I managed to ride all three horses today - our vet/chiro couldn't come because one of her horses was colicy - we're hoping she can come tomorrow. It was about 40F with sun and not too much wind - a pretty nice late November day. Dawn and I had an excellent session, with lots of walk/trot/walk transition work every few steps - she was great. Drifter and I had a walk-only session - I'll wait and see what our chiro has to say before trotting him again. He was able to do some very nice, forward, lengthened walk and we took a brief excursion outside the arena again. He was feeling pretty feisty and bitey in his paddock when I went to bring him in, and got a big "no" and a swat for biting. I suspect that now he's feeling better, his "aggressive little dude" personality is coming to the fore. When I was riding him in the arena, he stopped, stepped to one side, and deliberately deposited a pile right next to one of my cones! Pie and I had a nice 30-minute trail ride with Charisma - he had to do some trotting to keep up in the first half of the ride when he was following and felt great, and led the second half of the ride.
Here's the November summary - we did pretty well despite the many days with high winds - Pie: 11 rides November; 124 rides 2011 to date. Drifter: 11 rides November; 93 rides 2011 to date. Dawn: 12 rides November; 60 rides 2011 to date; all horses 34 rides total November; 277 rides 2011 to date.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Why Would I Hand Feed a Horse That Bites?
Because I'm working on training him not to bite - to keep his mouth to himself - using clicker training . . .
I've only made use of clicker training for a few purposes - helping Dawn with scary objects was an important one (we'll do more of that). I'm certainly no expert at clicker training. But I really do like it for certain purposes, and I'm sure if I thought about it more, I could find lots more ways to use it.
Drifter is very mouthy - that's probably part of the "I used to be a stallion and still want to act like one" routine. Now that he's feeling better due to his EPM treatment, he's quite the sassy little dude, and anytime my hand is near his head there's a possibility that he'll try to nip at it in a (highly annoying) playful way - not OK. I like to use a hand up, palm out, as a signal to back out of my space, and this is problematic with Drifter - he wants to play at that point, which involves biting - again, not OK.
Clicker training also greatly concentrates the equine mind - if you want them to really focus on something, and learn to respond, clicker works very well. And it's positive, not negative, reinforcement - swatting a horse that nips or bites is often a very counterproductive strategy as it tends to produce even more of the nippy play behavior you're trying to discourage - just watch two geldings doing "bitey-face" play and you've got the idea.
So hand feed the horse to train it not to bite - sounds counterintuitive, doesn't it? Here's what I did in the barn aisle this afternoon - I'd brought my horses in out of the 45 mph winds - they were ready - and was doing some grooming. Drifter already understands the basic principle that a tongue click means he's done whatever it is precisely right, and that a treat will follow - I used clicker to teach him good hoof handling and then faded out the treats and now only use them occasionally. He's also a very smart horse, and clicker works really well with smart horses - it's amazing how fast they figure out what you want.
I took him off the crossties, and holding the lead loosely, put my hand out, palm up and said "back". (He already knows what the palm up and out and the word "back" mean, he just often prefers to play bitey rather than do it - I think he sees my hand as a challenge.) He backed a step - I clicked as soon as the first foot moved back and treated promptly. Now I had his full attention. We repeated this a few times and he was very interested in complying. Then I asked him to step back without my saying "back" - it took a moment but he did it. We repeated this a few times, then I asked for two steps back and had to wait for a moment for him to do it, but he got there. That was it - about 5 minutes in total but I already feel like we made good progress.
On his rearing/lameness issue, he's pretty careful, despite the cold temperatures and high winds, to not move at a speed above the walk in turnout, which isn't typical for him. He did spook briefly this morning and trotted a few steps, but it wasn't a good trot - the left hind/right front pair clearly didn't feel good. This afternoon, he told me that it was his armpit area - where the right front joins the body - that was sore - I'm wondering if he slipped in the mud when he was feeling good and extended his front leg too far to the side. I'm hoping our vet/chiropractor can help him out, and I'm still feeling a bit bad about making him trot yesterday after the rearing, although I'm afraid it was probably necessary and it's good that horses mostly are forgiving sorts . . .
