Feeling forward in Mexico continued...

Since I have been in Mexico I have tried to ride just about anything I could get a saddle on...just for the experience. I believe that versatility among horses accelerates learning. So...I have ridden ¨The Filly¨ ¨The Colt¨ ¨No name horse¨ ¨Brujo¨ ¨Maya¨ ¨Natalia¨and Pequeno. Let me tell you a little about them!
The Filly...is 9 years old. Ha! She is uneven in her trot (Maybe some trauma to her right foreleg brought this on....she has some scars on her knee). She loves to go deep and low and heavy....good lord. I did an earthload of transitions with her. The second time I rode her I jumped (which the very thought of jumping an unsound horse terrifies me but I did it anyways). We did a line with 5 or 6 canter poles and then one small verticle about 2´6. She RUNS like crazy! So, the filly taught me a little bit about the importance of timing your half halts to keep the rhythm. AND I had the epiphany that I cannot TRAIN every horse I touch....sometimes I just have to learn to ride them the way they are.
Next I tried to ride the colt. He is the fillys brother...maybe 10 years old. His movement is even!! Yay for that! He was much lighter!! And he let me know that using his back, tracking up with his hind legs, and keeping his nose on the verticle was waaaayyy difficult for him by groaning for an entire 5 or 6 strides. Silly horses. When it came time to canter...he totally ran away with me! So, I have something to learn with this one...and I will let you know what happens on our next ride. My feeling is that I put too much pressure on him and fell behind the motion...my plan for next time is to use my half seat and ride with less pressure. After all...he was trained for jumpers.
I rode No name horse on the lunge for a week or two while my hand was healing and now I ride him free...about 6 days a week. He is 6 years old and the son of Mezcalero the dutch warmblood stallion that won the olympics (in the 80´s??? at some point) for Mexico. This horse is smart, sensitive, and a typical red head. At first he loved to poke around and go behind the verticle...now that I woke him up a little bit he is finding out that he can go forward and he loves to run. He loves to run whether he is walking, trotting, or cantering. So we are working on our rhythm...and transitions transitions transitions. You will be hearing more about him in the future. I really enjoy riding him even though he is a larger horse than I generally prefer (approaching 17hh)....he is a fantastic jumper and we have been doing some gymnastic work...learning to adjust our stride. I think I jumped him somewhere near 3´9 sometime recently...and that was the first time in 3 or 4 years that I jumped that high! But really....my position is feeling rock solid over the fences and I believe I am capable of so much more. I plan on perfecting my knowledge and ability of gymnastics and jump technique.
My last ride was a gelding named Brujo. I am not sure how old he is but he has seen his fair share of life...seen trainers come and go. He is a handsome fella...and the class clown. Brujo quickly exclaims that he doesn´t like dogs, he doesn´t like that thing rattling in the bushes, and he doesn´t really like to go forward. Ha ha.

To be continued...

