RIDE COMPETITIVE TRAIL TO
By Vickie Zapel, PrI
Lesson
Six
My
Horse will go Anywhere, Anytime, Through Anything
CROSSING OBSTACLES WORKS BEST IF THE HORSE THINKS IT IS “HIS” IDEA
When we lead or ride our horse to a
water obstacle, we want to have a positive experience which builds confidence
and trust in our partnership with our horse.
It is best if crossing water is the
horse’s own idea. It will be his idea
and he will be agreeable, if you’ve spent the necessary time and effort
required in Lesson Five. If your horse
is still not keen on water obstacles, keep working on desensitizing him with
the program previously outlined.
The time it takes to master water
obstacles will vary depending on your skill level, how many times a week you
can work at it and your horse’s past experiences. Do not be easily dissuaded; the system will
work and you can be safe implementing it.
If your horse is now doing very
well on the lunge line, whip/stick, and in-hand training for crossing water and
mud, you are definitely ready to start riding the same exercise.
If while riding, your horse is
objecting, and those objections cannot be overcome by simple leg pressure and a
verbal “cluck”, stop riding and go back to more in-hand work. You do not want any kind of a battle about
water. You need to repeat your water obstacle ground work.
You will always want to practice
fairness with your horse. You are the
parent and he is the little kid in a really big body. Encouragements are fine, but never rush an unsure horse. In any situation where the horse is objecting, patience is always your best virtue as
long as the horse is still trying. Work
obstacles where you can build confidence and security in basic training
maneuvers. However, it can be a fine
line to differentiate, if your horse has flat out made up his mind he is not
going to have a meeting of the minds with you; then you are in a situation
where you’ll have to change his mind.
If you are not comfortable or
capable of doing this from the saddle, immediately go back to your basic
training of working in-hand on a water obstacle that you know you can manage
with the horse. Increase the degree of
difficulty of the in-hand work, until you have a built a pliable, confident,
obedient partner.
When presenting an obstacle, let
the horse put his head down and look; don’t ask him to move forward if he is
not first in position to “look” where you want him to go. Slow movement on the part of the horse slows
down his thought process; given time to think about the obstacle makes the
horse surer of himself.
The following photos show what
happens when the horse is not allowed enough time to think.
Everything
about the approach to the obstacle looks good.
1.
The horse does not appear resistant.
- His
front feet are placed right up to the edge of the entrance log.
- His body is straight.
4.
He
is intent and seriously observant.
5. The rider is balanced and has
given the horse extra rein length so he can put his head down.
6. The rider is not leaning downhill
and she is looking where she wants to go.
7.
The horse makes his commitment to the
obstacle and all remains well, except for the distance of the step by the front
feet. The rider wanted to move on before
the horse was ready, so instead of an easy slow step, which the horse was
positioned to make, the horse responded to the rider’s demand with a quicker,
longer step.
8. The result is more of a faltering
jump than a “step down”.
9. As the horse’s left front foot
lands, the right front follows in an even further forward placement. The rider
had to lean backward in a hurry to compensate for the horse’s surge
forward. It looks ugly and it feels
ugly.
To better understand the approach
to this water obstacle the pattern required trotting to the very edge and then
stepping off into the water. During the
Judge’s walk-through, the host of this event made a point of stipulating that
he did not want to see any hesitation at all, at the log entrance step
off. Competitors were explicitly
instructed to go from the trot gait to a walking step off immediately into the
water. This horse at his skill level
needed just a second to “think” before stepping off, as he was not accustom to
trotting right to the edge of a drop off step down.
It
was the rider’s mistake in judgment—rushing the horse-- that made the step-off
ugly.
You
are always better off to build your horse’s confidence than trying to earn
“bonus” points in the competition.
Always be advised that you ride to the level of your horse…do not push
him beyond what he is comfortable or capable of doing.
Give
him to time to think about an obstacle if he needs that time.
