Halt & Salute

http://www.janesavoie.com/blog/tag/behind-the-bit/ How to get your horse moving forward in to contact

8 Tips to Sit Square and Evenly on Your Horse

1. Check that your saddle is in the middle of your horse's back and that your stirrups are the same length.
2. Pretend there's a target painted on your saddle. The Bull's Eye is in the center. Each of your seatbones should sit on one of the rings equidistant from the Bull's Eye.
3. In the halt and walk, lift your legs an inch or so away from the saddle so you're just balancing on your seatbones. While doing this, feel whether or not you have equal weight on each seat bone.
4. Sit upright by imagining you're sitting on top of a basketball.
If you lean forward, the basketball shoots out the back.

• If you lean back, the basketball shoots out in front of you.
• If you lean to the right, the basketball squirts to the left.
• If you lean to the left, the basketball squirts to the right.

If you're sitting straight and evenly on your seatbones, you can keep the basketball directly on top of your horse's back.
5. Now let's think about your pelvis. Even if your shoulders are lined up directly over your hips, your pelvis might be "tipped".

Imagine your pelvis as a big bucket filled with water. Keep your pelvis in "neutral" to keep the water in the bucket. If you slouch and round your lower back, the water spills out the back of the bucket. If you arch your lower back in an exaggerated way, the water pours out the front of the bucket.
6. Stretch up equally on both sides of your body. Imagine there's a toothpick between your belt and your last rib. If you collapse your waist on the left side, you'll get jabbed by the toothpick on the left side, and the toothpick on your right side will end up on the ground.

7. Keep your upper body straight. Many riders lean behind the vertical (especially in trot extensions!) because they think they're driving their horses more forward.
The problem with leaning back, however, is that you end up pushing your horse's back down. The end result is that your horse becomes hollow and disconnected.
So if you tend to lean back, here's an exercise to give you some muscle memory for keeping your upper body straight.
While you're standing on the ground, lean back and ask a friend to put the palm of her hand between your shoulder blades. Ask her to gently push your upper body forward until your shoulders are above your hips.
Repeat this several times. Close your eyes as you're being pushed forward so you can really memorize the feeling of bringing your upper body over your hips.
Then when you're riding your horse, visualize your friend gently pushing your upper body forward so you can sit up straight.

8. You also want to avoid leaning too far forward. For this exercise, focus on your hip angles. If you're leaning in front of the vertical, your hip angles are too closed.
So while you're sitting on your horse in the halt or walk, lean about 10 inches behind the vertical, then sit upright so your shoulders are over your hips.
Do this several times. As you lean back, focus on how your hip angles open. Close your eyes so you can really concentrate on how it feels to open your hips.
Then when you're riding, if you start to tip too far forward, visualize leaning back. The exercise you've done at the halt and walk will give you the muscle memory to find the happy medium and sit up straight.

The Incredible Shrinking Leg and Why You Might Be Losing Your Stirrups.

