day eight of wet blankets and long miles

So yesterday, I was able to get in a quick ride... dodging rain drops the whole time.  Took Stevie out again to work outside the arena (which will be the goal the rest of the season).  Spent around ten minutes on ground work, just getting her to move forward on a circle, yielding the hips, and drawing the shoulders in.  The draw is still a little sticky, needs a bit more energy to really make it work. 

Working on HQ disengagement

Now for the other side

driving the hips from the ground

Circling on the hill is great for developing muscle and balance

We then hit the road.  This time, we were able to stay out twice as long, and go down a new route.  Stevie handled herself very well; a few small jumps at a squirrel and some snorting at the trash cans, but over all very nice.  Each time we head home, I make a point of not going directly into the drive way; our drive is about midway up the street, so I'll ride all the way to the end, trot back up, go PAST the drive, then let her head back in by means of a make shift 'footing mound' (a stone retaining wall).  I don't want her to get in the habit of rushing back home; its the same thing in the arena with gate sour horses.  Ride them in and out of that gate, never get off there, back them out once your done, and most often the gate issue goes away!

Day seven of wet blankets and long miles

So, today is looking like another wash out- woke up to rain and thunder.  Forecast says we might get a few decent hours around 11, so we'll have to see what happens!

Yesterday, I worked Stevie out on some hills in a new area before going for a ride up the road.  She was considerably more spooky than I had planned, so a bit more time was spent on ground work.  We started off with our standard circling and yielding of the hindquarters.  I'm making more of an effort to not always change direction after each yield;  I don't want her anticipating as much as she does.  I'd rather her disengage the hip, wait, then move off crisply.  Stevie caught on well, but was clearly upset at first by the change in routine.  She over-reacted a few times when she discovered she had circled off the wrong direction. 

Once she had quieted some, we worked on drawing her in and making some figure eights.  Her feet are still pretty sticky through the turn- she'll turn in and face up, then the forward motion dies down, returning when you ask her to change direction.  I'm hoping that by simply being persistent, we'll work this problem through.  With my 7 year old gelding, I got after him to keep him moving.  While he won't break gait through his figure eights, he doesn't really draw into me as much as I like; he'd much rather just rock back over his hocks and rollback.  While this is fine, it's not what I'm after in this case.  So, the plan is to establish a bit more forward BEFORE getting her to come in, and hopefully it will carry through in a nice flow. 

We did ground work for only eight minutes or so, then it was time to tack up and hop on.  I spent a minute or so, just letting her move around with the saddle on before stepping in the stirrup.  Once on, I continued to work her on her circle.  We focused on moving the hips in response to pressure.  I'd put her on the circle, look at her hip, press with my leg, then lift my rein until her hips had made two or so steps away.  Then we'd continue off in the other direction.  I noticed, especially this ride, that Stevie attempts to 'bottle spin', that is, her front end and hind end are moving.  When she offered that type of behavior, I simply waited it out, got one good step with JUST the hips, then did a one rein stop to reinforce the concept of not moving the shoulders.  I tried not to do too many stops, as I don't want to kill the forward. 

We ended by a nice ride up the street.  Stevie kept her cool with the five o'clock traffic (three cars) driving past.  She was particularly interested in the storm drains; unlike most horses, who try to side step the drains, she tries to go up to each and every one and sniff at it.  At this stage, I encourage that curiosity - it's far better than her side stepping away!  We ended the ride with a nice trot up a long hill, then jumping up and over the stone wall to come home. 

Day six of wet blankets and long miles

 Summer weather was apparently very fleeting here; we went from winter the summer, and now its back to rainy spring weather.  Day four, in a row, of rainy showery days.  This makes for quite a bit of mud. 

Stevie and I have been out working up and down the roads in between rain drops.  I try to do less and less work in the arena before setting out- I don't like the idea of having to get my horse tired before she will behave herself!  So, our arena sessions consist of some flexion, moving the hips, picking me up from the fence, desensitizing, and maintaining gait in the trot (no speeding up, slowing down, breaking, etc - I don't want to have to keep my leg on all the time, or continually half-halt to keep her in check.  Horses can and should be responsible for staying in the gait they are placed!). 