We
all make judgment mistakes; especially during a competition. It is not the end of the world; it is just a
learning process. Frequently, you will
find you will learn more as a team by riding a pattern with obstacles you have
never experienced. If you make a mistake
in judgment, learn from it; shame on you, if you make that same mistake twice.
THE
HORSE’S FOUR FEET
Learn
to trust in your horse’s four feet, they have been connected to the rest of his
body for a very long time. Even when he
doesn’t act like it, the horse does know where his four feet are. Sometimes, he just doesn’t know where to
place his feet and needs a reminder to pay attention to them.
Remember
we studied keeping the horse’s spine straight in past lesson material. You know that it can be extremely difficult
to keep the horse’s spine (poll, neck, shoulders, rib cage and hips) straight,
if the rider is not balanced.
There
is no way a rider can be absolutely balanced leaning forward at a 40 degree
angle, attempting to balance on the inside of his thighs, because his behind is
up out of the saddle, while the rider is bent over the horse’s neck with his
head tilted down, as demonstrated below.
Photo
courtesy of
The
above photo shows a respectable working team.
This horse and gentleman appear to be in unison. The horse is willing and paying attention to
where he needs to go.
The
rider’s heels are down and he has optimal leg contact with the horse’s sides,
but the rider is leaning forward with his shoulders, which puts him out of
balance; especially if he needs to recover should the horse decides to spook or
jump. It is a safer position (balanced)
for the rider to keep his shoulders over his hips, which keeps his seat in full
contact with his saddle, making it easier and quicker to apply necessary hand
or leg cues.
Note:
to maintain his forward riding position the rider actually has his knuckles
resting on both sides of the horse’s neck.
If he needed to make a quick rein cue, his balance and the horse’s
balance are going to be lost. The rider
has taken his position because he is trying to look at the downhill entrance
into the water pond. It is only the
horse that needs to look at where his feet are in this type of circumstance.
(The rules of many competitions prohibit touching the horse’s neck at any
time.)
The
rider does NOT need to see where his
horse’s feet are; his horse can see the ground.
The horse has his head down and is looking where he is going; he knows
where his feet are. Allowing the horse
to work the obstacles is how you score points.
Not
to mention that a horse already packs two thirds of its body weight on the
front end, that is increased with the rider trying to balance forward and over
the front of the horse’s shoulders, making it even more difficult for the horse
to move forward, pick up his feet over poles, rocks or logs, or pull his feet
out of deep mud, stay balanced and maintain his own body position.
So,
you would ask, “Just how are you supposed to guide the horse where you want it
to go”? The
answer is: by LOOKING WHERE YOU WANT TO
END UP.
On a
long obstacle you might start by looking at the center. As you travel toward the center, change your
focus to just past the end of the obstacle, right to where you want to exit.
Look
at, or past the end of the obstacle as you approach the end, but do not look
down. Look forward; concentrate on
something directly in front of you. Look
where you need to go.
Actually,
the judge should be able to tell where the rider intends to go, by following
the rider’s path of vision.
LOWER
You’ll
need to develop a cue to tell your horse to lower his head on command.
Generally,
a slight upward and forward movement of your rein hand in combination with a
gentle squeeze of your legs or a modest, simultaneous “bumping with your legs” makes
a good “lower head” cue. If done
correctly, it should be barely visible to the judge.
Practice
the “lower your head” cue in front of any obstacle. Begin to work the obstacle only after the
horse has put his head down to investigate.
Elevating
your hand along with the leg squeeze or bump is very similar to the way many
trainers cue for the horse to set his head.
However, by also moving your hand forward at the same time you give the
horse additional rein length allowing him to put his head down far enough to
see where he is going to put his feet.
It
won’t take long for your horse to recognize the cue.
When
the horse puts his head down, your rein will be lengthened and close to the
ground. Be careful not to give the horse
so much rein that he could step on it.
This can easily happen on very steep, downhill obstacles.