Feeling Forward in Mexico

So...I am back to the keyboard again. I feel like I should update you on whats happening....and what happened.
First, I have spent the last 9 months training Ronin the TB Gelding. I left Virginia a month ago and left him there. It was very difficulte for me to leave him as I enjoyed our time together very much...and am coming to grips with the fact that I will never find a horse like him: and we were perfect for each other! His program was just full of developing a rock steady foundation in basic Dressage. When I first started riding him he like to come behind the verticle, run and lose rhythm, and his trot was very flat. These things are common is a lot of horses. I spent many months riding him inside and working on getting him moving forward in a relaxed rhythm...and teaching him to go forward with balance from my leg-through my seat-and recieved by my steady and empathetic hand. Then we began to work outside...and when you go from inside to outside things change a little bit in the mind of the horse. I had to teach him all over again...to relax, go forward from my leg and into my hand. It takes less time of course because you are just reminding the horse of what he already knows...but there is much more mental challenge for horse and rider when riding outside. If I had to put a name on this phase both times repeated I would name it ¨adding confidence to the horse with your leg¨.  Because it is the closeness combined with lightness of your seat and leg and the ability to follow the motion that make the horse confident to abide you. A horse can be in complete panic and close to unraveling...and STILL abide you if you understand how to get to this phase.
So, we started working outside...cantering and trotting in the fields, trail riding through the woods, walking and trotting hills, and also working with the drop into water and bunkette jump (a bunkette as it is called in spanish is called a step and a drop in english...I prefer bunkette). All of them had their challenges...challenges that we overcame. Our typical work session comprised of beginning with a short walk outside down one hill and up the next (around one of the paddocks that is about 1 or 2 acres). Then walk inside about 10 minutes doing various circles, serpentines, and leg yields. Then on to trot...working serpentines...small circles...spirals in and out...and lengthenings and shortenings. Also...some of the newer exercises I was adding before my hand was injured and I was forced to ride one handed: Shoulder in and haunches in on the circle/down the longside and lengthenings and shortenings on the circle, transitions within the gait and from gait to gait. I would always reward a few steps of collection with a few moments of lengthening in a longer frame.
There were so many epiphanies I had in these last 9 months....or things I re-discovered or discovered. The path I followed with this horse was phenomenal.
 A few things I picked up on the path:
-The bit is neutral territory where neither the horse or the rider is allowed to pull. This means that your hand NEVER moves backwards against the movement in the head and neck of the horse. You maintain a soft elastic contact with your horse but at the same time if he pulls against you...you do not allow him to by maintaining steady hands and an elastic elbow attached to a proud and relaxed shoulder carriage. This allows the horse to ¨meet you at the end of the rein¨and he effectively half halts himself in a way. When he meets you at the end of the rein he realizes that you are not going to hurt his mouth nor will you carry him. He has to position himself underneath of you to learn to carry the riders weight. Now, I don´t recomme hadnd this technique for your riding if you don´t have an independent seat as it is unfair to the horse and can cause more problems.
-The careful language of going forward. I have began to understand exactly how to carry out lengthenings and shortenings to develop the different degrees of collection in the horse´s gait. Using your thigh gently and with different pressures to gain more collection or perform a half halt...using your thigh before touching the rein at all in a downward transition or half halt. And then, in an upward transition or lengthening gradually increasing my rein length as I am asking for the transition to allow the horses head and neck to stretch forward just an eensy weensy bit.
-I learned about rollkur finally and learned why it has no place in Classical training of the horse. (I will post the article later). This discovery...and the discovery that I had been riding this way on many of my ¨unsafe¨previous training horses has turned my riding in a new direction and higher quality. I would have to say that in general...unless your life is in danger and the horse is out of control...riding overflexed, overpositioned, behind the verticle, or in Rollkur are all bad examples of true horsemanship. I know lots of folks who use this method...and each to their own...but I would rather ride my horse above the verticle than behind it.
-I finally learned how to ride the hind legs...and influence my horse with just my imagination. It is an amazing feeling. I gained a priceless feel and ambidexterity in my body...one that I hope to develop even more.

I will have to continue this later....a trip to the local tack store is in demand!!
Until next time...

Be Careful,
Elise Marie Weber

My last few days with Ronin

I have been riding Ronin for the last 7/8 months. It really has been a phenomenal ride. I have learned so much about being one with the horse....using their universal language. I am so much happier because of it. Finally, I feel like I am on my way to my dream of being an upper level classical trainer. And all because of my hard work, persistence, patience, and a little bit of pure luck (or is it fate?). Ronin is doing fantastic. We were doing some jumping a month ago, had to stop because he has not been consistenly sound. :O( We were not jumping large or crazy....nothing more than a few efforts at appropriate challenges. Turns out the little guy has an acute case of Pedal Osteitis. This condition seems to be like a hallogram...it has many facets. I am looking into it....to see if I can find the most up to date expert information on treating it. He is a great horse....would be a shame to see him not given a full chance at living the dream with me. :O)

Other than that we have been doing basic dressage work...it has been going great. I can start him out in a long and low stretching frame (notice I will never ever describe an ideal stretching frame as "deep" NEVER) and progress on to exercises like leg yield from center line, 20-10-6 metre circles and voltes, serpentines, lengthenings and shortenings, and transitions to and from different gaits. While I was absent from my blog...I had many revelations to share with you about being a classical rider. I will share then with you in time. Right now I have injured one of my hands (2nd degree rope burn!) and can't type as easily as I would like to. :O) Lets just say...I thought I had my gloves...but I only had one....and now I have learned my lesson. Ronin and I have also been doing a great deal of trail riding, riding outside, and working in the XC field as well as utilizing the water jump, band/drop, and logs that are at the farm. He has been doing great...He gives me a little trouble sometimes (Just a teenager questioning authority!! ha ha) but we get through it and move on everytime.
Soon I will have to leave for Mexico...and I won't see my Ronin for a while. I hope it is not too long. Plus...I will miss all of my students like crazy.

I want to post a few educational links I encourage you to look at.

