Confidence Connection

06/08/2022

“Why aren’t you giving your horse any food/have you tied your horse up in side reins/put him in a separate paddock to his friends/**insert inhumane form of “punishment” here**…?”

“I’m punishing him for being naughty when I rode earlier! He needs to know he’s been naughty and it’s not allowed!”

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MYTH BUSTING

Your horse has NO CONCEPT OF CONSEQUENCE!!! They literally DO NOT have the actual physical brain matter (Frontal Cortex) responsible for forward planning or consequences of actions. They can ONLY think in THAT EXACT moment.

There is a MINISCULE time gap (of approximately 3 seconds) that your horse will associate your action with their behaviour.

For example:
horse does as you ask whilst riding – immediately take leg off/gives treat/says “good boy!”/pat or stroke = associates that behaviour with your reaction.

Horse does as you ask whilst riding – give treat to horse back in the stable after cooling down for 10 minutes, untacking and taking off your helmet, gloves and boots = horse has no idea what the treat was for at all, DOES NOT relate it to whatever he did well in his lesson, perhaps it was for “looking cute” at you or maybe even eating his hay…?

Horse “is naughty” during your ride e.g. bucks (?) – immediate hit with the whip = horse likely becomes more stressed and anxious (to a greater or lesser degree) as they thought they were doing what you asked them/are actually trying to tell you that they’re in pain/finding it difficult/got excited.

Horse “is naughty” during your ride e.g. bucks (?) – continue with your ride and behaviour progressively worsens (see scenario above) then lock horse in it’s stable with no food, away from his friends maybe even cross tied in side reins… (I really hope that nowadays there are very few who would do the latter!!!) = horse has no idea why resources are being withheld/aren’t present, is stressed after escalated stress caused during their exercise, likely very tired causing more stress as this significantly compromises their “flight” ability, now feels restricted (perhaps even physically by force) you see where I’m going with this…

You CANNOT “punish” a horse for past (anything more than 3 seconds prior!!) “negative”/unwanted/”bad” behaviour. They just WILL NOT understand YOUR association.

THE BEST way to train your horse in ANY situation is to reward the good – ALL OF IT! INCLUDING THE “TRYS” – and simply ignore the “bad”. It is PROVEN that “punishment” is THE LEAST EFFECTIVE form of reinforcement in ALL SPECIES. Delayed punishment is pretty much useless/ineffective/inappropriate in any scenario.

If you give the “bad” behaviour little to no significance and the “good” behaviour huge congratulations which do you think your horse is more likely to try/do again?

05/06/2022

Everything comes with a price

A sensitive horse is going to be sensitive to both light aids AND your accidental aids and mistakes

A quiet school horse is going to give you room to fumble with your hands and legs, and they are also likely to ignore them when you mean to use them.

It isn’t fair to want the reward without the price. It isn’t fair to take from a horse without giving- and it all comes down to working on ourselves: our expectations, riding abilities, mindset, and awareness. You can’t have a perfectly performing horse without putting in your own work. A horse is not a computer or a robot- they rise to, or fall to, the level of the horseman.

Photo by Melinda Yelvington

26/02/2022

Exercises for rider and horse

It’s the time of year when the cold weather may be limiting your time with your horse and increasing your time inside. Since both Birgit and Lisa have recovered from injuries during their careers they would like to share some of their exercises that helped them regain their strength, balance, and flexibility as well as keeping fit during off times.

https://fallingstarranch.wordpress.com/2022/02/20/groundwork-exercises-by-lisa-wieben-and-birgit-stutz/

29/01/2022

Train your eye

30/11/2021

To improve your ability to ride with a forward tendency in your arms,
imagine your hands in riding position, pushing against an imaginary wall. This will give you the right feeling and, at the same time, will lengthen your back and help you sit deeper.—Susanne von Dietze

Illustration by Sandy Rabinowitz

22/11/2021

From the horse’s mouth... actually the horse’s tongue

After my recent post regarding fitting a bit to the individual horses mouth, it has become clear that horse riders don’t understand the horse’s tongue. At all. The horse’s tongue is the key to everything. It can tell you what a horse is feeling and thinking, it can tell you how true a horse’s carriage is or can reveal tension that is limiting their performance.

The horse’s tongue is a huge bunch of muscle, like way bigger than you think. The last tooth is about level with the horse’s eye, and the tongue goes even further back than that. Just behind the bit, the tongue doubles in height to completely fill the mouth. The tongue connects, via a long line of interconnected muscles, all the way back to the hind legs. What happens with the horse’s tongue DIRECTLY affects the horse’s ability to use his hind legs.

Yet many many riders consider the tongue a nuisance and tie it away. Using drop nosebands, flashes, grackles, micklems, “anatomical” nosebands, cranks etc. Some use spoon bits (remember the tongue doubles in height behind the bit), while others actually tie the tongue down! You are missing a vital source of information that the horse is eager to give!

Why does a horse stick it’s tongue out? It is NOT bad manners and it is not a bit evasion, it’s a cry for help. When the tongue is in the mouth, it is short and fat. Any sharp points on the teeth can cause pain, and pressure from the bit is amplified. The horse’s immediate reaction is to stick their tongue out. This makes the tongue long and thin, reducing the pressure from the bit and any sharp teeth. If this is prevented using nosebands, even loose ones (if it’s below the level of the bit, it’s a problem, loose or not, consider leverage distance to the temparomandibular joint) then the horse will resort to pulling their tongue back by tensing it or even putting the tongue over the bit. A drop noseband will not stop this happening, you just can’t see it happening anymore.

