Level 2/3 Stage 6
On Line
Review Level 1/2 short range games 5 & 6
Sideways on the circle
Liberty
Use occasionally in your warm up phase
FreeStyle Riding
Focus Games
Trotting Diagonals
Finesse
Introducing the snaffle
Trotting Yo Yos
Place the foot
When Stage 6 is complete, progress to Stage 7
Stage 6
On Line Skills
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review short range circling game
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sideways on the circle
Review of Level 1/2
If you remember, you learned to use the Carrot Stick to send your horse in a circle around you and be able to rest it on his back.
Short range circling game – trotting and transitions
Now for Level 2/3, see if you can ask your horse to circle at the trot, and to do transitions down to walk and stop, then back up again to trot.
- be able to rest your Carrot Stick in zone 3 when the horse is right
- to slow him down, rub in front of the “drive line”, an imaginary line just in front of the withers. Any stimulus in front of this line is more likely to cause a horse to slow down or back up. Any stimulus behind that line is more included to send the horse forward.
- to speed him up, start tapping lightly at the back of zone 3, cusp of zone 4.
Sideways on the Circle
This is where you hold the horse’s nose in front of you and while you pivot you cause the horse to step sideways with his body all the way around you.
Technique & Success Tips
- Hold the horse at the snap just under the halter. Keep your elbow straight so if the horse gets confused and tries to come forward you prevent him from running over you. Don’t pull down on the halter or cause any weight on it, it should feel like you aren’t there unless the horse pushes into your space.
- Hold the horse directly in front of your belly button, not out to the side.
- Stretch your Carrot Stick along your horse’s body and play the Friendly Game with the length of it across zones 3 and 4.
- Now Start lightly tapping and try to move the horse’s body sideways. As soon as your horse responds, quit and play the Friendly Game.
- Keep repeating until the horse can move confidently sideways with using just phase 1 or 2.
- Make sure you aren’t walking around, keep your feet pivoting and think of your energy as pulling inwards instead of reaching forward as you influence zones 3 and 4.
- Make sure you can do both sides equally well.
Pitfalls
- walking in a circle instead of pivoting
- too much pressure too fast
- not holding your arm straight out to keep the horse from walking forward into you
- leading your horses nose around instead of keeping it anchored in line with your belly button, not low down, but straight out in front of you.
Troubleshooting
As he’s stepping around sideways, you horse’s body is curved, his neck is bent and his hindquarters are dragging
This usually means your horse is trying to escape. He’s keeping his hindquarters more in the run position than truly going sideways with his feet. To solve this, slow things down. Ask for a step or two, then play the Friendly Game. Gain his confidence and he’ll start to straighten out.
Check that you are using phases, phase 1 may even be without touching the horse. Also, make sure that you are holding the horse’s nose in front of you and not leading it as if about to circle.
Summary
Review and advance some of the short range Circling Game you learned in Level 1:
With the Carrot Stick, ask your horse to go out and around you, sending zone 1 or 2 and then resting the Stick in zone 3 while the horse is moving.
Do it at the trot, then disengage and bring back. To speed up, tap lightly at the back of zone 3. To slow down, rub in front of the drive line, just in front of the withers in zone 2.
Sideways on the circle is a good way to advance the Sideways Game and give it a new slant.
Hold the snap, keep your arm straight to prevent forwards.
Hold your horse directly in front of your belly button.
Use the Carrot Stick to move your horse around you sideways as you pivot. Zone 4 moves much more than zone 1.
Keep your feet from walking forward, pivot.
Ge both sides equal.
Don’t put too much pressure on your horse too fast: build confidence and understanding.
If the horse’s body or neck is curved as he goes sideways, it means he is trying to escape.
Slow things down, use plenty of Friendly Game.
Be sure you are not leading the nose in a circle.
Stage 6
FreeStyle Riding
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Focus Games
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Trotting Diagonals
Respect and warm up phase
Ground skills On Line & Liberty; Impulsion Program continuation every 3rd or 4th ride.
Teaching Stage
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- Focus Games
- Trotting Diagonals
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1. Focus Games
Riding toward and away from a particular focal point becomes an important part of developing:
- straightness
- good stops
- your feel, because you stop looking at your horse!
The main concept is to pick an object or a point, to focus on it strongly and ride toward it, stop and back away from it, relax your reins.
Techniques & Success Tips
- Keep your eyes on the object the whole time, never look down at your horse. Ask your horse to trot towards your focal spot.