I will do a little bit of ground work once we are outside of the ring.  It's more just for piece of mind, to make sure she is still listening and paying attention.  Overall, it's going very well.  We are able to walk and jog up and down the road, past scary things like lawnmowers and trash cans.  When on the road, I spend as much time as she needs doing our mock-serpentine exercise to keep her focused.  As soon as she is soft and relaxed, its right back to loose reins and a forward walk. 

day five of wet blankets and long miles

Day five:

Today we ventured out of the arena and out into the world.  Before we left, however, we did some basic schooling.

Desensitizing is a big part of my program; I don't want a dull horse, but I do want one that isn't jumping out of her skin every time a plastic bag blows by.  Today, we worked with the big ball.  Not only is the ball something that looks out of place, but it also moves and makes noise... its the trifecta of scary objects! 

With any desensitization process, I start just outside of the horse's comfort zone.  If the horse seems particularly nervous of the object, I will walk away from the horse, with the object, and have the horse follow me.  By having the horse 'chase' the scary thing, he builds confidence - he'll likely start getting closer and closer as curiosity takes over.  Once some degree of confidence is established, I start working my way in closer to the horse.  Eventually, you get to the point where you can touch the horse with the object, do bigger and scarier things with it.   I don't want an unresponsive horse,  I want a horse that will relax.

 A quick ride around the arena followed.  Just working on the basics; walk trot transitions, quiet halts and back ups, and turns on the forehand. 

 Then, it was time to venture out:  Out the gate, and up the hill.

Once out, I hit the road (trails still far too muddy).  At the top of this little hill, we first double check our lateral flexion.  Making sure everything is still in working order, we go for a quiet walk. 

This isn't Stevie, but my four year old, Nick.  Didn't have the camera out for her ride, but here we are, just checking some lateral flexion before his ride out.  

Out on the ride, I like to do some sort of exercise to help Stevie focus.  Just riding in a straight line is an invitation for wandering minds.  Basically, I ride back and forth from the shoulder of the road to the center line, in a sort of a serpentine (a very rudimentary serpentine!).  I use all the same aids that we did in the arena-

• look where I want the horse to go
• Turn my torso so my belly button faces where I want to go
• Apply leg pressure (light calf, increasing pressure, heel pressure...)
• Rein

When Stevie relaxes and lets down, I allow her to walk in a straight line for a while.  When I feel her mind start to wander, her back tense up, then its right back to the serpentines.  Putting the loops closer together is good for times when she is really jumpy, spreading them out when she starts to relax.  She did very well for her first real ride out; still a bit tense with cars passing by, but only time and miles will fix that!

Day four of wet blankets and long miles

It's been a few days since the last post... apologies for that!  Time constraints made it necessary to choose between working horses and posting... riding won! 

Day four: 
Today, we worked a bit at refining our turn on the forehand.  The key here is when you release your leg pressure.  The release of pressure should happen just before the hind leg goes to move.  It takes a while to be able to feel the exact moment that its happening, but if you put that effort in, your horse will progress much faster. 

There's a great video clip by Les Vogt (http://www.lesvogt.com/cowhorseu/Lesvogt_les_vogt_training_intro_2.html  ...it's the third video down on the page) that talks about 'loading' vs 'unloading'.  Basically, what happens is you allow the movement you are looking for to become a reward in and of itself.  I like to keep that in mind, as it makes the horse much happier to perform. 

The other keys to this exercise are:
1.  lateral flexion.  If you have to expend a lot of effort getting your horse's nose to come around and STAY around, you need to go back a few steps.  Odds are, the fact that you are hauling away on the mouth is going to affect the forward movement of the horse... which brings us to:

2.  Forward movement.  Well, not so much forward, but definitively movement.  There needs to be some impulsion in this maneuver.

3.  Consistency in position:  Do the same thing each and every time, and you will speed up the learning process.  Be conscience of WHERE you are putting your leg, WHERE you are putting your hand, WHERE your body position is.  Be consistent in the order of your cues.  Personally, I like to

• Look at the hip (this automatically positions my body correctly)
• Bring my leg back and apply pressure (light calf pressure, moderate pressure, firm pressure, heel pressure, turn my heel up....)
• Tip the nose around with my rein as much as necessary to get the movement
• Release as the back leg is about to come off the ground

4.  Exaggerate your cues:  To facilitate your horse's learning, exaggerate.  Put your leg as far back as you can to make it crystal clear what part of the body you want him to move. Turn clear around in your saddle and look at that hip.  Leave no question as to what you want him to do. 

