Archive for the "Training" Category
A student has mastered the walk-trot work and is now ready to start to canter. She does not have the confidence to canter yet and would like some easy excercises to help her succeed in this next step.
First of all it is important to realize that the rider is elastic and moves her arms with the movement of the horses neck in both walk and canter. This is critical to understand because you do not want to ask your horse to canter and suddenly hang on his mouth which will throw him off balance and almost always force him to trot.
The best way to experience a successful canter is to ride a school master on the lunge. That way the trainer can ask for canter from the ground and all the rider has to do is sit and relax and feel the gait.
Next, the rider can ride several trot to walk transitions to engage the horse and confirm that the horse is in front of her aids. Now ask for a half halt as if you want to walk but instead, ask for canter with the correct aid. A common error is for the rider to pitch forward with her upper body and grip with her knees. Always go back to the correct rider postion to set yourself up for success.
Another easy way to ask for canter is to trot a 20 meter circle with a small cavalleti on the track, when the horse trots over the pole, sit and ask for canter. This is almost always successful. Be sure to have a qualified instructor on the ground assisting you in this lesson. They can monitor your position and help you correct any mistakes.
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Posted June 24th, 2006 — Filed under
Clinics,
Training
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The rider must influence the horse effectively with clear communication from the saddle. When the horse does not perform correctly, the origin of the problem is almost always with the riders postion. Therefore it is important to understand the correct position and how to fix any misalignment. The rider’s postion should also make the timing and coordination of the aids easy and harmonious with the movement of the horse. Some common faults are:
The arms are too straight which results in a loss of flexibility in the elbow joint.
The elbows fall behind the riders back, or the reins are too long resulting in the loss of flexibility in the shoulder.
The shoulders are raised and pushed forward resulting in the loss of flexibility in the shoulder joint.
The elbows are sticking out causing loss of flexibility in elbow and shoulder joints.
The head is pushed forward losing alignment with the spine.
The waist is weak and wobbly creating loss of straightness in the back, as well as overall strength in the vertical postion.
Gripping of the knee causing loss of flexibility in the hip and knee joints.
The lower legs are too far back causing loss of balance and flexibility in the hip and knee joints.
The toes of the inside foot are pressed down against the iron and the heel raised, to give more strength to the leg aid and allow the use of the spur causing loss of flexibility in the knee and ankle as well as losing the lateral postion in the saddle.
The outside of the foot is lower than the inside, the ankle bulging outward causing loss of flexibility in the hip, knee and ankle joints.
By now it is clear that the riders position in relaxation and alignment is critical to effective communication with the horse. Check your position the next time you ride and learn to experience when you are out of balance or out of alignmnet. Without a doubt, your horse will perform more effectively when you correct your position.
The half halt is simply a re-balancing technique to engage your horse. It is simple if you feel your way and do not force the movement. A half halt when correctly ridden, does not block the forward motion, rather it simply transfers weight to the hind legs. First you must use your driving aids to maintain a forward feeling, then sit deeper for a second. Hold the energy by keeping the contact with both reins, a bit more with the outside rein so that you can maintain flexion. Keep your legs on the horse to shorten the stride, yet maintain the same rhythm. Now soften your arm muscles, allowing your horses back to come up and his neck will “grow” out of the withers. You should be able to do many half halts in the time it takes to say “half-halt”.
Remember, you are simply shifting the energy to the hindquarters, lightening the front end. Your horse will feel lighter and more engaged, movements will be easier to perform. Practice the feel and have fun!
At the bottom of each dressage test are collective scores called Gaits, Submission, Impulsion and Rider. All of these scores are doubled and are very important to the outcome of the riders overall score. Each of these aspects is evaluated in every movement of the test.
Submission is defined in the USDF Glossary as “Copliance and throughness. The yielding of the horse’s will to that of the rider, as revealed by a constant attention, williness and confidence in the attitude of the horse, as well as by the harmony and ease displayed in the correct exeution of the movements, including the correct bend, acceptance of and obedience to the rider’s influences, and a balance appropriate to the level and task at hand.”
In other words, everything from the shoulder up shows if a horse is being submissive. Thus, if there is tension in the bridle with the horse grinding his teeth, or resisting the connection, the scores will be very low. You want to have a soft neck and elastic connection to the bridle for the horse to be submissive and to achieve high scores. Obviously a submissive horse will receive higher scores across the board as it is considered in each individual score.