The boys were getting a day off today, as I had a friend's 90th birthday party to attend this afternoon - and a more active, alert, intelligent woman - 90 or any other age - she is.
But I usually ride Dawn on Saturday mornings - my days, 5 days a week, start with a ride on Dawn - a great way to start the day.
But not today - it was 6F (that would be -14C) when I got to the barn, and the windchill was -10F (or -23C). The horses were out, and the boys were fine in their blankets, chowing down on the hay. Dawn, however, was cold, and huddled at the gate, despite her heavy weight Rambo blanket with a full neck. The pastures have no shelter or windbreaks, but Dawn is always the first to get cold.
So I brought her into her stall to warm up - the barn is heated to about 45F. It was only 20F inside the indoor, and considering that she was cold already, that was too cold for us to ride. So I did some chores, including cleaning water buckets, and went home for a while, leaving Dawn to eat her hay - she didn't object to being in although she was the only horse in there.
I came back at 11:00, and by then the windchill was above zero, so I put her back out for the remaining turnout time, cleaned up her stall and washed (again) the water bucket she'd left me a present in.
Tomorrow is another non-riding day, and we're supposed to get a bit of snow, but at least the temperatures are supposed to be a bit warmer.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
By Jove! I Believe She's Got It!
That's what my horses have to say, I'm happy to report. About 10 days ago, my horses started working with me intensively on my position - particularly on my right bend and the posture of my head, neck, shoulder and hip. We started at the walk, and recently have been working on the same thing at trot.
They say that I've made a lot of progress. I'd agree - the turning/not tipping of my head, and the slight drawing back (instead of dropping) of my inside shoulder, as well as the opening of my hip on the inside - are much more automatic now, after all the practice we've done. The right isn't entirely automatic yet, but my consistency is much higher.
My consistency is directly reflected by the consistency my horses are giving me - this is always how it is, I think. Just in the past two days, this has really shone through. I had one of the best rides I've ever had on Red yesterday (although some of his animation and engagement might have been due to the presence of two mares in the ring - he's quite the ladies' man and likes to show off for them), and my ride today (despite the fact it was in the mid-20s in the arena) on Pie was simply outstanding and the best ride we've ever had - we even tried some canter and it was just as excellent as the trot.
Corners are deep, circles are circles and not eggs, inside hind legs are engaged and stepping under, forward is automatic, hindquarters are engaged and front ends are lifting. No aids, no pushing, no pulling, just correct posture and focus, and providing openings for them to move into. Connection and flow, effortless (except for the effort of paying attention). Nothing could be finer.
It's great having three such dedicated and honest teachers - they tell it like it is. Every improvement in my riding is almost entirely due to Dawn, Red and Pie, and the way to improvement is for me to continue to listen to them.
They say that I've made a lot of progress. I'd agree - the turning/not tipping of my head, and the slight drawing back (instead of dropping) of my inside shoulder, as well as the opening of my hip on the inside - are much more automatic now, after all the practice we've done. The right isn't entirely automatic yet, but my consistency is much higher.
My consistency is directly reflected by the consistency my horses are giving me - this is always how it is, I think. Just in the past two days, this has really shone through. I had one of the best rides I've ever had on Red yesterday (although some of his animation and engagement might have been due to the presence of two mares in the ring - he's quite the ladies' man and likes to show off for them), and my ride today (despite the fact it was in the mid-20s in the arena) on Pie was simply outstanding and the best ride we've ever had - we even tried some canter and it was just as excellent as the trot.
Corners are deep, circles are circles and not eggs, inside hind legs are engaged and stepping under, forward is automatic, hindquarters are engaged and front ends are lifting. No aids, no pushing, no pulling, just correct posture and focus, and providing openings for them to move into. Connection and flow, effortless (except for the effort of paying attention). Nothing could be finer.
It's great having three such dedicated and honest teachers - they tell it like it is. Every improvement in my riding is almost entirely due to Dawn, Red and Pie, and the way to improvement is for me to continue to listen to them.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Alternatives to the Half Halt?
My recent posts about reducing/eliminating blocks and braces, and creating mental and physical openings for the horse to move into, has got me thinking . . . always dangerous . . .
I've been thinking about the half halt - many of you will know how we were trained to use this to ask the horse to "rebalance", as a signal that something else (another cue) was coming up shortly, or to ask for more collection or a slower cadence. So in that sense, the half halt is used as a cue like any other. Half halts can be done with either the hand or the seat.
