New! Upcoming class: Going Bitless

I'm too sexy in my Zebra Bitless Bridle!

After getting an inspired thought from a fellow horse lover, I am offering an online Bitless Bridle Class in the next few weeks. This class will introduce exercises and concepts for not just starting and transitioning to a Bitless Bridle but also improving your communication with any equipment. A good prerequisite would be Carolyn Resnick's Waterhole Rituals but it is not a necessity. It would also be beneficial if you have purchased one of my Buckaroo Bitless Side pulls. This is what I will be using in the classes for the feel I prefer. If you have one you and your horse already like, by all means keep using it. The lessons will apply to all types and configurations of Bitless bridles. I do most of my training, ground and mounted bitless, if not with my Liberty Rein used in conjunction.

Going Bitless is a personal choice and should be made because it feels right for you and your horse. I often train horses that go in bits in competition, Bitless until we have to compete. It is a nice way to keep the horses light and responsive in the bridle. I have found horses that will not accept a bit due to mouth issues or facial pain that a Bitless bridle is suitable for. Some horses just plain can't or wont accept a bit. Bitless is often the best option for these horses.

It is my personal belief that most if not all horses can go Bitless with time, patience and proper training as well as any discipline of horse. English or Western. I also believe that higher and advanced levels of riding can be done with a bitless bridle.

There are many Bitless options out there. I chose to work with Buckaroo Leather on a customized version on their existing Side Pull design after seeing the already nice line of Side Pulls they had. I had something in mind for many years and Buckaroo was able to help that design come to fruition (who else could make me Leopard and Zebra Bridles :D!). I never could find a bitless bridle that gave me a feel and communication that my horses and I both liked until now. Buckaroo offers many fun styles with bling and silver too so there is a style for everyone! Not many other Bitless bridles come in as many style options.

As for particulars of the class, I would like to offer this on Skype with video instruction if this is agreeable to most people. Skype is free and has a video option which you don't have to use if you don't want to but is nice for more live face to face interaction. If you don't have Skype it is simple and free to get and use for anyone anywhere in the world. Get Skype here I will update with more details on this upcoming class after I get back from the UK Clinics! Look for more announcements and details after October 17th. In the mean time here is my Bitless Bridle video Playlist to tide you over! : )
http://www.youtube.com/user/FDHorsetraining#grid/user/0A3C2341E9EBA6FB

Here is a link to a past post I wrote on Bitless riding for those interested.
http://fdhorsetraining.blogspot.com/2010/08/bitless-why-i-do-it.html

http://fdhorsetraining.com/
Subscribe to my Blog!

Half circle pattern

Here is a nice pattern to work on balance, bend and transitions with your horse. Your circle can be from 15-20 meters (45-60ish ft). At each half (use the same spot each time to do the transitions, cones or dressage letters are helpful) you are going to do a transition. A transition can be a halt to walk, walk to trot, trot to canter, to halt, to trot etc. or any combination there of. Your goal is to change in the same spots each time and keep your horses' body on and as close to the shape of the circle. You are also trying to keep your circle as consistent is shape and size as possible. This is good for Energetic and low energy horses alike. If your horse goes way off the circle, leg yield him back to it or if he can't do that yet, guide him back to the circle until he understands the pattern. A nice progression to start with is energetic walk-halt-walk until it's easy. Then trot to walk to trot until easy and so on. If you have a very energetic horse you can use quarter circle transitions. Move on to canter when you feel the others a easy. More advanced riders can do lengthen stride to collected stride or trot or canters to halt. Have fun and let me know how it goes!
http://fdhorsetraining.com/
Subscribe to my blog!

Pole stride length exercise

This weeks exercise is for learning how to feel your horses' stride length at the walk, trot and eventually canter.

You can do this at Liberty, in hand, and mounted. First you will set up two poles on a straight line 20, 30, or 40 feet apart. Establish a good walk rhythm and then walk over both the poles three times and count how many strides are BETWEEN the two poles. Start counting the number of steps ONLY after you are completely over the first pole and STOP counting BEFORE you go over the second pole. This is important and takes practice.