First- Rollkur/Behind the vertical/In front of the vertical explained. This article explains the essence of the biomechanics of the head and neck of the horse and how it relates to incorrect/correct riding. It very clearly explains why you should be riding your horse from back to front.
http://www.sustainabledressage.net/rollkur/behind_the_vertical.php

An article on the Chambon. Where as I always believe that less is more...sometimes not using training aids can be just as cruel as using them improperly. Training aids when understood and used carefully can help the horse and rider overcome harmful confusion and frustration and assist in the development of feel. IF USED BY A KNOWLEDGEABLE AND KIND INDIVIDUAL. I prefer training aids that the horse works himself to create his own pressure and release. Running martingales, German martingale, Chambon, De Gogue, European side reins. Here is an article on the Chambon. Just to give you an idea of the biomechanics of this particular device. http://www.classicaldressage.co.uk/html/the_chambon.html


See you later!

The first days that feel like spring

We had our first warm day in three months! It was almost 70 degrees! Ronin and I were both very excited.
For the last few days we have been working in the arena and then going outside for a walk. The outside walk is always VERY exciting....and involves some kind of airs above the ground. He even tried the "I am going to shudder and scoot when your legs touch my body, can I trick you into removing them completely?" He is young and full of enthusiasm....I would expect him to grow out of this the more he accepts my leg and the more we ride outside.
In our work sessions we are just working on the very basics. Basically W/T/C on large circles and on the rail....using only my body position (proper equitation) to communicate rhythm-relaxation-and stride length to him. My legs are close to his side, relaxed but clinging to him with positive tension, the thigh drops down towards his hock and my seat is deep in the saddle with my pelvis tilted slightly back when I am sitting-slow, steady, and close to him when I am rising. Upper body is tall, shoulders resting on my seatbones, my chin is tilted slightly upward....and last but not least my elbows are close to my side-relaxed and my hands are steady in front of my body.
I cannot stress how important this one simple thing is in riding: Equitation. I don't mean equitation as in "Heels down, shoulders back, heel-hip-shoulder alignment (not that those things are not part of it)". But equitation truly is deeper and more complicated than that. It is absolutely essential for your maximum effectiveness on the horse. And my "maximum" effectiveness I mean correctly influencing the horse....in the style and manner of classical horsemanship...
If you wanted to read further into this subject and you are a fairly knowledgeable rider with a need for theory I would recommend the book "The natural rider" by Mary Wanless or "Academic Equitation" by General DeCarpentry. The publiser (Tralfagar square) is very good and I am fond of many of the horse books they choose to publish.
I have to go to work now....I will finish this later....after another ride (or a few....:O) on Ronin!!

Ronin- Riding in the dark

I don't always blog about every ride...but I feel the need to share our most recent ride with you.

I have been going to the barn later in the day lately....and yesterday I decided to go at dusk. I took my usual 30-45 minutes to groom and tack up (I am a grooming perfectionistic, a horse-personal-hygiene maniac!! lol) and we proceeded to the arena. 
As far as lighting goes, our arena has two choices. We have  two rows of flourescent lights OR there is one single caged bulb on one longside that dimly lights the arena. Last night...just for the fun of it I chose the latter. :O)
It turns out that Ronin and I really like walking in the dark!! He did not spook at anything with the lights off....although when he sees his shadow he does think it is another horse. (....one of the many reasons to love horses). We walked in the dark for about twenty minutes (until it was too dark) and then turned the lights on and went about our ride. Escipion has really been challenging me lately by making me learn to be effective in a invisible way. My typical style of riding involves a lot of transitions and shapes....I am constantly playing with my horses body and mind in order to be effective. There is nothing wrong with being effective by using transitions and shapes, but it is only part of the puzzle. We have been working on being effective by using my bodies position, my seat, and my own balance on top of the horse to make things happen. I am still riding and using circles, transitions, leg yields....but I am spending much more time staying in one particular gait and influencing it with subtle changes in my body (like I said above).
Anyways...Ronin is developing a much better trot as a result of this work. He has a tendency (like most horses and definitly in TB's) to fall onto his forehand and rush, taking short flat strides...my goal is to ssssslllloooowwww his trot without interfering with his natural movement (that is that hard part!) and thus create an opportunity for him to get a better balance. Not only that but common sense says: a long slow stride with a longer range of motion builds stronger leaner muscles than short quick strides. Just like if your at the gym it is better for your muscles to lift weights or use the machines slowly. Another problem that is easy to run into when slowing a horses stride is lack of  "action" or engagement.
We did our trot work took a break (we took lots of breaks....:O)) then moved into some canter work. Our main focus in the canter now is to maintain a balanced canter with a clear moment of suspension (A definite three beats). Ronin has a little bit of a tendency to lose him rum-pum-pum in the canter to the right and tends to break to trot if he gets unbalanced....so my goal right now is to get a nice calm crisp transition into canter, maintain a few canter strides and ask for the trot BEFORE he even thinks about trotting. :O)
We had a wonderful ride yesterday and hopefully have many to come....