- As you approach the spot, relax your seat, keep your horse heading straight (prevent him turning) and allow the object to stop him not your reins) The object could be a place on the arena fence, a wall, a tree, a pole, a barrel, etc.
- Pick up your reins and do a 9 Step Back Up for several feet. This is important because the horse shifts his weight onto the hindquarters to go backwards. As it becomes a habit, he’ll prepare for this when you stop and begin stopping on his hind end instead of his front end. (Note, if your horse is pushing against the reins this means he is still leaning on the front end. Hold on until it feels good to you then drop the reins).
- Stop and drop your reins and relax for about 20 seconds. This tests emotional stability. Don’t worry if its a little difficult at first, it will improve with consistency and repetition. The more emotional the horse, the longer you should sit there.
- Pick a new spot with your eyes, pick up your reins and point your horse towards the new spot and repeat the exercise.
- Keep doing this until your horse follow your focus like a bullet and shuts down as he feels your seat relax.
Make a program out of this exercise and do it the next 7 times that your ride.
You’ll be surprised at the effect on your horse! You’ll start being able to do it at the walk, trot and canter, over increasingly longer distances.
Pitfalls
- losing your focus
- going too fast before you and the horse are ready for it
- pulling on your reins instead of allowing the fence etc. to stop you
- allowing your horse to duck out instead of stop. Do whatever it takes to disallow the turn
2. Trotting Diagonals
In the canter leads lesson in stage 2 you learned that the two legs that hit the ground together in the canter stride are called the “diagonal”. This is because these legs move together, the hind and its opposite front.
Totting diagonals involve the same thing. The trot is a two beat stride where the horse moves his legs in diagonal sets: the left hind and the right front together and the right hind and left front together.
The reason you need to get to know diagonals is:
- to prepare for canter leads (the left diagonal for the left lead, etc.)
- to get you and your horse balanced by being able to use both diagonals, not just one
- to be able to rest diagonals for the horse when on long rides
Posting or rising to the tort was developed by the military to make totting easier on the horses back and the soldier’s back side! Instead of sitting to every bounce in the two beat stride you lift you for one of the bounces so you are in fact bobbing up and down to the horse’s rhythm of stride.
Learn to identify the diagonals by the hind feet (because it is the hind feet that give you the canter lead and it makes sure you are thinking of the back end of the horse not the front end which causes you to lean forward).
A left diagonal is when
the left hind and the right front move together.
A right diagonal is when
the right hind and the left front move together.
Rising up when the left hind (and right front) are lifted off the ground puts you in time with the left diagonal. And vice versa fro the right diagonal.
Start watching horses as the trot and see if you can identify the diagonals. A great help is if you can put coloured wraps on one set of diagonal feet because then you can watch their movement in unison. Keep watching what. happens to those feet when the horse goes into the canter first on one lead, then the other.
As you get more conscious of the diagonals, watch people posting or rising to the trot and see which diagonal they are on. Most of the time (unless they are educated about diagonals and particular about their use) people will rise on the left diagonal, in time with the left hind. This is again due to the same pelvis angle that makes left leads more comfortable for people.
Diagonals are important to know for getting correct canter leads because you will be rising on the canter lead diagonal. Learn to feel for the back feet and know when the inside hind (on the circle) is up.
Techniques & Success Tips
- Many of us are taught to “rise and fall with the one on the wall”, meaning the front feet. But it’s the hind feet that are the important ones and you can feel those lift because they push your hips on by one. By learning to feel what they are doing, you’ll rise with the inside hind (on the circle) and ride up into a canter on the correct lead easliy.
- When totting in a circle to the left you should be on the left dragon, that is rising up and own with the left hind. And going to the right, you should been the right diagonal. This keeps you in harmony with he horse’s movement because your pelvis and hips will tilt the same way as his on the circle. You are also set up fo the correct canter lead.
- To change diagonal when you change direction (say on a circle, a serpentine, or changing directions in an arena), sit for two bunches (that is miss a rise) and then ride again.
Pitfalls
- Looking down to see if you are on the right diagonal! It’s not the front but the hind feet that are important. Have a friend help you to feel by acknowledging whether you are right or not. Start by rising to the walk… just pick a leg and see if you can rise when it is in the air. Then go to the trot. If you can refrain from looking until you’ve given yourself time to feel it.
- By looking down you shift your weight forward and you stop feeling the feet.
Troubleshooting
Don’t be discouraged if it takes a while to learn this!
It takes a lot of feel and a lot of practice. Its really helpful if you can study horse’s movement so you can intellectually understand the diagonals and see how they work in action.
