Jane (Armour) Guzman BHSI (T & SM)

Meet Woody, my own home-bred Irish Sport Horse.   He has traveled from Scotland to Ireland to New York and to Southern California.  

An old photo of Woody as a four-year-old winning the light-weight hunter championship at the Royal Ulster Show, Northern Ireland.

I never had to worry about him hitting a fence!  The ditch under this Scottish tiger trap was deep enough for my son to stand in. 

An old boy, but still happy to show off his ability to collect and demonstrate changes.

Meet Kody, an attractive thoroughbred competition horse.  We are working on his suppleness in order to help him progress to jumpers. 

 With the work on the lunge, Kody moved nicely under saddle and is starting to take a contact.    

Meet Zeus, a lovely horse whose owner is working to develop a better connection and more impulsion to produce flying changes.

 He is showing good impulsion in the trot.  I like how he is showing a clear 'V' shape between his legs. 

By asking him to make circles, he has to shift his weight further back.

This helped the canter become more uphill.  He needs to lower his hindquarters more before asking for flying changes. 

Meet Bridgette, a lovely mare with lots of presence and a big forward stride.  She struggled with taking the contact.   

Bridgette has difficulty understanding how to relax and take the rein.  However, by maintaining a consistent contact and riding slightly off her back ....

...she began to relax and soften her frame.  Can you see the difference in her willingness to take contact, round her back and lengthen her stride?

In canter she was able to maintain some of the self-carriage.  I stayed in a light half-seat to help her move from behind.  

Bridgette's canter has improved that she is ready to compete.

These three pictures were taken at a recent show.  I loved her form over the fences. 

She is careful to not hit a fence.  I would keep fences small to allow her to see all sorts of fences before going higher or wider. 

A talented horse with so much potential.  It is important to keep her confident.

Meet O'Malley, a talented jumper.  He needed to get stronger through his back with flat work and gymnastic exercises. 

O'Malley needed to be allowed to go more forward from behind and connect into a contact. 

Once he became more supple through his back, he worked through gymnastic exercises to help him get straighter. 

As he got straighter, he started to jump higher - although he is jumping more than he needs and is still slightly crooked.   

Meet Othello, a horse with so much potential - but needs a careful program to maintain his confidence as we ask for more impulsion, straightness and collection.

Othello a few years ago.  He is moving through his back, however, he is working in a long and low frame. 

With the use of lateral exercises at the walk and trot, he has shifted his center of balance back and engaged more behind.

With progressive training over a period of years, Othello has learnt to step under, raise his withers and gained confidence and self-carriage.

Meet Harley, a great Hanoverian/ TB cross who had suffered some abuse in his past. 

Harley is afraid.  He is waiting for someone to 'correct' the front end.  He needs to learn that the side reins will not 'fix' his head and that he can move as he wants.

Harley is relaxed and moving forward comfortably and confidently, with side reins, into a light contact.  All three pictures are from the same schooling session.