Good books on in-hand work? (or tips!)

Sol

Sol

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Posted on BD but I'm impatient & no replies yet :p Anyone have any ideas for me for where I can start? or know good books?

Still saving for a saddle but am extremely bored, as is Dante I imagine. Would like to start doing some work with him in-hand, just encouraging him to bend & stretch, but also I know that he's not a particularly careful horse or erm, very spacially aware (generally likes to hit things with his legs - including his other legs!) so I think it could help. Also give us chance to chill, have fun & bond a bit! May even make him a tad more co-operative, who knows?

Can anyone recommend a good book on it though? I have very little idea of where to start, how long each session should be, how often to do it etc... (any specific tips appreciated!)
I'd love to have some long reining lessons but not exactly going to help me afford a saddle at the second!

Thanks, Rebekah
 
I work my horse in hand for about fifteen-twenty minutes before getting on on schooling days, so two or three times a week. We work on straightness and contact and she can also do other exercises such as turn around the forehand and leg yielding (well, more shoulder-yielding as the pressure is from my hand on her shoulder not my leg). I am not very co-ordinated at it yet but I am starting to get shoulder-in as well. With my instructor she can do travers and renvers.
I think I would have found it really hard to learn this from a book - can you get an instructor to show you with your horse?
 
unbalanced said:
I work my horse in hand for about fifteen-twenty minutes before getting on on schooling days, so two or three times a week. We work on straightness and contact and she can also do other exercises such as turn around the forehand and leg yielding (well, more shoulder-yielding as the pressure is from my hand on her shoulder not my leg). I am not very co-ordinated at it yet but I am starting to get shoulder-in as well. With my instructor she can do travers and renvers.
I think I would have found it really hard to learn this from a book - can you get an instructor to show you with your horse?
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Sounds good :)
I would love to have lessons, but I am more concerned at the minute about putting money towards a saddle. Also, I don't have a clue if my instructor teaches any in-hand work and don't know of anywhere locally that does, so would end up paying a fortune in fuel. :(

I'm not particularly after teaching anything 'fancy', I can take or leave the lateral work, more looking for exercises that will get him thinking about his feet, perhaps using poles etc? He does shoulder-in, leg-yield & travers (to some extent!) under saddle anyway so not as if he has to 'learn' them. :)
 
Derek Clark at Holistic Equitation (google for their website) will teach in hand work.. They are based near Daventry so a bit of a hike.. but they have school horses so I expect you could arrange to learn with one of their old hands..

Re the book "Schooling Exercises In-Hand" by Oliver Hilberger is pretty good.. excellent pictorial / diagrammatic of your position in relation to the horse and school figures.
 
Zuzan said:
Derek Clark at Holistic Equitation (google for their website) will teach in hand work.. They are based near Daventry so a bit of a hike.. but they have school horses so I expect you could arrange to learn with one of their old hands..

Re the book "Schooling Exercises In-Hand" by Oliver Hilberger is pretty good.. excellent pictorial / diagrammatic of your position in relation to the horse and school figures.
Click to expand...

It's a good £40 fuel + lesson for me. (I know, went for an interview there & was offered a WP position! :o) Lovely place but I would expect it would take a few lessons & the money + time just means it can't happen at the sec. :(

That's the book I've had marked on Amazon to nosey at for a while now, may give it a try! :) thanks
 
I think one lesson would stand you in good stead.. as it will basically get you working in the correct position and start developing a good feel.. I think the lightness you can achieve with one of their school horses will put you in a good place to work with your own. .. FWIW I have only done one clinic with one of their mentor clinicians and although I practice irregularly I know what I am aiming for.
 
Zuzan said:
I think one lesson would stand you in good stead.. as it will basically get you working in the correct position and start developing a good feel.. I think the lightness you can achieve with one of their school horses will put you in a good place to work with your own. .. FWIW I have only done one clinic with one of their mentor clinicians and although I practice irregularly I know what I am aiming for.
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Ah, not too bad then! :) I'd really love to get my boy there for one of their clinics but with neither a saddle or transport may be difficult :p Will get in contact with Derek though and see when I might be able to get down there for a lesson & see if I can co-ordinate it with something else I have to do in the area to help make it seem a bit less costly! Definitely intend to go to one of their clinics at some stage though. :)
 
They have a clinic with one of P Karl's qualified instructors from Germany sometime in Feb.. I think they are taking one off auditors for her clinics (rather than having to sign up for the whole course as is the case with the P Karl course.. ) I think the details are on their website.
 
I like Jennie Loriston Clarke's long reining book, it's been in print for ages so i'm sure you can find second hand copies for a reasonable price.
 
Agree a book will never give as good as a person, but this one gives pictures and advice as to what you should feel and look for:
Horse Training In-Hand: A Modern Guide to Working from the Ground: Long Lines, Long and Short Reins, Work on the Longe Kip Mistral and another person, foreword by Sylvia Loch
 
Try going on your county library online catalogue. You'd be surprised what a variety of horse training books are available without having to pay for them! One book that I am looking out for is Linda tellington Jones's . She covers all sorts of exercises with poles.
 
Thanks everyone. My 'Schooling Exercises in-hand' book arrived this morning, and I managed to speak to my instructor yesterday (she's always busy :eek:) and she has said she'll give me a lesson next monday on, something! So fingers crossed we'll get there :)
 
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