I've only made use of clicker training for a few purposes - helping Dawn with scary objects was an important one (we'll do more of that). I'm certainly no expert at clicker training. But I really do like it for certain purposes, and I'm sure if I thought about it more, I could find lots more ways to use it.
Drifter is very mouthy - that's probably part of the "I used to be a stallion and still want to act like one" routine. Now that he's feeling better due to his EPM treatment, he's quite the sassy little dude, and anytime my hand is near his head there's a possibility that he'll try to nip at it in a (highly annoying) playful way - not OK. I like to use a hand up, palm out, as a signal to back out of my space, and this is problematic with Drifter - he wants to play at that point, which involves biting - again, not OK.
Clicker training also greatly concentrates the equine mind - if you want them to really focus on something, and learn to respond, clicker works very well. And it's positive, not negative, reinforcement - swatting a horse that nips or bites is often a very counterproductive strategy as it tends to produce even more of the nippy play behavior you're trying to discourage - just watch two geldings doing "bitey-face" play and you've got the idea.
So hand feed the horse to train it not to bite - sounds counterintuitive, doesn't it? Here's what I did in the barn aisle this afternoon - I'd brought my horses in out of the 45 mph winds - they were ready - and was doing some grooming. Drifter already understands the basic principle that a tongue click means he's done whatever it is precisely right, and that a treat will follow - I used clicker to teach him good hoof handling and then faded out the treats and now only use them occasionally. He's also a very smart horse, and clicker works really well with smart horses - it's amazing how fast they figure out what you want.
I took him off the crossties, and holding the lead loosely, put my hand out, palm up and said "back". (He already knows what the palm up and out and the word "back" mean, he just often prefers to play bitey rather than do it - I think he sees my hand as a challenge.) He backed a step - I clicked as soon as the first foot moved back and treated promptly. Now I had his full attention. We repeated this a few times and he was very interested in complying. Then I asked him to step back without my saying "back" - it took a moment but he did it. We repeated this a few times, then I asked for two steps back and had to wait for a moment for him to do it, but he got there. That was it - about 5 minutes in total but I already feel like we made good progress.
On his rearing/lameness issue, he's pretty careful, despite the cold temperatures and high winds, to not move at a speed above the walk in turnout, which isn't typical for him. He did spook briefly this morning and trotted a few steps, but it wasn't a good trot - the left hind/right front pair clearly didn't feel good. This afternoon, he told me that it was his armpit area - where the right front joins the body - that was sore - I'm wondering if he slipped in the mud when he was feeling good and extended his front leg too far to the side. I'm hoping our vet/chiropractor can help him out, and I'm still feeling a bit bad about making him trot yesterday after the rearing, although I'm afraid it was probably necessary and it's good that horses mostly are forgiving sorts . . .
Monday, November 28, 2011
Muddy Dawn, Sleepy Pie and Drifter Rears
I managed to ride all three horses - the wind chill didn't get much above 30F but the weather's going to be worse for the next few days. Dawn and I had a nice ride, but first I had to deal with this:
Pie was having a nice nap in his gravel bed - I rode him later, a bit on the trail and a bit in the arena. In the first picture, he's pretty soundly asleep; in the second, he's noticing I'm there, but still very sleepy:
Drifter's session started out pretty well - nice work at the walk. Interesting things happened, though, when I asked for trot. Two days ago when I rode, I had gotten some brief balking but he trotted pretty willingly. Today, first I got some balking. I asked again and tapped him with the crop on the shoulder when he didn't immediately respond (secondary cue). (Two days ago, when I rode him, last, this was sufficient to get us into trot. I speculated at the time that he might be a little sore, as his trot was a bit stiff.) Then I asked again and tapped again - this time he popped up slightly in front. I immediately asked again and more firmly tapped - this time I got a full-fledged rear, about a 45-degree angle. I pretty well knew that something was wrong - he's never reared with me in the 6 months I've had him so I doubt it's really a training matter - but had to get him moving forward regardless at that point since rearing is never acceptable. We trotted, but only a bit, doing a few transitions from walk to a few steps of trot, and repeating this several times. He didn't give me any more trouble, so I was able to walk from there on out. I apologized to him for making him move forward into trot, but felt that it was necessary and unlikely to do him any serious harm. At the end of our ride, since he seemed uninterested in moving at any gait than walk, I decided it might be a good day to try a small excursion outside the arena - our first. I rode him up to the gate, we pushed it open and then we rode around in the area of the barn a bit, including on the grassy field behind the barn. He was very well behaved and seemed interested to be out there. I also figured that let us end on a good note.