Work together with a friend and help each other to become more conscious of diagonal.
You really have trouble feeling it.!
Loop your horseman’s String on to your horse’s leg, just above the hock. (Make sure its not going to bother him first!). Then ride around at the walk while holding the end of the Horseman’s String in your hand (on the same side) so you can feel that leg moving. This is a good way to get feedback for yourself and a more exaggerated feel. Then you can do it at the trot and simply change it according to the diagonal you want to feel.
Summary
As always, warm up and get your horse’s respect on the ground before getting on. You want him left brain!
Work on your focus to build straightness, good stops and your feel without looking at your horse.
Pick an object or point, focus on it, ride to it, stop, back up and relax. Then repeat.
Never look at your horse!
Relax as you approach the spot. Allow it to stop you.
Do a 9 step back up when you get there. Release when it feels good.
Relax for at least 20 seconds.
The more emotional a horse is, the longer you should sit there.
Do this until your horse follows your focus like a bullet.
Make a program out of this!
Don’t go too fast before your horse is ready for it. And don’t pull the reins to stop.
Remember the diagonals in the canter footfalls?
Stage 6
Finesse
- Introducing the snaffle bit/ The Cherokee Bridle
- Totting Yo Yo’s
- Place the foot
Respect & Warm Up Phase
- Liberty or Ground Skills
- Impulsion Program Or Passenger
- Lessons & One Rein Transitions
Teaching Phase
- Cherokee Bridle
- Introduction of Snaffle
- Trotting Yo Yo’s
- Place the Foot
1. Preparation for riding with a bit: The Cherokee Bridle
The Cherokee Bridle is made by threading the Horseman’s String through itself to make a small loop. The loop then goes into the horse’s mouth and around his chin and forms a single rein.
The Cherokee Bridle is a great preparation for the bit because:
- it is soft on the horse’s mouth
- the horse learns to carry it
- you are prevented from pulling on two reins!
Techniques & Success Tips
- Stay in a small area at first. You can also have your Hackamore on at first if you feel the need for a “safety net”. Just leave the reins on your horse’s neck or over the saddle horn.
- Start on the ground: after putting it into your horse’s mouth and letting him get used to the feel of it (hold it up there by lifting the rein slightly to stop it slipping out), ask him to go back wards off the pressure for a few steps. Then teach him to come forward. Use plenty of feel for this. Then teach him lateral flexion to both sides , and disengage his hindquarters while bending his left and right… all of this before you get on.
Your horse will probably mouth the Horseman’s String at first, but once he starts understanding it his mouth will get a lot quieter. When you are confident your horse understands and is responding without fear you can mount.
- Go through your pre-ride checks just as you would with your Hackamore: check lateral flexion, hindquarter disengagement, back up: a one rein back up with steady pressure.
- Now you can ride around at the walk practicing right and left turns and counter turns (where the rein comes across his neck), stops, back ups and disengagements. Pretty soon it will feel natural to you and you can do more and more. Get to where you are confident enough one day to trot and canter around with it, maybe even jump, go through obstacles and try doing some accuracy tasks like opening and closing gates, etc…
Note: You’ll need to maintain a very slight tension on it to stop it from falling off your horse. AS he accepts it more and more you’ll find him starting to carry it. When he’s that confident with it and soft to move around he is ready for the snaffle.
2. Introducing the snaffle bit
As the harmony between you and your horse gets better and better you may consider introducing the snaffle bit. The reason we’ve been doing everything up until now in the Hackamore is to stay out of the horse’s mouth until he has no opposition reflex in zone 1, has more impulsion …. and until your independent seat gets good enough.
The snaffle will be necessary for greater refinement of communication. As you start in the Finesse Savvy (more and more in the next phases) you are going to need more accuracy in your messages through the reins: accuracy that involves very little pressure and far less exaggerated rein movements.
Type of snaffle
As mentioned in the section on Tools, you need a sweet iron, loose ring snaffle. These are the best in Pat’s opinion because there are no fixed pieces. It swings and adjusts in the horse’s mouth without causing any “torque” as can happen with fixed sides like a D Ring or Egg butt. We also recommend against the FM or full cheek snaffle that has a vertical bar at either end of the mouthpiece. Its purpose is to stop the bit sliding through the horse’s mouth when he opposes the feel. This kind of bit is unnecessary in natural horsemanship for two reasons:
- We wait until opposition reflex is almost non existent before using the bit;
- It hits the horse on the side of the mouth if it pull through with the use of one rein. Therefore he feels the pressure on the outside of the bit in a lateral flex instead of following the feel for the inside. It also has fixed sides.
