Still a ways to go before we nail Contact! Feb 2010.
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Big C
That's C as in "Contact", as in the hardest, beat yourself up, cry-like-a-baby because it's IMPOSSIBLE Contact.
Contact is the third step in the Training Scale, and, so far, the most difficult. My trainer says it's one of the most difficult things to teach.
I know that JJ is capable of taking the contact, because he does it when my trainer rides him, but he doesn't WANT to take it when I ride. He seems to know that I don't know how to do it, so he doesn't give it. I could force him into it, by using draw reins or a strong bit, or throwing him in a double bridle like I've heard some dressage riders say they do with horses who won't take the contact, but that would be opposite of what I'm about. We are about teaching the horse to be the best he can be, and last the longest, and that means no shortcuts. Shortcuts don't work, for JJ wouldn't truly be accepting contact, he would be forced into it. Just like Rollkur is not true dressage, but forcng the horse to do flashy looking "dressage-type movements".
Here's a picture of JJ not-so-subtly resisiting my contact. Because I am not an experienced enough rider, like Jane, he doesn't accept my rein aids yet. But we are working on it. Normally, people probably wouldn't post a picture like this, but my blog is about training, and learning, and this is the reality of having a 15 year old horse with an unknown history and an inexperienced rider.
I get frustrated with myself for not being able to do things, like get JJ on contact, or stay on when he bucks. But then I look at where we started, and I feel a little better. My trainer points out that in these most recent pictures, like the one above, taken a week ago, JJ is really stepping under with his hind legs, and his back is up, he's really working pretty damned well. It's just me. I hope that someday I will be able to catch up with JJ, and I'm sure that with some help, I will.
Contact is the third step in the Training Scale, and, so far, the most difficult. My trainer says it's one of the most difficult things to teach.
I know that JJ is capable of taking the contact, because he does it when my trainer rides him, but he doesn't WANT to take it when I ride. He seems to know that I don't know how to do it, so he doesn't give it. I could force him into it, by using draw reins or a strong bit, or throwing him in a double bridle like I've heard some dressage riders say they do with horses who won't take the contact, but that would be opposite of what I'm about. We are about teaching the horse to be the best he can be, and last the longest, and that means no shortcuts. Shortcuts don't work, for JJ wouldn't truly be accepting contact, he would be forced into it. Just like Rollkur is not true dressage, but forcng the horse to do flashy looking "dressage-type movements".
Here's a picture of JJ not-so-subtly resisiting my contact. Because I am not an experienced enough rider, like Jane, he doesn't accept my rein aids yet. But we are working on it. Normally, people probably wouldn't post a picture like this, but my blog is about training, and learning, and this is the reality of having a 15 year old horse with an unknown history and an inexperienced rider.
I get frustrated with myself for not being able to do things, like get JJ on contact, or stay on when he bucks. But then I look at where we started, and I feel a little better. My trainer points out that in these most recent pictures, like the one above, taken a week ago, JJ is really stepping under with his hind legs, and his back is up, he's really working pretty damned well. It's just me. I hope that someday I will be able to catch up with JJ, and I'm sure that with some help, I will.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Training Scale
From my very first lesson with my new trainer, she made it very clear how important the Training Scale is. So what is the Training Scale? Here's the elements of the scale: Relaxation, Rhythm, Contact, Straightness, Impulsion, and Collection.
There is a wonderful book that explains the steps in great detail, Six Steps To A Schooled Horse, by Susan McBane.
So, the Training Scale applies to every type of training, with every horse. Even though I wanted to learn dressage, the scale stays the same. Because JJ was out of shape and had been out of training for who knows how long, we had to evaluate him and see where to start. At our first lesson, JJ and I could barely make a turn or transition. We had never cantered, and I had no idea how to ride with any sort of contact. Neither one of us were relaxed, and there was no rhythm to speak of. So guess where we started?
For the first few months, we would start every lesson by lungeing JJ, to relax him and also to improve his rhythm. She was not trying to "get the bucks out" or tire him out, but actually schooled him on the lunge. This meant lots of walk-trot transitions to get him to use his body and find his rhythm. I also learned how to lunge, and would do that 3 or 4 times a week on my own.
Then my trainer would ride him, since I am not experienced enough to work on myself and my horse at the same time! She did simple exercises: change of rein at the trot, serpentines, circles, all at the rising trot, all trying to get JJ working in a relaxed, even rhythm.
