Posts Tagged ‘aids’

Horse training aids provide you with a useful trade to help you have success when training your horse. When it comes to training a horse, you don’t want to pass over your investment in training aids. Horse training is a serious issue and training aids can make sure a trainer stays safe. It is best to make sure you have the following necessary horse training aids before you start training your horse.

Every trainer is going to need a halter and lead rope combination. The rope halter allows you to tie and lead which is often better than a flat halter, which is uncomfortable for the horse and prevents leaning. When you are working with a horse, it is important to have a rope halter as a part of your equipment.

Next, you need a lead rope to attach to your halter. This lead rope is used to steer and direct your horse. This is a very important training aid since it acts like a leash and allows you to tell your horse what you want them to do.

Another valuable horse training aid is the longe line. Longeing is a term for a set of training skills that teach a horse direction, posture and yielding or moving because of pressure. The longe line will allow you to accomplish these goals.

A popular training tool among many trainers is a progress string. This thin, braided rope has an eye splice at one end and a leather popper on the other. You can use it in a variety of ways. They can be a visual aid for horses to know when they are in your space. It can also be a physical tool for you to have contact while in the saddle. The progress strain isn’t heavy to cause pain, but the popper end has a distinct noise and can be used in place of a crop.

For a less traditional horse training method, you should consider getting a large rubber ball. This type of rubber ball can be bought at a toy store and can be used to successfully condition horse’s nerves. Simply roll the ball around them and gently bump it into their legs so they won’t become startled.

The horse can also be directed from the saddle in order to have them gently move the ball with their legs. This way your horse can become desensitized to unexpected movements or objects. Thereby, reducing a horse from becoming spooked.

The last less traditional horse training aid you can use is a simple plastic tarp. The tarp can be used to develop a horse’s courage while providing you with a cheap training aid. All you have to do is place the tarp in the training area and lead your horse over it so they walk across it by themselves.

As the horse walks across the tarp, it will make a noise and provide them with a strange footing environment. This will develop the trust between a trainer and horse while providing them with desensitizing to noisy situations for when you take them out on a trail ride.

This is by no means a complete list of all the horse training aids available on the market, but it can provide you with something to work with. This list provides you with the basic and necessary training aids for your horse so you can get started with your training program. Once you progress in your horse training you can start using advanced horse training aids and tactics so that you have continued progress.

Sheryll Walker is a horse training enthusiast, helping numbers of people to learn secrets of training horses.

To discover more helpful horse training aids and learn about natural horse training, visit HorseTrainingHelp.com.

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Author: Sheryll Walker
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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I am very interested in the bitless bridle and think it would be great to use. But, how to you train your horse to understand aids such as turning and halting without a bit?

Horse people spend years trying to find out information and techniques from different trainers for a few tips that help them with their horse back riding training before they ‘chance’ upon training that actually works for them successfully that they can instantly understand and practise the moves.

How many times do you see people practising the same move whether general riding, dressage, western, western pleasure or cutting and they repeat the same moves over and over with no improvement ‘locking’ their horse into a frame and getting mediocre results.

Then they sell their horse and buy a new one and unless the horse can ‘teach’ the rider the ‘move’ the same thing happens. When an experienced trainer hops on the horse they can execute moves that you didn’t know your horse was capable of – This is the SECRET- to learn and understand the required thinking and aids to ask and communicate to your horse and unite this with your correct body position that doesn’t lock or stiffen their frame.

Do you see people kick and hit their horse to move it and when the horse finally moves they jerk on the reins, and pull the mouth to make the horse uncomfortable – it’s no wonder that the horse doesn’t want to move!

Imagine being able to dance in self carriage and never having to continually repeat exercises with your horse, which they see as undeserved punishment! And better still, having the correct riding seat and the respect from your horse so it will move forwards willingly as you lift your energy!

This is why when you have the opportunity to acquire quality training information – You should take it- Read it – Understand it- Plan it and Practise it!

How do you know when the training offered is quality equestrian and horse back riding knowledge that is easily understandable to you?

A good trainer will tell you about the results they have obtained with other horses. The information that they provide will be clear and concise, being easy for you to understand as they discuss what you don’t want with your horse and then what you do want! You can understand clearly how to implement the training information with your horse, with examples of improvement being discussed with so you can see how to progress to that point and when it is obtained. Training tips and a free mailing list should be available to you – so you can communicate easily.

