tag:goldenreins.com,2007:/horses/5 2007-03-15T20:15:29Z Movable Type 3.33 tag:goldenreins.com,2007:/horses//5.356 2007-02-27T19:43:44Z 2007-03-15T20:15:29Z

I once went to a western pleasure trainer for some advice on how to better my stallions training. The first thing he said was his head is too high (not a surprise coming from a wp trainer), well I had...

Michelle Fisher http://everyrider.typepad.com/everyrider/2007/02/natural_horsema.html
Before I get to his advice let me give a brief background on my experience with some training methods I’ve seen. The big thing here, and I’m sure many have seen is when the rider takes his horses head pulls it all the way around to his knee, asks the horse to turn tight circles around his leg while kicking the horse or jabbing him with a spur to keep it from stopping. Well if I was a horse I’d probably stop too. Often I see this method used when trying to lower a horses head but also to discipline a fast or distracted horse.
So on to his response. He explained what he would do and said exactly what I thought. I was thinking what is the horse learning when you make him spin those tight circles while jabbing him in the side and pulling his head around his body. Then change the direction and do it the other way, and repeat until he can perform any gait with his head down. I had seen him and others do this same thing before, granted the exercise on most horses has worked but what I saw was a horse being taught to run away from your leg, lean on the inside shoulder and let his but follow behind.
He explained it to me this way, take your arm and start lifting it up and down eventually its going to get tired, like the neck muscles of this horse who you make turn back and forth in circles. Again making sense but other than tiring your horse out to teach him aren’t there better methods? And how much is your horse really working the rest of its body?
Using a more natural approach to this I think there are several steps to make this exercise work: First and most important your horse must learn how to move away from lateral leg pressure.
Second when asking him to give his head, lift your hand up instead of pulling his head around his body while driving with your inside leg. Pulling his head around will make him lean on his shoulder and fall on the forehand throwing his haunches to the outside. Lifting up will ask him to soften and lower his head but only with the correct forward motion.
Third, you want your horse to be using his hindquarters so be aware of him swinging his haunches outward, increase the forward step and less positioning if this happens. You can increase the positioning when your horse is moving more from your inside leg. A horse that is on the forehand spinning is not using his hindquarters or back, if you’re lucky the only thing you’ve softened is his neck.
Fourth, now change direction frequently when your horse has started to figure it out, you want him to learn from your seat and change of leg that you are changing direction and he will balance himself before you even get to the rein.
Now teach him to walk anywhere while asking him to give to the rein you are lifting up, the inside rein with his head slightly positioned to the inside, and you will be working on connecting his entire body, and on the way to a more balanced softer horse. Most importantly we don’t have to be loud and fast when doing this exercise, horses learn much quicker in a relaxed state. I start out at walk and could spend days doing this with a training horse until they get it right, then start asking for the same response at trot, and eventually at canter.
After working all the steps correctly your horse will be willing to give his head to you when you pick up a rein and will be soft and responsive to your leg. ]]> tag:goldenreins.com,2007:/horses//5.40 2007-02-07T21:59:26Z 2007-02-07T22:06:26Z

When I recall my first horse coming home from the local auction. I knew nothing about training horses. I am reminded of the things I was taught by a few friends. I learned from them that in order to get...

Michelle Fisher When I recall my first horse coming home from the local auction. I knew nothing about training horses. I am reminded of the things I was taught by a few friends. I learned from them that in order to get my horse to trust me I had to force him into submission, run him until he was tired, and give him no choice but to want to be with me. I don't know how you get friends but that isn't usually my first choice, and if you did, how long would they stick around. In the past few years I have been exposed to many more horse training methods. Many of those methods are successful but most of my influence comes from the many wise people who make up Meredith Manor International Equestrian Center. We were taught a more "horse friendly" method to give the horse more of a choice to be our partner. Starting free in an open arena to let your horse be a horse, run, play, buck, whatever it wants to do. Since we are coming onto their world we need to interact with them on a level they understand. So by using our pressures and becoming part of their herd they will choose to allow us into their world. Ron Meredith the owner of Meredith Manor called it using "Methodically applied directional pressures a horse can understand." Its like being stuck in a country where no one speaks your language. Who do you want to learn from the mean, nasty guy who pokes, yells, or even hits you when you don't get it right. Or someone who's going to learn a little of your language to help you learn faster. Your horse is stuck in your world and doesn't speak your language. Who's going to teach him.