The snaffle bit is made for lateral flexion, for the use of mine rein more than two. It is jointed in the centre to give a soft rather than hard and fixed feel to the horse. it can also help discourage the horse from leaning against it, although Thi should not be a problem anymore if you have been following the program step by step and your horse has learned how to yield form pressure in zone 1.
Apart from the snaffle bit we also use Horseman’s Reins and Rein Leathers to attach them to the bit. These reins are made from the same yachting rope as your 12′ and 22′ lines. They have life, are smooth on the hands, facilitate slow uptake and quick release.
Teach your horse to “bridle”
Just as you learned to put the Hackamore on your horse from the ground in Level 1/2, you need to learn to bridle your horse from your knees. It teaches you to use a lot of finesse in your technique and teaches the horse to keep his head low and cooperate calmly and confidently when taking the bit into his mouth.
- Practice first with the Horseman’s String. In this way your horse won’t get clanked in the teeth if you or he made a sudden move.
- Practice sitting or kneeling on the ground, halter and lead rope on. Ask your horse to bring his head down to you and just play the friendly game. Rub him all over, head, ears, mouth…and then be able to rub his lips, his gums, reach in and touch his tongue with your thumb and cause him to open his mouth. You need to be able to do all this without your horse lifting his head up.
- Make a bridle head piece size loop in your horseman’s String. When sitting on your horse’s left side, put your elbow on the top of your horse’s neck with your hand coming out between his ear. Hold the top of the loop in that hand (as you would the bridle head piece ) and have the “bit” part behind the horse’s chin so his head is half way through the loop. Hold the “bit” part of the Horseman’s String in you left hand, cupping it and spreading it between your finger and leaving your thumb free so you can reach in to the horse’s mouth and touch his tongue with it.
- As you position the “bit” in front of the horse’s mouth, stretch the “bridle” between your right and let hand. Touch the tongue so his mouth opens and at the same time lift with your right hand so it pulls the “bit” smoothly into position.
- Push the ears through (don’t pull the through!). Lift the head piece up high and push the right ear then the left ear through.
- To remove the bridle, do the same thin but in reverse. help the “bit ” come out of the horse’s mouth, waiting or him to open it and push the bit out with his tongue himself. This way you won’t crash his teeth.
- Practice over and over with the Horseman’s String to simulate before ever going to the bit. This is especially important if the horse has never had a bit in his mouth before.
Using the bit
Use it just like you do your Hackamore! Casual reins, 9 Step Back Ups, Direct Rein, Indirect Rein, etc.
If you are especially worried, its new to your horse or he used to be afraid of the bit you could allow the horse to carry the bit at first for a few rides with no reins attached to it, have it on under you Hackamore. Then put the reins on too and use them as much as you can, reverting to the Hackamore Reins if you get into trouble.
Use the bit confidently to relay confidence to your horse. But use it with consideration and feeling, remember where it is, it’s in one of your horse’s most sensitive places. Most importantly, have your horse prepared for going into the bit: good Porcupine Game, months in the Hackamore, the Cherokee Bridle.
Good hands are knowledgeable hands
Some people think they need to handle the reins really softly. This is not the case and teaches the horse to yank them out of your flimsy grip.
Think of it this way:
- Hands that close slowly , but surely. Have that little finger battened down tight.
- Steel hands in velvet gloves. If your hands are as dependable as a fence post it will give your horse confidence and he will give a soft feel back to you rather than pushing against it. Hands that are jostling and bouncing cause a horse to become desensitised and progressively more disrespectful. Pretty soon he’s leaning on the bit, pushing and jerking on it, pulling them out of your hands!
- Hands that release quickly when the horse is right.
- No jerky movements.
- Ride with a Casual Rein most of the time and only 20% Concentrated (more on this later).
- Put “steps ” into everything: 7 steps to lateral flexions, 8 steps to hindquarter disengagement, 9 steps to a stop or back up.
Although you don’t have to make a total switch from the Hackamore, start riding your horse more and more in the snaffle. If you have any trouble, go back to the Hackamore for a while to sort it out, the you can return to the snaffle. This is savvy.
Summary
Before doing any kind of Finesse, make sure you warm up both on the ground and with some Impulsion tests. It takes a lot of impulsion for the horse to be able to emotionally accept concentration.
Make a Cherokee Bridle by threading the String through itself to make a small loop. Put the loop in the horse’s mouth and around the chin.
