just been looking at those flickr photos - which were taken summer 2005 - you wouldn't think looking at some of those that she ever had an issue with me being on the right side, since clearly i was.
my recollection was it had taken a long time to get there; after that, we moved, and then did a lot of riding last spring/summer till i broke my foot in june.
so some of this is reverting back to where we were before. she clearly hadn't been totally comfortable with it and i should have done more ground work interspersed with riding to keep that up.
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6 comments:
Glad to hear some of the ground work is paying off. Slow progress is better than no progress.
Have to laugh at her romping and bucking around the arena. Moments like those are to cherish. Then again, it can make you have second thoughts about ever riding the wild beasties....*G*
If she is sound, her feet are fine. Don't fool around with something that works.
I have never used clicker training, so I can't comment. My concept has always been pressure and release. Kenny Harlow, the John Lyons trainer, I've worked with uses that as his main principle too. The horses tend to catch on quickly.
thanks jean.
if you scout into flickr, you can tell me what you think... .but i think she's fine!
I did look at the photos. She does look fine. However, when you are working her on the right, she does lean in with her right shoulder and doesn't really bend. I would think doing the neck stretches with treats would help that a bit because in order to bend around to her girth, she will have to get that shoulder out of the way.
I imagine you are also having a bit of that problem when you ride her as well. If so, you need to think of getting her bent a little to the inside with her shoulder out of the way. One thing that might help is "dropping" your knee when you ride to the right. This way, you will not be putting your riding weight to the outside, actually encouraging her to move to the inside. Think of letting your knee get long and it may help push her to the outside rein.
Think of her right hind leg stepping under and "over" a bit to your left rein when you are on the right. Use your right leg long (with knee dropped) so your weight is a little to the inside, thinking of pushing that right hind under her body as you bend her slightly to the right.
It's a tricky thing to fix if it's a long term habit, but it's often a horse's way of evading with the hind end. Putting the weight on the inside shoulder and kind of "falling in" in that direction allows the right hind leg to avoid having to step under the horse's body to carry her weight.
Shoulder-in can help this a bit too. A more advanced exercise for the canter is a counter canter on a circle.
You may find she likes to do a haunches in on the right rein as well. If so, that also indicates she likes to keep her body weight off that right hind.
wow jean thanks.
oddly - she's generally better right than left when ridden - go figure! - but you're right about her bend ...
I need to work on my position as well and I'm not assisted by having a definite tilt to the right in my spine (it's there whether i'm riding or just sitting here ....). and I've always had a habit of my right leg/knee rising - it's as if i put more weight to the left without realising ......
Shoulder in - did used to be able to do it but at the moment seem to have forgotten how .....been trying recently for some lateral movement but i'm cocking up the aids and/or she's not getting them.
been trying to get in touch with my teacher this week, since I'm off sick a good opportunity for a lesson at a convenient time, but can't manage it.
she's actually quite good at the neck bends - comes round further to the right than to the left ( a mass of contradictions, this horse!)
I probably need a better saddle as well. but the one I've got at least fits her (given that it's treeless) and puts my leg in the right place.
What do you mean by dropping the knee?
"Dropping" the knee will correct that feeling of your right leg rising. You need to think of letting your knee drop down, relaxing your thigh muscle and making your leg long on that side. It will help correctly position your seatbones.
Sounds as if your spine makes you collapse your hip on the right. Think of it this way. The hip collapses, shortening your waist and in turn shortening your thigh muscle. That pulls your leg up. If you consciously stretch down with your knee the thigh lengthens and the corresponding muscles stretch as well.
Another thing that might help is for your to raise your right arm up in the air and stretch that whole side as an exercise.
It's hard when there is no ground person around to help you correct those things. Usually, though, the horse will tell you if you are riding unbalanced.
Often your horse feels "stiff" on the side she's actually using better. The hollow side, where the hind leg doesn't really reach under properly is the easier side.
I can recall having an International trainer get on one of my horses years ago and remark, "My he is even to both reins, isn't he." I was super proud of that compliment. Can't say I've quite managed it with my horses since, but it's always a goal.
What often happens is that you work the difficult side a bit more and somewhere along the way, the horse switches sides as the hard side becomes easy and vice-versa. I'd wager the master trainers somehow find the happy medium and get both sides equal a lot faster.
that makes sense!!!
lesson soon, the weather being ok of course!
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