Most importantly great equestrian training is so substantial that it caters for horse back riders and horses of all equestrian disciplines – Western, English, Western Pleasure, Cutting, Reining, Hacking etc. to give breakthroughs and advance horse and horse back rider performance. Lets say a horse won’t go forwards properly, this isn’t a particular problem associated with one equestrian discipline -i.e dressage – it’s a communication and respect issue that can happen to all riders in any equestrian discipline – the equestrian rider needs to understand the theory and comprehend the bodily-kinesthetic knowledge of the moves – how to apply the training and aids, and know what to expect from the horse.

These key areas of training need to be available to the horse back rider in unison allowing an advance in equestrian training and performance, good horse training will equip you in all these areas – ending frustration created from no advance in horse back riding skills – due to only part of the training information being available to the horse back rider.

Suzanne Garrard has a post graduate degree in education and has been working with and training horses for 15 years – including horses that when purchased lacked impulsion or were a problem horse. She is passionate about continual and further education for horse and rider advancement. If you are looking to advance your equine performance and horse back riding skills, and increase your understanding of the equine language, whilst building you and your horses comfort zones and your leadership with the horse, so you are both confident and happy then click on [http://www.smarthorseandridercoaching.com] to get free training tips, join the mailing list and easily access comprehensive equestrian horse back rider training!

Author: Suzanne Garrard
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Many people are confused about the aid for the canter. What follows are some common questions about the canter and my answers.

Q. I know to ask for the canter it is outside leg behind the girth and inside leg at the girth, however during the canter is your outside leg supposed to stay back or do both legs then become neutral at the girth once the canter is achieved?”

A.Swing your outside leg back ONCE, and then bring it back to its normal position on the girth. Think of it as a spring-loaded action or a windshield-wiper-like action. If you wait for your horse to answer, he’s not listening to your leg aid. If he doesn’t canter right away, give him a little bump with your outside leg or tap him with the whip. (Carry your whip in the outside hand for the canter work so you can use it to reinforce your outside leg aid.)

As soon as he does the canter depart, reward him.

You can teach him to canter by holding your outside leg back, but when you start doing half passes in the trot, your horse might get confused. He won’t know whether to stay in the trot and go sideways for a half pass or to pick up the canter.

It’s easier to teach him to canter from an aid that ONLY means canter depart than to teach him to canter from that aid and then have to reschool him when you get to trot half passes.

Q. Are you saying that the canter depart is achieved with the legs only? Or, were you just addressing your reader’s concern about her legs? I thought the canter depart was achieved by a slight turn of the wrist on the inside hand, weight on the inside seat bone, AND the windshield wiper outside leg. Is that correct?

A. Yes! I was just addressing her concern about the legs…But you’re right about the rest of the aids. I also push that inside seatbone toward the inside ear and support with the outside rein so I don’t get too much bend in the neck.

Q. How do I use my hands and seat in the canter depart?
What rein aids, if any, should be used?
Do I stay centered with my seat or shift my weight to the inside or outside when I cue for a canter depart?

A.Your weight is on your inside seatbone. When you ask for the depart, push your inside seatbone toward your horse’s inside ear.
Ask for flexion at the poll to the inside with a slight indirect rein aid, but support with the outside rein to keep your horse from over bending his neck to the inside.

Q. How do I keep the canter depart from being hollow?

A. Your horse is perfectly justified in coming off the bit if all you do is give the aid for a transition. To do a transition on the bit, you need to give two sets of aids at once–the transition aid AND the aid to tell him to stay on the bit–the connecting half halt. When you give these two sets of aids at once, you’re telling your horse to “do a transition on the bit”.

* Essentially, you’ll superimpose the connecting half halt over the aids for a transition. That is, you’ll give the connecting half halt before, during, and after the transition.

* In this case, the connecting half halt lasts longer than three seconds. It might even last six, seven, or eight seconds.)

* Apply it lightly before, during, and after the transition so that you “bridge” the transition with your connecting half halt.

* Start the connecting half halt before the transition. (Close both calves as if you’re asking for a medium gait, close your outside hand in a fist to capture and recycle the power back to the hind legs, and vibrate the inside rein to prevent your horse from bending his neck to the outside.)

* Keep giving the half halt while you add the aids for the canter depart.

* AND keep giving the connecting half halt for two or three strides into the next gait.