Its great preparation for the bit as it is soft on the mouth, the horse learns to carry it and you can’t pull 2 reins!
Start, as always, in a small area. Leave your Hackamore on underneath until confident.
Teach your horse to yield from it on the ground first.
Once on, check your lateral flexion and hindquarter disengagement and back up.
Then ride at the walk, make transitions, turns and build to the trot and canter.
You’ll need to maintain a slight tension on it to stop it from falling off your horse.
Once you have harmony and positive reflexes through the reins more consistently, introduce the snaffle.
The snaffle helps refine communication heading toward more finesse.
Sweet iron is palatable to the horse. Also a loose ring swings and adjusts without causing torque as can happen with fixed cheeks on a bit.
The snaffle is made for lateral flexion, for the use of one rein more than two. the jointed centre helps discourage the horse from leaning against it.
Horseman’s Reins and Rein Leathers complete the effective unit. They improve feel and quick release.
Teach your horse to “bridle”. Do it on your knees and practice first with the Horseman’s String.
Use the halter and lead rope to bring your horse’s head down. Play just Friendly Games at first.
Pass the Horseman’s String in and out of the horse’s mouth, using your upper hand that’s between your horse’s ears (elbow on his neck) to both keep the head from coming up and lift the String into your horse’s mouth.
Touch the tongue to cause the mouth to open.
Lift the head piece and push the right ear, them the left ear through.
To remove, do the reverse and help the bit come out of the horse’s mouth.
When using the bit, act as though you are still using the Hackamore.
If this is the first time for a bit in this horse’s mouth, keep the Hackamore underneath.
Use the bit confidently and your horse will be confident.
Good hands are knowledgeable hands, not soft and wimpy nor rough and fast.
Hands that close slowly but surely and open quickly is the key.
Steel hands in velvet gloves, that are as dependable as a fence post will teach your horse to give to you.
Ride with Casual Rein most of the time, and only 20% on a Concentrated Rein.
Put “steps” into everything, develop more feel.
Ride your horse more and more in the snaffle, if ever you have trouble, go back to the Hackamore.
3. Trotting Yo Yo’s
This will be your first introduction to transitions with two reins.
The Yo Yo involves riding in a straight line, melting down to a back up and going up into the walk or trot again. You’ll go from a Casual to a Concentrated Rein using the 9 Step Back Up, then back to a Casual Rein again.
As in the Ground Skills, the Yo Yo is the fulcrum Game. It determines how will your horse will do Games 5, 6 and 7. The better your straightness, the better your circles and the less you horse will “drop his shoulder” on the circle. It is also a part of getting “whoa” and “go” to be equal, your transitions to be smooth and your horse to give vertically as he transcends.
Before you start, check your rein length: if you can hold the end of your reins at the middle of your chest, lean back and have your horse back up because of the contact, they are just right. Adjust them to this length. You can choose to ride in either the Hackamore or the Snaffle is all is now going well.
Techniques & Success Tips
- Pick a focus point, preferably one above your eye level. Your goal is straightness so the further away your focus (like a tree in the distance!) the straighter your line is likely to be. It’s like driving a car. If you drive looking at the road directly in front of the hood, you”ll have trouble keeping within the white lines!
- Ride towards it at the walk, Casual Rein (this means one hand at the end of your reins) for about 40 feet or so.
- Then lift your reins hight, go into a 9 Step Back up and melt down into a backup. Don’t hurry, think “graceful”. Keep your 9 Steps slow so your horse really feels them coming.
- Do each step of the 9 Step Up slowly! In this way your horse will learn to know what’s coming and will get softer and softer. If you close your fingers quickly, or use sharp, quick and jerky motions in picking up your reins, your horse will resist rather than follow you. Quick hands is also a indication that the “hole under your tail” may be a little tight through the process… so work on your independent seat! Anything you can do that takes a progression like that, that takes three steps, five steps or nine steps that you can clearly isolate for the horse, actually helps your horse becoming progressively softer.
- Let your reins slide through your hands back to a casual position, and begin again.
- When you can do serval of these at the walk, try the trot. Don’t do the canter until Level 3/4. Be patient and lay a really solid foundation at the trot.
- Keeping your focus high will help you to put your weight in the right place for the back up. You’ll be sitting more on your horse’s haunches. Also, make sure you bend your elbows and lift your hands rather than bracing them low. This will help your horse not brace his jaw.
