Light Hands Horseman KE

30/07/2023

When I learned riding in riding schools in Germany as a child, one of the worst things that could happen was forgetting my gloves. It meant that my fingers, that place between the little finger and ring finger where the rein is kept, would be raw and get blisters. It was not because of the horses, but because of the way I was taught to ride: with a lot of “contact” on the rein and by constantly pushing the horse with my lower leg. Today, I would not call this contact anymore, but by what it is: pulling. When I think about that now, I feel terrible. If my fingers got wound, what about the poor horses’ mouth? Over time, those horses got less and less sensitive on the bit and became quite hard in the mouth. Which led to more pulling on the student’s part.

When I was a teenager, I started questioning some of these practices. I felt that I needed a lot of strength in my arms in order to ride the way I was supposed to ride. And still, my riding instructors would tell me that my reins have the length of driving lines, which was their way of telling me that I have to make them a LOT shorter. At some point it stopped making sense to me: Why should I pull with all I had in my little arms on a horse’s mouth, a horse who anyway didn’t want to go forward and had to be hit by the whip to do so, and then push him with my little legs? When I got off the horse, I often felt exhausted and sweaty, and the horse was certainly happy that it was over, too.

Today, I never ride with gloves, unless it’s too cold and otherwise I will get frozen fingers. I want to be able to feel through my fingers and into the rein, feel what is happening in the horse, and if there is this subtle conversation between us. When you tense the muscles in your fingers and arms because you pull on the rein, you can’t feel.

Moreover, when I got to know the academic art of riding, I was so happy to learn that in the academic art, the head of the horse is not forced into a certain position, but the way the horse carries head and neck are a result of how the rest of the body works. Basically, we leave the head alone and work on lateral balance and educating the hind legs. Even more: I want to be able to see whether what I do helps the horse, or if he got rather tense from it. I treat the head and neck as a barometer: A barometer changes because of the weather conditions, but you can’t change the weather by changing the barometer. Sure, you can pull down the horse’s head, but that will not lead to correct posture.

On the contrary, the more I learned about correct biomechanics, the more I understood that there is a direct relationship between the forward step of the hind legs and rein tension. The more you pull, the shorter the forward step.

Pulling on the rein leads to compression of the neck and thus inhibits the correct transmission of swing. The horse gets on the shoulder, the rib cage doesn’t rotate correctly anymore, and the hip doesn’t come forward as much anymore. We basically constrict the natural movement of the spine. If we push the horse forward with our legs then, the horse becomes a so called “leg mover”: the spine is not swinging correctly, the horse stiffens the back, but the legs make big steps. In today’s dressage riding, this is even used to get more points in competitions. Spectacular steps are more rewarded than correct biomechanics.

This is not ethical. We have to inform ourselves what the consequences of our actions are and let go of old practices. Just because it has been done in the past, or because it is a custom, it doesn’t make it right.

Do you need gloves to protect your fingers from blisters when you ride? Please re-evaluate what you do and how your horse feels about it.

Photo Céline Rieck Photography

26/06/2023

The never ending quest for straightness/balance

25/06/2023

That feeling of contentment and relaxation births a large yawn

14/01/2023

Horse Training Notes

If you take up the challenge in becoming a horse trainer then you become deeply entrenched not only in the horse's behavior but more importantly in your own behavior.
This can never be taken lightly, as you discover those well hidden pieces of yourself that aren't always so pleasant to see.

This is where the road forks for many people, they either take on the challenge to improve themselves, or they come to the realization it isn't for them.

That's ok too!

But to those of us who do take on this very worthwhile study, the road is full of hairpin turns and potholes and very rough at times, yet the scenery is so very sweet. From that view we can see and experience things we could not in any other way. Our horses too, will benefit from this as they are forever grazing in the lush fields in the sunshine, and we can gaze upon them knowing they are happy too!

How far you come as a horseman is 'fully' dependent on how far you 'want' to go and it is only 'you' who can do it. How much effort you put in, how honest you can be with yourself is totally up to you. Listening to opinions of others who are not searching for what you are, are not only useless, but harmful and can even weaken your resolve if you let them. So take every piece of advice with a grain of salt and throw out that which does not serve your greater purpose.

Every horse has his own strengths and weaknesses, and although he won't always be the best at something you ask him to do, with the right training, he 'will' do it anyway. This is something often taken advantage of, and because of the horse's generous temperament, he gives of himself even if it injures him to do so. I speak in terms of psychological and physical.
That is one of the most valuable lessons a great horse trainer can learn ;

To never ask the horse to do something for too long or at the wrong time and when he is not ready to do it.