Q. What aid do I use to go from canter to trot?

A. The primary aid for any downward transition is a “stilled” seat.

* Sit with equal weight on both seat bones, and stretch up tall so you have a gentle curve in the small of your back. I call this posture a “ready” back.

* Brace your lower back in a stopping, non-following or retarding way by tightening your stomach muscles like you’re doing a sit-up.

* When you brace your back, your hips stop following the motion of your horse. Your non-following hips signal him to drop down to the next slower gait.

* To learn the feeling of stopping your hips, simply sit on your horse at the halt. Focus on the immobility of your seat.

* When you ask for a downward transition, mimic the way your seat feels in the halt.

* To practice your stilled seat, pick a point in the ring or on the trail. As you pass this spot, make your body immobile.

Q. How do I keep my horse on the bit during the transition back down from canter to trot?

A. Let’s say you want to do a downward transition from canter to trot on the bit. Remember, if you want to do a transition on the bit, you need to give two sets of aids at once.

* Ask your horse to stay on the bit during the transition by giving the connecting half halt before, during, and after the transition.

* While you’re in the canter, start your connecting half halt.

* After giving the half halt for a couple of seconds, add the aid for the downward transition by tightening your tummy muscles.

* In the beginning, it may take a few seconds for your horse to respond to your seat.

* No matter how long it takes, keep giving the connecting half halt until he listens to your seat and drops into the trot.

* Maintain the connecting half halt until you’re trotting for at least two strides.

Note: If your horse does the downward transition from the half halt itself, you’re either using too much hand and not enough leg or he’s behind your leg. He should wait to do the downward transition until you actually still your seat. The connecting half halt is just for keeping him on the bit. It’s not the aid for the downward transition.

Q. When we’re cantering my lower leg and knee creeps up and my stirrups dangle on my feet (both left and right). What can I do while I’m working alone, which is most of the time, to improve my leg position at the canter? I realize lunge line lessons would improve my position, but that’s not an option right now.

A. It sounds like you’re gripping with your knees and thighs for balance. Think about relaxing your knees and thighs and letting your legs hang loose so that you feel your feet supported by the stirrups. Sally Swift has a great image for this. She says to imagine that your legs are so long that your bare feet are dangling on the ground, and you can feel mud squishing between your toes.

Q. I was initially taught to ask for the canter with the outside leg, as are most people. However, as I progressed in Dressage, I was taught that although my outside leg was behind the girth in the canter transition (to tell the horse which lead I wanted), I actually asked for the canter with my inside leg, at the girth. Is this right?

A. Absolutely. The outside leg tells the outside hind to strike-off. (The outside hind leg needs to strike off first for your horse to end up on the correct lead.)
Your inside leg at the girth tells your horse to go forward into the canter.
So, you do end up using both legs although the emphasis changes from your outside leg to your inside leg as you and your horse become more advanced.

Q. I unconsciously lean forward as I ask for the canter. Should I stay upright? Should I lean back?

A. Stay upright, but push your inside seatbone toward your horse’s inside ear during the depart. As Kyra Kyrklund says: Pretend there are arrows extending down from your seatbones. You’ll push your horse’s hind legs in whatever direction your seatbones are pointed. So when you lean forward, your seatbones point backwards, and that’s the direction you’ll send the hind legs. By pushing your inside seatbone forward, you bring the hind legs with you and underneath your horse’s body.

Are you sick and tired of complicated and confusing training techniques? Are you frustrated by negative emotions like fear and lack of confidence? Would you like to be trained by a Three Time Olympic Coach? Learn how by going to: http://www.janesavoie.com/

Author: Jane Savoie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The Dressage Arena

Inside the arena is one of the most difficult moments at a competition for both the rider and the horse. The time immediately before entering the arena is the most crucial. You hope that the horse has worked is ready to do its best. But it is very easy for the horse to switch off between the warming-up area and the competition arena. You have to be alert with particularly young or inexperienced horses and ponies. They will be wary of any new arena, and may well lose their confidence and concentration when entering this new place.

In training, frequently give your horse an opportunity to switch off, then find ways of bringing it back to attention. This is beneficial at competitions, when you will need to bring the horse back again to do its best following a break. When you are about to enter the arena, try, as quickly as possible, to bring the horse correctly on the aids again. This is another situation where as the rider and trainer, you need to really know your horse.