You want to count 3 times because you want to get an average number of strides for your working gait. Once you have established that number you can set about lengthening your horses stride around the arena by asking with your legs and allowing the energy you create to come through your hips. Get what you think is a longer stride before you go through the poles and then go through them and count the same way as you did before. What you will find is, the number of stride will go down as the stride lengthens. For example if your working walk gave you ten strides in between the poles on average, when you successfully lengthen the stride, It would go down to 9 or possibly 8. The same would go for collecting or shortening the strides between the poles but the opposite. The number will go up ie. 11-12 strides because you can fit more in between the poles.

The role of the poles is to give you instant feedback about the whether the stride actually changed or not. If you keep getting the same number of strides make a bigger change as you go around your ring and experiment. Don't worry if your horse breaks gait. You may be at their maximum ability for now. Try to get the longer stride 3 times in a row, but if it is too difficult, work up to it. It will get better with practice. At Liberty, you can practice this in Companion movement. On line, you can walk or trot with your horse next to you. Once you have it at the walk, try it at the trot and when it is easy try it at the canter. Try to get it smooth and rhythmic as possible by the end. Don't worry if it's a bit inconsistent at first. Practice and repetitions will help you and your horse get comfortable with the exercise. Let me know how it goes in the comment section!

How to introduce Lateral movement and why

Some of you may be saying "Lateral what?" and some of you will recognize this Horsemanship vocabulary word. Lateral Movement is simply sideways or sideways and forward movement combined ie. Leg yielding, Turn on the Forehand, Side or Full pass, Turn on the Haunches, Shoulder in and Half pass are all examples of Lateral movement.

Lateral exercises embody and resemble Yoga for horses done correctly and with attention to what is appropriate to the horses level, fitness and ability.
Performed correctly, Lateral movements improve symetrical hind end strength, balance, flexibility, and bending. They are a cornerstone of many more advanced maneuvers.

I introduce it at Liberty first in Eye Contact exercises where there is no actual contact with the horse. The horse, by merely keeping his eye on me will perform a simple Turn on the Forehand. I refine it from there up.  That's the first exercise you can play with if you have good Eye Contact from you horse. This can also be turned into Liberty Roll Backs for you western riders or if you just want to have fun and try different things with your horse. Remember a Roll Back is also a Turn on the Haunches sped up a bit. Reining maneuvers are rooted quite firmly in Dressage fundamentals and are merely performed at higher speeds. There really isn't a Discipline that doesn't utilize Dressage Principles in some way shape or form.

If you want to Introduce Lateral work in hand (Bridle or halter). Follow these steps. As a rule I teach everything on the ground first, Liberty first if possible then In Hand. To introduce the concept (and it is a hard concept for a horse) we are going to differentiate the difference between what one leg and two legs means. On the ground this can be applied in a non touch or direct touch method. I am going to deal with how I introduce the Leg cue and the movement to the horse.

I will stand on the side of my horse with either my hand on the bridge of the nose or on my line or reins. I will touch my horses side with my hand where my leg would go with the feel I would like him to respond to. I will then Cluck. One of a few things will happen. The horse may go forward which you will halt and then ask again. The horse may go backwards which you will wait through until you horse offers even the slightest sideways step and then release. You will always release on a tiny effort to the right idea. The horse may not move at all which is actually and impulsion problem. Ask them to step forward one step and then ask again releasing as soon as they "think" the right thought. One other response is that the horse pushes toward you. Just quietly resist until the horse offers to move the other way and praise them and release. Be generous with verbal praise and scratches. You can build up to bigger movements and more steps from there. Be the boss you'd want to show up to work for. Let me know how it goes in the comments section or if you have any questions.
http://fdhorsetraining.com/
Subscribe to my Blog!