Don’t
let your horse get into the habit of touching the log, teeter-totter or
obstacle in front of him. He can look at
and smell it without touching it, but unless he is very young, very
inexperienced or very insecure, he does not need to “touch” the obstacle with
his nose. Most judges will consider this
a sign of insecurity in the horse and you can lose a point for it.
In the photo below, the horse is
touching the obstacle and the rider is not aware the horse has made
“contact.” A well-schooled horse will
have worked bridges and teeter-totters so many times that it should never be
necessary for him to “touch” the obstacle.
When a horse “touches” an obstacle with his nose, it usually means he
has “stopped” moving forward; therefore the pattern flow was interrupted
unnecessarily, which will also cause lower scores.
RE-INVENTED
REFUSALS
When first
learning to work obstacles, horses can invent and re-invent ways to
refuse. Watch this horse.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgAX98MccB0&feature=c4-overview&list=UUM8nQJSFFUQCK8yRRGw0xCg
Did you note the
repeated sideways and backward movements?
The horse made several attempts at various movements, but didn’t want to
move forward. In the horse’s mind, if
one type of refusal didn’t work, surely a different refusal attempt will. The refusal attempt may be minor or full
blown.
However,
once his rider had the horse really “look” at the obstacle and focus on where
he needed to put his feet, the horse responded by moving forward.
Make
sure your horse is “looking” where he needs to go before you ask him to move
forward. He needs to see the obstacle
before he can be comfortable and confident.
The
horse in the video was very inexperienced, so we can excuse the evasion. But in excusing the evasion, we must create a
new schooling plan to show the horse what we want.
The
rider/trainer could ride a loop around the trench three or four times; working
their way closer and closer to the entrance and then ask the horse to walk to
the center and enter.
When
you are approaching an obstacle, be prepared to ask the horse to put his head
down and look at the obstacle. As you
ask him to lower his head, you must also be prepared for the novice horse to
make an evasive move. If he attempts to
move to the left, block that movement with your left leg and left rein by
pushing him deliberately back toward the center. If he starts to move back to the right too
quickly, you’ll have to shift your cues to the right side of the horse, and
block the movement with your right leg and right rein so he does not continue
to turn completely around. If he decides
to back up, strongly ride him forward, even if you cannot go forward directly
or straight into the center of the entrance, still ride purposefully forward.
Trying
to turn or back away from an obstacle is usually the horse’s first choice when
refusing. Relax and think how you can
get the horse to think it is his idea to work the obstacle. Your first step may be to sit there for a few
minutes and just let the horse have time to look at the obstacle, think about
and decide to approach on his own.
Never let the horse turn completely
around. If he starts to make a 360 turn
to the left, for example, use your left leg to hold the ribcage and the right
rein to pull his nose back to the right.
Be very positive in your correction.
When you are facing the center of the obstacle again, ask the horse to
put his head down and look. As long as
he studies the path you want him to take you are making progress. It is any
evasion to standing and inspecting the obstacle that is not allowed.
THE RIDER’S
There are two types of “re-check”:
mental and physical. Try to make your “re-checks”
simultaneous.
For the physical re-check, start
with your heels. Are your heels
down? Are you centered in your saddle
and not leaning to one side? Are your
shoulders up and square, is your chest open.
Are you looking where you want to go? Are you breathing? Is your rein hand forward with enough rein
length that you are not interfering with your horse’s forward movement? Have
you properly given your horse his cue to put his head down and focus on his task?
Have you aligned yourself to be balanced?
Many obstacles present a moment of
opportunity to make your re-check; for example, while standing in a holding
position between judges’ quadrants or sectors.
How about while you are counting off five seconds as your pattern calls
for a hold on a bridge? Or the quiet moment before you side pass away from the
gate. Slow your own thought process
whenever you can.
