Posts Tagged ‘canter’

If you plan to show or compete with your horse, it is essential that you get your horse into shape. His muscle strength and stamina will determine how he handles rigorous work, and a fit horse will not be as stressed on show day. Of course, even if you are not competing your horse, fitness is an important issue.

Many riders focus only on themselves: developing leg strength, improving balance, increasing stamina. This philosophy is a mistake because it increases the chance your horse will be hurt because he isn’t in shape.

Endurance

The first way to get your horse into shape is to focus on endurance. This simply means the length of time your horse can perform certain activities without dangerously accelerating his respiration and heart rate. I recommend that horse owners observe endurance rides at least once a week.

An endurance ride is usually conducted in a field or on a trail because the arena can become monotonous. Depending on whether or not your horse is currently in shape, an endurance ride could take an hour or more, so prepare for longevity. In the beginning, however, an out-of-shape horse shouldn’t be ridden longer than 30 minutes for endurance.

Contrary to popular belief, trot work is the most conducive to endurance. It combines moderate speed with constant activity in the legs, and won’t wear the horse out as fast as cantering or galloping. Your horse can definitely trot for thirty straight minutes, but it is doubtful he can canter that long.

Form

The way in which a horse moves is directly related to his fitness level. A fit horse will be able to move correctly, using his muscles efficiently and balancing himself both on the straight-away and on corners and circles. When you work to get your horse into frame on a regular basis, he will automatically increase his fitness level.

Working your horse in a rig is one way to get him into shape. Rigs include draw reins, side reins and training forks, and must be used properly for the horse’s safety. Side reins, for example, are only used in hand or on the lunge line, while draw reins and training forks can be used while mounted.

The purpose of these rigs is not to force your horse into the proper position, but to show him how he should carry himself. Use them as tools rather than instruments of doom and you’ll experience positive results. That said, make sure you ask a trainer or riding instructor to show you the proper ways to use them.

Weather

A horse you think is in shape during the winter might reach the blistering summer months and suddenly seem lethargic and weak. Horses respond to differences in the weather much the same as we do, and it is important to consider the weather outside when you’re trying to get your horse into shape.

Not only is the hear a factor during the summer, but also the humidity. It can affect respiration and wear your horse out faster than he would in a dry clime.

My policy, when the weather begins to heat up, is to start all over with getting my horse into shape. I begin again with short endurance rides, working up to longer bouts as he develops a tolerance for the heat. The same goes for the winter; I allow my horse to slowly grow used to the drop in temperature.

Discipline

It is easy for horseback riders to become so entrenched in their chosen disciplines that they forget the amazing versatility and flexibility of riding in general. They work every day on reining, dressage, jumping, cutting, western pleasure or any number of other disciplines because that is where their focus lies.

Big mistake.

Your horse will find it easier to get into shape when he has some variety in his workouts. You might compete only in dressage, but would your horse benefit from trail riding, jumping or regular flat work occasionally? You bet. It will challenge him to use muscles that are not commonly exercised in dressage.

It’s just like people. You ride horses, so you probably think you’re in shape. But what if you took up karate or basketball? You’d use different muscle groups in different ways, and you’d probably be sore in the morning.

Getting your horse into shape will take time, and it requires constant effort. Horses can experience fluctuating fitness levels just like we can, so make exercise a primary goal for you and your horse.

Laura Jane Thompson is the editor of Riding Instructor University, a web site dedicated to helping riding instructors make more money, achieve greater success and develop effective programs. She is also the Feature Writer for the Horses section at Suite101.com.

Author: Laura Jane Thompson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Netbook, Tablets and Mobile Computing

Show season brings with it the excitement of getting our horses ready to compete.

Unfortunately for many of us, riding well in public is an elusive undertaking. At home, our equine buddy goes brilliantly, but at a show we become tense. The horse either acts up or loses suppleness and our performance is a far cry from what we could achieve. Instead of fun, the competition becomes a frustrating disappointment.

Show Anxiety

Nerves used to make me impossible to endure even a week before the event: I snapped at everyone! On show day, when I entered the ring I’d panic and tell myself “there’s no point, I’ll make a mess of it, let’s get this over with.” With the predictable result that I knocked down show-jumps, got multiple refusals cross-country or couldn’t get canter strike-offs in my dressage tests. I had no faith in myself — which was ridiculous, because physically my horse and I had prepared properly and should have done well.

Sound familiar?

Addressing the Mental Side

Until I sorted out the mental part of the sports equation, I would never compete to the best of my ability.

Desperate, I visited a hypnotist. He taught me the following simple, but effective, method of over-coming my self-destructive behavior. Once I used his techniques, my show performance improved hugely and as a result, so did my confidence. I started winning.

De-stress for Success

Sit yourself down in a comfortable, quiet place where you will not be disturbed for at least twenty minutes.

Close your eyes, and — very slowly — begin to count backwards from 10. After the word ‘ten’ breathe in deeply then exhale for as long as you can, concentrating on each breath. Then say ‘nine’ and breathe in and out deeply again. Keep your eyes closed throughout and relax your whole body — head, neck, shoulders, back, legs, ankles, toes …

You’ll find yourself sliding into that no-man’s land between wakefulness and sleep and once you complete the countdown, you’ll focus inwardly.