But here's what the half halt really is - no matter how small or softly it's applied - it's a brace. It's deliberately designed to interrupt, if only for a second, the forward movement of the horse. I think this is why I've had a problem with the whole concept of the half halt for a long time. If you want your horse to be soft from nose to tail, and to move without braces or blocking, why would you want to reintroduce a brace, particularly one that is used so often?
Now like most cues, in the hands of a skilled rider, who is sensitive to the horse (and not yanking, cranking or engaging in practices like rollkur - and no "logical" justification, or popularity in certain circles, can make rollkur anything but barbaric and a form of torture for the horse, not to mention that it results in incorrect (but frequently rewarded in competition) movement), the half halt can be almost invisible and work very well once the horse understands what it means - it's not wrong at all.
But it's still a brace . . . And braces, even small ones, do lots of things I don't want in my riding - they interrupt energy, flow and softness. But are there alternatives to the half halt that serve the same purpose?
I think, for alternatives to the half halt, you have to be trying to ride in/as the horse, not on the horse. Bear with me for a moment . . .
Let's look at the sorts of things the half halt is used for - you may have others you can come up with.
Rebalancing - this to me is the one use of the half halt that may need replacement, not by a substitute for the half halt itself, but by riding that addresses the underlying problem leading to the need for rebalancing. Rebalancing implies that the horse is out of balance - on the forehand, leaning on the bit, rushing without rhythm, or leaning in or out. Introducing a brace to this mix in the interests of balance seems unlikely to result in much more than . . . a brace. The horse may respond because it's learned to - slow down, say - but the causes of the lack of softness, and resulting lack of balance, aren't really addressed. One example - say the horse is rushing. Rather than attempting to interrupt the energy and forward movement with a half halt, teach the horse to carry itself with relaxation and without rushing. Small circles and figures are very helpful for this - no bracing required - with the horse traveling straight when the desired pace and rhythm are achieved.
Alert that something is coming - this is one where a pre-cue is desired. An example of this would be if you were about to ask for a chance in gait. Here's one where my horses and I have an alternative to offer. Instead of a half-halt (brace), pre-cue with a thought - of rhythm (say the 1-2 of trot to the 1-2-3 of canter) - and then, instead of cuing for the change of gait with a leg or seat aid (often a brace itself) cue with an exhale - the opposite of a brace, instead something that frees motion and softness.
Collection and more engagement of the hindquarters - this is one my horses and I are still working on. Dawn has been working with me on this one in particular - the only way I can describe what she and I do is to say that we lift and draw ourselves up together into a more collected posture with elevation of the forequarters and engagement of the hindquarters. No half halts, no rein aids and no blocking the flow or energy. Dawn and the boys and I haven't figured this one out completely yet, but we're getting there.
Now that's a lot of words about something that's really about feel and connection, which really aren't verbal things at all. I'd describe it in words, as best I can, as breathing, focus, energy and opening so you direct the horse through the horse - through your connection and mutual feel. So it comes from inside the horse, or you and the horse as a unit, not something you apply to the horse from outside. And I'm no master of any of this, I'm just on the road . . . together with my fine horses. But we are on the road, and that's the important part. To close, here's a quote from Mark Rashid:
I've been thinking about the half halt - many of you will know how we were trained to use this to ask the horse to "rebalance", as a signal that something else (another cue) was coming up shortly, or to ask for more collection or a slower cadence. So in that sense, the half halt is used as a cue like any other. Half halts can be done with either the hand or the seat.
But here's what the half halt really is - no matter how small or softly it's applied - it's a brace. It's deliberately designed to interrupt, if only for a second, the forward movement of the horse. I think this is why I've had a problem with the whole concept of the half halt for a long time. If you want your horse to be soft from nose to tail, and to move without braces or blocking, why would you want to reintroduce a brace, particularly one that is used so often?
Now like most cues, in the hands of a skilled rider, who is sensitive to the horse (and not yanking, cranking or engaging in practices like rollkur - and no "logical" justification, or popularity in certain circles, can make rollkur anything but barbaric and a form of torture for the horse, not to mention that it results in incorrect (but frequently rewarded in competition) movement), the half halt can be almost invisible and work very well once the horse understands what it means - it's not wrong at all.
But it's still a brace . . . And braces, even small ones, do lots of things I don't want in my riding - they interrupt energy, flow and softness. But are there alternatives to the half halt that serve the same purpose?
