Does anyone do Straightness Training?

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Woody50

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I keep hearing about Straightness training and i think it might benefit my horse but wondered if anyone can point me in the direction of how and what to do?
Are there people who train this if so, how do you find them?
 
I had a fairly well known ST instructor do a session with my pony after peer pressure from fellow liveries who were passionate about it. (I will try anything once). She put a ST cavesson on her which has a bike chain covered in leather as a noseband , then chased her with a stick with a plastic bag on the end. It was horrendous to watch as this lady chased my horse into the arena fence to stop her. Sorry, I know it is quite popular but that half hour put me off for life.
 
I did a few sessions then went to a clinic. The individual sessions I really enjoyed, I really liked the focus of teaching the horse to balance even at halt. The minute attention to detail was interesting. This was not an 'official' straightness trainer, but was a physio who used it for her horses.

Then I went to a clinic with a qualified trainer and I found this less helpful. I felt the qualified person was more bumptious, less patient, tried to force the issue for quicker results.

Ended up with the trainer poking a schooling whip between her legs and whacking her on the tummy. Poor girl had no idea what she had done wrong and became tense. I quit!
 
its really not Parelli from what I've seen and its easy to say all training should be straightness training when too many instructors don't have a clue how to teach it themselves. certainly I think Marikje does the online marketing thing well and why not?

OP I've done a bit-I've been taught inhand work before and I think that if someone has no clue, its better to start it with someone in person. as with all practitioners, some will be better than others. Marijke de Jong has a free masterclass coming up that you could have a look in on to see if its your kind of thing?
 
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I haven't done it but I know someone who has. It's a programme that has progressive steps so it sounds easy to follow. I think that's often the appeal of those types of things.
 
MotherOfChickens said:
its really not Parelli from what I've seen and its easy to say all training should be straightness training when too many instructors don't have a clue how to teach it themselves. certainly I think Marikje does the online marketing thing well and why not?

OP I've done a bit-I've been taught inhand work before and I think that if someone has no clue, its better to start it with someone in person. as with all practitioners, some will be better than others. Marijke de Jong has a free masterclass coming up that you could have a look in on to see if its your kind of thing?
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NO, I didn't mean that ii is a form of Parelli, I meant that the marketing/hype/stating the obvious to anyone with half a brain and a bit of experience was similar
 
I did some with Roz Richmond, some at a yard about 20 mins away and she also came to me once when transport was an issue. It was really interesting, made me think a lot more about how my oldie was moving and really broke it down into a logical easily understandable format for me, as I'm more of a logical than a feels type person. (To the point that the reports from another ST trainer's clinics put me off a bit.

It was also really beneficial watching others, some more capable than others, some who were a bit over-horsed and weren't so keen on riding etc. This included a friend's horse who I knew wasn't great in hand, had various physical issues he was recoving from and did really well.

I had had a couple of in hand lessons with a classical instructor previously but it wasn't broken down as easily for me to be able to pick up what he was doing and couldn't replicate it on my own. ST I couldn't get it as good as without an instructor there like most things but I could get similar. Certainly no use of plastic bags and I have a non-ST but chain noseband (just the noseband I'm too much of a skinflint to get a whole cavesson at the time though they are now more available and made do with a spare slip head and some lamb castration rings :p.

I've never done any of the courses stuff and importantly there really wasn't ever any push to which I suspect separates it from the parelli format of you must buy all our stuff to do this properly :p.

I will certainly pick it up again if/when I have another horse. At the time I was having lessons with an FBHS who was amazing too but this certainly added an extra useful slant to things especially when there wasn't anyone that nearby who would teach classical in hand work.
 
I did a clinic out of curiosity. All in hand - I took something from it but haven't gone back or done any more as such. Those who are saying all training should be for straightness, this is true, but Straightness training itself seems more about finesse and balance, at least in the initial stages.
 
I struggled with the Marijke online stuff - bit i think that's because I don't learn practical stuff well from words.

I went to watch Dan Waine do a couple of sessions with friends horses and that was a lot more helpful. He quite clearly showed us one horse was overloading her right fore due to being stiff behind. He talked the owner through various exercises in hand and left me feeling that if it was my horse I'd know what to do.

So yes, although everything should be about straightness unless you're good at in hand work it is really helpful to get some guidance.
 
I’ve been recommended a local straightness training person by my podiatrist to help my 8yo, who is likely all on the wonk after spending 18 months lame recovering from poor foot balance in all 4 feet. I am going to give it a cautious go once she is finally signed off by the regular vet and chiro vet. I like in hand work, but am wary of some new ‘system’ which jumps up and claims to reinvent the wheel.
 
My yard Manager threw them off our yard! she is a listed judge and knows her stuff. I don't know who it was but she thought dangerous as horses getting loose and she thought a load of rubbush! better she said to get a good lesson with a decent instructor.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
No, of course not and I am learning all the time but one thing that I have learned is not to pay out vast sums for some well marketed hype when I can watch an experienced horseman/woman of my acquaintance and learn just as much.
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That's all well and good if you can find such a person to learn from.