He's perfectly sound at the walk - his walk looks and feels great. After our ride, I went over him very carefully, paying attention to his reactions to my rubbing and massaging and feeling joints. His original problem when he was showing symptoms of EPM had been the left hind, so I paid particular attention to that and his back and stifle - nothing. Since it was that diagonal - left hind/right front - that had been the original problem, I carefully checked out the right front - bingo! He was ouchy in the forearm below the shoulder, and also a bit around the knee and in the sternal area between his front legs. There's no swelling or heat, so I don't think it's too serious. I suspect that he may have somehow tweaked something running around once he felt better, or that our work getting back into shape has gone a little too quickly. The good news is that our vet/chiropractor is coming on Wednesday, so she can check him out. I gave him a 500-lb. dose of Banamine to help him out - it'll have worn off before mid-day Wednesday so our vet/chiro can look at him unmedicated. I certainly hope she can help him out - rearing isn't an equine behavior that's on my fun things to do together list.
Pie was having a nice nap in his gravel bed - I rode him later, a bit on the trail and a bit in the arena. In the first picture, he's pretty soundly asleep; in the second, he's noticing I'm there, but still very sleepy:
Drifter's session started out pretty well - nice work at the walk. Interesting things happened, though, when I asked for trot. Two days ago when I rode, I had gotten some brief balking but he trotted pretty willingly. Today, first I got some balking. I asked again and tapped him with the crop on the shoulder when he didn't immediately respond (secondary cue). (Two days ago, when I rode him, last, this was sufficient to get us into trot. I speculated at the time that he might be a little sore, as his trot was a bit stiff.) Then I asked again and tapped again - this time he popped up slightly in front. I immediately asked again and more firmly tapped - this time I got a full-fledged rear, about a 45-degree angle. I pretty well knew that something was wrong - he's never reared with me in the 6 months I've had him so I doubt it's really a training matter - but had to get him moving forward regardless at that point since rearing is never acceptable. We trotted, but only a bit, doing a few transitions from walk to a few steps of trot, and repeating this several times. He didn't give me any more trouble, so I was able to walk from there on out. I apologized to him for making him move forward into trot, but felt that it was necessary and unlikely to do him any serious harm. At the end of our ride, since he seemed uninterested in moving at any gait than walk, I decided it might be a good day to try a small excursion outside the arena - our first. I rode him up to the gate, we pushed it open and then we rode around in the area of the barn a bit, including on the grassy field behind the barn. He was very well behaved and seemed interested to be out there. I also figured that let us end on a good note.
He's perfectly sound at the walk - his walk looks and feels great. After our ride, I went over him very carefully, paying attention to his reactions to my rubbing and massaging and feeling joints. His original problem when he was showing symptoms of EPM had been the left hind, so I paid particular attention to that and his back and stifle - nothing. Since it was that diagonal - left hind/right front - that had been the original problem, I carefully checked out the right front - bingo! He was ouchy in the forearm below the shoulder, and also a bit around the knee and in the sternal area between his front legs. There's no swelling or heat, so I don't think it's too serious. I suspect that he may have somehow tweaked something running around once he felt better, or that our work getting back into shape has gone a little too quickly. The good news is that our vet/chiropractor is coming on Wednesday, so she can check him out. I gave him a 500-lb. dose of Banamine to help him out - it'll have worn off before mid-day Wednesday so our vet/chiro can look at him unmedicated. I certainly hope she can help him out - rearing isn't an equine behavior that's on my fun things to do together list.
