Just another example...

[Zabby]

.. of how training a horse really is more about training yourself

The past days I've been working with Crow to have him ''read my energy'' when I ride, i.e. stop going forward when I stop riding him forward. Simple, no?

It has lead to some distress and frustration - he got the 'whoo' easy enough, why not the slow down? I have the answer to that now

First of all, since this ''cue'' (or lack of cue more like it) is so subtle, the ''reinforcement'' or next stage of asking him has to be uncomfortable enough to mke him look for the first cue. First (few hundred) times I stopped nicely with the reins after asking (not-asking?) with my seat/energy. Of course he didn't connect! He probably didn't recognize it to mean something, it must have disappeared in the blur of imbalance and unoticed cues that all riders give more or less without knowing it. So immediatly when I made the rein ces more sudden and less comfortable (not yanking his jaw off of course, but more direct and sudden, like the tone of a harsh ''No!'' compared to the nicer ''please stop that'', but still far from the ''I'm gonna kill you you &#€%&#!!! AAARGH!!!'' it took him about 3 tries to find the first subtle cue and starting to listen to it. We're not quite finished practicng yet, but it's an amazing differense. I tried t be nice and all and ended up poibntless and confusing. He must have wondered why I kept stopping him all the time..

Then there was another thing I realized. To make him stop going when I stop riding.. I have to ride all the time when I want him to go.. :3 Well, Döh! you probably say (and me too really) but here's the fun part. While trying to teach him to stop, I started teaching myself to ride! I don't mean I should be kicking his sides in every step to keep him going, it's more that focusing forward and very slight firmness in the thighs that will tell him that I'm looking and wanting to go to something further ahead. Often I start him and then just sit there, especially on the trails. I only ''ride'' when I want something, like getting the energy up to a passage or forward into a rack. Me sitting relaxed has meant ''fast walk/flatwalk/forward''.. No wonder he has difficulties walking quietly! Of course it has to do with his mindset too, he is a responsive, energic horse, but that just makes it more important that I can be a calm rider. Think of this next time you ride a horse with a lot of go in it.. are you riding the go, or just sitting the same no matter what he does? And are you riding the slow walk too?

This session also made me focus on how I ride and my own energy in riding. We've all heard ''focus on the direction'' etc, bt it's something else to really experience and realize it. I have experienced it before, when we meet deer I get so focused on them and Crow seems to read my mind.. I bet he's just reading my body though But now I started to feel for and find out exactly what I do. My whole body gets a sort of soft firmness to it when my mind is focusing. Not just looking at that tree overthere, but really focusing on getting to it. The differense in Crows behaviour prove me right; when focusing rather than looking, he goes straighter and more steady.

Horses really are reflections of ones mind.

I love when I get ''insights'' like this and learn something. I ''know'' it all in theory, I've heard it before, but then suddenly I understand it.

I'm getting more and more convinced that any horse can do everything the rider s skilled enough to do. Once it's used to the weight and if it has the strength and suppleness enough, it can do it without schooling. It would not surprise me if a good rider just jumped up on Crow and made courbettes or terre-a-terre or any other high school move he doesn't know.. well that's not true. It would surprise me if there just showed up a good enough rider for that and asked to ride Crow

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

Hey well done you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lovely to read such an insightful and positive post. You and your horse will soon be almost finishing each others sentences, if you know what I mean. Just a thought, it might be helpful for you both if you teach him a very subtle half halt. The half halt (apart from re-balancing him in school work) will let him know that a change is coming so he can sort of listen harder and be better prepared at those points x

 

[planete]

Well done! You can also experiment with your breathing. Horses are acutely aware of the way we breathe. You can train your horse to go up a gear with a sharp intake of breath, half halt by holding your breath for a second and stop by exhaling deeply. A good way to start is to just walk around the arena and count how many of your horse's strides will go into your own in and out breaths until you realise you can count more strides because your breathing is slowing down. At that point your horse should give a big sigh and you should both be relaxed and tuned in to each other. I know it sounds weird and I am probably not explaining it very well but it makes a lovely start to a schooling session especially if you or the horse are a bit wound up to start with.

 

[Zabby]

Thanks
I believe this will work pretty much as a half-halt too; when I want something my energy/seat will change and if he's open for it he'll notice I can feel when he's with me or in his own world, nd I can talk to get his attention too :3 But it's a good idea, all horses is bettr of knowing a good half-halt.

And breathing is a large part of my training I havn't worked directly with it to ''train'' him, but when we're getting too worked up (and also in these stops) I take a deep breathe and try to relax myself to get ready and try again. My instructor has nagged enough about it to make me hear her little voice ''Deep breathe,Zab!" when things are getting rushy