Posts Tagged ‘head position’

Has your horse been scared of something which caused it to run wildly? Have you ever lost your temper because your horse refused to get into the trailer? On how many occasions did you come close to falling off your horse because it was stiff and unbalanced?

Many common and even famous people have had their lives compromised or even cut short because of horses that ran amok. While horseback riding accidents appear to be a rarity in the field of horse riding, horses can pose grave danger to people. Therefore, there is a need for good, consistent horse training methods that can teach horses without harming them.

Horses can be tough animals to crack. Aside from being among the proudest and at times the most stubborn animals to roam the planet, horses need a fair and consistent cue system in order to form a solid communication base to help them learn what you want them to do. While you can find a piece of equipment that will fix every ail, you actually only need one bit, one bridle and educated hands for making your horse a fine mount.

The folk tale is that horse training tack are your best tools for making your horse your partner. And while the correct training tack can make the difference in the performance of your horse, it is not the tack that makes a good partner. Yes, some training devices are effective for making a horse stop on cue, spin correctly, and keep a certain head position, most use pain as a teacher. We as the higher intelligence need to develop a two way communication line with the horse that makes sense to the horse in order to teach them effectively.

False: “The right training tack will speed up a horse’s progress in its training and conditioning without wearing it down too much.” What will speed up your horses’ progress is educating your hands. Knowing, when, where, how much, and what type of pressure to apply and when to release that pressure is what will speed up your horses learning. Undeterred concentration and consistency is what will gain your horses concentration and performance.

False: “Here are few samples of horse training tack that can effectively turn your horse from zero to pro.” These tools can just as easily destroy your horses confidence and break down not build up a partnership if used incorrectly.

Transition Curb Bits

Yes, this type of bits is designed as a transition bit from snaffle to leverage bit, often called a Tom Thumb or broken mouth shank bit. No, this type of bit is not effective when starting neck-reining for your horse. You will begin neck reining by teaching the horses shoulders to be connected and responding to the snaffle. Left rein connects to left shoulder to move it left or right and the same with the right shoulder. When the horse masters this, you put them together and introduce the neck rein. Now you have a horse that neck reins and keeps his head in the correct position. If you tried to teach neck reining without this lesson you may get the horse to neck rein, but he will most likely be stiff and have his head in the wrong position. This bit will not teach your horse to neck rein.

Martingales

Yes, the martingale was created to hold the horse with an acceptable head position laterally and vertically. True, martingales make the bit uncomfortable for the horse when his head is out of ‘position.’ False, “bits are used to show horses that avoiding the discomfort of the bit will yield the behavior that the trainer is looking for.” Our hands teach the horse not equipment. Bits should be used like a telephone to communicate with our horse. Yes, we use pressure on the bit to motivate the horse to change, but there also has to be an immediate and complete release of that pressure to let the horse know he has done what we requested. The horse needs to be taught through a series of lessons what to do with its head. The martingale uses force and cannot vary the amount of pressure it applies nor can give a complete and immediate release when the horse complies. It does not teach and most horses will learn when it is on as well as how to evade the bit altogether.

Stopper

True: “The stopper is part of a horse training tack which teaches the horse to stop without getting it into the horse’s mouth.” Again, it uses pain and pain distracts from learning. As soon as you touch the rein the horse is concerned with only one thing, how to get rid of the pressure. We use that to motivate the horse to look for the answer, but not by adding pain, but by using a series of lessons that teach the horse how to look for the answers.

Snaffle Bits

True: “The purpose of snaffles is to train the horse for responsiveness at the mere touch of the reins.” What if your horse will not listen to the snaffle? Most will find a more severe bit. When you understand it is not the equipment that makes your horse responsive, you will understand the folly in this reasoning. If you only change to a harsher bit, your riding stays the same, the horse will become accustomed to that pain as he did the milder bit. Now you are stuck in a cycle of finding a bit that produces enough pain that your horse will respond to your uneducated hands.

So while equipment may produce results on the outside, most do nothing to educate your hands or develop your horses mind. If you will take the time to go through a lesson plan and teach your horse how to respond to your cues, you will not only get a lighter and more responsive horse, you will develop a thinking partner.

Author: Jodi M Wilson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger

Learning how to ride is a very rewarding experience, but it can often be a bit confusing as to which type of riding is most suited to your goals with regards to what you want to do with your horse. A good place to start is by talking to experienced riders. Find out what they like about each style and see which fits you the best. You’ll find that whichever style you choose, you’ll have to comit a good amount of time to learning the basics, and even more if you want to be a competitive rider.

If you are going to compete, knowing what you want to do in the competition is essential before choosing a riding style. If you like the more formal style of dressage, hunt seat and saddle seat, than your choice will be the English riding style. On the other hand if you want to compete in less formal events where jeans and western style shirts are the trend then rodeos or trail riding, endurance events, cross country rides, gymkhana, western pleasure riding or any type of working cow horse event then your only option is to learn to ride western style. You can ride for pleasure on the trails with either style of riding.

Besides just what events you can compete in there are also differences to the actual riding styles. Western riding tends to be more casual with the rider somewhat relaxed on the back of the horse, longer stirrups with less posting during riding and more firmly affixed to the back of the horse to maintain balance. Western riding also has the reins held in one hand, leaving the other hand free for using a rope. With English riding the rider has shorter stirrups that keep the rider erect and forward in the saddle with reins in both hands. Some English riding will require double reins, one set to direct the motion of the horse and one set to control the head position. English riding also has several different styles including hunt seat, dressage, saddleseat, and endurance. Each of these disciplines has their own style of tack – a dressage saddle, jumping saddle, all purpose saddle, and so on.

Whichever style you choose, proper safety equipment, especially a helmet should be part of your routine. Proper safety equipment is a must for all junior and novice riders. When you select a style you can always decide to learn the other style at a later date, after all your horse can certainly learn another style, but learning both at the same time is overwhelming and can lead to confusion.