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Post by horseguy on Jan 29, 2017 20:31:38 GMT
Candy is a 6 year old TB off the track. Weather brisk and windy. two other horses were in the arena working. One was very agitated by our work and the wind, rider fell off as we worked.
First pass 1.27.17 one stride, one stride, bounce
A few passes later, one stride single jumps raised from cross rails to help Candy pay more attention
A few passes later, still rushing but with improved focus
A few passes later, walk trot canter approach, more relaxed, better
Last pass after about 20 minutes of work, including some downward spirals to aid in relaxation.
Last pass through grid
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Post by horseguy on Jan 29, 2017 21:05:45 GMT
I want to reference the topic Horse Buying Considerations - page 2 where ther is a video of a horse for sale being ridden by a very "perched" rider. In this series of videos you can see the rider releasing the horse with following hands, not a crest release, rising from the saddle lightly and returning within the rhythm of the jumping lane. |
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Post by horseguy on Feb 3, 2017 21:07:36 GMT
This horse likes to rush. She is a 7 year old mare off the track and she is leggy and athletic. She was trained to race and use those long legs. The goal is to get her less strung out and more under herself. A jumping lane can be a useful tool in accomplishing this goal. The lane is a 1 stride, 1 stride, bounce, 1 stride, bounce. This idea behind this configuration is to bring her together under herself by keeping the distances short, all 1 strides, and using the bounces to also get her under herself. The bounces are 9 feet, which is relatively short for a leggy horse. You see at low cross rail height she is athletic enough to rush through the lane while maintaining a useful but fast tempo.
This video is taken after a few times more down the lane at low cross rails. The tempo is improved and the rhythm more even. This typically is due to the horse learning the lane and becoming tired and that leading to greater efficiency.
This is a few times later with the cross rails moved to 2' 3". It is the first time Candy has seen the heights raised.
Did you see her turn her head to the left as she approached the last bounce?
After several more times down the lane when Candy has learned it, is increasingly tired (she is way out of shape) and has come to be more efficient as a result. This is a clear example of how using jumping lanes helps a horse improve by offering a "self teaching" context of the lane. The rider is very steady in each video. Her only error is in trusting Candy in the 3rd video where she refused. When using lanes it is important to be a neutral rider and allow the lane to do the teaching, however at the same time we must ride in a manner that supports the horse in continuing down the lane when they might think otherwise. We must feel the slightest "question" from the horse that might relate to a refusal. For example, every refusal is preceded by a look or a turn of the body, however subtle, in the direction of a refusal. These subtle clues are questions asking the rider if it is OK to refuse. These communications must be immediately answered with "no". A "no" might be using the reins to face the horse directly to the center of the jump if the horse turns its head away, or some other subtle correction. We can correct a horse in a lane but we must this while remaining as neutral as possible and allowing the lane to teach.
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Post by horseguy on Feb 5, 2017 16:16:51 GMT
The horse in these videos rushes. The grid pattern of one stride jumps and bounces works against a horse like this that wants to get all strung out and pull with their shoulders through the lane. Lanes or grids (same thing, different terms) can be used to do the opposite too. Some horses are "tight", They resist swinging their shoulders and hips. There are reasons horses get this way, like the use of severe bits or a rider with tight arms, and hands, but once a horse tightens up it can be difficult to loosen them up. Also, to a lesser extent loosening grids can help a horse with flawed conformation increase their range of motion.
A grid pattern to loosen up a tight horse would be something like a one stride, two stride, three stride then a low oxer or spread jump, followed by a two or three stride. Some people stretch the distances between the jumps but this can backfire. If you make a one stride distance longer to stretch a horse out, it will ultimately result in a short stride plus a chip. Therefore, it is better to stick with common distances between jumps and go from one strides to two strides, then to three strides.
To build versatility I have made lanes with over twelve jumps that begin, for example, with bounces and one strides to gather up a horse, and then the rhythm changes to two and three strides with oxers. The horse in these lanes has to change its rhythm and often their tempo too. These types of grids help improve riders as well.
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Post by jimmy on Feb 6, 2017 4:36:07 GMT
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Post by horseguy on Feb 6, 2017 14:04:34 GMT
I am not sure which mare this is but if it is the one that was kind of stuttering through a grid figuring it out last time I saw her, that is really great progress. Technically for students watching, this video is a jumping course with a section of grid or lane. The lane would be the bounce, bounce, four stride to a jump, at the beginning because it is a straight line or lane. The underlying concept of a lane is for the rider to do as little as possible and let the grid do the training. In this lane the two bounces in a row would gather up the horse and the four strides to the jump would be to extend the horse. This is a versatility grid. The rider then has other training jumps that require a bend to reach the new approach lines. There are ground poles spaced at a collection distance before a couple jumps, again to gather up the horse, and also a mix of a skinny, an oxer, an open or airy jump, etc. This is quite a mix of obstacles with bends to commit to each new approach. I would describe this course as one designed to open the horse's mind to whatever might come in a stadium course and to build agility. If I used this type of course with Candy at this point in her training, she would become frustrated because her urge to rush at jumps would create a lot of failure. Candy's next step would be to place two jumps, one to the left and one to the right of the grid line, at the end after the last bounce. The rider would then commit her to the left jump or the right jump randomly to move her off the long grid line and onto a new unpredictable commitment line to one of the two jumps. From there she could move on to something like this video, but that is a ways away for Candy. She does not get worked every day. This video is solid training. It is not glamorous, but rather the sequential, deliberate introduction of teaching with obstacles. The horse in Jimmy's video shows that she has had a wonderful sequence that has built versatility, awareness of her feet and relaxation. Nice work. |
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Post by grayhorse on Feb 11, 2017 5:00:47 GMT
HG, thanks for the videos and quick tutorials. I haven't been posting much lately but I am still reading and enjoying the forum.
I can never see Jimmy's video links of Katy for some reason...which is a bummer as I know Katy is a great rider. BACK in the day Im talking like 10 years ago now I had a lesson with Jimmy and Katy was riding in the arena just finishing up I think? well there was a corner with some steps or something like that I think built into the wall of the arena (Jimmy sorry if I am remembering incorrectly) anyhow I watched her jump out of the damn arena over those steps once...as a brand new rider at the time I was pretty shocked and awed by that...I always thought to myself damn that gal is good.
Anyhow, hope everyone is well.
Carrie
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