Downward Transitions
I had an early morning lesson with Becca before work. Riding at the crack of dawn is chilly these days. The temperature the past couple of days has been 28 - yikes! Winter is coming fast now.
I wanted to take a moment to write specific exercises I can work on with Leo. I always forget what we do from one lesson to the next. Then when I ride, I'm at a loss for what to work on. Hopefully this will help me keep track of everything.
The problem:
Leo is a forward horse and has yet to really accept contact with the bit. Our downward transitions are painful to watch. His head comes up; he braces his jaw and neck against the bit, leans and twists. Awful and frustrating!
The training tactic:
Becca wisely reminds me that Leo will become more accepting of the aids over time with the proper training. It doesn't happen over night. We practiced this particular technique at the end of the lesson, after we did our stretching work.
To prepare for the trot-walk transition, Becca has me first collect the trot, and then gradually continue to slow and collect the trot until we naturally slow to a walk. The entire time I am collecting the trot, I am aiming to stretch Leo's neck forward and down. The idea is deceivingly simple. During the transition, Leo resists the bit and raises his head in response. This could be because he simply doesn't have the strength to control his body through the transition. If I practice the transition with his head lower and stretching, when he raises his head in the transition, it comes to a more natural level and he maintains the contact with the bit with less resistance.
We practiced this several times in a row today, and the downward transition progressively got better. Leo resisted in his jaw the first few times, but steadily improved. Over several tries the time spent collecting the trot into walk decreased and he maintained a steadier, more accepting contact with the bit.
I wanted to take a moment to write specific exercises I can work on with Leo. I always forget what we do from one lesson to the next. Then when I ride, I'm at a loss for what to work on. Hopefully this will help me keep track of everything.
The problem:
Leo is a forward horse and has yet to really accept contact with the bit. Our downward transitions are painful to watch. His head comes up; he braces his jaw and neck against the bit, leans and twists. Awful and frustrating!
The training tactic:
Becca wisely reminds me that Leo will become more accepting of the aids over time with the proper training. It doesn't happen over night. We practiced this particular technique at the end of the lesson, after we did our stretching work.
To prepare for the trot-walk transition, Becca has me first collect the trot, and then gradually continue to slow and collect the trot until we naturally slow to a walk. The entire time I am collecting the trot, I am aiming to stretch Leo's neck forward and down. The idea is deceivingly simple. During the transition, Leo resists the bit and raises his head in response. This could be because he simply doesn't have the strength to control his body through the transition. If I practice the transition with his head lower and stretching, when he raises his head in the transition, it comes to a more natural level and he maintains the contact with the bit with less resistance.
We practiced this several times in a row today, and the downward transition progressively got better. Leo resisted in his jaw the first few times, but steadily improved. Over several tries the time spent collecting the trot into walk decreased and he maintained a steadier, more accepting contact with the bit.
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