Good Horsemanship: The 3-Tries Rule

The 3-Tries Rule

Gayle Molander said something when we were discussing Leo that really rang true for me. She said when training and riding a horse, the rider get 3 tries to achieve a desired response. Anne Marie calls this the "Ask-Ask-Tell." If on the third try, your horse's response is still incorrect, then you need to stop what you're doing and evaluate the situation.

1. Are you explaining the request correctly / do you understand all the steps involved in the request? You may be giving conflicting aides or maybe didn't set up your horse's balance properly for the movement (I'm guilty of this one a lot)
2. Is there a gap in your horse's education that is preventing him from understanding you? He may not have the right tools to do what you are asking. 
3. Is there a physical reason that is preventing him from obliging you? Does he have the right strength and muscle development for what you are asking? Is he sore / is there pain?  

No matter what the answer, move onto something else. It's easy to get fixated on a problem and want to fix that one problem. But you can't keep beating the horse over the head with whatever it is you're trying to do, or beating your own head against the wall. For Leo, I always want him to be able to bend through his body to the right whenever I ask and for whatever length of time that I ask it, but this is very difficult for him and some days he simply can't hold it. If I continue to request it, he gets frustrated and upset so I just have to keep the requests shorter so that he can succeed for a couple of steps and then move along to something else.

I find it's good to remind myself that, in addition to their varied personalities, horses have different learning styles and different rates of learning. Sometimes, one step in the right direction is all you get, or maybe no steps, and that has to be okay for that moment in time. Even when I'm totally frustrated with Leo (like when he can't stop spooking at everything in sight of a dressage ring), I have to force myself to remember: it's not personal. Horses aren't complex thinkers - trying to piss you off and undermine your training and competition plans because they get some sort of weird pleasure out of it. They aren't human at all. (yay!)

Vet-Horse-Rider: A Winning Trifecta

This winter, I've come to realize it is so easy to overlook the steps involved in the physical development of the horse, versus just focusing on the execution of a movement on the flat or over fences. Horses are athletes and our training methods should be developing, not just the horse's mind and fitness level, but also the flexibility and strength of their muscles. When things aren't going to plan, we need to consider that the lack of flexibility or strength of the horse may be contributing to their resistance or subpar effort.

Even though I hate all these recent vet bills, I've learned a great deal from Liz, my vet, this winter and in reality the feedback I'm getting is invaluable. Liz has been seeing Leo at least once a month for 4 months now. She is always holistic in her evaluation of him which ultimately helps me focus his training. With each visit, she evaluates his conformation, muscular development, palpates legs and joints to look for inflammation, and evaluates pressure points on his body to see where he is reactive or sore. I am then aware of those issues so that when I ride I can properly address them. I've never used a vet as a partner in my training program, (and this was by no means a conscious decision now) but I'm really liking the results. It really helps make me a more compassionate (and smarter) rider/trainer.

Liz was the first person to point out asymmetrical features in Leo's body which can lead to difficulties with his training. For example, his left hip is higher than his right hip and the muscles in his left haunch are more developed (common for an ex-racehorse). The unevenness can lead to pain because the pelvis is not aligned and the unevenness makes using the right haunch more difficult for Leo.

This is one example for why Sally is so disciplined about developing the horse evenly on both sides and jumping all exercises in both directions, on both leads. Every exercise that is approached on the left lead, is also approached on the right lead. For every exercise that involves a turn to the left; the exercises will be mirrored in the opposite direction so you execute the same turn / requiring the same balance to the right.

So much to think about, isn't there?