In this video, Jenku gets friendly with a FLAMINGO and Senna learns to FIND NEUTRAL between some very challenging props!
Horses eyes are on the side of their heads, so this means they are LATERAL THINKERS. Jenku teaches us why this is so important to understand when training your horse.
Senna learned previously that a rubber car mat is his ‘happy’ place. By placing the mat on the ground between tents, tubes, and other brightly-coloured objects that would usually push all his panic buttons, instead he quickly learns to find ‘neutral’.
The one constant in your horse’s life is YOU, so if you are fair and consistent, he’ll be more inclined to trust you and follow your lead. Even though the props get scarier as the lesson progresses (there’s even a crocodile!), Senna is quicker to find neutral each time.
If your horse is SPOOKY or lacks FOCUS this series will train you and your horse to STAY CALM! Every video is packed with educational fun, and magical moments that are easy to follow and execute. Enjoy! www.adventureswithjenku.com/pages/scatterproof
In this video, Mary Poppins meets 600kgs of horse power and a small OOPS moment ends up being a big test for Senna!
Playing with props is lots of fun but it's not just a party trick. It’s about training your horse to be BOMBPROOF and keep you SAFE, no matter what the situation. As Jenku says, ‘rather be on the ground wishing you were on your horse, rather than on your horse wishing you were on the ground’.
For a competition horse like Senna, flags, hazard tape, umbrellas and sound systems are going to be a part of his world, so the sooner he learns to deal with them, the better.
Like many horse's, Senna is very suspicious by nature, so it’s always better to start off with a prop he is familiar with, recap what he’s learnt, and reinforce the default behaviour which is to lower his head and find neutral mind and feet.
All cool? Great, now you’re ready to hop up onto the mounting block and try waving it overhead. When Jenku makes a mistake pushes the umbrella pop open button by mistake, Senna handles it brilliantly. He didn’t overreact – which is exactly what you want. Well done, Senna. You handled it like a pro!
If your horse is SPOOKY or lacks FOCUS this series will train you and your horse to STAY CALM! Every video is packed with educational fun, and magical moments that are easy to follow and execute. Enjoy! www.adventureswithjenku.com/pages/scatterproof
Who knew a RUBBER CAR MAT could be such a powerful training tool? For a sensitive horse like Senna, a neutral place where he can relax is very important. In this video, Jenku trains Senna to find neutral on the mat using a fun game called 'HOTTER / COLDER'. He soon learns if he steps on the mat, he will be clicked and rewarded.
The next part of the exercise is to use the mat to teach Senna to find neutral at the MOUNTING BLOCK. He is suspicious of the mounting block to begin with, but these worries soon fall away as he is rewarded for standing quietly on the mat.
You can use the mat in so many situations to help calm your horse’s nerves - at competitions, on the horse box ramp to encourage easy boxing, standing quietly for the farrier, or our personal favourite - placed near horse-eating arena mirrors!
The RUBBER MAT is Senna's 'happy place' - it has been a total revelation in both our training and competing. Nowadays it travels everywhere with him!
If your horse is SPOOKY or lacks FOCUS this series will train you and your horse to STAY CALM! Every video is packed with educational fun, and magical moments that are easy to follow and execute. Enjoy!
www.adventureswithjenku.com/pages/scatterproof
Senna’s eyes are about to pop out of their sockets! A plastic bag is scary enough, but now there’s a fluffy feather duster to contend with. YIKES!
You might be wondering what a feather duster has got to do with good horse training. SPOOKY Senna will jump out of his skin at the sight of anything vaguely scary, so it’s important to remind him that 'NEUTRAL FEET & MIND' are what we’re after. So grab your duster and let's learn how it's done in this video.
First of all Senna needs to realise that when he stands still, and puts his head down, the scary object goes away - pressure off. But if he keeps rushing backwards or kicking out, the object remains at his side - pressure on.
Jenku makes 'advance and retreat' look simple, but his timing needs to be spot on. As soon as Senna softens – no matter how subtly – Jenku removes the pressure. By rewarding the 'smallest try', this boosts Senna’s confidence in his ability to control his environment.
