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Smart Rider Happy Horse, Southam (2024)

10/01/2024

HAPPY NEW YEAR

The new year is traditionally a time for resolutions.

Could legerete be your new years resolve?

Have you been toying with flexions, been to a clinic or listened endlessly to your friends expressing their rides with words that are alien: "demi arrét", "counter bend turn" and "fléchi droit"?

The Foundation Course kicks off again on 01-04February 24.

Our usual venue at Naturally light equitation in Preston Capes are preparing once again to bring legerete to our growing UK audience.

If you feel you'd like to join our audience for the Foundation Teacher Training Course you can participate as an auditor (£150 for 4 days with future benefits) or as a spectator (1-3 days at £55/day or £150 for 3 days).

This is a wonderful (and wet) time of year and is an ideal time to learn new ground skills to build a solid foundation to your horses education and it's really fun.

Contact Merrigan at [email protected]

11/12/2023

10/12/2023

What does it mean to ride a horse in balance?

Following on from the recent post about the relationship between Balance, Relaxation and Impulsion, I’m going to focus on each element; beginning with Balance.

It makes sense to begin here, as so much of what is important to a horse starts and ends with balance. The famous principle ‘Balance before movement’ reminds us that by prioritising balance our horse will find movement with greater ease.

But how do we know if our horse is ‘in balance’. For riders such a Philippe Karl it’s clear it’s in his very bones, if he sits on a horse and there is a loss of balance his body refuses that sensation and immediately searches for something better. He describes it as feeling like you’re sitting on a rubber ball, with the horse able to ‘roll’ in any direction with no resistance.

Often, the first time we may have experienced this is when our horse is a little er, aerated. The energy goes up, relaxation is lost, but our horse is extremely manoeuvrable in all directions. It’s usually at this point that we’d like to get down, please. The balance may be exquisite, but the feeling is one of things about to go skyward.

Therefore, the challenge is to find this beautiful balance but within the envelope of relaxation. Well, you’ve got to do something with your life so it might as well be searching for this. To find the balance best suited to carry a rider and develop an artistic training programme, a horse needs to be shown how to usefully use the balancing pole of his head and neck. That means he must be free to use it, and the rider understands how best to help him with that. He must be able to lift his thoracic sling and utilise the elevating and balancing capability of his thoracic limbs. And in turn be able to access the pushing and engaging power of the pelvic limbs. With a spine that’s free of constriction to transmit these messages and able to move in many directions, becoming more stable as the balance improves.

If you’ve never experienced the sensation of riding a horse in a relaxed-but-full-of-life-balance, then it’s hard to know what you’re looking for. Here are some pointers which may help;

* Listen. To the sound of your horses front foot steps. If she is thumping them down that’s an indication that she’s not managing her own balance and is using the earth to prop herself up.

* Feel. Underneath the saddle, can you feel yourself being lifted and your pelvis being rolled up and back? If so, then your horse is raising their front end and by default their rib cage which enables them to better manage their balance. Many of us are so used to our pelvises being tipped down and forwards that it’s become normal. But it’s actually a sign of loss of balance.

* Feel, the horse at the end of the reins. Are they able to meet you at the end of the reins but not push or lean? If they are, and can change posture easily and smoothly, staying connected down the reins then that’s a sign of excellent balance. All too often a horse has been shown that she can prop herself up on the riders hands and that’s a sure sign of a loss of balance.

* Consider, rhythm and tempo. When the rhythm is very quick that’s usually a sign a horse is out of balance and is running to catch themselves. Or if the rhythm is erratic and constantly changing this may indicate a horse isn’t posturally strong enough to easily manage their balance. If the rhythm can stay the same while the tempo changes, that’s a positive symptom of good balance.

* Consider, how your horse feels about life. More often than we may realise, anxiety, spookiness and worry are a sign of a loss of balance. When horses are ‘held’ in place, even with moderate overflexion, they are out of balance, can’t see so well, can’t hear so easily and often demonstrate this through being very concerned. Spookiness may well be an indicator that your horse is worried about their balance,

By playing with the heady recipe of Balance, Relaxation and Impulsion we may discover our ordinary (but precious) horse, can offer us something quite extraordinary indeed.

Photo shows Philippe Karl riding Odin in an beautiful example of good balance.