Record Your Perfect Movie

In this state of total relaxation imagine your show day. Go through every action in minute detail. Begin with waking up, getting dressed, preparing your horse for the trip, loading and transporting him. Visualize everything going smoothly — your horse is relaxed, he loads first time, there’s no traffic and your radio is playing calming music (I find classical tunes ideal). Upon arrival you find a great parking spot.

In your mind’s eye, you’re now saddling your horse, then mounting him and on your way to the warm-up arena. Are you getting nervous? Take another deep breath. Imagine you both looking fabulous out there: your horse performs brilliantly. Allow yourself to see the impressed looks on other riders’ faces as you glide past them. Yes, that’s you they’re staring at!

An Oscar-Worthy Production

Now you’re ‘on deck,’ calmly patting your horse as you look forward to wowing the judges and spectators.

Picture a grand entrance, after which you and your horse excel in each movement as you perform your dressage test, jumping round, or whatever applies to your particular discipline. It’s important to see and feel every part of your performance happening exactly as you want it to.

And here you are now, leaving the ring after a stunning show. You pat your horse enthusiastically, a big smile on your face.

You will ‘wake up’ more confident now.

Rewind and Play Again

Repeat this process many times before the show.

If you’re really anxious, enter a class below the level you ride at home until you get comfortable at shows. Combining that with this exercise will give you the best chance of succeeding.

Soon just visualizing your terrific performance, rather than the whole day, will be sufficient to reinforce the positive images in your brain and ensure a great competition experience.

Hilary Walker is English, living in Maryland with her three horses, four dogs, schizophrenic cat, perfectly normal American husband and teenage son. She loves teaching people to ride, taking them to shows and watching them win ribbons. She also enjoys training her young horse and is winning ribbons with him at First Level dressage. Her other love is writing, and she is about to release a humorous non-fiction book describing the times when things haven’t gone quite so smoothly in her horse life. Like every self-respecting horse-woman, she loathes and abhors housework.

Author: Hilary Walker
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Buy electrical pressure cooker

For a 4-H horse show we need to canter our horse while he is standing.

Well i want a horse and i take lesson and i am starting to jump in canter but like i dont know when is the best time to get a horse?

Well i want a horse and i take lesson and i am starting to jump in canter but like i dont know when is the best time to get a horse?

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
Make PCB Assembly

Tips to help your dressage horse (or any horse!) enjoy the benefits of riding a musical freestyle or just riding to music.

So whether you want to ride competitively or just want to enjoy riding to music at home, here are some free tips.

6 Tips for Picking Out Awesome Freestyle Music for Your Horse

1. Know your horse’s ideal BPM (beats per minute)

2. The average horse has the following BPM:

o Walk 90-106 BPM
o Trot 138-160 BPM
o Canter 96-108 BPM

3. Pick music that matches your horse’s BPM within 4-6 BPM range.

(For example if your dressage horse has a canter of 104 BPM, choose music that is between 100 BPM and 108 BPM)

4. Choose music that has a very clear downbeat. (You’d tap your toe to the downbeat.)

5. If you CAN’T tap your toe or clap your hands easily to the beat of the music, it’s not great freestyle music!

6. Choose freestyle music that will help you achieve your horse’s ideal tempo.
For example: If your horse is a bit on the lazy side, choose an upbeat and energetic piece of music that will help YOU ask for more energy. If your horse is hot or nervous, choose freestyle music that will help you feel calm and steady as well as help your horse with rhythm and relaxation.

7.Choose music that has dynamic changes. Dynamic changes are audible changes within the music (either volume or intensity) where you can make transitions. (for example, the music should FEEL or SOUND like there is a transition to an extended trot) When you are riding a freestyle for competition, the dynamic changes of the music need to match your transitions both within the gate and from gait to gait. Meaning, when you begin and end a half-pass, the observer should see and hear the transition and hear the change in the music occurring together. When riding a transition from gait to gait, such as the canter to walk for example, the observer should hear and see the transition to the walk occur with the change in the music.

8. Choose music that has appropriate back ground music. Even when a selection of music has the correct BPM for a trot; for example, the music that is in the back ground has an impact on the FEEL of the music. If you have a hot nervous horse, a high pitched frantic violin in the back ground will NOT help you or your horse maintain rhythm and relaxation. On the other hand, if your horse is always lacking impulsion or is lazy, more upbeat and forward moving back ground music will help you increase his energy level. For example, a soft and slower piece of jazz music might be appropriate for a nervous horse, but would allow the quiet or lazy horse to have even less energy.

Ruth Hogan Poulsen
http://www.Ruthhoganpoulsen.com
Ruth@Ruthhoganpoulsen.com

Author: Ruth Hogan Poulsen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: WordPress plugin Guest Blogger

When I jump, sometimes the stirrups leave my legs, but it gets back on when I go canter. Now it has gone, but I am wondering why that happens in the first place. Or is it normal? I can trot perfectly. I’m worried about the cantering. My horse canters smoothly but sometimes it is bumpy and i don’t know why.