Copied from Ruth Hogan Poulsen March Newsletter
http://www.ruthhoganpoulsen.com

Does this ever happen to you? ·        Do you lose your stirrups in the sitting trot? ·        Does your horse slow down in the sitting trot or when you work without stirrups? ·        Does your knee come out over the front of the saddle when you're in the sitting trot or canter? ·        Does it seem that the more you use your leg, the slower your horse goes? ·        Do you lean forward no matter how hard you try to bring your shoulders back? ·        Is your bum smacking the saddle in the canter rather than sliding along your tack? ·        Is it hard to get up into a standing or "2-point" position and keep your balance? ·        Is it just impossible to keep your heels down below the stirrup bar? All of these problems could be related to the following position issues. 1.      Your pelvis is not in a neutral position. 2.      You're gripping or pinching with your knee. Here's how the cycle unfolds. When your pelvis is NOT in NEUTRAL, it can't work as a spring or joint to follow your horse's movement.  Most of the time with the problems described above, the pelvis is in a too closed or tight position. As a result, in order to keep your balance, you feel that you have to pinch with your knees to stay in the saddle. This causes problems.    ·        When you pinch with your knees, your whole leg actually draws upward away from gravity (the ground) and shortens your contact with the seat in the saddle. (When I say "seat", I'm not only talking about where you sit, but also I'm including your upper thigh all the way down to the top of your boot.) The less length of leg you have around your horse, the less stable you are.   ·        When you pinch with your knees (which also closes your thighs), you actually give an aid for your horse to slow down.  Remember, your upper leg should close for downward transitions, and your lower leg should close for upward transitions. Your horse won't know what to think when you close your ENTIRE leg! This is why when you grip harder in the sitting trot to try and stay balanced, your horse slows down.   ·        By now it's a catch 22 because the slower he goes, the more you're squeezing to try and speed him up. And yet the more you squeeze, the slower he goes!  You're squeezing yourself right off the top of the horse. (Like squeezing toothpaste out of a tube).   ·        Pinching with your knees with a closed pelvis also inhibits your body weight from dropping into your heels where it should be.  With a pinched knee, you stop the ability of your weight to actually get to your heels. (It's like putting a "stopper" at your knee like a stopper in the bath tub.  Gravity can't pull your weight down to your heels. The "stopper" at your knee is blocking the weight from going down to your heels just like the bathtub stopper keeps the water from running out of a bathtub.   ·        Pinching with your knees also leads to losing your stirrups.  When your leg is not as long as possible, your weight can't drop down to the stirrup bar.  When your weight is not down on the stirrup bar, your heel comes up and you lose your stirrup.    So there you have it. When you get your pelvis into neutral and elongate your thigh, you'll solve many problems. One of which is not losing your stirrups!

Be Ready for the Riding Season--Trailer Maintenance

By: Darlene M. Cox, darlc5@aol.com  

The off season is the best time to do your trailer maintenance. Getting started now will provide you ample time to make sure all systems are good, which will afford you safe travels when the riding season arrives.
·         Wash the outside of your trailer, top to bottom, to remove any dirt and grime that has accumulated. This will help prevent any corrosive rusting. I like to take my trailer to a do-it-yourself car wash for this, as they have the high-pressure water hose and the wash bay doesn't get as messy as my barn lot.

·         Axles, bearings, and lug nuts should be inspected for maintenance issues that may exist. If you are skilled, you can do this yourself. If not, it is best to have a certified mechanic check these out. Most axles have a port that you can use to grease your bearings. Simply connect a grease gun to the port to deliver new grease to the bearings. Make sure you do not over grease, because you can blow out your bearings. Make sure your lug nuts are tight and not stripped or rusted through. If you find they are, you will need to take your trailer to a mechanic to have them replaced.

·         Check the horse box flooring for areas of rot (wood) or corrosion (metal/aluminum). It is important to check from both the top and underneath the trailer. If your flooring feels soft or "spongy" you may want to replace the affected boards or have a metal reinforcement piece welded in place. 

·         While you are under the trailer checking out the flooring, also check out the frame to make sure it is not damaged in any way. I bent frame will affect the way your trailer hauls, which will also affect tire wire and place tension on the hitch. If you find the frame is damaged, have a mechanic correct the problem.

·         Replace any worn/torn/damaged rubber matting. Check the horse box for any metal protrusions that may injure your horse. Replace bumper rails that are worn and torn. Make sure there is no rust on the breakaway strap hardware that will interfere with releasing your horse in an emergency.

·         Rotate the tires on your trailer and check them for wear and dry rot. Check the valve stems for proper seating. Replace any damaged or worn tires. Make sure trailer tires are properly inflated to the correct psi for the tire. Don't forget to check your spare tire, too. Anyone who has traveled with their trailer will one day rely on that spare tire.