During your “re-check”, take a
breath. Your involuntary muscles won’t
let you turn blue, but they cannot stop you from holding your breath. We all tend to hold our breath when under
stress or concentrating on a difficult maneuver. So every chance you get, take a deep
cleansing inhale starting in your lower abdomen and exhale through your
mouth. A good deep breath will always
rebalance you mentally.
RIDE YOUR OBSTACLES IN SEGMENTED
PROGRESSION
This is where
really knowing and understanding your horse’s personality will help you with
his training.
Your horse’s training
should always be progressive; when you enjoy any improvement in his
understanding of your requests, take it!
Another small improvement tomorrow is the progression you want.
In the above
video you didn’t see a spectacle of commotion unfold. The horse has been in that concrete pond
before, but he was still somewhat hesitant because it is not mud or rocks as
the ponds with which he is most familiar.
When the horse was hesitant, the rider did not force the issue, but
allowed the horse time to look and get comfortable during a training session.
On the bridge
the rider allowed the horse to stop and stand quietly. Such a maneuver is often asked for in a
competition. Too often, horses want to
rush across the bride and get off. Don’t
allow any rushing of an obstacle when your horse has experienced the obstacle
sufficient times for him to know the obstacle is not the boogey man. Initially, you
might allow rushing as exiting quickly from a bridge is better than the horse lungeing off the bridge sideways. Be careful where you restrain the horse, you
will quiet possibly have to use restraint on an obstacle in segments, as you
build upon the horse’s confidence.
It is often a
good idea to school an obstacle in repetitions.
In the video, the horse was asked to make three laps around the pool and
bridge obstacles. By doing the obstacles
several times in a row, we got small improvements each time, our goal for the
day.
You could
consider the concrete pond entrance another “segment” of your training plan for
that obstacle.
In the video,
when the horse approached the wide side of the pond after the first bridge
exit, he was focused on his task, but not 100% comfortable about entering the
pond. Had you pushed that entrance, the
horse would have responded with more hesitation, not less. I was not going to give the horse that
opportunity. I rode him to the edge, let
him put his head down and look, and then proceeded to ignore the horse and talk
to the videographer. Sensing that I was
not concerned, the horse felt no pressure and stepped right into the pond, in a
slow, thoughtful, safe, inquisitive manner; all of his own accord.
On the second
lap or the next “segment” the horse was asked to enter the water next to the
bridge, not his favorite place. He had a
slight stall, but since this was his second chance, I pushed him forward and he
went with just a little effort. Note on
the third entrance to the pond we increased the degree of difficulty by
entering right alongside that worrisome bridge.
The horse showed no reluctance.
Each time around
and through the obstacle we were building trust with the horse by avoiding any
kind of labor dispute or evasion. The
horse was never pressured into responding, therefore had no reason to refuse
the obstacle. He had a chance to think
about the obstacle, and he decided it was his idea to move forward.
If you can think
and school this way on obstacles, you’ll be progressing in small steps with the
final result being a giant advancement.
During competitions you won’t have an opportunity to make three
different trips into the pond. But it
won’t matter as you will have developed a trusting, confident horse that will
enter water for you, even if he has never seen that particular obstacle before.
Your horse must
always honor your request. If you make
it a demand (on a rare occasion it may need to be demanded) the demand will
turn to defiance and resistance if the horse is not mentally ready to respond
correctly. As the trainer, it is your
responsibility to think through all schooling situations and avoid “demands”
the student cannot accept gracefully. We
want to set the horse up to respond, not resist.
It is always
preferred to make a request the horse can accept, even if there is concern and
hesitation on his part. Simply set him
up for success by requesting a performance for which you have adequately
prepared him.
It is the
“progression of segments” which can make your training program advance without
incident.
ULTIMATE
GOAL: SEAMLESS ENTRACE
Any obstacle,
including water obstacles require a seamless entrance and exit with a steady
unchanging cadence if you are to score well in competition.
In your own mind, you should begin to ride
the obstacle before you get to it, you probably know where your horse will
struggle with the obstacle, so be ready, to help him in the training
process. A good horseman learns when to
push and when to back off mentally and with physical cues.