Two More Test Positive
Two more horses at our barn have tested positive using the new ELISA peptide antigen test for active infections with the EPM organism. Scout is spending the winter at another barn (with an indoor - lucky them!), so I don't know how he's doing. Charisma, who is a 22 year old Morgan mare - but in excellent condition and still ridden almost every day - started having some reluctance to move out at gaits other than the walk and on neurological testing had some abnormalities affecting her right hind leg. She's started her treatment with the Oroquin-10 paste (see my EPM page for more information about the disease and a new, much more accurate blood test and a new treatment that are in clinical trials).
Sugar's owner had recently noticed some oddness about her gaits, and since four horses (out of seven total) at our barn have already tested positive, our vet/chiro will be coming Wednesday to draw blood so Sugar can be tested as well. I'm probably going to have Dawn tested too, although she has no apparent symptoms - the test doesn't cost that much and it would be a good thing to determine whether or not she is starting an active infection - or to rule it out for now.
Our best theory is that one or more of our loads of square hay bales was contaminated with the EPM organism, since Charisma doesn't go on pasture - she's in a dry lot on hay only due to insulin resistance. We've used the same local hay supplier for years and his hay is excellent in quality. There's nothing he can do to keep possums out of his hay fields though, and there sure are lots of possums around here - I see them frequently.
Our vet/chiro will also do some work on Pie and Drifter - they're both a bit sore or stiff, either due to getting back into shape or because of some lingering hind end weakness - it's hard to tell. I'm hoping to get a ride in today - the temperature's going to get into the upper 30sF and the wind isn't too bad. This time of year, I have to ride whenever I can since the weather isn't going to get any better until spring.
Sugar's owner had recently noticed some oddness about her gaits, and since four horses (out of seven total) at our barn have already tested positive, our vet/chiro will be coming Wednesday to draw blood so Sugar can be tested as well. I'm probably going to have Dawn tested too, although she has no apparent symptoms - the test doesn't cost that much and it would be a good thing to determine whether or not she is starting an active infection - or to rule it out for now.
Our best theory is that one or more of our loads of square hay bales was contaminated with the EPM organism, since Charisma doesn't go on pasture - she's in a dry lot on hay only due to insulin resistance. We've used the same local hay supplier for years and his hay is excellent in quality. There's nothing he can do to keep possums out of his hay fields though, and there sure are lots of possums around here - I see them frequently.
Our vet/chiro will also do some work on Pie and Drifter - they're both a bit sore or stiff, either due to getting back into shape or because of some lingering hind end weakness - it's hard to tell. I'm hoping to get a ride in today - the temperature's going to get into the upper 30sF and the wind isn't too bad. This time of year, I have to ride whenever I can since the weather isn't going to get any better until spring.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
The Balk Is Back
Drifter's ground manners have been just fine the past several days. Studliness must come and go . . .
We've been restarting our trot work to rebuild his fitness, adding some time every ride. Yesterday, he started balking a bit when I asked for a walk/trot transition. The quality of his trot is better in lengthening than when his stride is shorter. After my ride, he was ever so slightly dragging his left hind toe as he brought the leg forward - this was very worrisome. But this morning, his walk was normal again - I don't think it's a recurrence of EPM symptoms but rather some muscular weakness/fatigue - we worked pretty hard yesterday. Today he was balky again in the first couple of upwards transitions, but trotted well in lengthening once he got moving, although when I'm posting the trot tracking left, it's clearly a bit more of an effort for him - on that diagonal I'm weighting the left hind. After our ride - I kept it a bit shorter today - his walk was normal - no toe dragging, which was a relief. Next time I ride, I may give him a 500-lb. dose of Banamine that morning - if he trots more willingly, then soreness is likely, if not then weakness may be the cause of his uncertainly.
There's always something with horses . . .