I think, for alternatives to the half halt, you have to be trying to ride in/as the horse, not on the horse. Bear with me for a moment . . .
Let's look at the sorts of things the half halt is used for - you may have others you can come up with.
Rebalancing - this to me is the one use of the half halt that may need replacement, not by a substitute for the half halt itself, but by riding that addresses the underlying problem leading to the need for rebalancing. Rebalancing implies that the horse is out of balance - on the forehand, leaning on the bit, rushing without rhythm, or leaning in or out. Introducing a brace to this mix in the interests of balance seems unlikely to result in much more than . . . a brace. The horse may respond because it's learned to - slow down, say - but the causes of the lack of softness, and resulting lack of balance, aren't really addressed. One example - say the horse is rushing. Rather than attempting to interrupt the energy and forward movement with a half halt, teach the horse to carry itself with relaxation and without rushing. Small circles and figures are very helpful for this - no bracing required - with the horse traveling straight when the desired pace and rhythm are achieved.
Alert that something is coming - this is one where a pre-cue is desired. An example of this would be if you were about to ask for a chance in gait. Here's one where my horses and I have an alternative to offer. Instead of a half-halt (brace), pre-cue with a thought - of rhythm (say the 1-2 of trot to the 1-2-3 of canter) - and then, instead of cuing for the change of gait with a leg or seat aid (often a brace itself) cue with an exhale - the opposite of a brace, instead something that frees motion and softness.
Collection and more engagement of the hindquarters - this is one my horses and I are still working on. Dawn has been working with me on this one in particular - the only way I can describe what she and I do is to say that we lift and draw ourselves up together into a more collected posture with elevation of the forequarters and engagement of the hindquarters. No half halts, no rein aids and no blocking the flow or energy. Dawn and the boys and I haven't figured this one out completely yet, but we're getting there.
Now that's a lot of words about something that's really about feel and connection, which really aren't verbal things at all. I'd describe it in words, as best I can, as breathing, focus, energy and opening so you direct the horse through the horse - through your connection and mutual feel. So it comes from inside the horse, or you and the horse as a unit, not something you apply to the horse from outside. And I'm no master of any of this, I'm just on the road . . . together with my fine horses. But we are on the road, and that's the important part. To close, here's a quote from Mark Rashid:
Regardless of the amount of knowledge or experience an instructor has, they can only impart a fraction of what it takes to be really good with horses. It is through our own devotion to practice and learning that the gifts of these great creatures can be received by us, and even more practice and learning before they become part of us.Enough words . . . it's time to ride.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Music Day
Not much horse today - it's music day - fun and challenging in its own way. More horse tomorrow . . .
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Counterintuitive? On the Wings of the Wind . . .
So many of the things my horses are teaching me seem counterintuitive. But they're really only counterintuitive in terms of the ways to ride many of us were taught.
One example: many of us were taught that we needed to "support" the horse with our rein or leg. Think about it for a minute - a horse weighs 1,000 pounds or more, and we weigh maybe 150. Horses are much stronger than we are. So, how, precisely are we to "support" the horse? What my horses are teaching me is that the idea of "support" is pretty much an illusion - when there's more than the very slightest amount of pressure in your hand or against your leg, what you've got isn't support, it's a brace, which blocks or inhibits the horse's motion and flow of energy.
My horses are teaching me that hands, legs, seat, balance and breathing are to be used for connection and communication, and that this communication can occur with a whisper, or even with a thought. Creating openings - mental and physical - for your horse to move into - is a powerful concept my horses are working with me on.
One example from my work with Dawn, Red and Pie on my corners. Now say you have a horse that's tending to fall in around the corners, and maybe even bending to the outside while doing so. The natural inclination - the way many of us were taught - would be to use the inside leg to "support" the horse and ask the horse to bend to the inside and step to the outside, often with a "supporting" outside rein. This is the classic "inside leg to outside hand".
Now I'm not saying that doesn't work, after a fashion, or that it's necessarily wrong - I've done it myself. But Dawn, Red and Pie say I should think about all the braces that are being created - leg against inside, hand against outside. Any time there's a brace, there's a likelihood of loss of true forward and impulsion, and a locking up of free motion and energy.
My horses have been teaching me that there's another way to deal with the falling in issue - and in fact it's not really dealing with the horse's falling in issue, it's dealing with my falling in issue. If I ride correctly, and allow (note: not cause, allow) the horse to move correctly, there isn't any falling in or any issue.
