Posts Tagged ‘Paces’

I normally help train hunters and Western Pleasure horses but I’ve been asked to help a student train her Tennessee Walker to be a show horse. His major problem is that he paces instead of doing the running walk. How do you fix that?

I have a Standardbred horse who used to be a sulky race horse. I want to show her, but she paces instead of trotting. I have had her for over a year and we have have various trainers, but she still paces a lot. Does anyone know anything about getting Standardbred to trot? Thanks so much!
She is almost six years old and we aren’t very experienced, so we don’t plan on doing anything like dressage and time soon.

As any pet is cared for within the home, the care for horses is very much the same; ensuring the proper medical, physical, and nutritional care for a horse is part of the responsibility of its owners. There are many different facets of horse health and all must be attended to in order to ensure the horse’s vitality and longevity.

In order to be well-versed on horse health it is important to understand the signs of a healthy horse; conversely when those signs wane, you will immediately be alerted to a possible decline in the health of your horse. One quick indicator of horse health is the overall appearance of the animal. A healthy horse has a shiny, slick coat with a hard hoof. Any nutritional issues would immediately show up on the horse’s coat – resulting in dullness, slowed shedding, and even bald patches. Additionally, dry and cracked hoofs could be a sign of dehydration or poor circulation.

Of course, not much tells a greater story of horse health than the horse’s eating and drinking behaviors. The sudden and ongoing decrease in appetite or refusal to eat and drink altogether can be a common sign of a horse in dangerous health. Pay attention to the amount of grazing a horse does during the course of the day, its ability to hold food in its mouth and chew (problems with this could indicate teeth/mouth conditions) as well as the frequency with which it urinates and eliminates waste, and any weight fluctuations in the animal.

One of the most important indicators of horse health is behavior; like people, horses have their own personalities so what behavior may inspire concern when exhibited by one horse may be well within the boundaries of another horse’s personality. But there are a few common behaviors that generally signal distress across the board including the appearance of anxiety, lethargy or fatigue, decreased socialization, and stall weaving – a behavior signaling heightened anxiety wherein the horse paces around its stall. A healthy horse should also move unreservedly; any limping or bobbing of the head often indicates painful movement and a veterinarian should be consulted immediately.

As a matter of fact, the most important step to preserving horse health is an established relationship with a reputable veterinarian. As a horse owner, you are the first line of defense in maintaining the health of your horse; you are in a better position than anyone to recognize signs and symptoms that may indicate trouble for your horse. A veterinarian, however, in addition to performing frequent check-ups, can help you identify and address any health concerns you have throughout the lifetime of the horse.

Owning a horse can be a wonderful experience; but also an enormous responsibility. Just as children depend on us to care for them in every capacity, a domesticated horse relies on its human companions in much the same way. In this role, it is incumbent upon us to understand the many facets of horse health and do all that we can to do to protect the lives and vitality of our animal friends.

For more information on horses, try visiting http://www.interestinghorses.com – a website that specializes in providing horse related tips, advice and resources including information on horse health.

Author: Riley Hendersen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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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
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My 24 y/o gelding is overly attached to my pony. I just bought a new horse this past weekend, and the attachement for the pony has seemed to worsen. He wont let the pony leave his side, or let him interact with the new horse. He just hurds him around the pasture. When I take the pony out to ride, he pays no attention to the new horse, and just whinnies, and paces, and carries on, even though the pony is in sight. The new horse wants to interact with the two of them, but my neurotic horse wont let him. Please, any ideas would be greatly appreciated, I am at my wits end.

Leg-yielding is an elementary exercise that should be taught on a circle (although at times it is asked for on a straight line or diagonal). It is used mainly to teach the horse to move away from the rider’s leg pressure. Once the horse is responsive, the objective is complete, and the horse should be moved towards the more beneficial shoulder-in. I believe leg-yielding has become too popular, for two reasons. First, it is required in some first-level dressage tests, so too much emphasis is placed on “schooling” for this movement. Second, it is much easier to produce than shoulder-in.

To perform leg-yielding, the horse is led onto the circle and the rider’s inside leg, used behind the girth, pushes the hindquarters out. It is easy for the horse; he is not required to maintain this bend and can easily let his hindquarters “fall out”. The horse may thus be denied the strength and balance building required in more advanced movements. He can, in fact, perform this exercise with his weight primarily on his forehand, in effect pushing himself thought the movement instead of carrying it.

Overuse of leg-yielding is not beneficial to the horse’s physical development and will only add to his resistance when he is asked to perform movements that require suppleness, bending and collection.

Shoulder-in, on the other hand, benefits the horse in many ways. The correct execution of this movement will increase the flexion of the hind legs, thereby enabling the hindquarters to carry more weight. This, in turn, allows freer more supple movement of the shoulders. It also increases the horse’s ability to collect and extend paces, and will help to improve the canter departs (again, because the movement develops the hindquarters, and lightens the forehand).

When these exercises are analyzed, shoulder-in is clearly more beneficial, from the fundamental physical development of the horse, to eventual progress to higher levels. Leg-yielding should be used minimally, with knowledge and care. I encourage anyone concerned with the correct development of the sport horse to consider this important issue.

Adrienne Neary lives and trains horses in Maine. She founded a company called Wingspan Arts International, which specializes in quality Equine Products and expert Equine Consultations. http://www.wingspanartsintl.com

Author: Adrienne Neary
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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