Learning to jump
LEREN SPRINGEN
Hoewel wij geen afzonderlijke spring training inleggen, blijft het een onderdeel van het basis rijden. Paarden durven immers op buitenrit wel eens een sprongetje doen over een obstakel op de weg.
Vandaag heeft Liezel haar eerste sprongetjes gewaagd en dat met glans gedaan.
LEARNING TO JUMP
Although we do not provide jumping training, learning small jumps is part of the basic riding program as horses sometimes will jump when on the road.
Liezel did a good job learning no to jump for the very first time 👏🐴
Demonstratie van een zwaardoefening met repellone
What happens if you give people a twig and a horse ... 😂🐴
This was the end of our Introduction to knightly martial arts on horseback seminar: the Buhurt game.
It's a game I invented in line with what a buhurt actually was, which was a practice tournament. I give people twigs, so there is little risk of injury and people can move freely without helmets or gloves.
In this way, riders get an early taste of sparring, rendering also more focus on the horse and their horsemanship, as their technical potential with rather loose twigs is limited. Consequently, they become more aware of how the horse's qualities and movements will greatly advance their fencing skills.
An important added benefit of this focus on the horse, is that horses start to see this as 'play'. They start to let go of any anxiety or stress which they may have as a consequence of their riders swinging sticks or they having to directly approach their counterparts. They start to relax and focus on the purpose of the game. In other words, the mind of the horse starts to work with you rather than against you, a benefit to often ignored in training horses and of such huge value.
What you end up with is fun for both horse and human. It is an exercise I greatly recommend other Horsy HEMA enthusiasts to do as well.
NIEUWS - jongelingen op de Riddermark
NIEUWS - jongelingen op de Riddermark
Na de komst van Iandor eerder deze maand, is onze kudde weer op getalsterkte met de komst van de twee nieuwe veulentjes uit de TOHL. Het Friese veulentje is Nimue, het paardje van onze assistente Sophie Coppieters. En de Lussitano is mijn jong spruitje.
De eerste kennismaking met de kudde liep vlot, dus straks tijd voor de integratie.
HORSEMANSHIP - neutrale handen
HORSEMANSHIP - handen stilhouden
Een van de meest voorkomende fouten in rijtechniek is het gebrek aan ‘stille handen. Daardoor ontstaat er een aanhoudend stoten van het bit in de mond van het paard. Hierdoor wordt niet enkel enige vorm van lichtheid onmogelijk, maar het kan zelfs leiden tot fysieke en mentale probleem bij jouw paard.
Vele ruiters houden hun handen stil ten aanzien van het eigen lichaam, maar dat zijn geen stille handen voor het paard. De handen moeten stil zijn ten aanzien van de beweging van het paard.
Een goede oefening is het vasthouden van twee bekers water of - zoals Dries hier doet - het balanceren van een stokje op twee vingers. Jouw lichaam leert zo motorisch snel om de handen te bewegen met het ritme van het paard om zo ‘stil’ te worden.
HORSEMANSHIP - quiet hands
One of the most common ride technical mistakes od riders are moving hands. Consequently, a constant clunking of the bit is sustained in the sensible horse’s mouth. Not only does this exclude any notion of lightness, but it can cause both mental and physical problems for your horse.
The reason is that many riders fixate their hands in relation to their own bodies, but that does not result in quiet hands in relation to the horse and his movements. Rather, the hands need to learn to move in rhythm with the horse to become ‘quiet’
A good training exercise is to ride with two beakers of water or to balance a stick on your fingers as Dries is demonstrating here. Through motoric learning, your hands will learn to move along with the horse resulting in a ‘quiet’ position.
MEDIEVAL HORSEMANSHIP - first practice on tje quintain
HEMA - Eerste oefenbeurt op de quintain
Onze student en assistent Dries Groessens probeert voor de eerste maal de quintain uit. Dat onder de begeleiding van onze instructeur Virtus.
In navolging van het advies an koning Duarte van Portugal (vroege vijftiende eeuw) begint hij in lage gangen en met een lichte lans. Geen slecht advies, aangezien Dries toch een aantal mooie hits weet te scoren.
HEMA - First time practicing on the quintain
Our student and assistant Dries is having just first go at the quintain with his instructor Virtus.
In line with the advice of king Duarte of Portugal (early 15th century), he is practicing first at lower gaits with a light lance. Not bad advice as Dries succeeded in hitting some nice shots.
IMPRESSION - From the perspective of the cow
In our goal of 'fun with tradition' we focus mostly on trail riding and medieval horsemanship. However, we also love to do some buckarroo stuff such as roping (... our students) 😂🤠
thanks Sophie Coppieters for filming and for being the surrogate cow for this video
IMPRESSIE - bareback rijden
Het eerste wat we leren in het zadel is een onafhankelijke en voelende zit. Daardoor heeft onze studente liezel weinig moeite met het bareback rijden op Virtus. 😀🐴
IMPRESSION - bareback riding
The first thing we teach in the saddle is an independent and feeling seat. Hence, our student liezel has little trouble with some bareback riding on Virtus 😃🐴
IMPRESSIE - de smaak van gras
Na een ongelooflijk regenachtige winter zijn de paarden door het dolle om nog eens de frisse smaak van gras te mogen proeven.
Horsemanship is immers niet enkel het trainen of rijden van je paard maar ook de zorg ervoor. Om die reden hebben wij onze paddock paradise ‘de Riddermark’
Tijdens de winter houden we dan de paarden op een paddock en track. Eenmaal warmer krijgen de paarden terug toegang tot de weides.
Die verandering wordt echter niet drastisch doorgevoerd. De paarden gaan de eerste dagen maar een paar uur op de weides zodat hun darmflora zich geleidelijk kan aanpassen aan het nieuwe dieet.
IMPRESSION - the taste of grass
After a really rainy winter, the horses are happy for something as the fresh taste of grass.
Horsemanship is not only to train and ride a horse but also to take care of them. For that reason we have our Paddock Paradise ‘the Riddermark’.
During the winter the horses are kept in a paddock and track, but once it gets warmer and the grass starts growing, access to the pastures is given.
This transition, however, is not made drastic, but gradual, allowing for the horse’s intestinal flora to adapt to the new diet. For that reason they only have access for a couple of hours during the first days.
Chilling after a good lesson 😉🐴
At the SAEquestris, lessons are judged by a committee of experts 😉🐴
A nice video of a training session with one of my former students Lindsay Kellens portraying my 'on the horse teaching technique'.
Sometimes I teach my student from horseback as it has some advantages. First, I can directly explain and demonstrate to the student what I want them to do and they can mimic me as I ride along. Second, I can ride with the student supporting them as i ride close next to them. But the most value lies perhaps in the third reason. As the student mimics me, the student's horse mimics my horse. Furthermore, I can also directly teach the student's horse from this position.
And the results can be seen in this video with Lindsay doing a great job with her Diamond. And also a big hand to my co instructor, my horse Ibn who is just perfectly equipped for this type of work. 👍🐴💪
Also thank you Linday for sharing this video