09/12/2023

The Relaxation Story

The second element of the Balance-Relaxation-Impulsion triptych. Clearly these are not stand alone and each depends upon and relates to the other. And, with that caveat we can consider each aspect in isolation to make better sense of it.

Relaxation - probably the most subjective of the 3. It’s primarily understood to be a ‘feeling’, to which we have attached much value. And, confusion and contradiction. One persons ‘relaxation’ is another persons ‘shut down’.

Therefore, it is useful to have some physical markers to provide a more objective ability to recognise what’s going on for a horse. And, to create a broader definition of relaxation. Words such as adaptable, responsive, curious, permeable, interested, connected - may provide more information for us to be guided by.

In the school of Legerete the horses mouth, tongue and jaw are considered to be a useful gauge of how he’s feeling. And a way for a rider to help a horse feel better. Tension in the jaw can tell us a great deal about how a horse is both physically and mentally. Being able to change that situation - by provoking relaxation in the jaw - can also be part of the solution for a worried or braced horse. It can mean a lot to a horse for a person to help them let go of this contraction. You may experience the sensation go the whole way through your horse, releasing tension that you’re sitting on as well as what’s at the end of the reins.

Tension in the jaw and mouth can also be an indication of a loss of balance. If a horse is falling forwards and using the muscles of their thoracic sling and neck to resist this, they cannot have a relaxed jaw. Or a relaxed mind. When we help them with their balance they may show us this has been successful by releasing tension in their jaw. The balance is restored, so they no longer need to scaffold themselves by bracing up their front end.

In addition, the intimate link between a horses tongue, hyoid, TMJ and poll with their pelvis and hindquarters tells a story of relaxation, or lack of. When we constrict a horses front end with tight nosebands, restraining devices, side reins etc then by default we also restrict the hind end. Then, activity in the hind end needs to be reinstated with force and tension. It’s a common sight. A horse cannot relax - be permeable, curious, present - when they’re contained between these two opposing forces.

It’s always interesting to watch a horses tail - is it a relaxed swinging waterfall? A rainbow at the end of spine? Or swishing, clamped, catching between their hind legs, windmilling, held off to one side? When we notice that in our horses it tells a tale of their mind and and should give any thinking rider a reason to pause.

A ‘relaxed’ horse is not worried about learning new things, they feel good about giving things a go. The way they have been educated makes sense to them, respects their true nature and helps them find life as a riding horse easier. They are not expected to deal with harsh aids or mindless drilling so they are interested in the conversation between them and their rider. Movement itself is rewarding and becomes an excellent means of helping a horse to relax. There is nothing more natural to a horse - when we understand what kind of animal they really are.

A relaxed horse is just as able to take guidance from their rider when they’re out on a hack as they are in the confines of the arena. They don’t need to be lead in a chifney or ridden in draw reins. Scrub that, no horse needs that. They are confident that the person on their back has their back; and that whether they’re on the beach, in the forest or cantering a 20 meter circle, they feel sure their human is dependable, adaptable, curious and consistent. They can relax.

There is no doubt that some horses get born with a much more relaxed outlook on life. And for those horses who are wound more tightly, it may be that the very best thing a rider can do is to understand the relationship between relaxation, balance and impulsion.

Photo shows Becky Holden riding her advanced horse Esperito.

14/11/2023

15/10/2023

Thank you 👏

15/10/2023

But I'm not interested in dressage...

Why would this highly academic, life long commitment to practice and learning, hundreds of year old tradition in the French classical philosophy, be of interest to you if you are not a dressage obsessive?

I think I can speak for other instructors in the school when I say that many people we teach are not desperate to ride down the centre line. Some are, and it's always a great treat to share what I can with them. But many riders come to us because they just want to do better by their horse. They have come out of too many lessons not sure what it was all about, not certain that their horse had a good time, not clear how this is going to benefit them both in the long term.

Maybe they are worried about how spooky and anxious their horse is. Often they are disappointed about the huge amount of strength and force they have to use to get anything happening between them. They could be concerned that their horse's back shouldn't like quite so tight or their poll always needing attention from the Physio. Or maybe they still can't find that elusive canter lead, despite many years of trying.

When drawing on the holy trinity of Relaxation -Balance- Impulsion, we can see which aspect a horse needs most help with to improve the situation - we don't have to hope endless circles will be the solution. With a clear understanding of how to use a horse's extraordinary learning capacity to teach them the language of the aids, we don't have to rely on force or strength. And then by developing a bespoke plan of exercises which can help a horse move in a way which supports them to carry a rider with ease, any horse from an Arab to a Draught, a Highland to a Thoroughbred, can feel the benefits.

