Kinship With Horses
9324 North Otto Road
Cattaraugus, NY 14719
ph: 7169825180
gail
Tutor: Training in Winter
Progress in Feel does not need to hybernate!
November 2011
Winter is coming, ready or not. This is not the time to think of our horses as bicycles and put them in "storage for the winter" Rather the time to pay attention to the small details of of what we can do to keep our horses at their best. . This may sound redundant, but lets keep our lateral flexion, vertical flexion, the back up, available forehand and hindquarters. Rider's need the horse's mind, then we can begin to connect the rein to the feet!This fall I had an opportunity to audit one of Buck Brannaman's clinics. Returning from spending ten days in Sweden with Leslie Desmond, this clinic instilled in me a deeper understanding of where I had come in my horsemanship and where I am going; .As a student of horsemanship I was inspired by the comittment of these horsemen to keep the Vaquero Style of riding, a tradition of this country for more than two hundred years alive and well.A key point that Buck made was the three points to look for in lateral flexion.This exercise can be done on the ground with halter or snaffle. Please stand behind the horses elbow to give him room for your request to bring his head to you. Try not to look the horse in the eye as you are requesting this, look in the direction you are asking his head to go. Yes, a soft feel as your asking your horse to follow the feel of your hand on the rein asking him to bring his nose to you. That would be number one. Observe the position of the ears, are they level? Then, this part is usually the last to come, is he vertical? Buck describes it as this, if you tied a string to his forelock, on the other end a ball, would it hang straight down from forelock beyond his nose? Take your time achieving all three, we want the horse to feel his success. Begin with just looking for the lateral with soft.ness and lightness, don't release if you feel you have ten pounds of horse in your hand. Wait until all you feel is the lightness of your rein or halter rope. Looking for the ears being level and head being vertical, will be something you are hunting for. We can't make it happen, allow it to happen, your timing will offer the release when the horse has two of the three, and then before you know it the shape of your horse will have all three components of correct lateral flexion.Backing your horse with halter or snaffle from the ground. Place yourself to the left or right of the horse, facing his hindquarter. Slowly lift the rein or lead rope upward taking the float or slack out. This will help lift his withers up transferring his weight across his diagonals encouraging him to step backward. Once you have committed to taking the slack out and you have a feel of your horse, do not escalate the pressure, wait until he steps back with as little as it takes then release. Tell him he is good and ask again. This exercise may start with one step backward, then release, your goal is to teach your horse to back with lightness and a soft frame. Do not be in a hurry, you are teaching, begin with quality always.Moving the forehand around will be accomplished with more understanding if your horse has achieved a consistent back up with a clear understanding of following a feel. Transferring the weight to the hindquarters while backing up helps the horse have his forehand readily available. Standing on the left side of the horse between the head and the wither, facing the hindquarter begin the back up, your timing of the footfalls comes into play here. The horse will back up with a pair of diagonals. Get a nice rhythym so you can see when the left and right diagonal are traveling back, when the right foot is about to leave the ground, raise your left rein, or lead rope up and over, not crossing the mane but following the feel of the leading right diagonal, this should feel as light as the rein or lead rope. Reward the horse with a release and begin the process again. When you and your horse have mastered one step at a time you will add more as the quality of the movement dictates. At no point will you ever be hauling your horse to achieve any movement. Remember to keep the feel you are offering with NO escalating pressure.Hindquarters, the engine of the horse, moving them over with lightness and a soft feel. I like to position myself where the stirrup would hang. Gathering up your rein or lead rope until the float is out, wait until he engages the hindquarters over, to help him, you may let some line out while maintaining your initial feel and step back to the hindquarters. Standing on the left side of the horse, you are waiting until the left hind leg steps in front of the right hind leg. You may notice he steps left hoof to right hoof, or steps behind the right foot, if he is giving an honest try, you may release then, what you are looking for is the left hind to step in front of the right hind. Quality of the movement. if he steps correctly but you find yourself with a lot of weight on the rein or lead rope, wait until he lightens and softens then release.These exercises can be done in your boxstall, aisle of your barn, you do not need a large space to reinforce the cues your horse needs. You will be more observant of footfalls, lightness, softness while accessing all four corners of your horse. Winter is the perfect time for just this kind of practice. Perhaps the change of the seasons are a good thing for our horsemanship. Try to not turn these exercises into a drill, we want the rein to have meaning to the horse, but be careful not to overdue. Begin with as little it takes, reward the horse for "his" understanding of your request. When spring rolls around you will reap the benefits of your work. Your horse will be following a soft feel, leading up free, backing effortlessly, and showing you how available his forehand and hindquarters are. You really do ride the horse you lead!Keep it as real as the horse,Gail
9324 North Otto Road
Cattaraugus, NY 14719
ph: 7169825180
gail