Pie in particular is a good teacher on this, and Dawn was also helping me out this morning. Pie says: "you want a brace, here's a brace right back at you". And Dawn says: "get out of my way". So, here's the counterintuitive part. No messing with the head or the reins - my contact was consistent in both reins - just the weight of the reins and a feather of contact. And I don't change anything except to follow the bend of the head and neck with my hand to maintain the feather of contact - I don't bend the head and neck, I bend with the head and neck.
As we start to enter the turn, I open my inside hip just a bit - but no leg pressure. This creates an opening for our hind legs to move up and under the horse's body and to the outside. I also keep my focus and chin up - not tilting my head to the inside or looking down - and very slightly open my inside shoulder - but again, this is really bending with the horse and not creating it.
Pie approved last night, and Dawn as well this morning. Dawn did the best corners to the right she's ever done - or Dawn would say I did the best corners I'd ever done, which allowed us to do the best corners we'd ever done together. It wasn't a matter of me doing something, and then the horse responding. It was us doing it together at the same time - just direct, simultaneous connection and communication. And there was wonderful, beautiful, delicious forward and impulsion.
Like riding on the wings of the wind . . .
One example: many of us were taught that we needed to "support" the horse with our rein or leg. Think about it for a minute - a horse weighs 1,000 pounds or more, and we weigh maybe 150. Horses are much stronger than we are. So, how, precisely are we to "support" the horse? What my horses are teaching me is that the idea of "support" is pretty much an illusion - when there's more than the very slightest amount of pressure in your hand or against your leg, what you've got isn't support, it's a brace, which blocks or inhibits the horse's motion and flow of energy.
My horses are teaching me that hands, legs, seat, balance and breathing are to be used for connection and communication, and that this communication can occur with a whisper, or even with a thought. Creating openings - mental and physical - for your horse to move into - is a powerful concept my horses are working with me on.
One example from my work with Dawn, Red and Pie on my corners. Now say you have a horse that's tending to fall in around the corners, and maybe even bending to the outside while doing so. The natural inclination - the way many of us were taught - would be to use the inside leg to "support" the horse and ask the horse to bend to the inside and step to the outside, often with a "supporting" outside rein. This is the classic "inside leg to outside hand".
Now I'm not saying that doesn't work, after a fashion, or that it's necessarily wrong - I've done it myself. But Dawn, Red and Pie say I should think about all the braces that are being created - leg against inside, hand against outside. Any time there's a brace, there's a likelihood of loss of true forward and impulsion, and a locking up of free motion and energy.
My horses have been teaching me that there's another way to deal with the falling in issue - and in fact it's not really dealing with the horse's falling in issue, it's dealing with my falling in issue. If I ride correctly, and allow (note: not cause, allow) the horse to move correctly, there isn't any falling in or any issue.
Pie in particular is a good teacher on this, and Dawn was also helping me out this morning. Pie says: "you want a brace, here's a brace right back at you". And Dawn says: "get out of my way". So, here's the counterintuitive part. No messing with the head or the reins - my contact was consistent in both reins - just the weight of the reins and a feather of contact. And I don't change anything except to follow the bend of the head and neck with my hand to maintain the feather of contact - I don't bend the head and neck, I bend with the head and neck.
As we start to enter the turn, I open my inside hip just a bit - but no leg pressure. This creates an opening for our hind legs to move up and under the horse's body and to the outside. I also keep my focus and chin up - not tilting my head to the inside or looking down - and very slightly open my inside shoulder - but again, this is really bending with the horse and not creating it.
Pie approved last night, and Dawn as well this morning. Dawn did the best corners to the right she's ever done - or Dawn would say I did the best corners I'd ever done, which allowed us to do the best corners we'd ever done together. It wasn't a matter of me doing something, and then the horse responding. It was us doing it together at the same time - just direct, simultaneous connection and communication. And there was wonderful, beautiful, delicious forward and impulsion.
Like riding on the wings of the wind . . .
Monday, December 2, 2013
Pie Approves
At this point, my horses are usually teaching me, not the other way round. My ride with Pie today was a good case in point. It's no longer me training Pie to bend deep into the corners and engage his inside hind leg, it's Pie training me to ride so that it's easy for him to bend deep into the corners and engage his hind leg. Puts a different spin on things, doesn't it?
Today, the indoor arena footing, while still a little deep, was at least safe to do some trot work. So, after our day off, Pie and I worked some more on what we'd already spent two days of walk work on. See this post if you want all the details of what we were doing, and how my posture and body mechanics were interfering with his ability to bend and step under with the inside hind.
