Welcome to the Farah DeJohnette Horsemanship Virtual Clinic!
Experience a mini clinic with me in each post! See video and audio exercises with supporting text here. All disciplines are covered as well as holistic health programs. If you are interested in Building Connection, Liberty work, Natural Jumpers and Dressage Training, you are in the right place!
First of all, I want to thank all of the people who subscribe to my blogs and follow me on twitter, FB and all the other online places I have made friend and followers.
For this weeks blog post I have a request. I would like you to introduce yourselves and tell me a little bit about you and your horses and or other animals companions. I know there are a lot people following the blogs so leave a comment so I can get to know you better. Even ask a question or offer a topic idea for a future blog. Even if I know you already, just say hi or give me an update on your equine activities. I can't wait to hear from you!
This weeks exercise is geared toward basic riding position for all disciplines. If you ride English or Western, there is no general difference in the basic balanced seat. Small style points to consider are length of stirrup and type of saddle you ride in. Remember ill fitted or unbalanced tack will only cause you to fight for your position which will create unnecessary tension, gripping, and effort so start with a good fitting saddle. If you are unsure about fit, consult with a professional fitter.
As a nice easy guideline sit on your horse in a way which allows you to naturally balance and relax. Align your ear with your shoulder, your shoulder with your hip, and your hip with your ankle or heel depending how your leg falls naturally.
Stirrup length will also dictate correct leg position so as a rule set your stirrup at your ankle bone for general riding and one to two holes lower for dressage or western. These are just guidelines your height may dictate a different variation if you are very tall or short. Happy Riding! http://fdhorsetraining.com/
This is part of the Uberstreichen series from Carolyn Resnick. They will help with suppleness and your horses understanding of half halts. In this video, you see me working with Uberstreichen exercises 4 and 5. This is great for Mercury as he is rehabbing from an injury and it gives us a nice diversion from just hand walking and I feel it engages his mind as well. The 4th exercise is working on clarifying the halt and stepping softly into the halt by stretching all the way down and holding this position on a slack rope for 7 seconds. The fifth one is teaching Mercury about contact and moving forward into it. These exercises are great for so many different reasons for different types of horses.
Here's a recording on the Intro class from March 20th in case you missed it. Topics covered were my training philosophy, different approaches for different types of horses, Side Pulls and Bitless bridles and even Homeopathy. I will be doing more of these so I'll keep everyone posted on upcoming ones. I'd love to here your comments and suggestions of what classes you'd like to participate in. Also for those of you who don't know about my other blog, check it out and subscribe at FDHorsetraining blog
As a big believer is setting yourself up for success and not failure, I like to take clear small steps with my horses before moving on to bigger more challenging things. This starts with ground working in my Side Pull to help the horse get accustomed to where and what the communication will feel like. At this point I will be able to evaluate how my horse responds, good or bad, from the relative safety of the ground. Then possibly work with them until we both feel confident. If it works well, and I decide to mount up and try it, I do so in a round pen or arena enclosure.
I always practice the same things I do in any other equipment to make sure my horse and I are in sync. Then if I feel good about that, I will go out in fields or trails depending on the individual horse and our readiness.
I alway ask myself, honestly how confident I feel about going to the next step. Whatever that step may be. And of course never to be in a hurry to get there.
In Part 2 of the Transitioning to a Side Pull video, I attach reins and continue to do some more ground exercises to get my horse and I communicating well before I ride in my Side Pull.
To purchase a Side Pull Bitless bridle go to My Bridle Shop
In this video, you will see some simple ground exercises to help you and your horse get comfortable with a Side Pull or Bitless Bridle. As always I will recommend a firm Liberty foundation between you and your horse before doing any exercises.
For more info or to purchase the Buckaroo leather Side Pull I use go to MY Bridle Shop
