Hi,
I had a suggestion for the uni and it is how do you teach the green horse to work in an out line? :) like how do you teach them the aids and make them understand that you want them to work in an outline:)
Equi
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How To Get a Green Horse Working In An Outline
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Sorry Equi,
I'm not sure what you mean by outline?
Ronda
sorry i might not have made it very clear:S
look at LONG LINING For The Single-Line Longed Horse in it the horse is working in a nice rounded shape with her nose on a vertical:)
When riding my insructor asked me to wiggle the reins and the horses head came down with his nose on a vertical:)
I was wondering how you wold teach a young horse who had never done this before to put his nose on a vertical line when you wiggle the reins:)
Equi
Sorry equi,
I have worked in law too long I guess.
When I see outline I automatically think using an outline to follow an agenda.
I guess you could apply that same line of thinking here.
Perhaps from the ground first, I've never wiggled my lines to straighten my horse.
I think that is what you are saying? To get the horse to go in a vertical line, straight?
As in straight to the line, fence or goal?
Funny how in different countries we have different expressions for the same thing, ah!
Have a great day,
Ronda
WHen a horse is working in an outline here in englang it means that the horse is moveing with its nose on a vertical wit its neck bent that opens up the spine:)
The aids that i have been taught to achieve this when riding is to wiggle the reins alternatly:) so how would you teach a young horse that didnt know these aids to respond in the way that you wanted:)
Equi
EquiAbi
I think what you are describing is the headset of the horse . You are wanting your horse to arch his neck and have a more vertical line on the face. This is gained through lots of flexing of the neck and head. Left, right, down and up. When using these exercises you hold the head and neck in the flexed position for a few seconds then release the pressure when the horse relaxes his muscles in the flexed position. Head position is also taught and enforced by your hand position when the horse is in the bit. Lower hands will keep the horses head lower and higher hand will keep the head higher.
I think your instructor was asking you to add and release pressure to the bit which acts as a reminder to the horse to keep its head down. Wiggling the reins will bump the bit in the horses mouth and that doesn't feel good.
Proper position of the horses head, neck and feet are important but if you don't have the experience in training a horse to carry its head and neck correctly you should ask a trainer if you could intern with him to learn these methods. They are not something you can learn just by reading.
Cheers
Ahh I get what is being said now, flextion !!!!
I do this with STAR from the ground FIRST with the aid of a stick with a piece of apple on the end.
I stand on one side and then pass the piece of apple over her back to her hip area and she bends to reach it and her reward is the piece of apple.
I also do this between her front legs and she bends down to reach for the piece of apple.
This stretches her muscels nicely and trains her for flexion.
I also do flextions from side to side with the aid of her halter, I stand beside her shoulder and GENTLY tug, using only my baby finger, until she moves her head down towards my bent elbow, which I have my hand holding onto her mane at her withers.
This is a gentle way of teaching the horse to hold thier head properly without the bit, at first.
Eventually they will understand the movements required and do them easily.
With a young horse, ground work, ground work, ground work.
enjoy !!!
Ronda
Yes, ground work, ground work, ground work!
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To get any horse to work in a nice outline you need to engage its hindlegs - get it to move forward with energy but without trying to run away - and meet up gently with your hands for rhythm and balance.
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A young horse doesn't know how to balance himself with a rider and bit, and there really aren't any specific aids for it.
You need to teach it how to move forward for the leg aids and that reins means stop, and simply work from there with transitions and changes of tempo until it starts to use its hindlegs more, which in turn opens up the spine and frees up the neck/forelegs.
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Once it starts to find its balance - which will be in a pretty low and open shape to begin with, you can start to ask for more energy from behind and raising of the neck as the weight is redistributed.
It is work that takes time, and it never really ends either since you can go all the way to Grand Prix-shape.