We started with a review of our work at the walk, including lots of small circles and changes of direction. I still find that, unlike turns to the left where my body mechanics are now automatic - no fussing with the horse's head at all, turn my head, keeping my eyes and chin up, slightly bring my inside shoulder back and slightly open my inside hip - turns to the right are still hard work and I have to concentrate to ride them correctly. But I did it, and Pie's response at the walk was approval, and a lovely, cadenced, lifting, forward walk.
So we moved up to trot. Voila! Perfect corners and turns, including on the transitions from long diagonals into the corners, which have been a particular issue for us. Pie is strict - the moment my concentration lapsed and I wasn't riding forward and up and out, he would lose his straightness. Any time I tilted my head instead of turning it, or even worse, did that while looking down, he fell in through his shoulder. And any time I failed to open my inside hip, he didn't step under with the inside hind.
But when I did ride correctly, Pie gave me beautiful releases - lovely, forward, cadenced, lifting trot, with lovely bend in the corners and circles and an engaged inside hind. It was wonderful. His releases reward my behavior and motivate me to do more of the same. I'd say he's a better trainer than I am - his attention and response to what I am doing is more consistent, and the timing of his releases is just about perfect. This means I can really learn and progress.
I must say, he seems mighty pleased with himself, and his relationship to me is changing. Pie has always been somewhat reserved, even standoffish, and would even pin his ears at me if I were interrupting an important Pie activity like eating or napping.
But lately - just this week since we've been working hard together on my position - this is the face I'm likely to see, alert, interested and friendly:
This is true even in his stall, where he's always tended to be a bit grumpy. Now, he often notices my arrival in the barn, and comes to his door to greet me - which means leaving his hay, which for Pie is a big deal as he's very food-oriented. I think he's coming to approve of me - I'm responding to his teaching, and he now thinks I may just be worth bothering with . . .
Today, the indoor arena footing, while still a little deep, was at least safe to do some trot work. So, after our day off, Pie and I worked some more on what we'd already spent two days of walk work on. See this post if you want all the details of what we were doing, and how my posture and body mechanics were interfering with his ability to bend and step under with the inside hind.
We started with a review of our work at the walk, including lots of small circles and changes of direction. I still find that, unlike turns to the left where my body mechanics are now automatic - no fussing with the horse's head at all, turn my head, keeping my eyes and chin up, slightly bring my inside shoulder back and slightly open my inside hip - turns to the right are still hard work and I have to concentrate to ride them correctly. But I did it, and Pie's response at the walk was approval, and a lovely, cadenced, lifting, forward walk.
So we moved up to trot. Voila! Perfect corners and turns, including on the transitions from long diagonals into the corners, which have been a particular issue for us. Pie is strict - the moment my concentration lapsed and I wasn't riding forward and up and out, he would lose his straightness. Any time I tilted my head instead of turning it, or even worse, did that while looking down, he fell in through his shoulder. And any time I failed to open my inside hip, he didn't step under with the inside hind.
But when I did ride correctly, Pie gave me beautiful releases - lovely, forward, cadenced, lifting trot, with lovely bend in the corners and circles and an engaged inside hind. It was wonderful. His releases reward my behavior and motivate me to do more of the same. I'd say he's a better trainer than I am - his attention and response to what I am doing is more consistent, and the timing of his releases is just about perfect. This means I can really learn and progress.
I must say, he seems mighty pleased with himself, and his relationship to me is changing. Pie has always been somewhat reserved, even standoffish, and would even pin his ears at me if I were interrupting an important Pie activity like eating or napping.
But lately - just this week since we've been working hard together on my position - this is the face I'm likely to see, alert, interested and friendly:
This is true even in his stall, where he's always tended to be a bit grumpy. Now, he often notices my arrival in the barn, and comes to his door to greet me - which means leaving his hay, which for Pie is a big deal as he's very food-oriented. I think he's coming to approve of me - I'm responding to his teaching, and he now thinks I may just be worth bothering with . . .
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Day of Rest, with Pie and Red Spam
Today, we all have a day off from riding. I hiked out to the pasture after doing a few chores, and got a few pictures of the boys. Pie was rubbing his face, but then had to show how curious and friendly he is - I love seeing that sweet Pie face:
Red was eating, but also left what he was doing to come visit me - love how he keeps an ear on things:
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