I hope you join us with master teacher Sylvia Stossel in November, even if you don't want to ride a test, you may want to do the best you can by your horse and there will undoubtedly be a gem in their for you and your horse.

Get your tickets here

https://legerete.co.uk/index.php/uk-clinics-and-tickets/

Photo shows Instructor Josh Daly talking to a student about how to help their horse manage his own balance and not lean on the hands and his front end.

14/10/2023

Would you like a FREE guest rider lesson with a teacher in the school of Legerete, overseen by master teacher Sylvia Stossel.

Get a taste of how the principles of French classical training can help you and your horse. With a focus on horses understanding and being able to respond with ease, this approach can help all horses shine.

You will need to bring your horse to Naturally Light Equitation at Preston Capes, Daventry. We provide one free nights stabling and 2 days free spectating.

The dates are Nov 11th - 13th, your lesson can be on a day to suit you.

Horses a minimum age of 5. Ideally a bigger horse if possible. Please contact Mark Fuller on [email protected]

26/09/2023

Professional equestrian facility offering tailor made livery packages, including schooling and sales

20/09/2023

28th September -1st October at Naturally Light Equitation.

20/09/2023

The New Legerete Foundation Instuctor Training Clinic.
8 Days and counting.

15/09/2023

Take 5 minutes and read this✔️.
Then read it again and again✔️.
Click on the pictures too✔️.

12/09/2023

THERE ARE ACTUALLY TWO THORACIC SLINGS…

Ok, technically, textbook, no, but it might help us to think that way when we’re talking about rotational asymmetries.

I’ve noticed that we have a tendency to view the thoracic sling as a singular structure that only lifts on one plane, but it’s actually able to lift only one side at a time, unilaterally, as visualized here by Denoix.

Rotational asymmetries can include multiple areas, from hindquarters, to thoracic sling, to the AO/TMJ/hyoid system.

Some are soft tissue, some are structural. Either way, we must proceed with caution, and veterinary input should the asymmetry persist.

When it comes to the thoracic sling, we can have ‘holding’ on one side, especially in cases like acquired unilateral club/functional limb length disparity/grazing stance/high-low syndrome, etc.

This holding means we can’t unilaterally elevate them equally on both sides, so they’ll never bilaterally elevate.

I have found releasing the ribcage on the outside, and releasing the thoracic sling on the outside, and allowing ‘over-rotation’ to the inside to be incredibly helpful.

Because the shoulders are part of the thoracic sling, using shoulder mobilizations as releases is also incredibly helpful.

This is why the old masters wanted us to use unilaterall engagement and unilateral elevation through the use of lateral maneuvers, to build towards bilateral engagement and bilateral elevation, a.k.a collection.

We have to ‘bend to go straight,’ or ‘rotate to go straight,’ rather, and develop one side at time, because not only are we working on unilateral weakness, we’re working on unilateral holding patterns.

That being said, the amount of bend required is minute, compared to what modern trainers have taught us, and the amount of repetitions needed is very few.

Should we forcibly overbend or destabilize the horse, or fatigue them, we will throw them back into a holding pattern, or cause harm.

Calm, forward, straight still very much applies.

11/09/2023

THIS....

Riding extremely behind the vertical or in “hyperflexion” is detrimental, whether the horse “does it on their own” or not.

You know what else horses would do on their own? Eat an entire bag of grain if you allowed them to have access to it. Eat ad lib sugar cubes or apples or other high sugar feeds if they were allowed access.

Horses choosing to do something on their own doesn’t equate to said thing being healthy or harmless.

That aside — more often than not — hyperflexion is a learned behaviour. Riders ride horses in a restrictive manner where going behind the vertical is the only way a horse can seek relief. Eventually, they learn to find this position even in the absence of pulling and strong handed riding and will appear to “choose” to be in such a position.

But naturally, in the absence of ridden or in hand work with humans, you would be extremely hard pressed to find any horse who would opt to maintain a hyperflexed position for more than a fleeting second to bite at a fly or something.

We cannot use “horse’s choice” as an excuse to defend practices that have substantial evidence displaying the fact that they’re damaging.

It completely removes accountability from the riders and handlers who condition the response from the horse and cause them to “choose” such postures.

