Post by Calaminty Jane on Jan 30, 2014 8:42:26 GMT -5
Did You Know?
In Europe, people are used to giving and receiving things with one hand and generally with whatever hand is available. However, the right hand is still the ‘best’ hand: it is the hand with which you shake hands in a greeting, as well as the hand with which you normally give a salute or wave to someone.
It is a funny thing that people in the West often pride themselves on being able to do things with only one hand or equally well with one hand as with the other – but they are never proud of being able to do something with two!
I am proud to say that I like to give and receive with both hands on the rein
To put my horse in the bend, I start with my legs by the girth and light contact with the bit to show him where I like him to position his head, so that the bit is in the correct part of the mouth for optimum submission, acceptance and lightness.
My horse's neck is soft and arched, so his back can start to come up and carry my weight more efficiently by lifting his forehand.
1. My inside leg by the girth pushes the horse's rib cage to the outside and prevents him falling into the circle.
2. My outside leg just behind the girth but passive. The outside leg is guarding the horse's haunches in the unlikely event that your horse swings the haunches out of the bend.
3. My inside hand is for the bend of the neck only. My inside rein does not say turn right or turn left. It asks for bend and flexion. The rein must invite neck bend, by take and give gesture.
I keep my inside hand up. That will encourage my horse not to drop his inside shoulder and make the corner or circle smaller. Once I have my horse's neck bend, I back-off with the rein, soften it.
I don't hold my horse's neck in position. If I do, he will quickly learn to hang on to that side of the bit. If my horse is reluctant to bend his neck, I raise my hand a little and take it towards the opposite hip, but not across the wither.
4. My outside hand controls the amount of bend created with the inside hand, impulsion, tempo and balance.
Never over-flex your horse. He should have just enough length bend to be the same shape as the circumference of the corner or the circle you ride!
Happy Trails! Eitan.
In Europe, people are used to giving and receiving things with one hand and generally with whatever hand is available. However, the right hand is still the ‘best’ hand: it is the hand with which you shake hands in a greeting, as well as the hand with which you normally give a salute or wave to someone.
It is a funny thing that people in the West often pride themselves on being able to do things with only one hand or equally well with one hand as with the other – but they are never proud of being able to do something with two!
I am proud to say that I like to give and receive with both hands on the rein
To put my horse in the bend, I start with my legs by the girth and light contact with the bit to show him where I like him to position his head, so that the bit is in the correct part of the mouth for optimum submission, acceptance and lightness.
My horse's neck is soft and arched, so his back can start to come up and carry my weight more efficiently by lifting his forehand.
1. My inside leg by the girth pushes the horse's rib cage to the outside and prevents him falling into the circle.
2. My outside leg just behind the girth but passive. The outside leg is guarding the horse's haunches in the unlikely event that your horse swings the haunches out of the bend.
3. My inside hand is for the bend of the neck only. My inside rein does not say turn right or turn left. It asks for bend and flexion. The rein must invite neck bend, by take and give gesture.
I keep my inside hand up. That will encourage my horse not to drop his inside shoulder and make the corner or circle smaller. Once I have my horse's neck bend, I back-off with the rein, soften it.
I don't hold my horse's neck in position. If I do, he will quickly learn to hang on to that side of the bit. If my horse is reluctant to bend his neck, I raise my hand a little and take it towards the opposite hip, but not across the wither.
4. My outside hand controls the amount of bend created with the inside hand, impulsion, tempo and balance.
Never over-flex your horse. He should have just enough length bend to be the same shape as the circumference of the corner or the circle you ride!
Happy Trails! Eitan.