Ronin 1-20-11

I apologize for neglecting my blogging! I have been sitting at home recovering from a pinched nerve in my neck for almost two weeks now! It gets better and then it gets worse....I push myself to do more and I end up incapacitated again....:O) Such is life! Luckily riding is something I can still do with a pinched nerve.

I gave Ronin his first day off since I started working him two days ago. Last night I went to the barn around 6pm to lunge him and Joker. I free lunged Joker over some jumps and then brought Ronin in. This time Escipion was here and we put him in a Linda Tellington Jones body wrap. We tied two polo wraps together and pulled it snug across his chest, cris crossed it over the withers and then wrapped it around his butt and tied it snugly near his hip bone. Ronin is a little tense on the lunge line and it was interesting to notice how with the body wrap on he was less likely to lean in on the circle and take quick steps...and I felt like his back muscles were more connected behind his withers. Anyways, the point is Ronin liked it, I liked it....I believe we will keep using it once in awhile. I like to experiment with different things and am very interested in non-resistant horse handling techniques.

Today I rode Ronin again. We have cut out the lunging before hand and I just get on now. I would like to do more ground work with him as he is very sensitive and easy to work with on the ground....he REALLY gets me thinking "How am I going to influence this horse, get a step in exactly the right direction at just the right speed/stride length WITHOUT startling him?". With most horses I am interested in teaching them what I "know" and I use relatively the same system/approach. Ronin and I are using a slightly different language. More subtle....more in the moment.

I am sorry! There I go lost in a Dressage inspired Zen moment. Back on track now!

Anyways, I got on Ronin and did a little collected walk at first (he usually wants to power/speed walk...and I HAVE to slow him down and get his brain back right away!) Whenever I am working on collected walk I am simultaneously working on a working or lengthened walk as well. I always go between one "gear" and another (Very gradually....inch by inch.....step by step) to create more adjust ability in the horse's stride/frame/body.

Then we go on to the trot and do the same thing...collecting the trot and lengthening it out for moments at a time. When your teaching a horse such as a thoroughbred to lengthen their stride they tend to lose the "scope" in their stride (lost balance) and hurry off on the forehand with tiny fast little steps. Your goal is to lengthen them out just a few strides before that moment when they LOSE everything....and then bring them back to a working or collected trot before you try again. The trick is FEELING those moments and being effective without interrupting the horse's movement. We practiced some walk/trot/walk transitions and then moved onto canter work (His favorite part!!)

His stride length and cadence is improving so much over the last few rides, Ronin has a few different "gears" now (although he is still refining his "gears"). Next we worked on our canter. Canter can be a funny thing with Ronin. He has a really large stride for a little guy! If he is cantering with enough impulsion he feels like a rocking horse! Okay. So, when I ask for the canter transition I check my position, move my outside leg back as I lift up my inside seatbone ever so slightly and put on my inside leg. With this horse it is crucial not to "hold him in his face" EVER but especially in the transition to canter unless you want to produce some bucking! We made a nice smooth transition into canter and Ronin quickly reminded me to sit back, loosen my thigh, follow his motion, and lengthen my reins. He showed me these things by porpoising around the circle a few times. "Porpoising" is something that all horses do....but thoroughbreds have a tendency towards this 'airs above ground' for some reason. Porpoising is really quite easy to ride through (better than a buck!) because the horse will push off the ground with his hind legs and dip his forehand, land on his front legs (bring hind legs under) and push off very strongly from the front legs, and then push off behind again. Most TB's like to do it in the canter. :O)

After I fixed all of the things Ronin had on his checklist he really started to round his back and come into my contact. By this time Escipion had arrived and we began to do some spiraling in and out in the canter. First I would spiral him in, really focusing on moving his shoulder in, establishing bend from my inside leg, and slowing/collecting our stride. As soon as he would bend from my inside leg I would spiral him out gradually on a little shoulder fore shape. This exercise is really great for him as he needs to be suppled and learn to bend both sides of his body.