Position Exercises: Mirroring in the saddle Part 2

The Second part of this Position Mirroring exercise is to ride straight lines. You can go down a long side of your arena, the quarter lines, or the center lines. You can also do this in a reasonably flat field. The Quarter and center lines are good because they are open on both sides and it's easier to feel if you and your horse drift a bit as well as  become aware of yours and your horses' Shoulder and Hips. First just ride straight and notice things. The drifts left and right. Is it more one way then the other? Don't try to fix just gather information. Ride the lines about 3 times. The next three times I want you to become aware of your hips and shoulders and them staying absolutely parallel the whole way down the line. What did you discover? What did your horse tell you? Keep playing with it and you can progress to trot and canter as you feel comfortable at each gait. If you have tried this exercise, I'd love to hear from you!
http://fdhorsetraining.com/
Subscribe to my Blog

Position exercise: Mirroring in the saddle part 1

Have you ever asked your horse to give you riding and position lessons? Well they're the greatest teachers so why not? Here's how you can do it.

First at a stand still with your reins in hand, and your hips and body balanced and tall (tall from lifting your core) on the center of your horse. Develop a muscle memory for what your middle balance is. You can always stop and go back there if you lose it. Practice turning extremely to the right and left without losing you center of balance and holding the reins with a somewhat slack feel. While you are doing this notice what your horse does and make a note. Once you've done this at the halt, I want you to start walking and do the same thing at the walk and notice what your horse does again. Remember to keep you balance equal and in the middle, lifting from you core while turning extremely to the right and left alternating. Do it slow and pause in the center position straight before switching to the other side. Notice if when you turn to each side you keep your hips equal and you keep you balance in the middle. What does you horse do when you take these positions? The answer to this exercise is in listening to what your horse tells you while you do this without judgement. Let me know what you discover in the comments section.
http://fdhorsetraining.com/
Subscribe to my Blog

The Final Element of the Training Scale: Collection

The last element of the Training Scale is Collection. So in theory if all your ducks are in a row, Rhythm, Suppleness, Contact, Impulsion, Straightness, then collection can be achieved. 
Lets clarify Collection first. I believe there is some confusion in the term for some people. Connection, Balance and Collection are often mixed up.

First of all, Connection (in the physical sense)  is when the horses hind end is Connected to the front end. Or United. Some people say a horse in Disunited when this is not happening. The horse has the appearance of the hind end trailing behind. The first four elements of the Training Scale foster connection. Some people think this feels like or call this Collection.

Balance is when Connection is present and the horse is NOT on the forehand. This also feels like collection to some because is is pleasant, rhythmic, and comfortable feeling to the rider. The gaits feel consistent, the horse feels light in the reins or self carrying, and in feels easy to sit.

Collection is when the frame of the horse is actually elevated and compressed liked an accordion being pushed in. The actual ground covered each stride is less though the energy in the gait (impulsion) is not diminished. This is a common mistake to let the energy diminish. In fact the energy is what creates the collection. What you do with the energy tells the horse whether he should cover more ground or less (collect).

If you and your horse are working well in the other areas of the Training Scale you can add some natural collecting patterns. An easy one is a diminishing circle from 20 meters down to 15 or 10 depending on how capable your horse is at maintaining his Impulsion on the smaller circles. Once you are on the small circle, leg yield out to the 20 meters and then repeat diminishing and enlarging until it gets fairly consistent and relaxed. So here again is way to use the Scale to problem solve and progress. This pattern can easily be introduced at Liberty and on line to get comfortable with before trying mounted. If you start your Diminishing circle and monitor the Rhythm, Suppleness, Contact, Impulsion, and Straightness, you will notice your horse will tell you when he can no longer maintain any one of these elements and it is up to you to listen and adjust until he can get to 15 or 10 meters without drastically losing anyone element. This is much easier said then done and is the very essence of Dressage at all levels. Also remember Dressage is Yoga and Pilates for your horse so it should always be done with and eye for what they are capable of at the time and gradually increased in difficulty when appropriate. Your Comments and feedback are always welcome!
http://fdhorsetraining.com/
Subscribe to my Blog