I dont know many (any?) instructors locally who will be able to teach / show the in-hand lateral work and up to piaffe
 
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Wheels said:
That's all well and good if you can find such a person to learn from.

I dont know many (any?) instructors locally who will be able to teach / show the in-hand lateral work and up to piaffe
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Exactly. I don’t know any instructors who do in-hand work and I’ve had a few over the years. I’ve done a bit of ST and have observed at some clinics. I think it does somewhat depend on the trainer as much as the technique. The principles are good and the breaking down into manageable chunks using plain English is great for working through it on your own.

I did find one instructor a bit too forceful and there were a few horses that imo were not sound enough to be doing the clinic. It’s definitely one of those things people often look to do because they’ve run out of ideas to get their horse sound. Having said that if they’d come across it sooner in their journey they may have had a better outcome.
 
I did ST with my trainer who is not an official ST trainer but is very good. It has really helped me to understand what I should’ve be looking for and feeling for in a correctly performed exercise. My trainer is absolutely NOT forceful. She practices positive reinforcement and clicker training and gets good results from difficult and anxious horses without force.
She’s actually moved from ST to Academic art of riding Bent Braderup now as she believes that is a better style of training but is still along similar lines (I think marijke trained with bent?)
I can recommend her if you wish, she’s based in the South West.
 
I looked into it, seemed perfect for my old horse, however didn’t want to pay for the online stuff.

There are a couple of instructors within an hour of me. Emailed them and said I didn’t have transport, all I got back was I don’t travel that far but your welcome to bring your horse to me.
 
Is straightness training not just part of your bog standard everyday schooling?

Like by doing sideways work, increasing the suppleness will ensure horse remains correct and able to stay straight with support of rider Keeping equal contact and centered seat? It’s not exactly a new concept, it’s right there on the standard scale of training.

Or is this a new fad reinventing the wheel/cheap/quick attempt at what should be standard training?!
 
Did you not read the responses explaining why people have found it different and helpful? In the first instance it isn't ridden so nothing to do with centred seat.

Obviously if you have amazing natural feel or other people around you that can impart a non-natural feel you wouldn't benefit from it.
 
ester said:
Did you not read the responses explaining why people have found it different and helpful? In the first instance it isn't ridden so nothing to do with centred seat.
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But why would you do something like that when the horse isn’t going to be able to stay straight as soon as a rider gets on who isn’t straight?
Seems it would be more beneficial for the rider to get lessons for their straightness rather than the horse unless the horse has muscle imbalance/physical reasons for problems with straightness. Assuming the rider is straight in saddle though.
 
o_m I looked into ST when I had one rehabbing an injury and I wasn't sure she was going to be up to ridden school work.
Initially I thought similar to you because straightness is a key element of my training approach, I would say when restarting a project it's the thing I concentrate on the most. But I totally understand that firstly having help on how to achieve this on the ground is really useful, and also lots of instructors really pay little attention to straightness in any meaningful way at all anyway.
I'm fortunate to have a trainer who can help me with this if i want to, I've also had in hand lessons with a real specialist, neither under the ST banner, just "normal" good dressage training but I can see the value of ST for those without access to this, or for those learning the feel of true straightness in a horse.
 
Plenty of people use it for rehab so they aren't riding the horse at all.
I did it because I had a short arse oldie who I was trying to keep the best musculature on him I could to account for his physical niggles without me having to be on top all the time and giving me an opportunity to thoroughly observe him and learn.
It also does a good job of teaching both of you to be more calm and concentrated and have more awareness.

I do think straightness training is the wrong name for it really, initially it is much more about totally correct bend.

If you are riding your horse to it's not like you are doing ST in isolation and leaving yourself wonky (if indeed you are, plenty aren't) it can be part of a bigger approach.
 
ester said:
I do think straightness training is the wrong name for it really, initially it is much more about totally correct bend.
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funny isn't it, for me straightness is more about equalness, equal ability to bend correctly, equal ability to take the same length and height of steps, equal ability to step sideways, equal amount of yielding, equal reach, equal control of each side, equal in each hand etc etc. It's a shorthand. and a life's work (to make the equalness better and more correct)
 
milliepops said:
o_m I looked into ST when I had one rehabbing an injury and I wasn't sure she was going to be up to ridden school work.
Initially I thought similar to you because straightness is a key element of my training approach, I would say when restarting a project it's the thing I concentrate on the most. But I totally understand that firstly having help on how to achieve this on the ground is really useful, and also lots of instructors really pay little attention to straightness in any meaningful way at all anyway.
I'm fortunate to have a trainer who can help me with this if i want to, I've also had in hand lessons with a real specialist, neither under the ST banner, just "normal" good dressage training but I can see the value of ST for those without access to this, or for those learning the feel of true straightness in a horse.
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I can understand doing “straightness” work when rehabbing, that makes sense but I would just see that as Physio rather than another special training branch. That’s in attempt to correct the horse so they can cope under saddle and develop equally to let them progress normally.
Guess I’d just see that as your standard hacking or long line though where you start rehab in straight lines!
 
Yup what you said MP! it's more that I see lots of other people read it as just being straight and that gets a bit frustrating.
 
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