With young horses or a pony it is vital that the rider treat the competition arena as a training ground. If the horse does something unacceptable, it has to be corrected (as he would be at home). If the horse get the idea that you, as the rider will allow him to misbehave in the arena, the horse’s behaviour or the pony’s behaviour, will gradually get worse. Some novice riders think that they must do nothing in the arena. The equestrian dressage, however, will realize that if something is going wrong it needs to be corrected immediately.

Now that both rider and horse have entered the arena, they should make sure that the horse’s boots or bandages are removed and your rider’s jacket is buttoned up. Have a few calming thoughts, then you are off!

And Finally

Wherever you are placed at the end of the event, remember dressage competitions are a test of the horse’s training and provide an opportunity to receive expert observations of an independent judge.

Frequently a rider will be thrilled with a fairly low placing in a test in which the horse did its best and showed improvements. On the other hand, another rider may be unhappy with a winning test that he did not consider to be that good. Winning may be the well-deserved regard for all the time and patience put into systematically training a horse, but it should not in itself be the primary aim. If the performance of the horse or pony was disappointing, do not automatically blame the horse or pony. Instead, try to view the test dispassionately; try to see the good points as well as the bad. Think about what you could have done better, and how you will improve next time.

It is very important that the principles of sound training (dressage) are clearly understood by riders, teachers and judges.

Training should be kept as simple and clear as possible, with no secret about the correct thing to do – just dedication on your part. I hope that this article will help make the life of your horse or your horses more comfortable. As I wish you good riding and happy horses.

Sonia is a book reviewer, coach and author. Equestrian dressage is about techniques, competing, tack, horse riding, caring for your horse and more.

Refer to:

http://dressage.ebooksgain.com

in support of more exciting and appealing information on your passion!

Author: Sonia Dixon
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Beading Necklace

Many years ago while visiting the dressage stable of the late Hector Carmona in New Jersey, I was intrigued by a sign in his indoor arena that boldly proclaimed, “The secret of riding is the outside rein”. I soon discovered that the outside rein (AKA the rein of opposition) has many critical jobs:

1. You control speed with it.
2. You use it to steer.
3. You use it to keep your horse straight.
4. When you combine the outside rein with both your driving aids and your bending aids for 3 seconds, you have a “connecting half halt” to put your horse on the bit.
5. Later in training your dressage horse, you’ll use a momentary closure of seat, leg, and hand to give a “collecting half halt”.

(The half halt is one of the most essential concepts in riding because it allows you to improve your horse’s balance–an issue we’re constantly dealing with in training. But more on the half halt in a moment. ) First, let’s take some time to develop a feel for simply using the outside rein.

LEARNING TO USE THE OUTSIDE REIN

To start, I’m going to give you some exercises to help you become more aware of your outside aids. I think this is a useful first step because riders instinctively rely more on their inside rein than their outside rein.

The first exercise is simply to ride in all three paces on the “second track” which is one meter away from the wall. One meter is a good distance because it’s fairly close to the wall. And you’ll soon find that the wall exerts some sort of “magnetic pull” that draws your horse back towards the track. Plus, it’s a small enough distance for you to clearly tell if you’re staying equidistant from the track.

Your goal is to make it all the way around the ring exactly one meter away from the track without having to make any corrections or adjustments. Pretend you’re on a 4-inch wide balance beam and any deviation off your line means you’ve fallen off the beam. If your horse is between your aids, it’s easy to keep him one meter from the wall.

Once you can do that, increase the difficulty of the exercise by making a circle. Ride one meter off the track as in the first exercise. Then ride a circle that begins and ends at exactly the same point. As you finish the circle, continue riding straight ahead maintaining your one-meter distance away from the track. The critical points are when you start and finish the circle. You’ll need your outside rein both to turn your horse onto the circle as well as to straighten him to tell him to go straight ahead again.

To add an even greater degree of difficulty to the exercise, turn down the centerline and leg yield over to the wall. When you’re one meter from the wall interrupt the leg yield with your outside aids and redirect your horse’s energy so he travels straight ahead. Since your horse will be inclined to continue his sideways momentum and end up on the track, you’ll need to influence him firmly with your outside aids.

HALF HALTS

Once you have a handle on using your outside rein, ask your dressage horse to step through it and come on the bit by giving a “connecting half halt”.