5.  Refinement is a gradual process:  Don't be in a rush to make it pretty.  Get it good and solid first.  Gradually refine your cues, just a degree at a time.  It will happen, just don't rush it.



  

Day three of wet blankets and long miles

Still a quagmire here... far too muddy and slick to do any work out on the trails.  We worked some more on disengaging the hind quarters, lateral flexion, and long periods of trotting to build muscle and wind.  Just look back to yesterdays blog for any details.   

In addition to training, I do farrier work for a small group of clients.  I'm about ready to mandate that all my trimming clients become training clients too- there are far too many ignorant owners creating monsters out of their horses!  1200 pound monsters with NO manners what-so-ever. 

Yesterday I had to trim two horses that would not stand, would not lift their feet, and would not back up... at least for the owner.  I tried to explain a little bit of philosophy to their owner, who was inadvertently causing ALL of the issues.  She brought the first horse out into the aisle.  She doesn't like to cross tie, and won't let me hold the horse (my preferred method), so holds the horse herself.  Even though the gelding was standing quietly, she had a choke hold on his halter and was pulling down.  Pretty soon, the horse began moving around seeking some relief.  She had effectively desensitized him to the halter.  If you want a horse to stand still, you need to SENSITIZE him to halter pressure; he needs to know that standing is comfortable and that moving causes pressure to be put on the halter.  This poor horse couldn't get a break no matter what he did, so in his mind, the best option was to try and leave. 

The next issue we ran into was him not wanting to yield his feet.  I'd ask him to lift a hoof, and he'd pick up his foot, then jerk it away.  This is a direct result of his owner allowing him to do so each and every time she picks his feet.  Her remark?  "He's just lazy.  That's what he always does".  Simply by working with this horse five minutes a day would remarkably improve his attitude towards hoof handling.  My horses at home will lift each and every foot from just a simple tap on the leg (SENSITIZE them to cue; tap until they lift, then quit and rub).  My horses will hold their leg up until I tell them otherwise.  It is NEVER permissible to slam a foot down; Most times, I'll place the hoof down so it's just resting on the toe - I want to lower the foot in a CONTROLLED manner, not just drop it rudely. 

Unfortunately, my recommendations of working with him have been ignored.  As I was asking him to lift a leg, using gradually increasing pressure, I suddenly found he was no longer responding to any suggestions I was making,  He wasn't shifting his weight, he was making no effort, when only a few seconds earlier we were making progress.  A quick glance upwards revealed what was going on.  This poor boy's owner had eared him quite severely; his ear was completely twisted around and pulled down by his eye.  I was a bit taken aback and explained to the owner that the horse was not focusing on me due to what she was doing.  Her reply, 'we'll he's being stubborn and needs to learn a lesson".  I, oh so politely, let her know that what she was doing was cruel, and that he would not make the connection.  I have no issue with increasing the pressure; in fact, I'll tap away on the cannon bone with my rasp if a horse is being particularly obstinate.  BUT, the horse is making a connection in my case.  As soon as he lifts his leg, the tapping magically stops! 

People, please think before you act.  If you are trying to get a horse to pick his feet up, hurting his ears will not fix the problem.  Learn the difference between SENSITIZING and DESENSITIZING.  Before you start labeling your horse lazy, stupid, spooky, etc.. take a look at the way you are handling them.  A dull, bull headed horse often has a heavy handed owner.  When my horses overreact, it's usually because I've tensed up or given them reason to.  When I loose my feel, my horses no longer perform the way I'd like them to.  But horses with owners like this never really have a chance. 

Day two of wet blankets and long miles

It's been a straight week of rain here... far too wet to hit the trails (at least without causing some major damage!).  Instead we're working on some key foundation skills undersaddle, some obstacle work, and trotting to build up some wind. 

1. lateral flexion-  This is a basic skill we've already taught from the ground and undersaddle.  I like to go back to it frequently, check in and make sure everything is still soft and light.  