As you begin the
exit of the obstacle, exhale, but don’t stop riding and don’t let your horse
change cadence. You are not clear of any
obstacle until you are approximately two horse lengths past it. That is typically where the judge will
disconnect the score from the obstacle.
BACKING
IN WATER
A great way to
start teaching your horse to back in water is to stop him with his hind feet
still in a water obstacle while moving forward.
Initially, you will only want to request one step. As your horse becomes more adept and willing
to back in water, you can ask for the second step back, and then another and
another.
Start your
“backing” training in water by being in the water. Many times you may not have level ground,
this is a situation that both you and your horse must learn to adjust for and
expect to happen. It might surprise both
of you, but there is no need to be startled if you are moving slowly and
thoughtfully.
It is best
mentally for the horse if you teach “backing out of water” near an easy
entrance.
If the horse wants to hurry and back quickly,
attempting to clear the obstacle, stop, stand and wait. Don’t let him hurry. No rushing allowed. You may spend more time standing than
backing, which is simply another opportunity to teach your horse to wait for
you, which keeps both of you safe.
Once you have spent as much time as necessary
preparing the horse to back confidently and willingly while in water, you can
then begin to teach the horse to back from dry ground directly into a water
obstacle.
Once the horse
has mastered backing into water, you can begin to teach backing off of ledges
into the water. Something similar to
backing out of a step up horse trailer;
think baby steps, one slow, easy step at a time adds up to success.
In an
effort for Equine Studies Institute to offer continual education, as your
online instructor, I want to give you every opportunity to continue your
training. An onsite clinic planned to
meet your needs is an incredible way to continue training your horse. Clinics can be a lot of fun with great
camaraderie and less pressure than a competitive event and are good stepping
stones towards a competition.
* JoLinn Hoover can answer
your questions and assist you with hosting a clinic. We have worked together many times and can
personally vouch for the Hoover Team’s exceptional training. In addition to helping you with a clinic, The
Hoover Team can also design your obstacle course. You can contact her directly at: info@mjrisinghranch.com 1-541-519-4995.
* Don’t feel up to the effort of hosting a clinic,
but you’d like to ride in one? Contact
Marie-Francis Davis directly at:
mfcdavis@msn.com or lynnpalm.com/clinics.htm Phone toll free 1-800-503-2824.
* Marie-Francis Davis can provide the details on
mountain trail clinics at Fox Grove Farms in
* Wish you had your own obstacle course, but you
can’t afford one or you don’t have a good place to build a course? Investigate the possibilities of working with
a boarding facility, an association, local horse club or city or county recreation
department. (An obstacle course also
works great for dog training and mountain biking). Make it a horse-community project. It can start small and grow as you go.
* Commandeer whoever you can with a tractor or small
back hoe and build your own course. It
is amazing what you can do with a hole, a hill, logs, rocks and railroad
ties. Get the local lumber yard and
landscaper to donate in some way to your project and give them credit for it on
a posted yard sign advertisement.
ASSIGNMENT:
Send me a video of you and your horse negotiating a water obstacle, including, but not limited to:
1.
Crossing water of some form with a log,
or rocks, shrubbery or whatever you can utilize at the entrance or exit.
2. During this
crossing please come to a complete stop at a point that you have pre-designated
in your mind’s eye and stand quietly for 3 seconds.
3.
Where
ever you choose, you can back while in the water and stop. Back into the water obstacle from the edge or
back out of the obstacle, whichever will work better.
4. The obstacle does not have to be
fancy or complicated. I just want to see
what you have accomplished, so I can critique it for you with some additional
training tips specific to you and your horse.
Make certain to title your
assignment in the email and send directly to:
Vikevon7@gmail.com
Please load your videos to YouTube or another host
and send me the “hot” link. I’ll do my
best to respond to your assignment within 5-7 business days.