It allows people to justify harmful practices and pretend their horse simply “prefers” them.

So, in the off chance that someone owns a masochistic outlier of a horse, remember that their “choice” doesn’t change the fact that such posture is damaging to the body and mind.

And as their caretaker, it is your job to keep their best interests at heart.

Besides — loose reins doesn’t necessarily equate to an absence of force. Learned and trained behaviours through force can and will be retained even after force is removed.

06/09/2023

Free Webinar: Healthy Horse Biomechanics: Activating The Thoracic Sling

Yes, it's short notice, but you still have time to sign-up for this brand new webinar on Wednesday September 6th! It will be hosted by Horse in Mind and taught by Drs. Karin Leibbrandt and instructor Tessa Roos. The activation of the thoracic sling is part of the posture of the horse when it moves in a truly biomechanically healthy way. It's not something you teach your horse, but rather something that emerges when the horse is fully balanced in its movement. This sounds simple, but in practice, it's not always as easy. If you want your horse to properly activate their thoracic sling, you need a number of ingredients in your training. There are also various factors that make such activation difficult or impossible, and these are not solely related to training!

In this live and FREE webinar, you'll discover the ins and outs of the activation of the thoracic sling. This will help you train your horse in a healthy and sustainable way. There will also be ample opportunity to ask questions on this topic. For more information and to sign up, please go to: https://horseinmind.eu/webinar-healthy-horse-biomechanics-activating-the-thoracic-sling/

06/09/2023

"Straight From the Horses Mouth"

Straight from the horses mouth.

In the school of Legerete we place a lot of emphasis on the horse's mouth - to the point of obsession. Because, for the horse it is a pretty big deal. A horse's mouth is really like a human hand; highly sensitive, very mobile, tactile and able to convey a great deal of emotion.

Horses don't use verbal chatter in the way humans do, if we want to understand them better we need to shut up and observe. They will show you through their bodies how they feel about life, and one of the key indicators of this is what they express through their mouth. With their lips and nose they will communicate a huge amount - whether are curious or afraid, worried or interested, tense or relaxed. They will tell you how they feel about the bit and the riders hands. They can also show you with their mouths whether their back is tight or their hind end compromised. They may cross their jaw, or chatter their teeth, or have their tongue hang out of an open mouth.

In the equestrian world we would rather not see that kind of communication - so it gets covered up. A crank noseband here, a flash there. But the truth is the horse still feels the same way, he just can't show you now as his mouth is closed. In this school we let it all hang out. Let the horse tell you how he feels; this could be about life generaly, about being ridden or specifically about the hands and the bit. Either way, let him have a say and then it is on us to help him with that.

First of all, we can attempt not to be part of the problem; by not using our hands in a way which causes him pain or worry, compromises his balance or creates tension. And then, maybe, we could actually be part of the solution. Using our hands to actively help him to feel better emotionally and physically. We have witnessed some quite remarkable changes in a horse when you take as much care of his mouth as you would a best friends hand. Horses who are relaxed in their mouth can be in balance in their body and feel better in their minds. It can really be jaw dropping to witness.

Audit a clinic by getting your tickets here
https://legerete.co.uk/index.php/uk-clinics-and-tickets/

05/09/2023

31/08/2023

At some point, if someone rides numerous horses, along will come one who has either been draw-reined or hauled on to the point that the horse curls behind the vertical and pretty much goes there as its default position.

There’s a truism that it is much easier to mess up a horse’s mouth than it is to repair it, so the best way, obviously, is to never create the behind-the-bit situation, but that is not the issue once it has been established.

Sometimes a bitless bridle or a mild hackamore will help, if the tension is in the actual mouth, and the horse has learned to fear the bit. Sometimes lots of walking on a long or loose rein will help reestablish trust. But sometimes that curling under has become so ingrained that it never entirely goes away.

Behind the bit is usually posture created by humans. Many good trainers are super careful about “placing the head” and similar concepts, because they would rather have the horse above the bit than behind the bit.

The idea being that it is so much easier to carefully and gradually get a horse to soften in its head and neck and poll posture than it is to undo the tendency to curl once it has been implanted by bad riding.

And yet, despite that, we see and hear so much “stuff” about head set, and there is so much tack, so many bits designed to “place” the head.

Try to “unplace” an over-flexed horse to understand how much risk strong hands and the wrong equipment can produce, and how hard it is to repair the damage.