1. Move the hips- This is a skill we've worked at length from the ground, but not so much from the horse's back.  It is something I've been a bit neglectful of, and need to remedy this.  It's a simple task, but will lead to much more advanced movements once fine tuned.  This movement is much easier to teach if the feet are already in motion.  

To get the hips moving:

1. Start by putting the horse in a forward walk on a circle.  It should be a relatively small circle, with the horse correctly bent and soft.  You don't want to proceed if the horse is dropping a shoulder or falling out with the hips.  Correct these problems first.   
2. Tip the nose to the inside of the circle, turn and look at the hip, sliding your inside leg back as you do so.  Your leg should be back by the rear cinch.  
3. As soon as the horse steps the hind leg underneath herself (in FRONT of the other leg), release.  
•  Key points
• You need to cue the hind leg WHILE it is on the ground and RELEASE as the horse is doing the movement.  Time your leg and rein cues simultaneously with the leg movement.  
• Ask for only one step to start off with, then return to your circle.  Have your horse hustle a bit through the circle so that the turn on the forehand becomes a reward in itself!
• GRADUALLY build to a quarter circle, half circle, full circle and so on.  This movement will require the horse to engage muscles that she may not have worked before with the added weight of a rider.  She will also have to focus on her balance.
• As your horse gets better, use less rein.. eventually the head and neck should remain straight.  

Tip the nose

Tip the nose, look back, and press the hips over

Hind leg crossing OVER

 Spend some time trotting.  Trotting helps develop wind, muscle and overall conditioning.  Make it your horse's responsibility to maintain gait; don't constantly nag him with your leg.  Ask for a trot, get that trot, then leave him alone.  If he tries to break gait, let him, and THEN correct him.  Spend time making lots of turns, circles, figure eights...

 Work over some obstacles.  Today, we focused on raised caveletti.  This was not one of Stevie's strong suits.  For all her knee action, the lower leg tends to hang, and she has no worries about contacting a pole with her leg.  Caveletti are a nice tool; they can be used to simulate hill work, and cause the horse to really engage it's hindquarters. 

The plan for next time is going to be weather permitting.  If the rain has let up and the trails are dry, I prefer to get Stevie out of the arena.  If not (and it's looking like this will be the case...) We'll try to refine moving the hips, and introduce the bend-and-go drill.  

 

Please use caution and common sense.  Horses are large animals, with an exceptional amount of power and strength.  They are also concerned above all with their own personal safety, and will do whatever they feel it takes to keep themselves from harm.  Being individuals that act and react differently, the only certainty you have when working a horse is uncertainty.  I am a professional trainer with twenty plus years experience, yet even with the knowledge I possess, I still get hurt from time to time.  This blog and the accompanying media are for entertainment purposes only.  No responsibility will be assumed for injuries or damages incurred while trying to use these methods at home.  Please ride responsibly; protective gear can save your life!

Day one of Wet blankets and long miles

For the first "real" session back of the season, my goal was two fold; work on conditioning and cadence by trotting out on a loose rein, expecting Stevie to maintain speed and pace.  I alternate between a long fast trot and a shorter slower trot (I don't use the terms collected or extended yet because these are too advanced for what we are doing.  Eventually this exercise will turn into that, but for now, the focus is more on speed and tempo than anything else).

With any young horse, but especially when coming back into work, I start with a quick overview of pre-requisite ground skills.  I don't want the horse tired at all when I go to climb on, but I do want her thinking.  The typical 'drill' might go something like this:

1. Circle left
2. Disengage the hips
3. Back three steps
4. Send the shoulders right
5. circle right, disengage the hips, back three steps and send the shoulders left
6. circle left
7. draw the horse to you and send right
8. repeat the other way

Stevie ultimately performed these tasks well, but had a bit of a temper tantrum when warming up with the saddle on.  Even though it was a pretty extreme reaction, by giving her a moment to work through it, I was able to get her mind back, finish the drill and then ride without any further issue.













Please use caution and common sense.  Horses are large animals, with an exceptional amount of power and strength.  They are also concerned above all with their own personal safety, and will do whatever they feel it takes to keep themselves from harm.  Being individuals that act and react differently, the only certainty you have when working a horse is uncertainty.  I am a professional trainer with twenty plus years experience, yet even with the knowledge I possess, I still get hurt from time to time.  This blog and the accompanying media are for entertainment purposes only.  No responsibility will be assumed for injuries or damages incurred while trying to use these methods at home.  Please ride responsibly; protective gear can save your life!