During a connecting half halt there’s a marriage of three sets of aids–the driving aids (both legs and the seat), the bending aids (both legs and the inside rein, and the rein of opposition (the outside rein).

Imagine what would happen if you were to apply your driving and bending aids to their maximum without adding the rein of opposition. That’s right. Your horse would be running very fast on a very small circle. Not very good balance, eh?

However, with the addition of the outside rein, an imaginary door shuts in front of your horse. As your horse maintains his speed and straightness while yielding to this outside hand that is closed in a fist, he bends the joints of his hind legs to a greater degree and changes his balance and shape.

Changing his balance can include anything from putting him on the bit by connecting him longitudinally to improving his self-carriage by collecting him to calling him to attention when he’s distracted. The main difference is just a matter of degree. Depending on what you’re trying to do, all the elements (driving aids, bending aids, rein of opposition) are there, but the emphasis merely changes.

For instance, you’ll use a certain amount of seat, leg and hand to ask the horse to step through the outside rein and come into a round frame in the working gaits. Then you can take that same horse and with a greater degree of the three elements, you can ask for more collection. Or if you want an extension, half halt by using more seat and leg versus the amount of restraining outside hand. When you want to do a downward transition at the end of this extension, you’ll use more upper leg and outside rein to collect your horse. When you close your legs and drive more with your seat into a restraining hand, the educated horse knows to passage. If you then half halt by maintaining your legs and closing your restraining hand a bit more while lightening your seat, you’re asking that horse to piaffe.

When you’re ready to give a connecting half halt, you’ll combine the three sets of aids for approximately three seconds. Of course, there will be times when you give a half halt in one second. But it’s best for the green rider to think that the half halt lasts for the amount of time it takes to take a full breath.

As you breathe in, tighten your stomach and the small of your back. You should feel it as a wave that travels up your stomach into your chest. Your shoulders go back and down and the wave goes down your back into your seat. At the same time close your legs and maintain your horse’s bend with your inside hand.

As he begins to move forward and bend to a greater degree, you’ll feel a surge of energy come into the rein. This is the moment to close your outside hand in a fist. The outside hand says, “You’re not allowed to speed up or bend to a greater degree than you already have. Instead you must yield to the outside hand, and because you’re being driven forward, you’ll bend your hind legs more.” At the end of your full breath, relax all the aids and resume a light but pleasant contact with your legs on your horse’s barrel and your hands with his mouth. Then you can ride him forward in a new state of balance and attention.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK AND FEEL LIKE WHEN YOUR DRESSAGE HORSE

STEPS THROUGH THE OUTSIDE REIN?

When your dressage horse steps through the outside rein, he feels like he’s in an organized package rather than a jumble of disconnected parts. On circles, he “fills” the outside rein and, in turn, the rein envelops his neck. His silhouette or shape is round, and the power from his hindquarters travels uninterrupted over his back through a long and beautifully set neck. Because he moves through his whole body like a dancer rather than holding his back rigidly and shuffling along with his legs, he’s more comfortable to sit on–especially in trot and canter. He’s so uncomplicated to ride that you have a sense of anything being possible within the very next step. For example, if you’re in extended trot, you can just as easily be in collected trot by the next stride. Or if you’re backing up, you can effortlessly strike off into the canter.

As you use your driving aids, you experience a comfortable interaction with your outside hand. You create energy, and your outside rein recycles that power through your horse’s body without any conflicts–sort of like a flywheel that continues to turn by itself because it doesn’t meet any resistance. There’s a cooperative relationship between the driving aids and the outside rein where the use of one benefits the other rather than existing as separate entities that work against each other.

Not only can you feel when your horse steps through your hand, but you can see it as well. As your horse steps through your hand, you’ll notice that his neck changes shape. It gets longer, rounder, and often lower. His neck is widest at the base and gets progressively narrower with the narrowest point behind the ears. (If his neck is widest in the middle, he’s not stepping through the outside rein.)

However, when the relationship between your driving aids and outside rein is not right, the use of your driving aids complicates the feeling in your hand. Your horse might speed up and run through your hand, become hollow, pull, come against your hand, or lean on it. He feels as if he’s jammed up against your hand with the kind of resistance or blockage you’d meet if you were trying to drive your car with the emergency brake on. You’ll also probably feel like you have to resort to doing too much with your inside rein for basic things like steering and maintaining his round shape.

