Doublethyme
Well-Known Member
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Look into the biomechanics of your own riding - I went for a simulator session at Ashen EC with Becky Chapman who teaches the 'Ride With Your Mind' way and found that I had been riding my boy with a 'whoa' seat. A couple of basic changes and I now have a 'go' seat
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Absolutely - I've battled with my "lazy" mare for years and years and years and believe me "hit it" just doesn't cut it with her, she has a massive ability to switch off and and hitting her more just makes her back up into herself and switch off more. I am ashamed to say I learnt the hard way over the yeras on that one
Many instructors in my opinion don't highlight that whilst a "lazy" minded horse will take the options and excuses given to them, so yes do need to have lessons on being light to the aids, it is very often the rider that as Helbels is saying is actually blocking the forward movement being generated, so even when the horse reacts to the smacks, it is being unintentionally punished for going forward by a "stop" seat.
This I am sure is the case with my mare, as after some lunge lessons a few years ago (then a year out for both of us due to injury), I have made some changes to my seat after doing lots of reading and the difference in my mare is astounding!
Yes she still needs small reminders at the start of a session on occasion, but once I have her listening, she stays listening nowadays as long as I concentrate on not blocking her movement.
Sadly I feel her lazy behaviour over the years has been her saying "enough, get your signals right and not confusing and I might listen to you!!"
Now I'm not a "bad" rider (well hope not anyway!!), have competed dressage lower levels etc, can ride more forward horses (and possibly more forgiving ones) with absolutely no problems, but IMHO some horses, my mare being one, are actually less of the lazy and more of the sensitive type, so they take great umbrage at conflicting aids.
Certainly now I am trying to sort myself out, I find I actually have a horse that needs the mearest whisper from my seat and hardly any leg!!!
The major thing that I was doing was tipping onto my pubic bone I think, now looking at me in the saddle its probably not that noticeable, certainly no instructer has ever given me instructions to the contrary, my body itself isn't tipping forward, its just a drop of the public bone a the front. I read on a classical forum a message by a lady who said had anyone ever noticed that men by and large have less problems with lazy horses than woman and that it is often because they physically can't tip onto their pubic bone and hence block the forward movement. By just imaging I have say a pair of boiled eggs in front
, this simple analogy gets me to lift my pubic bone ever so slightly and low and behold I get and maintain forwardness with my mare - its in no way a tipping back or sitting too far back onto my seat bones, but more keeping the pelvic in neutral and just lifting the pubic bone for more forwardness.
Urggh.....sorry I can't really explain it properly as still figuring it out myself with trial and error, all I know is that the work I am getting from my mare when I get it right is so easy and forward and this was a mare that could ignore a bomb up her backside if she wanted to!!!!
Plus interestingly she now has far more respect when I do actually have to back up any aid with a smack etc, as it has now I hope become much clearer to her that when I say forward I mean forward and not blurry round the edges and confusing for her.
Look into the biomechanics of your own riding - I went for a simulator session at Ashen EC with Becky Chapman who teaches the 'Ride With Your Mind' way and found that I had been riding my boy with a 'whoa' seat. A couple of basic changes and I now have a 'go' seat
[/ QUOTE ]
Absolutely - I've battled with my "lazy" mare for years and years and years and believe me "hit it" just doesn't cut it with her, she has a massive ability to switch off and and hitting her more just makes her back up into herself and switch off more. I am ashamed to say I learnt the hard way over the yeras on that one
Many instructors in my opinion don't highlight that whilst a "lazy" minded horse will take the options and excuses given to them, so yes do need to have lessons on being light to the aids, it is very often the rider that as Helbels is saying is actually blocking the forward movement being generated, so even when the horse reacts to the smacks, it is being unintentionally punished for going forward by a "stop" seat.
This I am sure is the case with my mare, as after some lunge lessons a few years ago (then a year out for both of us due to injury), I have made some changes to my seat after doing lots of reading and the difference in my mare is astounding!
Yes she still needs small reminders at the start of a session on occasion, but once I have her listening, she stays listening nowadays as long as I concentrate on not blocking her movement.
Sadly I feel her lazy behaviour over the years has been her saying "enough, get your signals right and not confusing and I might listen to you!!"
Now I'm not a "bad" rider (well hope not anyway!!), have competed dressage lower levels etc, can ride more forward horses (and possibly more forgiving ones) with absolutely no problems, but IMHO some horses, my mare being one, are actually less of the lazy and more of the sensitive type, so they take great umbrage at conflicting aids.
Certainly now I am trying to sort myself out, I find I actually have a horse that needs the mearest whisper from my seat and hardly any leg!!!
The major thing that I was doing was tipping onto my pubic bone I think, now looking at me in the saddle its probably not that noticeable, certainly no instructer has ever given me instructions to the contrary, my body itself isn't tipping forward, its just a drop of the public bone a the front. I read on a classical forum a message by a lady who said had anyone ever noticed that men by and large have less problems with lazy horses than woman and that it is often because they physically can't tip onto their pubic bone and hence block the forward movement. By just imaging I have say a pair of boiled eggs in front
Urggh.....sorry I can't really explain it properly as still figuring it out myself with trial and error, all I know is that the work I am getting from my mare when I get it right is so easy and forward and this was a mare that could ignore a bomb up her backside if she wanted to!!!!
Plus interestingly she now has far more respect when I do actually have to back up any aid with a smack etc, as it has now I hope become much clearer to her that when I say forward I mean forward and not blurry round the edges and confusing for her.
