HHO virtual group clinic week 2

[rara007]

Thank you! Really helpful actually It’s such a fragile pace..! Funnily enough the walk piri work is what transformed the canter (it was very rushed and hollow until a long rein lesson with JLC making us canter out of a walk piri shouting steady every stride!) but as you could predict from the size of his walk they are like a windscreen wiper going round- massive crossing of the front legs but in like 4 strides in questionable balance and rhythm. Similar to you we can’t just go for an hours walk hack on the roads and march it out into a decent confident pace. I’ll try the SI/traver/10m circles today

 

[milliepops]

windscreen wipers is a great description!
Part of the issue I had with it was just not being brave enough in my asking, because I have had it drummed into me that walks are difficult to improve and easy to break. My trainer pointed out that my horse could turn around in the trailer so she can get round in a small space without taking HUGE steps forward, that made me reframe the question a bit in my mind - it was a fair question to pose to her, she had to figure out how to answer it.

 

[Sprat]

Thank you! Really helpful actually It’s such a fragile pace..! Funnily enough the walk piri work is what transformed the canter (it was very rushed and hollow until a long rein lesson with JLC making us canter out of a walk piri shouting steady every stride!) but as you could predict from the size of his walk they are like a windscreen wiper going round- massive crossing of the front legs but in like 4 strides in questionable balance and rhythm. Similar to you we can’t just go for an hours walk hack on the roads and march it out into a decent confident pace. I’ll try the SI/traver/10m circles today

Interesting that the walk piris have helped the canter. I'm back into having an onward bound rangy canter that is a nightmare to sit to as she's trying to either giraffe or falling on her face. I haven't started looking at the walk piris yet but it may be food for thought to help the canter

 

[Wheels]

I saw talland posted an exercise similar to one I quite like the other day.
They called it 6 circles. Basically on the right rein, 2 10m circles right at K, straight line to X 2 10m circles left at X, straight line to H 2 10m circles at H, straight line to M and same up the long side. Same on the other rein but in reverse.
I like it because it works bend and straightness, you can ride in any gait and if you want to make it harder you can use lateral work instead of straight lines

Hi roxy - can you start a new thread for week 3? People can try it over the weekend then

 

[Roxylola]

Yes, sorry. My internet has been down all day I'll do it now

 

[HufflyPuffly]

So I tried this exercise with both the horses and to be honest it didn't suit either... Both got really hot and silly about it, now obviously that shows up holes in our training but I feel like this exercise didn't solve the issue? Anyone else found it didn't suit very hot/ sharp horses? Topaz is grown up enough that we worked through it and she did settle, but Skylla just got more ridiculous until I decided to leave it as she was getting tenser and tenser about it.

Week 1 exercises were fab for getting them to slow and relax into the aids, but this one did the opposite lol. They are both good at half halts but they just seemed to anticipate and then get cross/bored, should I continue trying or give this one up as not for them? We do lots of transitions (up and down and within the paces) generally but not at regimented points like this, not sure if it was the 'pressure' of thinking we've got to stop again in a minute.

Skylla ad-libing canter in as I think she fancied the jump that was set up, she had been going ok until this point:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1609584732498925

I think week 3 will be good for them as lots of turns to keep them occupied and circles always helps keeping the whizzing off under control.

 

[milliepops]

So I tried this exercise with both the horses and to be honest it didn't suit either... Both got really hot and silly about it, now obviously that shows up holes in our training but I feel like this exercise didn't solve the issue? Anyone else found it didn't suit very hot/ sharp horses? Topaz is grown up enough that we worked through it and she did settle, but Skylla just got more ridiculous until I decided to leave it as she was getting tenser and tenser about it.

Week 1 exercises were fab for getting them to slow and relax into the aids, but this one did the opposite lol. They are both good at half halts but they just seemed to anticipate and then get cross/bored, should I continue trying or give this one up as not for them? We do lots of transitions (up and down and within the paces) generally but not at regimented points like this, not sure if it was the 'pressure' of thinking we've got to stop again in a minute.