TESTING THE CONNECTION THROUGH THE OUTSIDE REIN

After you’ve pushed your dressage horse through the outside rein with a half halt, you can tell if you’ve been successful by softening your inside rein forward for a couple of strides (uberstreichen). If your horse maintains his shape and position while you give your inside hand away, you know he’s stepping through the outside rein.

Start your test on a circle where the bend of the circle will help you to put him through the outside rein. Give a half halt. Close your legs, close your outside hand in a fist, and maintain flexion to the inside by lightly vibrating the inner rein. Then put a loop in the inner rein by softening your hand forward towards his mouth for a couple of strides. Does your horse stay bent along the arc of the circle? Do his speed, balance, and frame stay the same? If so, you can feel confident that your horse is connected through your outside rein. If anything changes, give another half halt and try the test again.

Next, challenge yourself by doing this same test on a straight line where you don’t have the bend of the circle to help your horse fill the outside rein. When you give the inside rein away after a half halt, ask yourself if your horse’s spine stays parallel to the track or does his neck bend to the outside. If it does, does it bend a little or a lot? The amount that your horse’s neck bends to the outside and he, therefore, loses his straightness tells you the degree he’s connected (or not) through the outside rein.

Once you know your horse is stepping through the outside rein on circles and straight lines, do the same test during lateral work. Start a shoulder-in, a haunches-in, or a half pass. Give your half halt and then soften your inside hand forward for a stride or two. Does your horse maintain his bend and position? If he does, you’re in business. If not, you’re probably helping him too much with your inside rein rather than pushing him from your inside leg to your outside rein.

HELP!

At this point, you’ve ridden a bunch of half halts, but your dressage horse just doesn’t seem to understand stepping through the outside rein. Every time you drive him forward and close your outside hand, he stiffens against the rein and raises and shortens his neck. So what now?

What I do in this case is use the momentum of a lengthening to give the horse the idea that he must go forward “through” the closed outside hand.

To do this, start on a circle where you know your outside rein has to be more definite because of the bend. Then ask for a lengthening. When you’re really motoring along, close your outside hand in a fist while maintaining the lengthening. While doing this, your inside rein is doing its usual job of keeping the horse straight–that is, vibrating just enough to keep the inside flexion of the horse’s head.

If your dressage horse lowers, stretches, lengthens, or rounds his neck even one inch, soften your aids and reward him. If he doesn’t, KEEP lengthening while your outside hand stays closed and your inside hand vibrates until you see his neck lower even slightly. (This could take half way around the circle in the beginning!) When the power of the lengthening carries him forward through your closed outside fist and he comes rounder, soften your aids and praise generously.

If your horse still stiffens against your hand when he feels you use your outside rein, give an “increasing half halt”. Start with a light half halt but over the course of the three or more seconds, increase the pressure of all the aids. If you need “more leg”, you can tap your horse with a whip at the same time that you are using your driving aids and hands to the maximum.

Now here’s the important part. While you’re doing this, watch your horse’s neck very carefully. The moment it becomes even slightly longer, relax all of your aids. By lengthening his neck, your horse is telling you that he’s starting to step “through” your outside hand. He should be instantly rewarded for this both by the softening of all of the aids and by praising him.

Then start again with a light half halt only increasing the pressure if necessary. Always start with a light half halt rather than immediately going to a strong one so that you give your horse the option to respond to a subtle aid. You always want to ride using the most refined aids possible. It’s not much fun for either you or your horse to ride from strength.

In this way your dressage horse learns that when he arrives at your closed outside hand, he should soften and yield to the action of the rein. He has other options besides jamming up against your hand. He needs to view the outside hand as a wall, but it’s an invisible wall. He can step “through” it and come into a better balance.

Are you sick and tired of complicated and confusing training techniques?
Are you frustrated by negative emotions like fear and lack of confidence?
Would you like to be trained by a Three Time Olympic Coach?
Learn how by going to: http://www.janesavoie.com/ or http://www.dressagementor.com

Author: Jane Savoie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Canada duty tariff

When riding your dressage horse, it’s important to keep your hands in what I call the “work area”.

The “work area” is just in front of the saddle above the horse’s withers. Put your hands in that position and draw an imaginary box around them. That box is your work area.

No matter what rein aids you’re giving, keep your hands in the work area. If you bring your hands closer to your body, you steal power from the hind legs. If you put your outside hand forward, for example, you lose control of the outside shoulder.