Dawn and Pie are well - Dawn has started some trot work - her first trotting under saddle barefoot - and is doing well. Pretty soon, I'll be giving her some time in the paddock with pea gravel to help her frogs and heels develop. Pie has been going on the trail with Charisma, and has been happily trotting and cantering on turnout. He was very girthy yesterday - unusual for him and probably indicating some sternal soreness - and has a big sore knot on the left side of his neck that I worked on for a while yesterday. I'm going to have our chiropractor work on him a bit when she comes next week.
Much colder weather is coming and many Christmas prepartions to make . . .
We've been restarting our trot work to rebuild his fitness, adding some time every ride. Yesterday, he started balking a bit when I asked for a walk/trot transition. The quality of his trot is better in lengthening than when his stride is shorter. After my ride, he was ever so slightly dragging his left hind toe as he brought the leg forward - this was very worrisome. But this morning, his walk was normal again - I don't think it's a recurrence of EPM symptoms but rather some muscular weakness/fatigue - we worked pretty hard yesterday. Today he was balky again in the first couple of upwards transitions, but trotted well in lengthening once he got moving, although when I'm posting the trot tracking left, it's clearly a bit more of an effort for him - on that diagonal I'm weighting the left hind. After our ride - I kept it a bit shorter today - his walk was normal - no toe dragging, which was a relief. Next time I ride, I may give him a 500-lb. dose of Banamine that morning - if he trots more willingly, then soreness is likely, if not then weakness may be the cause of his uncertainly.
There's always something with horses . . .
Dawn and Pie are well - Dawn has started some trot work - her first trotting under saddle barefoot - and is doing well. Pretty soon, I'll be giving her some time in the paddock with pea gravel to help her frogs and heels develop. Pie has been going on the trail with Charisma, and has been happily trotting and cantering on turnout. He was very girthy yesterday - unusual for him and probably indicating some sternal soreness - and has a big sore knot on the left side of his neck that I worked on for a while yesterday. I'm going to have our chiropractor work on him a bit when she comes next week.
Much colder weather is coming and many Christmas prepartions to make . . .
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Some Things Improve, Some Things Stay the Same . . .
Some things get better with time and some things stay the same. A number of Drifter's prior issues have just melted away - picking his feet is now easy whether he's loose in the stall or on crossties - it's now reliable and he picks up each foot in turn as I go around. His ridden work is much better and his ability to pay attention and focus is improved - yesterday he dealt well with Sugar tacking up outside the barn and leaving to go on the trail while we were working in the arena - he noticed and was distracted but was able to come right back to work. He leads much better (caveat in next paragraph), and will even trailer load much better than he did after 6 months of not having worked on it at all.
But Mr. Drifter has also been displaying his "stallion" side lately - he isn't one, we've had him tested - but he likes to think he is and has many stallion-like behaviors. Yesterday, he was attempting to get nippy with me while I was leading him, attempting to bite my hand, and was also trying to nip when my hand was near his face. We had a conversation about that where I made it clear that wasn't acceptable, and praised him when he was behaving correctly, and also did some extra leading work after our riding session to reinforce good behavior. When I turned him out in Pie's paddock (while Pie was out of it) for a while so his feet could benefit from the pea gravel, he walked around, sniffed every pile of Pie poo, and then selected a pile and made a precise "deposit" on top of it to express his dominance. This morning while I was leading him to the turnout, we were walking by Dawn's paddock - she's coming into heat and was squealing and striking on the other side of the fence - and he decided that he since he was feeling pretty fresh - it was also cold and windy - it would be fun to do several large rears. Each time he went up, I snapped the lead and told him "no" in a strong voice. When he came back down and stood quietly for a moment, we went on with our walk. He seems to get particularly obnoxious when one or more of the mares is in heat.