When he is not ready means he is not in the right balance, physical and psychological, to perform what we ask of him.

The aim then is to ask for a little and only of a short duration and reward the horse immediately on the slightest try, and in the right balance.

The horse will often show you 'how' he can do something. That is a very beautiful thing;
to be able to feel this dialogue unfolding.

As a good trainer we should be able to show the horse what we want and then 'allow' him to do it, without any further intervention from us.
Then he will do it willingly with all his power. Many riders often do not recognize the beginning of this dialogue and start to force the horse which shuts him down, rather than building on his confidence.

It won't be perfect at first, because the horse is a beginner and if you want to train him to understand fully, you must start with small steps which instill confidence, and then build on these small steps.

If you were not clear to the horse with your request, he will not understand. Importantly it is paramount that we pause and reflect on what we have done before we insist that he does it. We must also have a clear goal in mind. We modify our request if it is not understood so that the horse can understand more clearly.
This is like building a foundation brick by brick. We make sure that each brick laid is solid. The more solid the foundation the more the horse will also become calm and his enjoyment in learning, greatly increased. Anytime he starts to lose confidence, we simply retrace our steps back to something the horse understands, and go from there.

Riding is like music, it is not the end of the music we want to get to, it is purely enjoying the moment with the music. It is the same with our horses; to enjoy the beautiful music we make together in that moment.
Sometimes we think of a moment as if it were of a short duration, but with better understanding, these moments last longer and longer.

A famous horseman who traveled to Australia many years ago said that one must hurry slowly.

In the same way; If we rush, we lose.

One other thing about horses that must be understood is;
He knows when you have pushed him too far. He knows when you were being unfair. You know that too.

He has a mind , and many a rider has become unstuck because they have treated him like a machine. He's too intelligent for that and will never give the rider his full capacity unless he has been trained with courtesy and respect.

19/10/2022

EVOLVING BEYOND PRESSURE AND RELEASE…

“Make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult.”

Wise words from Tom Dorrance.

But if we have to keep making the wrong thing difficult, we simply may not be letting the right thing be easy enough… or, maybe the ‘right’ thing isn’t as right as we think it is…

A good example of increasing ease, rather than difficulty, is evolving beyond pressure and release in our riding, into an ‘influence’ over physics and instinct…

Influencing the swing of the barrel, or the flight phase of a foot, has nothing to do with pressure and release, and everything to do with physics.

Mirroring the horse, then having them mirror us, “First you go with the horse, then the horse goes with you, then you go together,” has nothing to do with pressure and release, and everything to do with the instinct of herd synchronicity, just as a school of fish or a murmuration of birds have nothing to do with pressure and release.

When we tap into that, we experience ease, and we don’t have to resort to difficulty.

If, instead of seeking mastery over the horse, we allow the laws of nature and physics to be our master, we will find the ease and ‘rightness’ that allows self-carriage…

28/09/2022

UPDATE: This post has gotten so much more attention and interest than I ever imagined. How wonderful!! But, it's getting to a point where there's no way I'm going to be able to manage trying to communicate with everyone individually. So, I've created a new private Facebook Group for those who are interested in continuing the conversation and/or being involved in the webinar series. Here's the link if you'd like to join me there: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3278495919029887/

The original post follows:
_________

"Do you ride them?!"

It's almost always the first question I get when someone hears I have horses. The face of the person asking is usually filled with excitement, admiration and awe. Sometimes jealousy too.

It's hard to be the one who knows my answer is about to burst their bubble.

"Nope," I say, smiling extra wide to reassure them they don't need to feel sorry for me, or my horses.

The juxtaposition usually throws them off... as if my response and my expression couldn't possibly be in alignment. It's not the answer anyone is ever expecting (or wanting) to hear.

From there, it goes something like this:

"Oh, that's too bad."

OR

"Why? What's wrong with them?"

OR

"Goodness... horses are so expensive. Why would you want to pay for them if you can't ride them?!"

Some people try their best to hide their disappointment, smiling compassionately as they say, "Oh. Well, that's okay. It doesn't matter. I just love horses. They're so beautiful."

The unspoken expectation in human society is that if you own horses, you should be riding them.

Within the horse industry itself, being a non-rider (especially a voluntary one) will get you ostracized, criticized, mocked and/or written off as a "crazy animal rights advocate". There's really nothing you can say to most horse people that will put them at ease with your decision to stop riding (or, God Forbid, to never learn to ride). Even people who have been severely (and permanently) injured in riding accidents are actively encouraged by their peers, trainers and coaches to "get back in the saddle".

