Energy .....how do you get it up !!!

[Sue & Tinta]

now stop the girlie giggles

Basically can anyone explain using pictures, visulisation, words of more than two syllables how you get your particular horse to move by building your energy up - for the purposes of this question I am talking of ground-work and not actually in the saddle (we don't have too many problems in that respect !)

Say you were freeschooling / lunging / longlining - whatever and required your horse to pick up the pace - bearing in mind it's Friday first week back at work after too much food, too many lie in's and suffering from the dreaded lurgy so my energy is rather depleated at the moment - so interested to hear your replies

[misty]

I've been to a few clinics where the instructor has asked the pupils to to either 'get up the energy'' or to lift up your life'. I think it's a state of mind which then transfers to the stance of the body.
I have watched some people and they are so placid (the type of person who always speaks in the same tone of voice) that nothing happens and the horse ignores them. Ofcourse it canwork the other way and sometimes I know I get too much engery. Then ofcourse you have to try and know how much energy the horse can deal with.
Think I'll have a up of tea now!

[rhillahorse]

I suspect this is another one of those things which is quite subjective . To me it means standing tall, chest inflated and doing things with a purpose. Just believing that what I want to happen WILL happen.

[Louise C]

You ask your nice friend Louise to come round and holler at her!! She is very laid back - but you do have to be very directive with your energy - she would rather be out hacking than twiddling about in a school I think - much more fun!

The other thing that would maybe suit her is Max's ropecircling - you're quite close to her in distance and have the rope to play with as well.

[june]

Various ideas...

Think of one of the Disney cartoons and become more animated! Get busier, but busier with intention.

Pick a point you want her to move towards and walk towards her with purpose and put lots of energy in the lines.

Use lots of bear down and let it escape between your belly button and your pubic bone. Think of it as a pressure hose and make a whoosing noise if necessary (pick a time when no one else is around!!!).

Practice walking with intention and bear down. Not just when with the horse but all the rest of the time too. See if you can use that to make people move out of your way in the street. Its quite a fun game to play in London.

[lizziee]

As alluded to in the weight thread, I've been doing loads of groundwork with my arab the last few weeks rather than riding, and have discovered I can now change his pace using thought Basically to ask him for walk I simply relax my whole body (not to the point I collapse in a heap obviously!) and look very gently and slightly under my lids at his bum, and think "walk on" very slowly. To trot I tense up a little, stand up straight and look more directly at his neck, think "TRRRROT" in a jolly sort of thought-voice, and off he goes. Canter is a direct look in his eye, very straight posture, and if that doesn't work and just makes him trot faster, I stick my arms out to the side. I can ask him to slow down by doing all this in reverse.

This is all done free in an oblong school. After his initial hoon up and down he tells me he's ready to play by cantering up to me, stopping and snorting loudly, then circles me during these exercises as if on an invisible lunge. It's great fun and quite astonishing how we seem to be able to read each other; I'm almost grateful for getting too fat to ride him as I've formed such a strong bond with him over the last few weeks

[suewhitmore]

Hmm, don't they think you're about to give birth and call an ambulance?

[Amanda Dolby]

lizzee - I like your description of your playing with your horse.
If only thoughts burned calories eh?
I find that the more I know the less I have to physically do and the fatter I get!!
So now to be found speed walking with Pone - ( my dog is bigger than yours to passing dog walkers) My physio won't let me run any distance yet.

[lizziee]

suewhitmore said:

Hmm, don't they think you're about to give birth and call an ambulance?

I'm not THAT fat (I don't think I am anyway....)

[rj]

Bring your body up straight & tall, shoulders square, eyes open wide and straight (hard eyes as opposed to soft).
Walk with purpose and intention, not faster, keep it rythmic, including signals down the rope. They can be stronger but not jerky or pulling.
Keep breathing deeply, don't hold your breath, you don't want to confuse life-up with aggression or fear.
And only use as much life/energy as you need.
Easy, eh?!
Oh, and remember when it is necessary to bring your life up or down, timing is the essence

[amandajt]

Watch 'The Dog Whisperer' on Sky 3 most nights at 6 pm. He is absolutely wonderful and does marvellous body language demonstrations - mostly of 'calm, assertive energy' which is what you're supposed to use on your mutts!

[Sue & Tinta]

Well I knew you lot would come up with some varied ideas and there is certainly food for thought and inspiration out there !