Remember, a horse can only learn if he’s in the parasympathetic, or rest and digest, state. For this reason, you need to train calmness into your horse - otherwise you’ll never be able to achieve the goals you’ve carved out for yourself!
If your horse is SPOOKY or lacks FOCUS this series will train you and your horse to STAY CALM! Every video is packed with educational fun, and magical moments that are easy to follow and execute. Enjoy!
www.adventureswithjenku.com/pages/scatterproof
Don't make the same mistake I did! 🙈I had no idea there was a 'process' to desensitising until I met Jenku. Watch this and you'll see what I mean...
Click here to follow the Scatterproof training program:
https://adventureswithjenku.com/pages/scatterproof
Every video is packed with educational fun, and magical moments that are easy to follow and execute. If you don't see results in the first 7 days, simply request a refund for the full purchase price.
Did you know horses think in pictures? If you’ve watched the previous videos you will have learned that; pointing down means 'long & low', your arm extended away from you means 'forward' while your finger pointing skywards means 'poll up'.
It’s important to remember that true flexion doesn’t happen by holding your horse in a false frame in front. In this video Jenku really explains HORSE BIOMECHANICS so that finally we understand what is meant by ‘riding the horse from ‘back to front’.
We can clearly see it is the result of the hind legs swinging forward and under to where the rider would be sitting. Then the abdominals kick in and the horse is able to lift his back, his withers rise, the base of the neck comes up, the poll lifts and his head falls into place naturally at the end of his neck. Finally it all makes sense when Jenku explains it!
Don’t worry if you get stuck. Slow down, go back a stage and start again. The set up is really important and you need to make sure your horse is supple through his body with a good lateral bend. Practising a little every day is the key to improvement.
If you're lungeing in the 'conventional' way - your horse is missing out! This training series is a complete eye opener. Every video is packed with educational fun, and magical moments that are easy to follow and execute. Enjoy! www.adventureswithjenku.com/pages/lunge
Direct canter transitions, from rein back.... on the lunge!? This exercise is not for beginners, but for those who have watched and learned from the previous seasons and already have built some buttons into their horses!
The aids for the direct canter are clear. Herman needs to rein back one deliberate footstep at a time. When his weight has shifted towards his hind quarters, Jenku raises his hand so that Herman lifts his poll, and with one cluck, Herman strikes off.
This can’t be done if Herman is heavy on the forehand or slow to respond to the canter cue. Jenku clicks and rewards him as soon as he strikes off. If he makes a mistake – such as striking off disunited, Jenku provides feedback and Herman tries again. This mindset is focussed on success and incremental gains. It assumes you will try, fail, try, improve. Repeat.
While food is the most obvious reward, when your horse is working and lactic acid is building up in his muscles, by inviting him in to rest, you’re also rewarding him. He’ll soon realise that being 'with you' is a 'good place to be' and that training is rewarding rather than punishing.
If you're lungeing in the 'conventional' way - your horse is missing out! This training series is a complete eye opener. Every video is packed with educational fun, and magical moments that are easy to follow and execute. Enjoy! www.adventureswithjenku.com/pages/lunge
Here's something YOU WON'T have seen before! There’s nothing like this in conventional training that gives you the tools to teach your horse how to come into vertical flexion without gadgets and gizmos.
If your horse is food motivated, you can redirect his energy into something useful for dressage, and train a cue for vertical flexion. This is also a really handy exercise for rainy days, as you can train it in the stable - bonus!
A horse’s neck acts as a balancing pole. If you can train the neck to go into different positions, then you can influence his body and shift his weight around. In this film Jenku initially lures Herman into the correct position using food. He clicks and rewards when Herman flexes at his poll. As Herman gets more familiar with this shape, Jenku only needs a hand signal to cue vertical flexion, and it doesn’t take Herman long to figure out what he needs to do.
The next phase of the exercise is to help Herman tuck his pelvis under so that his abdominals contract. He looks like a ‘sheep on a shoebox’, and helps him redistribute his weight for optimal movement. Add vertical flexion to this and - without reins or other aids - you’re able to condition your horse’s body and get him fit and ready for collected work. Fabulous!
If you're lungeing in the 'conventional' way - your horse is missing out! This training series is a complete eye opener. Every video is packed with educational fun, and magical moments that are easy to follow and execute. Enjoy!