Skylla ad-libing canter in as I think she fancied the jump that was set up, she had been going ok until this point:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1609584732498925

I think week 3 will be good for them as lots of turns to keep them occupied and circles always helps keeping the whizzing off under control.

i really struggled to get Kira forward enough as she was still holding her breath about spooking and being silly, we also got stuck in tranter for a good while but that's part of the same thing, when she won't relax she can't go forward in trot, her tension makes her backward rather than whizzy. I found the week 3 exercise suited her really well though.

what week 2 really helped me think about was not holding her up though, releasing my hand in the half halt made her softer quicker so although I didn't get the quality paces i did get an easier way of going the next time i rode because I was thinking about that.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

i really struggled to get Kira forward enough as she was still holding her breath about spooking and being silly, we also got stuck in tranter for a good while but that's part of the same thing, when she won't relax she can't go forward in trot, her tension makes her backward rather than whizzy. I found the week 3 exercise suited her really well though.

what week 2 really helped me think about was not holding her up though, releasing my hand in the half halt made her softer quicker so although I didn't get the quality paces i did get an easier way of going the next time i rode because I was thinking about that.

Yes I think although the exercise itself wasn't great for them, it did get me thinking about the release (well more on Topaz, Skylla just kept going for zoomies ). I've been a bit fragmented with my riding which doesn't help, but it will be interesting to see how they go when I school next!

 

[Wheels]

So I tried this exercise with both the horses and to be honest it didn't suit either... Both got really hot and silly about it, now obviously that shows up holes in our training but I feel like this exercise didn't solve the issue? Anyone else found it didn't suit very hot/ sharp horses? Topaz is grown up enough that we worked through it and she did settle, but Skylla just got more ridiculous until I decided to leave it as she was getting tenser and tenser about it.

Week 1 exercises were fab for getting them to slow and relax into the aids, but this one did the opposite lol. They are both good at half halts but they just seemed to anticipate and then get cross/bored, should I continue trying or give this one up as not for them? We do lots of transitions (up and down and within the paces) generally but not at regimented points like this, not sure if it was the 'pressure' of thinking we've got to stop again in a minute.

Skylla ad-libing canter in as I think she fancied the jump that was set up, she had been going ok until this point:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1609584732498925

I think week 3 will be good for them as lots of turns to keep them occupied and circles always helps keeping the whizzing off under control.

This exercise can hot them up for sure.
You dont have to halt during this exercise, you can just go from medium walk to collected, from trot to walk, from canter to trot or walk if that works better. If your transitions are usually good then this might work for you.

Having said that, this exercise is aimed at teaching and improving the half halts which is why you use the markers so that there is some repetition for them to learn what you want. If your half halts are already very good and come from your seat only then you maybe you dont need this exercise anyway?

The clip shows your horse a bit agitated evading the contact with her head up and her back hollow and doing her bouncy canter thing so that was never going to produce a good downward transition. It would have been better to circle away as many times as it took for her to become settled and then try again, possibly in shoulder in or shoulder fore or even back to the walk work.

I'd have another go and if you're still not getting good results it's not the exercise for you

 

[HufflyPuffly]

This exercise can hot them up for sure.
You dont have to halt during this exercise, you can just go from medium walk to collected, from trot to walk, from canter to trot or walk if that works better. If your transitions are usually good then this might work for you.

Having said that, this exercise is aimed at teaching and improving the half halts which is why you use the markers so that there is some repetition for them to learn what you want. If your half halts are already very good and come from your seat only then you maybe you dont need this exercise anyway?

The clip shows your horse a bit agitated evading the contact with her head up and her back hollow and doing her bouncy canter thing so that was never going to produce a good downward transition. It would have been better to circle away as many times as it took for her to become settled and then try again, possibly in shoulder in or shoulder fore or even back to the walk work.

I'd have another go and if you're still not getting good results it's not the exercise for you

I tried different variations, not just the halt but they both were fairly daft about it. I feel even though they can half halt from the seat I 'should' be able to do this exercise lol, I'm wondering if it's me as the were both the same during it!

Ah in the clip it was 100% the right thing to do to stop, I wasn't really thinking of the exercise once she tried to tigger off with me, we have tried the circle till she relaxes and she doesn't, contrary horse. Best thing with her once she gets stupid is to stop, give her a moment and then go again.

Might see if I can sort of sneak it in, in between other exercises so they don't notice... Hoping week 3 will have them polishing their halos again lol.