Skippa Nickle Native & Christina
3 Year Old Palomino Stallion Started Under Saddle Shown Western Pleasure and Hunter Pleasure.
Gracy & Christina
SELF-CARRIAGE
Train your horse to carry themself in a
well-balanced way!
IT TAKES TWO
To create balance & harmony under saddle!
When I mingle with fellow equestrians, I inevitably get asked whose horse training methods I use. I enjoy telling people what I do but I always cringe a little inside. My answer usually seems long-winded because I use my own method. I guess I would refer to it as the “YIELD METHOD”, as the desired responses basically boil down to the horse learning to yield to pressure. I do think people have come to expect me to use the “lingo” and answer their questions by quoting someone they recognize - a well-marketed Horsemanship guru they know about.
I can see why people gravitate towards such methods. A safe step-by-step guide that is supposed to give anyone success IF they follow the steps and phases in correct order. I do have objections with these kinds of methods. I don’t believe a step-by-step guide can possibly fit all horses and quite frankly, each rider has a very different set of capabilities regarding horses. Having a skilled trainer is far better and safer for both horse and rider.
I also believe that there is a point where traditional riding skills and fundamentals have to become more important. If the rider doesn’t work on equitation, seat and aids they cannot teach the horse to be a good mount and riding partner. Without riding skills they will find themselves stuck on groundwork. Therefore I place huge emphasis on the value of the rider and good rider instruction.
For the horse, “finished” means being soft and quiet. We want him to know what WHOA means and what to do when he hears it! The horse should respond to all bit pressure by giving in to it, never by pulling away from the rider. The horse should move away from the rider’s leg pressure. He should move his feet with a click, kick or spank. He should be able to bend his pole vertically and also bend softly laterally-left or right. All 5 areas of his body should be supple so he can be balanced and gain self-carriage. This goes for trail horses as well as show horses, although finesse and head carriage is more important in the show ring. A trail horse should be able to lope a 20-meter circle on the correct lead with proper bend and flexion on a fairly loose rein, with collection and cadence. The same goes for the show horse although English disciplines require the rider maintain light contact with the horse’s mouth without the horse pulling or heavy on the reins. In any case the horse MUST carry himself.
I must point out here that it takes TWO-the horse and rider team together to create balance and harmony under saddle. It is equally important that the rider work on their skill-set as it focuses on the horse’s softness, balance, cadence and frame. Riding skills and saddle work may be MORE important than what the horse knows! If the rider doesn’t have a secure seat or has poor balance they are limited in what they can ever do with the horse, no matter how trained the horse is.
What should a rider try to achieve? In short the rider needs to develop the best possible seat and hands they can. THEY OWE IT TO THEIR HORSE! Seat and hands are the ONLY way to communicate when the horse is under saddle. If the rider is not secure, balanced and quiet in the saddle they are constantly giving false communications to the horse or bumping the horse’s face. It is frustrating for the horse AND it also gives the horse the upper hand and the ability to pull all sorts of tricks to avoid the rider’s cues and get out of working! I can’t stress how important it is to be able to keep your heels down with heels under the hip, sitting tall and straight with a quiet hand at all gaits. Practice ‘two-pointing’ and canter without trying to bridle the horse just to get the balance and rhythm and a secure seat. This will require a riding instructor or a seasoned rider watching you and giving you feedback. You can’t do this alone with a self-help program! Ideally, every rider should strive to be able to ride at a canter, in a secure, safe environment (such as a round pen with another person present) with the reins over the saddle horn or pommel, no stirrups, with hands at the side. Not everyone can get to this level, but all riders should work toward it as an equitation and balance goal. Challenge yourself too!
~ One thing we all can agree on is that horses are life changing! ~
HORSEMANSHIP STYLES AND THE FUNDAMENTALS
What Does A Rider Owe His Horse?
By Christina R. Willard
Horsemanship
Living & Promoting
the Equestrian Life!
Promoting Equestrian Sports and Lifestyle!
Paladin
Performance Horses
Copyright (C) 2008 - 2021
Paladin Performance Horses
All Rights Reserved