BEATING THE WINTER BLUES, Cheri Isgreen

Between winter, work, and family concerns, it’s been very hard for me to be consistent with training. This has been quite frustrating as I struggled to find the time and consistency to do both my physical training and bring Sky back into condition. In the past months I’ve learned how to cope with little time…

Janet Buckner and Siglavy Presciana II-II (S528-08), AKA Chester

I’ve been striving to fix those crappy bad habits). I sometimes just say out loud to him, “Carry your neck, good job” and while I’m telling him what I want, I’m endeavoring to make sure I am doing what I need to do, whether that be actually do something or simply get out of his way.

SAFETY FIRST

Spring groundwork is not very exciting.  But even if you have spent years with your horse, accidents can happen in an instant.  You could lose many hours of riding or even worse. Young horses can forget how to behave and seem to need to start all over in the spring time. …What I learned as a result, is that we are never in control on a shorter lead and that beside them, leading from the shoulder, does not put as much of their focus on us as when we lead from a long lead and walk in front. 

Cathy Yoder Explains her Legereté Training

Theory of “The Lesson of the Hand” is that a jaw that is in flexion is unlocked. A neck that is in flexion is also unlocked and incapable of resistance. The sequence of events is always flexing of the jaw, flexing of the neck, then extend the neck following with the hand. This is the sequence that encourages the seeking reflexes. The hand aids used are given upward and only on the corners of the lips, never against the bars of the mouth.

Great Learners Make Great Riders

As we learn more, we start to appreciate a good circle, and a straight line. We take the time to learn the training pyramid and return to it constantly to analyze our work. We start to ask the right questions such as do we have rhythm? Is my horse relaxed?

Being a great learner trumps natural talent, owning a fancy prancy warmblood, access to the best training in the world, a life history steeped in horses, wealth to “buy” a way to the top, or having a fabulous barn. 

Classical, Consistent Training Yields Results

If you’ve been following Kat’s journal, you know that her young gelding can be spooky. With consistent work in a classical manner, Rock is becoming more ridable in uncertain situations. Recently, Kat took Rock for a trail ride after she finished her Legereté lesson. Legereté is the French system of classically training a horse. By focusing on suppleness and straightness, the rider ensures that the horse is prepared to perform the movements. Therefore a partnership is nurtured, and the training proceeds without force.

Legereté means riding in lightness. Lightness can be the willing partnership between horse and rider. It can also be thought of as enlightened riding. The following post gives you insights about how Kat is training Rock, and the results she got when taking him on a trail ride which included crossing water with construction cones!

FIRST STEPS STARTING A YOUNG HORSE

Con is a 6 year old stallion with very limited handling. I found his ad on the USLF website and flew to Alabama to meet him and his younger brother in June 2021. I fell in love with Con. I was able to work with him briefly and he was so respective to my aides even with very minimal training. He had experience being led and that was about it. I knew the journey with him would not be easy and it would take a lot of time but I had a connection with him and decided to purchase him. After a few failed loading attempts Con finally made it to Pennsylvania the end of November 2021.

The Road to Recovery

In December, Sky was cleared for work under saddle. We began with 30 minutes of walk, then 25 minutes of walk with 5 minutes of trot. By month’s end, we are at 10-15 minutes of trot, with 30 minutes of walk. All work is strictly on straight lines only. We alternate between sitting and rising trot. In the walk, I encourage him to lengthen and drop his neck. He has a huge 3-hoof overstep!
With so much time off, we needed to reestablish respect and ground manners. Sky lapsed into his pre-rescue defensive behaviors, particularly snapping and biting when I work with him on the ground. With consistent handling, discipline, and lots of love, he has become trusting and respectful again.

Welcome Yevette Harrell & Constanza

Yevette has recently joined the Training Collaborative. She has spent the past eight months getting her three year old filly ready to be backed and building their relationship. She is asking our collaborative for input. Please comment below for interesting creative ways to build relationship, balance, and emotional control.

Congrats Brooke!

Brooke is our newest 2020 Bronze Level Trainer. Bronze Level trainers work with their horses 100 hours and record their progress through the USLF Training Collaborative. The following is a recap of her work with Neapolitano Kulpa since we checked in this past July.

Kat Arce is newest Bronze Level Trainer

Congrats to Kat for leveling up to Bronze. A beautiful bronze-embroidered saddle pad will be arriving just in time for the holidays. This post details Kat’s November work with her young horse, Rock. Kat does a variety of different work with Rock, from patient groundwork, to Legereté classical training, to drill team, and this month…

JACQUELINE ELY, September Update

Month/Year: September/ 2020 Horse: 116 Valdamora X Total Training Time: 10 hours Monthly Goal: Continue to build a solid foundation of ground work and introduction of in-hand work  Methods: Ground work basics- basic leading (stop, go and back on command), round pen work (move the feet, rest the feet on command while maintaining attention and responsiveness), and desensitization. In-Hand work- while…