Level 2/3 Stage 7
On Line
Load your horse into the trailer…
backwards
FreeStyle Riding
Drop to the trot Lead Changes
(the Simple Lead Change)
Special Skills
Unbridling & Bridling your horse while mounted
When Stage 7 is complete, progress to Stage 8
Stage 7
Online Skills
Load your horse into the trailer…backwards
Preparation
- A great back up in your Yo Yo.
- That you can back up and down hills, across shallow ditches, in and out of wash racks, stalls and bucking chutes at the rodeo grounds…
- You can back you horse over a log, up to 18 inches high, and between two cones no more than 3 feet apart.
- Teach your horse to stand up on logs or boxes with his front legs… and then just with his back legs!
Techniques & Success Tips
- Don’t be in a hurry to do this. Get your preparations really good, positive reflexes in everything.
- Do this on you 12′ Line.
- A ramp will make this a little easier for your horse but if you don’t have a ramp on your trailer it is still possible! Reduce the step with a bank or such like.
- Don’t try to go in backwards right off the bat! Start by asking your horse to walk out forwards but stop him and Yo Yo backwards just before he goes to step out.
- Keep advancing this: allow him a little further out each time and back him in again. Then allow him comfort in there.
- You’ll get to where you can orchestrate one foot at a time, forwards and back wards. This amount of control will make it easier and easier to tell your horse where to put that foot.
- If you don’t have a trailer that your horse can turn around in, do your best under the circumstances! Again it doesn’t make the task impossible but you might have to do your preparations over a few more weeks.
Summary
Loading your horse into the trailer backwards is a great task!
In preparations: a great back up, you can back up and down hills, across shallow ditches, in and out of wash racks, stall, etc. You can back over a log up to 18 inches high and between two cones no more than 3 feet apart. You can stand your horse up on logs or boxes with the front legs… and back legs.
Use a 12ft Line.
A ramp makes it easier, otherwise see if you can get your trailer a little lower.
Bring him out forwards, first, don’t be direct line! Stop him at different intervals and back in again.
Foot control is what it’s about.
If you don’t have a trailer your horse can turn around, do your best anyway!
FreeStyle
Respect & warm up Phase
- Impulsion Program
- Canter passenger lessons
Teaching Phase
- Simple Lead Changes (drop to the trot)
Simple Lead Changes
By learning to do the simple changes Freestyle, you’ll learn to position the hindquarters and learn how this influences canter leads.
Technique
- Canter on a Casual Rein. Your rein should be in one hand, the same hand as the lead your horse is on, so if it’s the right lead, it’s in your right hand and your elbow is straight offering the rein forward.
- Bend your horse to the same side as the lead until you get a trot. To do this you’ll need to use your other hand to replace your right hand and slide your right hand down the rein to gradually bend your horse to cause a trot. Make sure you do actually bend him until you can feel the hindquarter drift away a little.
- Release the bend, and stretch your left hand forward (without it having to change position on the rein) and ask for the canter. Your right hand is freed after bending your horse so you can use it to spank the hindquarter if necessary. Your horse should have changed from right lead to left lead.
Now repeat for the other side:
- Traveling on a left lead, change hands on the centre of the reins.
- Reach down with your left hand and bend your horse until he trots.
- Release, stretch your right hand forward and spank with the left to get the right lead again.
Keep practicing the technique, even if you don’t get the lead you want every time. The correct leads will come as you and your horse find more harmony.
Success Tips
- Simulate the rein positions and techniques of sliding down one side of a casual rein them the other, changing hands as you go.
- Then simulate the release simply by letting go of the bend and stretching your other hand, which should not have changed position on the centre of the rein at all.
- Watch the Videos… The Natural Leads and Lead Changes Video covers this beautifully.
- Getting the hindquarter into the right position is the key. If you bend him with the right rein for example, it’ll cause his hindquarters to go left as he steps under himself. This sets up the left lead so all you have to do is look to 11 o’clock, drop your right rein, straighten your left elbow and spank with your right. (PHEW! it’s very hard to explain in print, this is why we recommend the Video as your guide, better yet go and try it with the help of a Licensed Parelli Professional).
- If you have trouble deciding which lead you re on, try this: get yourself on the right lead (or the left lead) by almost turning your body sideways as you ride. Your shoulder, hip and leg on one side should all be pointing forward. If you are on the same lead as your horse this will feel good. If not, it’ll feel really disharmonious!
- Develop your sense of feel, of when you are in harmony with the horse. Get to where you can tell what lead you are on easily without looking.
- Practice Practice Perfectly! Experience through conscious hours in the saddle will help you develop more feel.
Pitfalls
- Not affecting the hindquarters well enough. Make sure you get a bend, even if it takes a full circle. Once you feel the hindquarter steping under and setting up, the correct lead will be virtually guaranteed.
- Because this is FreeStyle and you are learning, we encourage you to exaggerate everything. In Level 4 you’ll be doing this lead changes in a concentrated, refined form. The worst thing you can do is try to teach your horse in a concentrated fashion!
