An update on Ethel's schooling :) and how to teach turn on the forehand

[tonitot]

Hi I posted a little while back with videos of me riding Ethel. She wasn't relaxed and was quite stresst when ridden, really fussy with her mouth and seemingly arrogant. She was being ridden in a flash noseband with a happy mouth loose ring snaffle with a lozenge which I have now changed to a Mexican grackle and a full cheek snaffle with a revolving centre. I also am convinced her saddle doesn't fit, so until I can get round to getting a saddler out I'm riding her in my racing saddle, which I'm more comfortable and relaxed in too. Tonight she was like a different horse, came down into an outline and accepted the contact as soon as I was on, was a bit fizzy but soon settled down and relaxed. Over the weekend I was working on getting her to move sideways off my leg whilst we hacked out as she thought even just a bit of pressure with one leg, no matter what I was doing with my reins, meant to go faster. We mastered it out on the hacks and she did it perfectly in the school, both ways on each rein We even had a canter, which I've been putting off doing for a while as it just made her more excited and I wasn't sure what to do with her about it. I made sure she was relaxed and listening in trot, popped her into canter. She went off on the correct leg and maintained outline!! She has never cantered in an outline, so I'm very proud! We even had some leg yeilding in canter which didn't make her whizzy thankfully, and some very nice walk to canter transistions

I'm so proud of her for tonight, the only thing she did wrong was she kept getting distracted by the chickens running around in next doors garden at the top end of the school. I let her stop and look at them, I tried ignoring them, everything but she found them so fasinating! She is only 4, so I'll give her a bit of leway (sp?) where chickens are concerned

The next thing I want to do with her is turn on the forehand, to give us something else to do. Any tip on how to do this with her would be much appreciated.

I'm sure I have bored anyone reading this to tears but I'm very proud

 

[tonitot]

Bump

 

[touchstone]

It sounds like she's progressing really well, and I love her name!

I often find it is easier to teach turn about the forehand rather than turn on the forehand first, it gets the idea of moving quarters over in preparation and is kinder on the horse's joints.

Turn about the forehand I usually place a cone on the inside track, ride on the inside track to the outside of the cone and when you reach the cone half halt, draw inside leg back to use behind the girth and push the quarters over so the horse is effectively turning 90 degress on the spot while holding with the outside rein and asking for a very slight bend with the inside rein. Once around the cone walk straight forwards. You can set up a cone at each 'corner' to get the idea so it's walk - halt and turn about forehand at each cone and walking straight on again.

From there turn on the forehand is pretty easy, although it should be done from the inside track, I often find that halting beside something initally helps to get the idea. In some horses that don't quite get it straight away and try to walk off, halting facing a fence and asking for a few steps of turn on the forehand to end up parallel to the fence helps. If you have someone on the ground the first time you ask they can encourage the horse by asking it to step over as you would in the stable.

That's how I do it anyway, I hope I'm making sense, I'm tired and ready for bed lol!

 

[tonitot]

Thanks touchstone that has helped a lot and I will be trying that tonight