding. This movement is an important building block that will help you and your horse learn how to connect the inside hind with the outside shoulder (Essential Gymnastic Ability #5!). This skill, when refined, will help you in...

In this video, Karen rides Solana and narrates as she goes through several patterns to warm Solana up to do canter pirouettes off a straight line. Even if you are not ready for canter pirouettes at this time, you can still do the first few exercises shown! You will learn Karen’s thought process a...

Karen and Solana demonstrate how you can use riding down a hill to improve your half pass/haunches-in as well as your collectibility at the canter. Karen uses the hill to let gravity create more scope in Solana’s half pass at the walk as a warm up, then moves to collected canter. Karen canters do...

This video shows one of Karen’s favorite patterns for horses who are confident in their working gaits. If you are already playing with leg yields and smaller circles, this is a great pattern to improve your and your horse’s coordination and skills. It is a simple pattern that you can modify to ma...

Karen rides her horse Natilla through an exercise for lengthening and shortening the stride. You will hear her explain what she is feeling and doing in the moment.

This video is great for anyone to watch and learn. The exercise is appropriate for anyone practicing their working gaits in order to...

In this video, Karen demonstrates a powerful pattern you can do to increase straightness, suppleness, and engagement. To do this exercise you and your horse need to be proficient and confident at shoulder in, counter shoulder in, haunches in, and renvers.

Karen rides Solana and demonstrates how she uses a neck rope during dressage in order to create more lightness of the front end, or a taller neck. She will explain how a neck rope could be used also for basic stopping and turning, but in this video she uses it in a more refined way. This video is...

Karen coaches two riders through two different ways to ride a shallow loop serpentine at the trot and the canter:

With changes of bend
Without changes of bend
This shallow loop pattern is a great way to really refine your and your horse's skills for more advanced work, but it can be done at the ...

Karen coaches two students to become more skilled in creating and maintaining the bend during haunches-in. It is a very common challenge to keep the horse’s bend during this movement. You will see an exercise that highlights the necessary skill for horse and rider. This is not a simple or easy ex...

In this video, Karen coaches two students through two exercises.
Exercise #1 is about sensitizing responsiveness to doing lateral movements with greater activity and ease.
Exercise #2 involves lengthening and shortening the canter.
These seemingly different exercises compliment each other and bot...