Then I would ride, and try to get myself sorted out so that I didn't interfere with JJ's new relaxed rhythm! After a few months, we were doing SO much better, and all from just trotting and doing nothing more than "simple" movements. Magic!
There is a wonderful book that explains the steps in great detail, Six Steps To A Schooled Horse, by Susan McBane.
So, the Training Scale applies to every type of training, with every horse. Even though I wanted to learn dressage, the scale stays the same. Because JJ was out of shape and had been out of training for who knows how long, we had to evaluate him and see where to start. At our first lesson, JJ and I could barely make a turn or transition. We had never cantered, and I had no idea how to ride with any sort of contact. Neither one of us were relaxed, and there was no rhythm to speak of. So guess where we started?
For the first few months, we would start every lesson by lungeing JJ, to relax him and also to improve his rhythm. She was not trying to "get the bucks out" or tire him out, but actually schooled him on the lunge. This meant lots of walk-trot transitions to get him to use his body and find his rhythm. I also learned how to lunge, and would do that 3 or 4 times a week on my own.
Then my trainer would ride him, since I am not experienced enough to work on myself and my horse at the same time! She did simple exercises: change of rein at the trot, serpentines, circles, all at the rising trot, all trying to get JJ working in a relaxed, even rhythm.
Then I would ride, and try to get myself sorted out so that I didn't interfere with JJ's new relaxed rhythm! After a few months, we were doing SO much better, and all from just trotting and doing nothing more than "simple" movements. Magic!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Beginning
Welcome to my blog about training my horse! Let me tell you a little about myself and my horse, JJ.
I have always loved horses, but grew up without them. Denied the opportunity to have a horse, ride a horse, or even be around horses, my teenaged self decided it would be less painful to just repress that overwhelming love for the equine species. So I went on with my life, but whenever I saw a horse, I would sigh and secretly pine away. Or not so secretly, for as my thirtieth birthday drew near, my darling husband decided I needed to have a horse.
So off to an equine rescue we went. There I met JJ, a 17.1 hand Thoroughbred gelding. It was not love at first sight-I was overwhelmed by the 30-odd horses running around, and he was less than thrilled to be taken away from his herd buddies.
But, many months and several thousand dollars later (a long story) JJ was mine. When I finally moved him into his new home, a barn less than 10 minutes from my house, he was underweight with no strength or condition to speak of. I wasn't much better off, having spent months learning absolutely nothing worth knowing from the woman that ran the rescue. We were a mess, but I was determined that I would do the right thing by this horse.
The first thing on my to-do list was to find a GOOD trainer. As anyone who has ever had that particularly unappealing task knows, it is easier said than done. Especially when you are coming off a bad relationship-just like dating! You are wary of anyone, and completely untrusting.
But, as these things sometimes do, fate intervened in the form of a soft-spoken Scottish lady. She just happened to be giving a clinic on lungeing at our barn, and I volunteered JJ to be a demo horse, and well, everything just fell into place. She moved her horse to our barn and we started taking lessons, me and JJ, in June 2009.
Alyssa
I have always loved horses, but grew up without them. Denied the opportunity to have a horse, ride a horse, or even be around horses, my teenaged self decided it would be less painful to just repress that overwhelming love for the equine species. So I went on with my life, but whenever I saw a horse, I would sigh and secretly pine away. Or not so secretly, for as my thirtieth birthday drew near, my darling husband decided I needed to have a horse.
So off to an equine rescue we went. There I met JJ, a 17.1 hand Thoroughbred gelding. It was not love at first sight-I was overwhelmed by the 30-odd horses running around, and he was less than thrilled to be taken away from his herd buddies.
But, many months and several thousand dollars later (a long story) JJ was mine. When I finally moved him into his new home, a barn less than 10 minutes from my house, he was underweight with no strength or condition to speak of. I wasn't much better off, having spent months learning absolutely nothing worth knowing from the woman that ran the rescue. We were a mess, but I was determined that I would do the right thing by this horse.
The first thing on my to-do list was to find a GOOD trainer. As anyone who has ever had that particularly unappealing task knows, it is easier said than done. Especially when you are coming off a bad relationship-just like dating! You are wary of anyone, and completely untrusting.
But, as these things sometimes do, fate intervened in the form of a soft-spoken Scottish lady. She just happened to be giving a clinic on lungeing at our barn, and I volunteered JJ to be a demo horse, and well, everything just fell into place. She moved her horse to our barn and we started taking lessons, me and JJ, in June 2009.
Alyssa
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)