I ended our ride today by taking him for a little walk outside. He was a little hesitant to leave the barn (Can you say STICKY to my leg!?!? lol) but did not make any drama and we hacked the XC field between the 2 main barns. He was a little eager to get back so we practiced some walk/halt/walk transitions, circles, and leg yield zig zags. What a great ride!!

Ronin (session 4-6)

I have been lunging and riding Ronin. I lunge him for a few minutes before I get on focusing on rhythm, relaxation, balance. We have been doing lots of transitions, spiraling in and out, and moving around the arena. My rides have been very laid back. He is very energetic and a little spooky. All he does is shy at things for a few minutes and if you hang tight and keep your aids there but relaxed...he settles right into his work.

Today was the first day we cantered! It was wonderful! He has such good natural engagement it is great to ride such a talented youngster!

Ronin's beginnings (work session 1-3)

Ronin is a 5yo TB that stands somewhere around 15hh. He is very alert-eager to communicate and please. His movement is a little quick and nervous but amazing. I am thrilled to work with a horse of his caliber.

He is already under saddle and I am riding him to get him going and keep him fit and ride able until his mom comes home from overseas.

The first time I lunged Ronin he has was very excited....ran circles around me, diving in and diving out. He was trotting so fast and with so much engagement he looked like a tarantula! I tried a few different things to get him to slow down. Its been a long time since I focused on creating balance, straightness, and contact on the lunge without the use of auxillary reins....took me a little while to find Ronin's particular language. First I tried wiggling the lunge line on the side of the circle he had been diving in on (diving in, for those of you that do not know horsey lingo means that the horse is making the circle smaller , generally this means they are putting more weight on their inside shoulder). Second, I used my whip to try to move his barrel out by pointing at the spot right behind the girth with my lunge whip. Third, I tried shaking the lunge line harder and gave a little tug on it. He just started going faster! I stood there for a second and it hit me. It has been so long since I had lunged anyone but Joker and Marc (Joker who is voice and body trained, Marc who is body trained) and they are so confirmed in their lunging manners I forgot... One of my favorite tools to use with a horse that has lost control on a lunge circle and is too excited to interfere with: Changing your height. So I just squatted down...and he stopped, turned to look at me, and said "Whats going on? Why did you do that?"

Yes. This is a moment to live for. The moments that you figure out one thing about a horses language and you can get through to them. Now I have his attention.

So we lunged the rest of the session pretty nicely due to the newfound "downward transition button" of squatting. I did not ride him this time as he had a hard time finding his relaxation in the first place.

The second time I lunged him he was a completely different horse. He was relaxed.....swingy through his back....stretching his neck down and forward....nice long rythmic strides. I lunged him a few minutes in each direction and then got on. I had to pick up the contact right away because he was very ADDHD....looking at the mounting block, the mirrors, the ray of light, a pigeon feather on the ground, pigeons in the rafters flying around "EEEEEKK!!" Ronin says to all of these things...tenses his back and squirts forward a few steps. I just exhale and go with him...laughing at his boyishness. It is all very innocent energy...I trust this horse already. I ask him to go around in trot and he is relieved to get the energy out....we worked on a few trot, walk, trot transitions and lengthening and shortening our trot strides....be bopped around in two point for a minute and called it quits. It was a very nice first ride. This horse give me a lot of good feedback on my communication abilities.

The third time I worked with Ronin was like we had been doing this for years. Now I am trying to really refine his responsiveness to my body on the lunge....I am not to use the whip or the rope at all. The rope's only purpose is to control the straightness of his head and keep him on the circle. It seems to me that downward transitions are something Ronin needs to work on really badly. If you don't keep his attention he just gets sucked into this black hole of running around like a speedy-gonzolaz-tarantula. We worked on our transitions again....lots of Trot to Canter transitions on the right because he is not as confident in his canter strike-off on that side (I say this because he will sometimes cross canter on this side, showing me that there is a lack of flexibility, strength, and co-ordination in his hind legs). This is natural for a horse that has not been worked properly....or in Ronin's case a horse that has not been worked for a few months. It is especially common in stall bound horses and breeds with short croups (Arabs, Saddlebreds). Lunged him in both directions and them rode. Under saddle we worked on rhythm, relaxation, and stride length. I do not want to canter him undersaddle yet as he is still too unbalanced in the canter on the lunge and I feel it would be unfair. He has been tossing his head a little and his teeth have not been done in awhile....I called his owners and the vet is coming to do his teeth soon (His owners are really good people too!). No use working on a real contact until then, I don't wanna spoil the little guy's outlook on life. Ronin thinks I am just the coolest person around! I want to keep it that way.