Trouble
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 2,263
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Post by Trouble on Dec 19, 2008 9:15:48 GMT 1
Ok....now forgive me for my rubbish explanations....lol
For a down ward transition I would drop my weight through my whole leg, angle my pelvis differently (sort of tip the top of my pelvis forwards a little - not much) and push down through it all with my stomach muscles....sometimes if he's being a pig and I need to be stronger I make a stupid noise when I do the stomach thing....sort of breath out and make a grunting noise as I do it.....don't ask why! lol, it just seems to make the 'ask' stronger (I make sure I school alone! lol)
I would also raise my hand ever so slightly to try not to drop him on his nose.
One thing he is a sod for is opening his mouth and diving on my hands....he does this even if he's going nicely in other ways, again I did the inside hand up thing last night and instantly he shut his mouth and lifted. lus I took his flash off last night so we were going back to basics and he was better in his mouth with it off, with the raising hand thing.
Oh and we also tried some rein back last night once he'd settled and he was far better at it than normal, I guess because he was generally more relaxed and listening better, and less resistant than he's been for a while. He did hollow, but not violently!
Lol, I just read all that back and my explanation is rubbish!
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Post by heather on Dec 19, 2008 11:23:42 GMT 1
Ah, I did wonder!! Try a different and much more simple way to do downward transition!!- the way I was taught in Germany, and is how we also achieve collection at high levels. OK, make sure he is on the bit and listening. When you do a sitting trot to walk transition, do nothing more than lightly close your lower leg, and close your seat and upper thigh muscles. Nothing more. As soon as you feel the first stride of walk coming, lightly close your left leg then your right leg as the belly swings away, so that the transition is very smooth and 'through'.
This closing of seat, and sometimes upper thigh muscles ( needed usually only in the beginning) is used in all downward transitions. It automatically makes you sit tall and light, as it lifts the skeleton inside you, leaving only your muscles and flesh on the saddle. Think about it, if you push down, you are more likely to make yourself heavy in the saddle, when the horse needs to lift and round his back in order to make the transition. Would it not be easier for him if you are sitting lightly and leaving room for his back to come up? ;)Your bum will still be in contact with the saddle, but you will feel light and tall in the saddle.
Try it and see! Then you will also learn to be able to 'hold' with the seat' ( and not the hands) to control the pace if he is too onward bound.
Heather
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Kate
Elementary Poster
Posts: 71
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Post by Kate on Dec 19, 2008 12:28:34 GMT 1
I have really enjoyed reading this thread, thanks to everyone for posting the pictures and advice, especially Trouble and Heather - it's a bit like watching a masterclass. We just need some "after" pictures now.
One stupid numpty question from me though: when you say "close your seat", Heather, what does that entail? I always struggle a bit with things like that, I tend to need step-by-step procedures!
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Post by heather on Dec 19, 2008 17:30:26 GMT 1
Just squeeze your bum cheeks together, Kate!! ;D -no more or no less than produces the desired result! For instance, in a canter halt transition, you would close seat and upper thighs sharply and quite strongly. For canter walk, less so, and for canter trot, even less. The horse understands this immediately- I have to ride horses I have never seen before, all over the world at clinics, and it has never failed to work.
So, for trot to walk, for instance, just a soft squeeze is enough. Trot halt, requires a quicker, sharper and slightly stronger squeeze. It really is that simple!
Heather
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Post by donnalex on Dec 19, 2008 21:06:40 GMT 1
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Post by donnalex on Dec 19, 2008 21:08:38 GMT 1
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Post by donnalex on Dec 19, 2008 21:11:26 GMT 1
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Trouble
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 2,263
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Post by Trouble on Dec 19, 2008 21:25:19 GMT 1
Well, I had hoped to come on here and report that the excercise worked as well as last nights....unfortunately fate decided it was not to be tonight...in a rather dramatic way! *sigh*
There was a quad bike parked next to the arena, quad bikes are the one thing that Snip is genuinely scared of. It took a while to coax him past it into the school and I could see his heart beating like mad, he was snorting and verging on panic so I decided to walk him around the arena a few times and see if I could calm him enough to think about getting on.
