Archive for May, 2007
Tony Mason and Cari Swanson have created a unique training series of dvd’s for students who want to continue their education in the saddle. Each session allows the viewer to watch the progress of horse and rider improve the quality of the gaits through a series of excercises that are easy to practice at home.
You will witness mistakes and how they are corrected so that you can learn how to work through problems at home with your horse. Subscriptions for one lesson a month are available on the web site www.cariswanson.com or you can sample a training session individually if you prefer.
We encourage you to send in your questions and training problems which will be addressed in future sessions.
This rider clearly demonstrates how not to ride a circle. The horse is falling in on the circle, is out of balance and is not bending through his body. Do you ever have difficulty riding a round circle? This is a common problem and can be easily fixed with several simple excercises.
Simplify everything. Go back to walk and find the bend in your horses body. Check to make sure you are not holding your horse by softening the inside rein to confirm he is carrying himself. Make several transitions to trot and back to walk confirming that you are balanced and can maintain the bend. If you can, proceed to trot/canter transitions always softening the inside rein to check your balance.
Leg yielding into the transition will help put the horse in the correct position and help you maintain the bend. Now try to ride your circle with bend in the body of your horse. If you are falling in then go back to the simple excercise at walk. Only proceed if you are able to maintain the bend. This will take some focus and practice but once achieved you will be able to ride beautiful circles in balance while maintaining your rhythm.
Tension in the rider prevents the horse from moving freely. Recently I was working with a student and we focused on relaxing the hips and thighs which resulted in the horse relaxing and a tremendous improvement in the gaits. Watching the horses gaits tells everything about tension in the rider. Thus, I always warm a rider up with breathing excercises to open up the back, loosen the neck and relax the hips. Another simple excercise is to look right and left while walking straight ahead, eventually this can be done in trot and canter as the rider progresses. This simple movement demonstrates if the rider is in balance and loosens up the spine for a more elastic connection to the horse. Sometimes the rider is not even aware of how much tension he holds until performing these simple excercises. Remember, the goal of the rider is to allow the horse to move with freedom and rhythm. So go out and practice relaxing in your work and feel how much happier your horse is as a result.
Last weekend was a great success when RJ greeted his fans at Windrock Farm. Here he poses with admirers who had a chance to meet him after watching him perform many of his tricks. RJ is an intelligent kind horse, wonderful under saddle or working at liberty for the cameras. Due to the tremendous success there will be another opportunity to meet RJ on June 9. Check the web site for reservations and details– www.cariswanson.com
RJ, the star of the Hollywood film Hidalgo (2004)
What exactly is it about horses that attracts our imagination and attention? Anyone who has a horse or who connects to them knows there is a powerful magnetic pull toward the horse’s energy and being. They are healing animals who always ground us in times of turmoil. Think about how exhilerating a gallop across the countryside is at dawn, or the feeling of connecting to your horse after the perfect ride. The natural high from this experience is better than any drug and can carry you for a week. The magic of horses is profound.
RJ, the co-star of Viggo Mortensen and Omar Shariff from the Hollywood film “Hidalgo” demonstrated some of his tricks to an eager audience on May 5 at Windrock Farm. RJ is charismatic and funny, entertaining the crowd with his favorite tricks of pushing the ball around in an imaginary game of soccer or dancing on his hind legs. RJ was very patient meeting his fans, allowing some to be photographed up close and posing for the cameras. He will be performing again at the farm, so if you missed this special event be sure to check the web site for new dates. www.cariswanson.com
Working with RJ, the star trick horse from the hollywood film Hidalgo (2004) has made me more aware of how a horse pays attention to the footing. RJ is particularly aware of the earth under his feet. It seems the first thing he does when he steps out of his stall is to take a moment to assess the situation. He purposefully places his feet down and tests the ground. If it is muddy or wet he will not do any of his tricks. RJ is a very clever horse. This is something each rider should pay attention to as well, especially when preparing to jump fences across country or work a horse in tight circles. The rider should always consider the safety and well being of his horse.
Horses are extremely intuitive animals picking up on your mood and emotion each day. Take the time you have with your horse to pay attention to how he is feeling and if he is reacting to your energy. Set the tone for your ride by working with him on the ground before mounting. A calm horse on the ground generally translates to a good ride. However, if your horse is dancing in the cross ties and misbehaving, you are likely to have a lousy ride. Take the time while grooming to feel how your horse is doing. As herd animals, horses look for a leader and that should be you.
Last week I was judging a schooling show with many talented riders. For the most part each ride was accurate, however they all would have improved dramatically if the rider was more relaxed and had more feeling in their seat and hands. This elusive idea of being one with the horse is difficult to explain but magic to feel. It takes a lifetime to learn how to ride correctly and each hour in the saddle is an opportunity to shift to that goal. Simply relaxing the shoulders in transitions and within the gaits is highly effective. Try this simple excercise and see if you achieve a more connected and relaxed feel. My grandmother used to say a good ride would make her feel high for days, better than any drugs!