Second year: Wet blankets and long miles

After a long, snowy winter off, the horses are getting ready to go back into work (or I am at least!).  Over the course of the last month, I've been reviewing all the 'compulsory' exercises with Stevie.  I'm basically going over everything she learned last year, and making sure she willingly responds.  The tasks I'm looking for near-perfection in are:

1. Moving forward at all three gaits
2. Disengaging the Hindquarters both from a stand still and from all three gaits (with the inside leg crossing OVER the outside)
3. Yielding the shoulders in either direction (with the outside leg crossing OVER the inside)
4. Sacking out
5. Softness in flexions with the bridle and hackamore

I mix these tasks up as much as possible; I never want the horse to get bored with what we are doing.  For example; when asking her to go forward, I have many options:

1. Simple circling on the ground
2. Moving forward undersaddle
3. Figure eights on the ground by disengaging the hindquarters
4. Figure eights on the ground by drawing and yielding the shoulders
5. Moving forward over obstacles (jumps, tarps, logs, etc)
6. Getting out of the arena, moving forward up and down hills, etc

The foundation is going to be key to the next step in this filly's education.  Over the course of this year, I'm going to be looking to develop five key elements that I feel EVERY horse should be proficient in.  They are very simple concepts, but judging by the issues so many horses I work with have, they are very often overlooked as well.

1. Manners:  This is a biggie.  Way too many horses out they are pushy and disrespectful.  They crowd you on the ground, they nip, they paw, they lag behind you or drag you around.  Horses are way too big and powerful an animal to not have good manners. 
2. Softness:  I want to be able to lightly pick up a rein and have my horse yield to me.  I want to be able to lay my leg on the horse's side and have him step away.  I don't want to break into a sweat riding a circle!
3. Cadence:  I should be able to put my horse into any gait and have him stay there without me constantly nagging him to go, or pleading with him to slow down.  Let's give our horses' some responsibility!
4. Confidence: I want a horse that isn't going to jump out of his skin when the wind blows.  I want to be able to take my horse out on the trail without her spooking every ten feet.  I grew up with arabians and used that as an excuse for spooky nonsense far too long; even the hottest horse can learn to control themselves.
5. Strength:  The horse needs to have enough physical strength and stamina to perform.  Strong horses are also less likely to get hurt than their pudgy counterparts.  

So that's the plan for this year; I'll be posting as often as I can (several times a week at least!), and aim to make some real progress.



Please use caution and common sense.  Horses are large animals, with an exceptional amount of power and strength.  They are also concerned above all with their own personal safety, and will do whatever they feel it takes to keep themselves from harm.  Being individuals that act and react differently, the only certainty you have when working a horse is uncertainty.  I am a professional trainer with twenty plus years experience, yet even with the knowledge I possess, I still get hurt from time to time.  This blog and the accompanying media are for entertainment purposes only.  No responsibility will be assumed for injuries or damages incurred while trying to use these methods at home.  Please ride responsibly; protective gear can save your life!

Day fifteen: Riding in the saddle

Stevie relaxing on the bridge, with my "assistant", Nick, a three year old colt.  I like to have lots of distractions for my colts when I am working, and a loose horse in the ring is certainly one!

I expect at this stage, that the colt can stand still to be saddled, without my having to hold her or tie her up.

I also like for my colt to stay where I put them without wandering off.  At this stage, the bridge is really helpful, as it gives them a 'mark', a place to stand that is very clearly defined.  Again, my assistant steps in to make sure Stevie stays there!

Swinging up half way and scratching on her. 

Off for a ride.

Up on the bridge.












Please use caution and common sense.  Horses are large animals, with an exceptional amount of power and strength.  They are also concerned above all with their own personal safety, and will do whatever they feel it takes to keep themselves from harm.  Being individuals that act and react differently, the only certainty you have when working a horse is uncertainty.  I am a professional trainer with twenty plus years experience, yet even with the knowledge I possess, I still get hurt from time to time.  This blog and the accompanying media are for entertainment purposes only.  No responsibility will be assumed for injuries or damages incurred while trying to use these methods at home.  Please ride responsibly; protective gear can save your life!