His behavior isn't particularly aggressive, although that sort of thing can get you hurt around horses so it's not acceptable. He's more fresh and sassy and playful than aggressive - he clearly feels really good after his EPM treatment and wants to show off his prowess (particularly to Dawn). When I tell him no, he falls into line pretty quickly but he's one, I think, who's always going to test the limits and see what he can get away with. I also suspect that he may have been gelded late and have spent some part of his prior life as a stallion, so the behaviors may be more learned than hormonal. I also suspect he wasn't properly socialized in a herd as a young horse and he can be very aggressive in a herd situation with the other geldings, again acting like a stallion - that's why he's on solo turnout. One option might be to turn him out with the mares, but we haven't done that due to the risk of injury - Dawn is a pretty aggressive little horse herself and if he didn't injure her she'd quite likely injure him - he'd probably learn a good lesson but the cost might be too high. I suspect that over time, with consistent handling, some of these stallion-like behaviors may abate, but he certainly keeps me on my toes.
* * * * * *
A very happy Thankgiving to all of you in the United States!
But Mr. Drifter has also been displaying his "stallion" side lately - he isn't one, we've had him tested - but he likes to think he is and has many stallion-like behaviors. Yesterday, he was attempting to get nippy with me while I was leading him, attempting to bite my hand, and was also trying to nip when my hand was near his face. We had a conversation about that where I made it clear that wasn't acceptable, and praised him when he was behaving correctly, and also did some extra leading work after our riding session to reinforce good behavior. When I turned him out in Pie's paddock (while Pie was out of it) for a while so his feet could benefit from the pea gravel, he walked around, sniffed every pile of Pie poo, and then selected a pile and made a precise "deposit" on top of it to express his dominance. This morning while I was leading him to the turnout, we were walking by Dawn's paddock - she's coming into heat and was squealing and striking on the other side of the fence - and he decided that he since he was feeling pretty fresh - it was also cold and windy - it would be fun to do several large rears. Each time he went up, I snapped the lead and told him "no" in a strong voice. When he came back down and stood quietly for a moment, we went on with our walk. He seems to get particularly obnoxious when one or more of the mares is in heat.
His behavior isn't particularly aggressive, although that sort of thing can get you hurt around horses so it's not acceptable. He's more fresh and sassy and playful than aggressive - he clearly feels really good after his EPM treatment and wants to show off his prowess (particularly to Dawn). When I tell him no, he falls into line pretty quickly but he's one, I think, who's always going to test the limits and see what he can get away with. I also suspect that he may have been gelded late and have spent some part of his prior life as a stallion, so the behaviors may be more learned than hormonal. I also suspect he wasn't properly socialized in a herd as a young horse and he can be very aggressive in a herd situation with the other geldings, again acting like a stallion - that's why he's on solo turnout. One option might be to turn him out with the mares, but we haven't done that due to the risk of injury - Dawn is a pretty aggressive little horse herself and if he didn't injure her she'd quite likely injure him - he'd probably learn a good lesson but the cost might be too high. I suspect that over time, with consistent handling, some of these stallion-like behaviors may abate, but he certainly keeps me on my toes.
* * * * * *
A very happy Thankgiving to all of you in the United States!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Why I Don't Ride On the Rail - Attention and Straightness
That's not quite true - I do ride on the rail, but only sometimes. Here's why - there are a couple of reasons. I think a lot of the problems we have with our horses are due to momentary lapses in our own attention to the horse, and lapses in our providing direction to the horse. We need to be there for our horses - how can they have a continuous conversation with us if we're not there? If I'm riding away from the rail, it helps me stay focused and attentive - I can't just mindlessly ride around the arena on the rail, I have to give the horse direction. This also means that we're doing things together - figures or riding to a specific point - which gives the horse a "mission" - horses love having jobs they can focus on and do well together with their rider.
And here's another reason I like riding away from the rail - horses are shaped like this:
Note that the horse is narrower in the shoulders than in the hindquarters. The horse in the picture isn't travelling straight - the rail side of its body is parallel to the rail but due to the horse's shape this means the hindquarters are travelling slightly to the inside, and there's also likely to be a slight bend of the head and neck to the inside. (Aside: are there other horse people out there who, like me, love those pictures of dressage movements in books where little diagram horses move around the figures?) If your horse travels like the one in the picture, rhythm and impulsion will both be problems as the horse isn't straight. Watch people riding their horses on the rail - I don't care whether English or Western or in what discipline - and you'll see a lot of crooked horses - it takes a lot of attention to ride a horse straight when travelling down the rail and most horses end up like the one in the diagram.