The Old Masters used to say; ‘Train in a walk, establish in a trot, test in the canter’. In this video Jenku encourages Herman to work 'long and low'. Herman has already learned to target a cone on the ground in the previous seasons. Now that he has that figured out, Jenku shows us how to use our body language to train your horse to relax and lower his head.
Once Herman is consistently walking with his head lowered, Jenku ups the criteria and asks him to trot. Herman lifts his head, but because he doesn’t get rewarded for this, he quickly realises that the treats only come when his head is lowered.
You can now start spacing your rewards and instead of rewarding every time, you can reward when your horse has lowered his head twice in a row. This is called 'variable reinforcement' - it's how you’ll train your horse to stay down for longer periods of time.
What’s the point? Muscles work in pairs, so the abdominal muscles can only work properly and get the hind legs swinging when the back is relaxed. The back muscles are only able to relax when the horse has his head lowered.
If you're lungeing in the 'conventional' way - your horse is missing out! This training series is a complete eye opener. Every video is packed with educational fun, and magical moments that are easy to follow and execute. Enjoy! www.adventureswithjenku.com/pages/lunge
I can't help smiling in this video as finally we put all the pieces of the puzzle together for the FLYING CHANGES!
Let's recap what we've learned so far in the series:
First we learned how to control the shoulders
Next we learned how to control our body posture
Then we learned to control the hindquarters
These are very deliberate steps, so your horse knows what’s coming and isn’t taken by surprise - and so that you don't end up just kicking your horse in the ribs trying to make the change OUCH!
Now we put it all together so there is a clear shift of balance, and preparation for the new lead. All the qualities of a good flying change are there, now we just need to add impulsion.
We start on a 10 meter circle to the left. As we loop back to the track, I shift my weight, change the bend and 'Hey Presto!' Fleur is able to jump off with the right leg lead and make the change.
(Tip: Be careful not to look down (like me!) as this shifts the weight onto the front shoulders which you’re trying to free up.)
In the beginning the cues must be obvious so that both the rider and horse understand what’s happening. As you get better at the changes, your cues will be barely observable. Enjoy!
Follow the 'Ridden Journey' here:
https://adventureswithjenku.com/pages/ridden
I had a real LIGHT-BULB moment during this filming, as Fleur and I both began to develop 'conscious control' of our bodies. This is Part 3 in the FLYING CHANGES series!
We start working on a figure of 8, circling right in renvers, then as we come across the centre line, maintaining the same bend, and circle left - we are now in travers (or quarters in).
By changing rein and practising maintaining the bend, your horse learns to follow your lead and take heed of how your weight shifts. Once you’ve established this in a walk, practise in trot.
OK next exercise - now we pick up the canter and do the figure of 8 in travers bringing your horse back to walk as you cross the centre line each time. In this way, you’ll be able to practice your set up and control the hind quarters and shoulders through each transition.
The canter needs to be nice and bouncy to allow airtime for the changes in the next step. Make sure you let your horse stretch in between to release the build-up of lactic acid and allow red blood cells and oxygen back into the muscles.
Follow the whole season and learn how to ride Flying Changes here: https://adventureswithjenku.com/pages/ridde
Ready for step 2 of our FLYING CHANGES series? In step 1 we learned to control the horse's shoulders. In this video we are working on controlling RIDER POSTURE.
There are three things that influence the horse: your hand, your seat or balance and your leg. For flying changes these three aids happen in a specific order. Once your horse recognises that you give the cues in the same order then you will be able to compress these to make them happen instantaneously.
The key is consistency - you must become very precise with each individual cue. If you are not in control of your POSTURE to start with, then signals will get confused. So let's get to work!
We start with a shallow counter canter loop and then gradually make the loop deeper and closer to the centre line. Horses often have anticipatory anxiety during flying changes, so the more Fleur realises that there are lots of breaks, the more she will learn to wait and be calm.
This is a great exercise to train the rider to really focus on their posture and develop better ‘feel’ in order to do the flying change later in the season.
Buy the 'Ridden Autumn Season' here: https://adventureswithjenku.com/pages/ridden
https://adventureswithjenku.com/pages/ridden