Meanwhile, most horses would be perfectly happy to never be ridden again (and their owners will surprisingly often even tell you so!). Yet, the stigma remains. You're not a "real" horse person if you don't ride. Regardless of what you say your reasons are, many horse people will assume you're either too afraid to ride, too lazy to ride, not a very good rider, or (as mentioned previously) you'll simply get written off as a "crazy" animal rights activist.

The horse industry itself will also try to convince you that your horse(s) will never be healthy or happy if you stop riding (unless, of course, you're rehabbing a sick or injured horse, or your horse has been formally retired from riding due to age, injury or illness. THEN it's suddenly okay, or even beneficial, not to ride them anymore).

If I had only one wish that could be granted right now in the horse industry it would be that horse people everywhere could have enthusiastic permission to DISMOUNT GRACEFULLY–– whenever we want, for as long as we want (including permanently) and for any reason we want–– without criticism, without being ostracized and with joyful appreciation for our willingness to love our horses sans riding.

I realize there are many in the horse industry who feel deeply threatened by anyone who actively supports or advocates for NOT riding, especially if the person believes that riding is bad for horses. But here's the deal: riding is never going to be outlawed (or at least not in our lifetime!). The entire horse industry is built on the business of riding, and it's a $50+ billion dollar machine of an industry! Horse owners who don't ride are BY FAR the minority. But horses who can't/shouldn't be ridden (too young, too old, injured, sick, unsound, emotionally unfit, etc.) are, by far, NOT the minority.

Embracing the art and spirit of DISMOUNTING GRACEFULLY is something the horse industry (including humans and horses alike) desperately needs. In the coming months I'll be hosting some webinars on this topic. I'd like to involve leaders from both sides of the aisle (those who ride and those who don't) who are interested in engaging in respectful conversation about how we can come together as an industry to embrace the concept of Dismounting Gracefully, with love and compassion in our hearts (for ourselves, one another, and the horses).

If you'd like to be part of these conversations, comment below or message me privately.

24/09/2022

CONSILIENCE…
When knowledge from seemingly unrelated sources comes together into universal truths…

PART 2: THE ‘MASTER’S TRIANGLE’

Identifying for myself the ‘master’s triangle,’ where everything begins and ends, whether c**t starting or advancing, has been monumental.

It’s something I’ve felt over the years, something the horses have tried again and again to teach me, but losing my own horses that I could have advanced with, having new habits interrupted by c**t starting and client horses, this has not progressed as well as it should, so I’ve ended up, like many riders, getting stuck in the ‘box of mediocrity.’

MASTERING ‘BEING’ OVER DOING…
The master’s triangle is simply the ability to master neutral.

Neutral shoulders, neutral elbows, neutral hands, all released, creates a triangle shape between elbows and hands.

If we begin and end here, we connect our hands to our core, we connect our hands to the horse’s shoulders, and in doing so, we connect our center of gravity to their center of gravity between between their shoulders, instead of both of us collapsing laterally and longitudinally by us always taking the connection to their face.

The master’s triangle makes us lift, instead of pull, makes us ride from the seat and leg, instead of the hand, makes us guide from the outside, like a herd member, instead of pulling from the inside like a predator.

The horse responds instinctively to our herd of aids, because we are earning influence over mind and balance, not merely demanding control.

When we learn to keep shoulders and elbows and heels back and down, instead of jammed and forward, we find a place of influence that is both deeply anchored, and incredibly light.

A WORD OF WARNING…
Committing to the master’s triangle is guaranteed to be a lesson in humility and frustration.
We don’t realize how little influence we actually have off the seat and leg, how much we do for the horse, until we challenge ourself to do less.

But it is ultimately a lesson in how effortless riding can actually be. Once you feel it you can’t settle for less.

The master’s triangle has everything to do with my next topic… how the French school helped me fill in the mechanics of the hackamore and bridle, and it has everything to do with committing to correct rotation and straightness on the way to one-handed riding…

Below:
Lift don’t pull.
Sometimes I lift, sometimes I rotate my fingernails up Jane Savoie-style (Also Philippe Karl and de la Guérinière). The key is to avoid head tilting.
I’ve since learned to activate my inside leg without ‘frog-legging.’

Part 1
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=501211608680639&id=100063754110668

Part 2
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=501467681988365&id=100063754110668

Part 3
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=502664795201987&id=100063754110668

Part 4
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=503954875072979&id=100063754110668

22/09/2022

Karen Rohlf's answer to the question: 'What makes a good rider?' may surprise you. This article gives you a list of the most important qualities to have as a rider of dressage. Includes the Good Rider Pledge.