And when I'm riding away from the rail, I can't use the rail as a "crutch" - the horse and I have to travel with intention and if we're going to be straight, it's because we intend to be straight. If crookedness and wiggliness are an issue for you and your horse (and it's never just the horse), then riding in straight lines away from the rail, with impulsion and a specific destination, will in my experience do a lot to make things better. And straightness isn't a matter of steering - it comes from the hind end. A horse that's braced on the front end - either due to the horse or rider bracing or both, or ridden in a way that constricts the front end like rollkur, cannot effectively use its hind end to carry itself and cannot have proper impulsion - and its proper impulsion that leads directly to straightness and rhythm. Proper impulsion also cannot exist without softness and suppleness, and straightness also comes from the development of this softness and suppleness through all softening work including the use of figures such as circles and serpentines.
I also don't use the rail to teach the beginnings of lateral work, such as side pass. If you teach your horse to do side pass facing the rail as a barrier - that's what you've done - taught your horse to do sidepass if the rail is there. I find it's better to allow the horse the freedom to move - and to make mistakes - that being off the rail provides, and the horse learns the general principle rather than a specific case.
Now I certainly understand that, if you ride in an arena when lots of other people are riding, you may not have a choice about riding on the rail. But even in circumstances like that, it may be possible to do some things to engage your mind and that of your horse, and to work on straightness, like riding the quarter line, doing diagonals or partial diagonals, or leg yielding away from the rail for a few steps, riding straight for a few steps and then leg yielding back to the rail. Be creative - there are all sorts of things you can do. Cones are very useful as focal points when working off the rail. And most importantly, have fun!
And here's another reason I like riding away from the rail - horses are shaped like this:
Note that the horse is narrower in the shoulders than in the hindquarters. The horse in the picture isn't travelling straight - the rail side of its body is parallel to the rail but due to the horse's shape this means the hindquarters are travelling slightly to the inside, and there's also likely to be a slight bend of the head and neck to the inside. (Aside: are there other horse people out there who, like me, love those pictures of dressage movements in books where little diagram horses move around the figures?) If your horse travels like the one in the picture, rhythm and impulsion will both be problems as the horse isn't straight. Watch people riding their horses on the rail - I don't care whether English or Western or in what discipline - and you'll see a lot of crooked horses - it takes a lot of attention to ride a horse straight when travelling down the rail and most horses end up like the one in the diagram.
And when I'm riding away from the rail, I can't use the rail as a "crutch" - the horse and I have to travel with intention and if we're going to be straight, it's because we intend to be straight. If crookedness and wiggliness are an issue for you and your horse (and it's never just the horse), then riding in straight lines away from the rail, with impulsion and a specific destination, will in my experience do a lot to make things better. And straightness isn't a matter of steering - it comes from the hind end. A horse that's braced on the front end - either due to the horse or rider bracing or both, or ridden in a way that constricts the front end like rollkur, cannot effectively use its hind end to carry itself and cannot have proper impulsion - and its proper impulsion that leads directly to straightness and rhythm. Proper impulsion also cannot exist without softness and suppleness, and straightness also comes from the development of this softness and suppleness through all softening work including the use of figures such as circles and serpentines.
I also don't use the rail to teach the beginnings of lateral work, such as side pass. If you teach your horse to do side pass facing the rail as a barrier - that's what you've done - taught your horse to do sidepass if the rail is there. I find it's better to allow the horse the freedom to move - and to make mistakes - that being off the rail provides, and the horse learns the general principle rather than a specific case.
Now I certainly understand that, if you ride in an arena when lots of other people are riding, you may not have a choice about riding on the rail. But even in circumstances like that, it may be possible to do some things to engage your mind and that of your horse, and to work on straightness, like riding the quarter line, doing diagonals or partial diagonals, or leg yielding away from the rail for a few steps, riding straight for a few steps and then leg yielding back to the rail. Be creative - there are all sorts of things you can do. Cones are very useful as focal points when working off the rail. And most importantly, have fun!
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