When the tongue is pulled back, it causes tension all the way down the neck, along the back and into the hind legs. If the tongue is over the bit, the bit lies directly on the bars. The bars are knife-edge-sharp bone with a very thin layer of gum over the top. When the bit directly contacts the bars it is extremely painful and horses will react very strongly, sometimes rearing or ditching the rider. This is not naughty behaviour, it is pain. The horse is creating pain trying to avoid pain, they can’t win and they can’t vocalise this. No matter how hard they try.

Tension in the tongue isn’t only caused by poorly managed teeth and poorly fitted bits however. The outline a horse is worked in also affects the tongue’s tension. Tuck your chin up and in, feel how large your tongue feels. Hold it there for a while and the back of your tongue will begin to ache. Now open your mouth and stick your tongue out. Sure it’s not comfortable, but it’s a relief from that tension. This happens in the horse too, but on a much larger scale. Anything that makes the horse carry itself like this (over bent, nose behind the vertical) will cause tongue issues. Whether that be poor riding, back pain or subtle hind limb lameness. This reaction is not limited to a bit, an overbent horse in a bitless bridle will still have a restricted tongue as soon as the head moves behind the vertical. Looking at it the other way around, most have heard of bridle lameness, this is when the tension in the tongue actually causes a visible lameness.

There is a reason why having the tongue out is seen as a bad thing in dressage, and it’s not because it’s bad manners. It’s because it highlights tension or poor training. The lazy solution seems to be, tie the mouth shut. Personally I believe all nosebands below the bit should be banned for dressage and 2 fingers should comfortably be placed under the bridge of the nose of a cavesson. That would sort the wheat from the chaff.

To summarise, make sure your horse’s teeth have been checked by a qualified EDT or dental trained vet, make sure your bit fits the anatomy of your individual horse, ride with a loose noseband that does not sit below the bit, make sure your horse is working correctly over their top line, truly engaged and swinging over their backs. Then your horse will not feel the need to stick their tongues out.

As a side note, the tongue is a symptom and not a problem in itself. Do not allow anyone to mess with your horse’s tongue. The trend of releasing the Hyoid apparatus using the tongue is not only dangerous but a load of BS. Do not fall for it.

Always remember, dentistry is basic care NOT a luxury.

01/11/2021

26/10/2021

17/08/2021

To improve the position and forward aspect of your hands...

"Imagine home base for your hands as a square in front of your saddle that is even with the width and height of your hips. Always keep your hands in the home-base square with the feeling that you are pushing a shopping cart forward." —Melissa Allen

🎨 Illustration by Sandy Rabinowitz

28/06/2021

It's a lifelong journey

04/06/2021

"It hardly needs to be mentioned that, in order to ride good corners in the arena, you have nothing more to do than to apply the same aids as for ‚enlarging the circle‘. Just as we don’t need to mention that ‚spiraling out on the circle‘ is a preparatory exercise for shoulder-in and ‚spiraling in on the circle’ is a preparatory exercise for the haunches-in."
(Th. Kimmerle, 1899)
Painting: Alison Hale, www.alisonhale.co.nz

18/05/2021

I have a few spots left in this program. Contact me if you’d like to join. [email protected]

Join me for the Summer Somatics Series for Riders. After over a year of restrictions is your body feeling more restricted from increased time on your computer or at your desk. Release tension in your body and improve overall balance. Discover ways to unlock tightness and releave muscle tension when you get back to work in the garden or spend more time in the saddle.

Tonight I will be hosting an Introduction to Somatics for Riders at 7pm Mtn time on Zoom. Contact me for more information and to receive the link. If you can't make this series, but are still interested in learning more let me know. I will offer more class options soon! To receive link email: [email protected]

07/01/2021

Please submit your questions directly to the SaddleUp Magazine page
https://www.facebook.com/SaddleUpmagazineCanada

14/12/2020

EXCITING NEWS... Something new for 2021...

23/06/2020

23/06/2020

18/06/2020

13/06/2020

09/06/2020

29/05/2020

26/05/2020

22/05/2020

22/05/2020

Return to Competition Guidelines for the Sport Horse Following a Break in Training Due to COVID-19

15/05/2020

09/05/2020

Does your saddle slip to one side? Do you have more trouble leg yielding in one direction? Does your horse have a lead issue on one side? The problem may be your body. The Trauma Reflex is an imbalance in the musculature of your body that will result in one shoulder lower, and/or one hip higher, as well as a twist through the torso. This is brought on by the injuries your body has sustained. The Somatic movement - Sidebend will help you unlock this pattern along with the other exercises I have previously shared.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-zmBUtF7Dc

08/05/2020

07/05/2020

Do you have pain in your back? Do you ride with an arched back? Does your horse have a tense back? Does your horse have trouble moving forward? These can all...

05/05/2020

05/05/2020

Begin to release muscle tension in the front and back of the body for a body that can more easily follow the horse's movement.

Learn the foundational Somatic exercise Arch and Flatten to begin to release muscle tension. Improve freedom of movement and rider connection.

05/05/2020

What is Somatics? How can it help your riding?

What is Somatics and how can it help you in your riding.