·         Check trailer brakes and replace any worn parts. Adjust your brake setting by driving your trailer a short distance and braking hard. Adjust the brake box setting until all brakes engage at the same time and you don't have any grabbing or locking.

·         If your trailer is equipped with a breakaway battery, it is important that this be checked for charge and effectiveness. Recharging it on a battery charger is simple.  Checking its efficacy is a little more difficult but well worth the effort. Use a tire jack under each of the tires, pull the pin from the breakaway battery and try to move the tire. If you can move it, the battery is not working appropriately and may need to be replaced.

·         Check the wiring on your trailer to make sure all lights and signals are working. Replace any damaged wiring.

·         All lights and turn signals should be checked. If you find they are not working, you may have an electrical wiring problem that needs to be addressed, or it could be as simple as replacing a bulb or fuse.

·         Check the door latches on the horse box and make sure they work easily and keep the door securely closed. If there is a lot of "play" in the latch or if the door is not secure, you may need to replace the latch. Make sure the latch housing is not rusted. If it is, you may need to have a little spot welding done.

·         Make sure your trailer hitch connects securely with the receiver or ball. There should be no looseness when you hook up the trailer. If you are required to run with safety chains, make sure the connectors are secure and tight.

·         If your trailer has windows, check them for any hardware problems that might exist with opening/closing. Check your screens and replace them if they are torn. Screening kits can be purchased and are easy to use to replace torn screens. Check your windows for water leaks and use some clear silicone if you find a leaky spot.

·         Check your air conditioning unit for any water leaks and use clear silicone if any are found. Replace/clean your AC filter. Check your AC vents to make sure birds haven't built nests in it.

Regular trailer maintenance will assure you years of use and safe travel for you and your horse.

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How to keep the inside shoulder back by Jane Savoie - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0Ezgqy_wao

Here is a link to RIDER POSITIONS  - Quite good site - http://horsus.ning.com/video/program-your-position-for 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av46MENpIAA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgTMrAcEVzA&feature=related

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http://americashorsedaily.com/good-hands/    learn soft hands from the ground

This common problem in horses can be handled with regular maintenance.

Learn complete care with AQHA's "Your Horse's Health" DVD set.

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9728FAB4F62CCABF  follow this link to view the USA Olympic trials.

Carl Hester 7 part series http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbk7HWtQWbM

For that classical seat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Sl6SeJEzOo&feature=related 

Horsegirltv - tune in. tack up.
http://www.horsegirltv.com/11-feb.php

Standards by Tim Malin, 2007 13th Ranked US Grand Prix Rider

Judges know what standard of riding they will judge to. Trainers know what standard they will train to. Ultimately, the rider determines what standard of riding occurs in any given ride (providing the horse is capable). I will share the steps that will help achieve your own standard.

1. See the Standard

Many riders mount and take an approach of "let's see what happens". The rider who sees clearly in their mind the desired performance before mounting will have greater success in meeting a desired standard. There are many ways to establish a standard in your mind. Reading training books, viewing training videos, observing professionals or other amateurs working the same material in training, warm-ups or in classes are all ways that may assist you in cementing a standard in your mind. Auditing clinics and symposiums are also great resources.

2. Executing Your Standard

Reaching a desired standard to riding takes an honest assessment. Know the capabilities of your horse and what is fair to ask of them. Age, experience and conformation will affect what your horse can do. Be fair to your partner. Within the abilities of your horse determine a standard that progresses your training and builds a confident partnership. You must also be willing to look at yourself and know whether you possess enough skill to develop the desired outcome or whether you require professional assistance. In assessing yourself and your horse it may be valuable to engage a professional whom you respect in providing honest feedback.

We spend the majority of our riding in one of two ways. We are either schooling material or confirming material. Set standards that reflect the current capabilities of your horse. In the schooling mode there will be an idealized standard in mind. In this stage accept there will be honest mistakes made by rider and horse. Do not get frustrated with yourself or your horse. Continue to work toward your standard and reward your horse when progress is made. Tremendous repetition is required to teach a rider or horse a skill. When the horse has shown reliability in executing a particular movement one enters the confirming mode.