1635 said:

You ask your nice friend Louise to come round and holler at her!! She is very laid back - but you do have to be very directive with your energy - she would rather be out hacking than twiddling about in a school I think - much more fun!

The other thing that would maybe suit her is Max's ropecircling - you're quite close to her in distance and have the rope to play with as well.

Lousie you know you are always welcome to come over and holler at the pair of us anytime - and whilst we would both prefare to be out hacking unfortunately at 7pm during the week I have not got enough courage for the pair of us to go down the bridlepath in the dark ! - The Max rope circling sounds intriguing you will have to come and give us a demo !

june said:

Various ideas...

Think of one of the Disney cartoons and become more animated! Get busier, but busier with intention........

Pick a point you want her to move towards and walk towards her with purpose and put lots of energy in the lines.

Use lots of bear down and let it escape between your belly button and your pubic bone. Think of it as a pressure hose and make a whoosing noise if necessary (pick a time when no one else is around!!!).

It's ok remember I'm now at a yard where being strange is accepted as the norm !

june said:

Practice walking with intention and bear down. Not just when with the horse but all the rest of the time too. See if you can use that to make people move out of your way in the street. Its quite a fun game to play in London.

- Hey you mean I just go into going home from the office mode on the underground - that's easy....but if I can bear down for England I get home even quicker ??!!

lizziee said:

As alluded to in the weight thread, I've been doing loads of groundwork with my arab the last few weeks rather than riding, and have discovered I can now change his pace using thought Basically to ask him for walk I simply relax my whole body (not to the point I collapse in a heap obviously!) and look very gently and slightly under my lids at his bum, and think "walk on" very slowly. To trot I tense up a little, stand up straight and look more directly at his neck, think "TRRRROT" in a jolly sort of thought-voice, and off he goes. Canter is a direct look in his eye, very straight posture, and if that doesn't work and just makes him trot faster, I stick my arms out to the side. I can ask him to slow down by doing all this in reverse.

This is all done free in an oblong school. After his initial hoon up and down he tells me he's ready to play by cantering up to me, stopping and snorting loudly, then circles me during these exercises as if on an invisible lunge. It's great fun and quite astonishing how we seem to be able to read each other; I'm almost grateful for getting too fat to ride him as I've formed such a strong bond with him over the last few weeks

Lizziee - that is brilliant and I have to admit Tin can be very active in the (oblong) school freeschooling and I have had some tips off my NH YM on how to utilise this - however this activity is normally when she is turned out into the school first thing in the morning (i.e over the xmas holidays and at weekends prior to to riding her - if I could get the same energy on an evening after work it would be ideal - I will certainly look at the weight thread which I appear to have missed .

amandadizzy said:

......If only thoughts burned calories eh?
I find that the more I know the less I have to physically do and the fatter I get!!

Now that sounds like the opposite of what I am doing - I tend to do more work than the bloomin horse and she is still fitter than me !!!!

[Sue & Tinta]

rowenajames said:

Bring your body up straight & tall, shoulders square, eyes open wide and straight (hard eyes as opposed to soft).
Walk with purpose and intention, not faster, keep it rythmic, including signals down the rope. They can be stronger but not jerky or pulling.
Keep breathing deeply, don't hold your breath, you don't want to confuse life-up with aggression or fear.
And only use as much life/energy as you need.
Easy, eh?!
Oh, and remember when it is necessary to bring your life up or down, timing is the essence

RJ once again you make it sound so easy - I do find that sometimes my problem is that I will get my energy up and she will move and keep moving and then I am unable to either keep up with her and end up wlaking very fast to keep up with her / to keep momentum - I may be able to make things a bit easier by fencing off half the school so that we are working in a smaller area though .

amandajt said:

Watch 'The Dog Whisperer' on Sky 3 most nights at 6 pm. He is absolutely wonderful and does marvellous body language demonstrations - mostly of 'calm, assertive energy' which is what you're supposed to use on your mutts!

- Ok off to set the Sky Planner !

Have to say what started off as a lunchtime ponder was certainly worth it - Thanks Guys !

[Susan]

The guy on Dog Whisperer is amazing and all is not dis-similar to work with horses body language..


You can stand bolt upright but you have to have the "intention"... think Mark Rashid.. and mind frame... and like June said see people get out of the way of you as you walk down the street.. core stability..then you have the start...