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Thread III: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1311311/posts |
Posted on 04/26/2004 12:06:41 PM PDT by HairOfTheDog
Free Republic has a lot of horse people that have found each other on other threads…. And since we all like to talk horses, how about a thread where it is not off-topic, but is THE topic?
A few of us thought it would be interesting and informative to have a chat thread where we can share ideas, ask for input from other horsemen, and talk about our riding and horse-keeping. We have a lot of different kinds of riders and horses, and a lot to share. We may not ~always~ have a lot of activity, but when we do, it will be fun. I will put a link to this thread on my profile page, so if you have something to say and can't find the thread in latest posts… look for it there and wake the thread up!
I will also develop a ping list for horse threads that are of interest. As FreeRepublic is a political site, our politics and other issues will probably blend in…. There are many issues for horsemen that touch politics… land use, animal rights/abuse cases that make the news…. Legislation that might affect horse owners.
I am hoping this thread will be a fun place to come and share stories, pictures, questions and chit-chat, unguided and unmoderated and that we come together here as friends. There are lots of ways of doing things and we all have our quirks, tricks and specialties that are neat to learn about.
A horse's "motor" is in the back - his impulsion, the energy that drives him forward, comes from his hind end. If he is placed in a position where his weight is rocked back, his spine is arched upward, and his hindquarters are well under him, he is in the best possible position to produce that energy because his body is properly aligned. Just as (if you are a dancer), you rise slightly on your toes and lift your head, shoulders and solar plexus before you step out.
Now, you have your horse with his forehand lifted, his spine arched upward, his hindquarters tucked under, and he's ready to step forward. As his hind legs push him forward, the way his spine is aligned will direct the momentum from his hind legs - THAT's what I'm calling "energy" - the horse's momentum that takes him where he wants to go.
With your legs and your hands, you DIRECT that energy - the "push" moves the horse straight forward, to one side or the other, or around a curve. Your leg aids generate the "push" and then direct it. When you place the horse on a bend and move him forward in a bend, your legs are doing two things at once: you're giving him the aid to move forward - to "push" - and at the same time your legs shape his spine to determine the direction the "push" is going to go.
Now for the part that's hard for Western riders because you don't ride "on contact": by riding a horse with a "feel" of his mouth (and you can't do this in a Western curb - you have to use a snaffle or a combination bit like a Pelham or a double bridle) you can contain or hold back the "push" or energy for some period of time. Your legs generate the energy in the horse's hindquarters, he pushes forward, but your hands by holding contact (maybe slightly firmer as you push) tell him "don't go freely forward." All that energy has to go somewhere, so it goes UP - the horse arches his back and neck and lifts his forehand.
Now, if you pull too hard or push too hard, the whole edifice will collapse - the contact can't be static, it has to go somewhere. (That's why a horse will rear if you pull too hard on the reins while pushing. You're telling him GO! but DON'T GO FORWARD! So he goes UP.) You have to allow the horse to move forward on the bit, dispelling some of the energy in forward motion, while the rest of the energy is still going into the lift of his forehand.
What I'm talking about with the energy on the bend is that the outside rein doesn't allow the horse to dispell the energy by going STRAIGHT - the rein directs him to "go" on the curve. In other words, you "close the door" on the outside so he can't go straight, but you "open the door" to the inside curve and the horse goes in that direction.
This is a very pretty bend in a collected canter. You can see that the rider's outside leg is back, the left hand is set lower than the right hand, which is lifted to "close the door" on the outside. The horse is in the second beat of the canter (two diagonal legs on the ground). Note how the LH leg is placed well forward, showing that the hindquarters are collected (even though the single hind leg is trailing at the moment). The withers are higher than the quarters - the horse is nicely collected and lifted in front. Ideally the front of the horse's face should be exactly perpendicular to the ground - and this horse is pretty darned close. If the nose goes back too far, there's too much hand pressure and the horse is seeking to evade the bit by breaking at the poll. This horse is accepting the bit nicely, and he's happy (look at his ears!)
This pic is from the Dublin Horse Show - the cream of the crop.
No, I'm around, but I've been working on a project, so I haven't been freeping much.
I'm asking all this, because after seeing the pictures Mack took yesterday of me and Rusty going around the barrel, it looked to me he was leaning to far in, and I need for him to keep his body more straight up and down, I was wondering if that was what you were talking about and if so how to correct it.
Becky
LOL...you're doing better then me. I'm one of those people who have to DO it to see/understand it.
I think I have been dropping the outside rein and raising the inside, on the turns. If I'm reading this right, that is backwards???. I was under the impression that you used the reins to control the shoulders, and since I didn't want the horse drifting out on the turn I figured lowering the rein, was closing the door.
Doot usually understand this stuff better then me and explains it to her poor ole mom:) Doot read post #806.
Becky
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