19/09/2022

FOR THE RIDER
Look over your horse, do not look down, you have to feel what is going on below you.
Never ride with too low hands. The upper part of your arm must descend vertically. From the elbow, you must perform a straight line through the forearm and the rein to the horse's mouth.
A horse that is not right can never keep his head down. Only a straightened horse can get in hand and can lower the head.
Your inside hand can never be lower than the outside hand. In a corner or on the flip, your inside hand will toujour higher than the outside hand.
Never compensate the asymmetry of your horse by your weight. If the horse goes down to the inside, make a curve by moving against-the reigns never put your weight on the outside: this may cause enormous strain in the back of the horse. Always keep your weight on the inside of the bend.
The horse must always be on impulse, he must want to advance. Keep the horse receptive aid.
Reward your horse every time it works well. The rewards make it great and proud horse.
'All your actions toward the horse must be identified by the love and sense of responsibility'.
Nuno OLIVEIRA

22/07/2022

Ride the ground, not the horse.
Where to put your hands? Ok- first of all, this will eventually be refined as you learn consistent inside leg to outside connection. But until then your hand placement has to do with where the horse is at in relation to where you want to be. Imagine you are riding on a track. If the horse stays right on the track, your hands stay an even distance away from the horse's midline, and all is even and nice. But lets get real! Your horse is likely to drift towards the gate/barn/his buddies, which means he falls in on one side, and falls out on the other side.
If your horse is drifting out of your circle your hands stay right over your track. If your hands stay over your intended path and your horse drifts out, your inside hand now appears further away from the neck, and your outside hand is now near midline. Assuming a clockwise circle, your hands didn't move to the right of your horse, your horse moved to the left of your hands!! As you keep going and you reach the other side of the circle, your horse is now falling in. Again, keep your hands over your track. This puts your inside rein against the neck and your outside rein away from the neck, drawing the horse out onto your intended path.
This may sound complicated, but all it means is to keep your hands over the piece of ground you had planned on riding across! Now, if your horse gets so far off your path that this is impossible, you need to change tactics- PULL UP! Halt! Stop. Do NOT allow your horse to drag you off your path!!! After you've hit the breaks, get the horse to yield off your aids, back onto the path again, and then proceed like it never happened. This is leadership. A few of those and your horse will just stick to your path.

To keep going with this imagery, really green horses get a wide path. Your hands are wider and they can wiggle a lot more and it still be fine. But an educated horse gets a much narrower path. Of course, this takes an educated rider as well.

Yes there are a few holes in this imagery as you advance, but for the most part you'll continue keeping your horse between your aids in a similar way, where you create a path, and if your horse bumps against the edge of the path, he feels the wall of your aids, and thus knows where to go.

10/07/2022

EXCITEMENT ON THE EDGE OF EXPLOSION

You can create two types of expression:

#1 EXPRESSION ON THE EDGE OF EXPLOSION
Used by many people and trainers. This type of expression is built on flight-or-flight instinct triggered in the horse. Biomechanically, it’s using the fact that a scared horse is collecting energy in his body, and lifting up the front of the body with his head and neck, to be able to escape or dynamically change direction of movement when needed.

#2 EXPRESSION AS FAR FROM EXPLOSION AS POSSIBLE
In this approach, the trainer and rider combines deep relaxation with conscious movement of the horse, which makes the movement free from residual tensions which normally limit movement and performance. The horse collects energy in his body in a totally aware away: the horse becomes deeply relaxed and starts to move rhythmically. If on top of that the horse has conscious access to muscle relaxation techniques, and is able to deepen muscle relaxation as he moves, then he stops using his muscles to move and starts to use his tendons. Such movement is relaxed, yet full of energy. The horse is focused yet without any sharpness in his attitude or body responses. The horse feels soft, round, full of energy, but the energy is not explosive. The energy is more of a blossoming Rose 🌹 the more the horse moves, the better he feels. And the more in balance he is, the better movement the horse can show. The better movement the horse can access, the better the horse feels, both emotionally and physically — and this is how this circle of pleasure works.

If someone tells you that you need to excite or scare your horse in order to bring “more sparkle”, energy or expression to your horse’s performance — know that you will be using the EXCITEMENT ON THE EDGE OF EXPLOSION type of movement. Such a movement is the shortest possible way to injuries and emotional and mental trauma for the horse (and the less brave rider). It’s a way to shrink your horse’s awareness in the movement, make him run (flight) or fight you openly. It’s not a way to teach the horse anything.

Stay away from explosions. They are fine way to demolish things, but not to build a long lasting beauty full performance 💪🏽🖤

OneHorseLife.com

10/07/2022

This video describes how a horse's worry creates behavioural and training problems and discusses a strategy to deal with the problem.I teach Good Horsemanshi...