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glenatronWe're nearing the end of our riding time now, but I think I've managed to make some useful changes in what I'm doing. I'd say Elaine has too, but what she does looked pretty good to start with...
Steve started the day talking a bit about leaning and how a horse can lean. Classic directions include:
We started out doing groundwork, Steve was doing some work with Gandalf on getting him to canter and then come in to Steve. Because Gandalf tends to get quite tense and emotional when he is cantering he finds it hard to be able to pick up and move forward and then to come back to Steve- as far as he is concerned Steve has chased him off and he doesn't want to come back.
Steve's solution? Carrots. Turns out if he has a pocket full of those, Gandalf can certainly come in and join him in the centre...
Steve is holding his pocket here so the carrots don't fall out.
I did some work with Samson doing the same thing and he found it ahrd to come in to the centre, he would look to go past me instead. Steve suggested that I spiral around to draw him in until he could follow me with both eyes.
Riding we just focussed on getting a soft feel the whole time. After yesterday afternoon's session Samson found it a lot easier to relax his poll and to work with the feel I was offering him.
Elaine and Kola working on a soft feel.
Random over-the-ears-cam picture of Steve riding by. You can see from Gandalf's face that he's still finding it hard to relax in canter. That will change with time.
In the afternoon we went back to some of the lateral work we were doing previously. I managed to get side pass along the fence towards me, changing to side pass away from me and back to side pass towards me, from both sides. That seemed like plenty so we went back to riding.
Steve, meanwhile, decided to ride bridleless. He had a bareback pad on though to protect Gandalf's spine from him and vice versa.
Bruce and his baby horse, just stood on the box.
Steve and Gandalf- I think this may have been the first time he rode this way, they got on pretty well though.
Elaine and Kola work on their turnarounds.
We also worked on going through gates- doing the western trail class style gate opening where you have to unlatch the gate, open it, go through it, close it and re-latch it without taking your hand off the gate itself. Samson was a star at this right up to the end, when the gate chased him and he got anxious. He can be an anxious pony.
In terms of the work we were doing today, I got a lot of ideas arranged in my head- it's not simply a case of asking him to maintain a soft feel, the really important part of the task is making sure he keeps thinking - once Samson gets emotional he will try everything he can think of to anticipate what you are asking for and what he thinks you are going to ask for next, rather than waiting and listening and staying with you. So I spent a lot of time just trying to keep his mind in his body and keep things really steady and smooth the whole time. I really enjoy this kind of riding- it is such a different challenge to what I am used to.
The view from my saddle.
Steve started the day talking a bit about leaning and how a horse can lean. Classic directions include:
- Straight forward through the bit. If your horse doesn't stop the moment you pick up the rein to ask them to, or you have any perception of weight in your hands when you ride them they are leaning forward.
- Out through the shoulder. A lot of horses when you are working on a circle ( or anywhere else ) will tend to bend where you are asking them to and then just walk their shoulder off towards wherever they are inclined to go or away from something that concerns them a little.
- Back on your leg - this is my own addition here, but I would say that Zorro leans back- if you ask him to move off he will put as little effort in as he possibly can. This is really taking over just as much as pulling through the bit or dropping out through the shoulder but it doesn't seem so scary...
We started out doing groundwork, Steve was doing some work with Gandalf on getting him to canter and then come in to Steve. Because Gandalf tends to get quite tense and emotional when he is cantering he finds it hard to be able to pick up and move forward and then to come back to Steve- as far as he is concerned Steve has chased him off and he doesn't want to come back.
Steve's solution? Carrots. Turns out if he has a pocket full of those, Gandalf can certainly come in and join him in the centre...
Steve is holding his pocket here so the carrots don't fall out.
I did some work with Samson doing the same thing and he found it ahrd to come in to the centre, he would look to go past me instead. Steve suggested that I spiral around to draw him in until he could follow me with both eyes.
Riding we just focussed on getting a soft feel the whole time. After yesterday afternoon's session Samson found it a lot easier to relax his poll and to work with the feel I was offering him.
Elaine and Kola working on a soft feel.
Random over-the-ears-cam picture of Steve riding by. You can see from Gandalf's face that he's still finding it hard to relax in canter. That will change with time.
In the afternoon we went back to some of the lateral work we were doing previously. I managed to get side pass along the fence towards me, changing to side pass away from me and back to side pass towards me, from both sides. That seemed like plenty so we went back to riding.
Steve, meanwhile, decided to ride bridleless. He had a bareback pad on though to protect Gandalf's spine from him and vice versa.
Bruce and his baby horse, just stood on the box.
Steve and Gandalf- I think this may have been the first time he rode this way, they got on pretty well though.
Elaine and Kola work on their turnarounds.
We also worked on going through gates- doing the western trail class style gate opening where you have to unlatch the gate, open it, go through it, close it and re-latch it without taking your hand off the gate itself. Samson was a star at this right up to the end, when the gate chased him and he got anxious. He can be an anxious pony.
In terms of the work we were doing today, I got a lot of ideas arranged in my head- it's not simply a case of asking him to maintain a soft feel, the really important part of the task is making sure he keeps thinking - once Samson gets emotional he will try everything he can think of to anticipate what you are asking for and what he thinks you are going to ask for next, rather than waiting and listening and staying with you. So I spent a lot of time just trying to keep his mind in his body and keep things really steady and smooth the whole time. I really enjoy this kind of riding- it is such a different challenge to what I am used to.
The view from my saddle.
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no subject
Date: 30 Apr 2011 15:53 (UTC)Very interesting - this is a good description of how Marco tends to be anxious too - particularly if what I'm asking is new to him and he doesn't know what the correct answer is...
Sounds like you've had some fab learning experiences!!
no subject
Date: 30 Apr 2011 23:17 (UTC)I've done a lot of inside-of-the-horse stuff, though. I think my feel has got a lot better in this time. Still a lot of work on timing, though, which is funny as I thought I had that kind of down. I sort of do, but there are some places where I need to really sharpen up...
no subject
Date: 30 Apr 2011 23:54 (UTC)When she's anticipatory and anxious, that's a different feel from anticipatory and exerting dominance. More hesitation, more of the feel that she's checking back in with me. Those moments, she's more about "is this what you want? Or is it this?" and offering up what she thinks I want instead of charging ahead with what she wants to do. Somewhat of the "leaning forward" mode.
The funny thing is, though, is that we can look like we're calm and steady and all is well to the less-experienced eye (I've gotten compliments from folks in the beginner college class on nights when she's been all about Alpha! Mare!). Her pushy moments are very subtle, and a less-clueful sort wouldn't necessarily notice.
no subject
Date: 1 May 2011 10:45 (UTC)Of course the other thing I appreciate is how you remember to take your camera and take pictures of things like riding through the scrub and a pile of blonde ponies.
no subject
Date: 1 May 2011 12:15 (UTC)This visit has really recalibrated how a horse can feel to ride.