- Lack of focus. For a right lead look up to 1 o’clock high. For a left lead, look up to 11 o’clock high. It’s tempting to look down at what you and the horse are doing and what lead he’s on. Fight this temptation. Work on your focus becoming so powerful that your horse follow it no matter what. Horses and children are masters at switching your focus. Every time you look down and your horse changes course, he scores points!
- Lack of impulsion which relates back to respect and snappy departures. Ground Skills build respect. Snappy departures are aided by a spank.
- If your horse keeps trotting way after you’ve asked for the canter, he’ll reorganise his hindquarters and pick up any lead he wants. Practice just getting snappy departures without caring about what lead you are on.
- Not being confident in picking up correct leads, let alone doing bad changes. Go back to Stage 4 and go over your canter leads thoroughly.
Summary
In the respect and warm up phase, make sure you have impulsion and good canter departs.
Simple lead changes are best learned FreeStyle: exaggerate to teach. Learn to position the hindquarters.
Use a Casual Rein, bend the same side as the lead.
Take the lead away, get the trot.
Release the bend and spank the same side you bent to pick up the new lead.
You need to change hands on the centre of the reins, reach down with one hands, bend until you trot, release the bend and spank with the same hand while stretching the other forward.
Simulate the rein positions and changing hands at the stand still. Get to know it.
Watch the Lead Changes Video! Its very clear!
Getting the hindquarters positioned is the key. When they come to the left they are set up for a left lead.
Make sure your body assumes the lead you want.
Try not to look down, get a friend to help, or look several strides later.
You need hours of this over a period of time.
If you don’t get the lead you want, check the hindquarter effect and your “go” button.
Do not use concentrated reins!
Look up – 1 o’clock high for the right, 11 o’clock high for the left lead.
If your horse does not have snappy departures back into the canter, you will lessen the chance of getting the lead you asked for.
Make sure you can pick up leads (Stage 4) confidently before trying this.
Special Skills
Unbridling & Bridling your horse while mounted
This is a cooperation task for you and your horse. Being able to take the bridle off while on the horse’s back needs a good acceptance on your horse’s behalf of:
- The bit in that he can let it out without panic.
- He doesn’t feel the need to take off as soon as the bit and bridle are off.
Just as the “bridle your horse from your knees” Task in in Level 1/2 taught you to offer the bit politely and your horse to accept the bit naturally, this Task does the same but with a higher degree of difficulty.
It involves a higher degree of cooperation from your horse and a greater degree of feel, timing and balance from you.
dSuccess Tips
- Once again, if you’ve never done this, don’t try to do it just because it’s a Task. In your development as a Natural Horseman you are learning to think in terms of prior and proper preparation of the horse… what do you need to teach your horse in order for him to be able to do this Task with you. In Preparation, check that your lateral flexion is soft and willing; that you can play inside your horse’s mouth while his head is bent; maybe that you could even hold his tongue; that you could simulate him dropping the bit out by using your Horseman’s String…etc. (If your horse has any trouble at all with bridling and unbridling, the place to solve this in on the ground. Make sure this is solid before trying it on his back!)
- Work with a “net” at first! Have your Halter and 12′ Line or Horseman’s Progress String on until you are sure all is as it should be. But at the same time, pretend it isn’t there.
- Learn to keep your horse’s head around to you. You might do this by supporting his nose with your other hand. The further and further you develop your relationship with your horse, the more he’ll start to see what you want and help you do it. He’ll get to where he keeps his head bent around for you.
- Get handy at doing this from both sides.
- Prepare through simulation! You could use your String to slide in and out of your horse’s mouth while you hold his head around toward your knee. Having you hand on the bridge of his nose will help keep the position of his head.
- Start by taking the bridle off while mounted, then putting the bit back in again. It would be a good idea to have the Halter on underneath so you can teach him to keep his head bent. The worst thing you could do is take the bridle off and let your horse head go… especially if he’s a little worried about it. What you’ll inadvertently teach him is to hurry up and spit the bit out and straighten his head. This does not teach your horse impulsion! Keep his head turned to you and rub him… play with his mouth… reassure him… reintroduce the bit.
Pitfalls
- Pulling the bit out of the horse’s mouth. Once you get the headstall over The horse’s ears, allow the horse to work the bit out of his mouth, all you have to do is lower it little by little.
- Trying to do this with your horse’s head sticking straight out instead of bent around to you! Teach your horse to be cooperative, to have his head in the best position for you.
Summary
Bridling and unbridling your horse from his back is proof of good acceptance of the bit, respect and impulsion.
It involves a higher degree of cooperation from your horse and more feel, timing and balance from you.
Prior and proper preparation. Check later flexion and being able to play with zone 1 at the same time.
Simulate with the Horseman’s String.
Fix problems on the ground.
Keep your Halter and 12′ Line on when practicing…work with a “net”!
Teach your horse to keep his head turned to you.
Can you do both sides?
Be careful not to let the bit clank your horse’s teeth.
Don’t do this with you horses head straight.