Pitfalls
- Crooked line. Cause: lost your original focus or your point of focus is too close: horse out-focuses you (!); not being particular enough…. “close enough is good enough”! A horse is a master of ‘given an inch’ he’ll take a mile, so you have to learn not to give an inch. Be passively persistent in the proper position. Have a strong, strong focus through your eyes, belly button, hands and legs so your whole body is traveling – no matter what – to the spot you have chosen.
- Hind legs engage on the back up and horse stops backing. Use one rein at a time in the indirect position to disengage the hindquarters, one leg at a time. if you do this slowly and steadily, waiting for each leg to come through you’ll find that he’ll start to flow backwards again. The worst thing you could do is pull on both reins harder, or stiffen your seat and squeeze with your legs. Once you understand that the horse has engaged his hindquarter to go forward (because that’s what most horses are programmed to do…especially if confused, scared or resistant), you’ll know that the solution is disengagement.
- Going too quickly through your steps, it will cause your horse to brace. Going slow will teach your horse to start feeling for you.
- Making the trotting distance too long or short.
- Looking at your horse! This is the quickest way to make a crooked line.
Summary
Trotting Yo Yo’s teaches your about transitions using two reins.
It involves straight lines, going from Casual to Concentrated rein position, a 9 step back up and back to the Casual Rein.
A horse that is straight is less likely to “drop his shoulder” on the circle. It also gets “whoa” and “go” equal transitions smoother and starts your horse getting more vertical flexion when he transcends.
Check your rein length, that is not too long!
Focus.
Start at the walk, one hand on a Casual Rein for about 40 feet.
Go from Casual to Concentrated and a 9 Step back up.
Think graceful.
Do it slowly!
Isolating steps helps your horse get softer.
Slide your reins through your hands to go Casual again.
When the walk is smooth, advance to the trot. Don’t do the canter until level 3/4!
Keeping your focus high will put your weight in the right place for the back up. Sit on your horse’s haunches. Bend your elbows and lift your hands. Don’t brace, lift.
Be particular about straightness.
If your horse has difficulty going into the back up, remember the partial disengagements to unlock him.
Being hurried will cause your horse to brace rather than give.
Looking at your horse will make you go crooked! Keep your focus.
4. Place the foot
The Harmony Level is very much about getting in touch with your horse’s feet, being able to feel them and have increasingly more control of where they are placed. This little task of placing your horse’s foot on something is a lot of fun, an interesting challenge and leads to greater feel and accuracy.
Pick an object – a small pile of manure, a dirt clod, a frisbee…. and see if you can get your horse to walk up to it and put his left front foot on it. Then try the right front. Then see if you can bend into lateral flexion when you are there!
Techniques & Success Tips
- Don’t be direct line thinker! The worst think you can do is walk straight up to it and try to get your horse to step onto it. He’ll make every gyration possible to avoid it, even step on it with the other foot!
- Walk around and around it getting close and closer, then change directions by using an indirect rein. He might even step on it then. But if not, keep going in the other direction and repeat the indirect rein turns.
- Pretty soon the horse will not be concerned about the object so much. By approaching it as if you are not interested in having him touch it at first, he’ll end up touching it! Horses are good at seeing what you want and doing the opposite!
- When the horse does put a foot on it, relax and drop the reins. If he moves off it, do the spirals around it again until he steps on it.
- Once the horse is confident you can start getting particular about which foot you want. Walk your horse around the object to the left for placing the left foot, to the right for placing the right foot. As you get closer and slower, use a direct rein to pick that foot up and move it onto the object. Then just sit there.
- With enough repetition of this (you can even monkey around with it on a trail ride) your horse will start reading your intention and look for something to put his foot on!
- Once you can place the foot easily as often as you want, try some lateral flexion while your horse is standing with his foot on the object! You’ll really learn about using the 7 Steps to Lateral Flexion when you are trying not to cause the feet to move!!
Pitfalls
- Looking down! If you look down you’ll actually push your horse’s foot away from it. Try to do it by using feel and stay sitting upright, don’t lean into the turn.
Summary
The Harmony Level is about getting in touch with your horse’s feet. Getting him to put his foot on something is fun and challenging and teaches your greater feel and accuracy.
Pick just about anything to step on! When this is good, try lateral flexion while he is stepping on it.
Don’t be direct line about this, you horse will avoid it!
Walk around it, spiralling, changing directions until he puts his foot on it, then relax.
Once confident, choose different feet. Use a Direct Rein to ‘lift” that foot at the right time.
Do it on the trail!
Trying lateral flexion once the foot is planted will teach you to really use 7 steps!
Don’t look down as you try. This will push your horse’s foot away.
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