Managed nearly one lap, then as we were walking down the long side towards where it was parked, he freaked out, knocked me flat on my back, winding me, then jumped over me and into the opposit fence, got his reins tangled in the fence, then broke them, galloped back down the drive to the yard and I found him trembling in his stable.
Ok, so reins broken at buckle end and bit end, my only reins. Fab.
Ok, so need to get him over this, on go the long lines and back to the arena...he was visibly upset, shaking, we started off at the opposite end and gradually worked closer. He did eventually work ok, still visibly upset by the quad, ears back and tense when going past it, relaxed more on the other half of the circle...but he went forwards, and was in a good rhythm, can't ask more than that so we stopped, big pat and a face rub and back to the yard.
Would you believe it, just as we passed the house, a bin line full of rubbish got caught in the wind and flew at us, spooked him all over again and I ended up with a trembling horse again.
So not the night I wanted to have, tomorrow and Sunday are hacking days so I'll try practising the downwards transitions then - see how it works whilst we are out.
But first, I'll be taking a trip to the tack shop to buy some new reins....just what I can't really afford this month...any other bit of bridle broken I could have replaced from my spare, but I don't have spare reins!!!
And my back hurts.
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Post by heather on Dec 19, 2008 21:45:00 GMT 1
Oh poor you Trouble! My 16.1hh Luso gelding, Sedutor (Sudi) was like this when we first had him, and he put my assistant, Becky Holden in hospital when he flattened her into a concrete block wall and then ran over her right arm and leg!
That is what got me into IH- my then sales manager, Jill Shephard, was an RA and taught me the IH leading techniques, for Sudi to learn to respect my space. Yes, I had horses all my life, but the simple techniques Jill taught me, soon had him so that, to be honest, we usually lead him down the track to the field with just a rope round his neck!!
Heather
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Trouble
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 2,263
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Post by Trouble on Dec 19, 2008 21:48:51 GMT 1
Never mind eh, next time....just glad it happened whilst I was on the ground and not on board.
But I will try the advice from your post above! I haven't properly thanked you for taking the time to write out all this advice for me, I really really do appreciate it!
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Post by heather on Dec 19, 2008 21:58:57 GMT 1
My pleasure, hope it helps some other members too!!
Heather
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Trouble
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 2,263
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Post by Trouble on Dec 19, 2008 22:08:39 GMT 1
Apologies to everyone for blatantly hijacking this thread....but I wanted to show you these pics Heather... This is how I spent my first few months with him, lots of this... and when he did finally go forwards we went like this... And gradually worked and worked at things and went through these stages... I remember being so proud of this picture, it marked such an achievement after months of battling...(though note my dropped shoulder here too!) These were all taken in the first 6 months of owning him, when I first got him I couldn't even stand near him without full body armour...hat, gloves and body protector! So these first months were such an achievement. I soon found out why I'd got him so cheap!
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Post by moomoo on Dec 19, 2008 22:38:25 GMT 1
yth yw tw w5tfw vtq qyqt yw eyd rur yebywby yfbe6 6b 6s dghtd tdt tsv rsssrsue djb jjd bkdoodobd mkkehehdjdjjjdbbehi ueuejeioopx uuueuuyedtg pardon trouble he is lovely. I have a mare very similar to him
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Post by heather on Dec 19, 2008 22:39:19 GMT 1
You have done a great job with him Trouble!- and what a stunner he is!!
But dont do yourself down, there is a great deal to like about your riding, and a lot of potential being shown there, by both of you!
Heather
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iammizz
Grand Prix Poster
U CAN KISS IT XX
Posts: 2,680
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Post by iammizz on Dec 20, 2008 10:22:16 GMT 1
wow trouble what a transformation, i love to see owners sticking to there neddies regardless, a true story of what patience hardwork and nerves of steel can achieve, hes stunning =)
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