In this mode there are two components to be evaluated during a ride. Has the rider set up the horse correctly to execute the desired movement? One must develop a sufficient skill set to ensure the proper aids are given to set the horse up for success. If the standard is still not met then a determination needs to be made of the obedience of the horse.

Everyone wants a light and harmonious ride. But, disobedience and harmony will never be friends. Obedience often is a difficult concept for riders to implement. At some point the rider needs to address that the horse may be tuning them out or saying no.

Standards are deliberately achieved. A rider needs to be willing to increase the strength of physical aids and being willing to put a little mental pressure on a horse to get the appropriate response. Once the horse gives the appropriate response, see if you can get the same response with a lighter aid. A good rider rides assertively and sensitively for their standard and for their horse's success, happiness and well being.

3. Evaluating Your Standard

Taking regular lessons and or clinics with the same trainer will allow a consistent voice in determining your progress. Having a friend record your rides over and over will give you the ability to see whether day in or day out if you are meeting your desired standard. Ultimately your horse's progression in their abilities and the willingness in which they execute the work will let you know if you are meeting your standard.

Riders need a higher degree of focus and clarity in developing standards. Accepting personal accountability is important to the rider accomplishing their standard. Once your standards are met you will be setting new ones to continue your development. Congratulate yourself and your horse on a job well done!

I would like to thank Kelly Walkup for her great series. Horsegirltv - tune in. tack up.

Tips for Transition Work
Learn to use half halts and make transitions work in your training.

By Susan Dutta

I use transitions to make each of my horses stronger, to work through his problems and, in the end, to make him a better ride. Transitions simply require excellent communication between horse and rider. The value of transition work is twofold: Transitions benefit both training and test results so they are incredibly important in daily training.

Here's how to ride a transition well: First, half halt. Close your fingers on either your outside rein or both reins, depending on your horse. Close both legs on your horse's sides and sit up straight and a little deeper in the saddle. Think of shifting your horse's weight backward by resisting slightly in your back and seat, without pulling on the reins. Keeping your legs on and your upper body straight, soften your reins and allow his energy to go forward. The goal is to lighten his front end by shifting his weight backward to his hind end. The half halt makes the horse balance himself for the change of gait.

Next, give the aids for the transition, and then soften and reward if the horse responds well. If he does not, patiently repeat the above until you get the response you want.

Horses come in all forms: strong, hot, lazy, responsive or a combination. Decide what transition work is best for your horse's personality. For example, with hot and strong horses, ride trot-halt and trot-walk transitions to encourage him to engage his hindquarters and lighten in front. Mixing trot-halt and trot-extended walk work also will help relax a hot, strong horse. A sensitive horse usually responds well to trot-canter, canter-trot exercises that also alleviate tension.

Then I add more complex movements to my workout. Here's a series of transitions that will keep your horse waiting for your next command. Begin at collected canter on the short side. As you come out of the corner, ask for four steps of pirouette canter, then transition back to collected canter. Follow this with a shoulder-in to half pass. Remember that it will take the horse several transitions before he is accurately on the aids. Don't punish him if he doesn't obey immediately. Repetition will solve most problems. Reward your horse when he responds correctly.

Now that you've done the training, bring your program of transition training to the show. I use my transitions in every warm-up on every horse I ride, and the horse focuses on me rather than on distractions. When he engages his hindquarters and softens in the bridle, I know my chances of riding a nice test are good. I continue to use transitions around the ring before I enter. Make transitions a big part of your training. Use them every day and on show day.

Susan Dutta is a USDF gold medalist and a Grand Prix competitor with recent successes at the USET Festival of Champions and World Cup Qualifying Classes. She has been the reserve member of the U.S. team for the Pan American Games in 2003 and 2007. She trains at her farms in Brewster, N.Y., and Wellington, Fla.
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