If you raise or lower your hands, you break the straight line from the bit through your hand to your elbow. When you break that straight line, and there’s an angle where the rein meets your hand, the action of the rein stops there. That is, the action of the rein can’t travel through your arm and down your back so it can affect your horse’s back. It also can’t travel through the horse’s body and affect the hind leg on the same side.

Generally, many dressage riders tend to pull back by drawing their hands toward their bodies and behind their horse’s withers. If you tend to do that, here’s a simple tip to remind you to keep your hands FORWARD in the work area. Imagine there’s a basketball in front of your stomach. Keep your hands in front of the basketball. No matter how hard you try, you can’t draw your hands closer to your body because the basketball is in the way!

Are you sick and tired of complicated and confusing training techniques?
Are you frustrated by negative emotions like fear and lack of confidence?
Would you like to be trained by a Three Time Olympic Coach?
Learn how by going to: http://www.janesavoie.com/ or http://www.dressagementor.com

Author: Jane Savoie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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“Get him on the bit!” “Rounder!” “Demonstrate self carriage!” “More impulsion!” You hear the commands from dressage (and event and hunter/jumper) instructors all the time. But sometimes the terms can be confusing and confused with other terms. Here, we’ll define a few basic terms, hopefully in a logical rather than alphabetical order, so you can get a better understanding of what your instructor wants you to do.

Self carriage: your goal to achieve is moving the horse in a correct and balanced frame without your horse relying on you to hold him there. In other words, he carries himself by himself. (This can be tested by giving with the reins as some horses just hold themselves in their riders hands.)

Resistance: when the horse resists the rider’s aids and refuses to do as asked.

Suppleness: when the horse responds to the rider’s request to bend and give flexion without resistance.

On the bit: the horse moves forward with energy into the rider’s hands. He accepts bit contact, even seeks contact with the rider’s hands. He is not resistant to contact. He doesn’t come above the bit with his head raised or suck back behind the bit, refusing contact.

Contact: constant communication with your horse via your hands through the reins to the bit. The feel is consistent, active and alive. Think of this as keeping the same weight in your hands.

Flexion/Roundness: bending with suppleness of the horse throughout his body (typically when referenced to mean the poll but also means neck, back, stifle and hock as well). Some refer to this as riding one’s horse round.
Bending/bend: when the horse creates a curve through his body from ear to through the spine to the tail. Bending creates more suppleness as well as engagement of the hind legs for lateral movements. Think of this as bending to the arc of an imaginary circle that you are riding on. Your bend is correct if you turn your head and look at the imaginary center of the circle and in your peripheral vision you see both your horse’s nose (seen by one eye) and hindquarter (seen by the other eye).

Engagement: think of this as tracking up well in the hind end but with added flexion in the hock and stifle. This causes the horse to “sit” more by lowering the haunches. To get proper engagement, you must ride your horse correctly on the bit, moving forward and working toward self carriage.

Lateral movements: movements such as the leg yield or shoulder in that require a horse to cross his legs while moving sideways and (typically) forward.

Impulsion: the forward energy. With the horse moving his hind legs well under him, “tracking up,” more thrust energy goes forward.

Suspension: Picture the passage in dressage…the lofty trot where the hooves seem off the ground more often than on. With greater suspension, more energy and collection take the horse’s energy upward more often than forward, though still moving forward. The horse’s stride appears shorter because there is more lift upward, more height, in the stride.

Collection: if you take a balanced horse in self carriage and add engagement so he his hocks flex well under him, impulsion so he is still moving with energy forward, and suspension, so the energy is collected from going more forward, you create a frame that has a shorter stride because of increased height. The haunches are lower and the frame is shorter. This is not to be confused with going slower as many novices think. There is still the same forward energy, just compacted, and sent upward. Think piaffe, the trot in place.

Through/Throughness/Traveling through: as the horse steps up well under himself with his hind legs, the energy travels up over his back, creating a round back with lifted belly, then over the top of his neck, creating a relaxed softly rounded neck, relaxed flexion at the poll, and down to the bit. It’s the route that the energy travels, and if the energy is blocked at any one place, the horse isn’t traveling through.

If that all sounds too confusing, just keep in mind the very basics first: go forward with relaxation and submission, and the rest will come.

Equine Article Director -Ron Petracek
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Author: Ron Petracek
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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