Thumbs Up or Down?

Thumbs Up!

Great news! On Thursday 1^st of March a new schoolyourhorse site opens at www.schoolyourhorse.com  This blog will still be a central part of it but there are two new additions. With massive support from http://esequine.co.uk a new range of downloadable schooling guides will be launched from the SYH shop.

The Get Started, Teach Yourself and Read to Succeed series are perfect if you need to brush up your skills, you’re looking for help with a problem or you want to know the finer details of a dressage test.  At 99p they’re sure to suit everyone’s budget.

It’s early days and there are just two guides per series at present but more guides are in the pipeline. The aim is to produce at least one new title per month. There ought to be something that suits you or your horse but if it’s not there - ask! It could be in the pipeline or you could inspire a new idea.

Regular readers of this blog will appreciate it’s all about positive thinking and riding. Have you succeeded with your horse when those around you were sure you’d fail? Why not share your story on the schoolyourhorse forum? Or if you do buy one of the guides please share your thoughts on its contents, how the series could be improved or any new ideas that you think would be helpful.

I’d just like to thank everyone who has supported the blog so well over the last year. Riding is all about confidence and self belief – so is writing! Those of you who have been so positive about SYH  have given me just that. THANK YOU J

Anyway – back to business -

Thumbs Down

Most riders have heard the expression “Thumbs on top” but on top of what exactly? There are two things guaranteed to have a negative effect on your horse. One is the where you put your thumb. The other is how you hold it.

All riders know they shouldn’t carry their hands as if they’re pushing a pram. Their thumbs should be on top of their fist. That’s the general position anyway. But the more you relax in the saddle and start to trust your horse the more habits you get.

Next time you ride concentrate on your hands. Where is your thumb exactly? Is it on top of your rein or your hand? It’s easy to wrap your thumb around your rein rather than clamp it on top. Don’t think it matters? Are your reins always too long? How many times do you shorten them in a session? Where does your whip point? It should be pointing diagonally back and down towards your horse’s hocks. Is it lying straight down his shoulder like a baton? Are your fingers closed around your reins or open?

A loose or intermittent contact isn’t a good one. Nor is it kind to your horse. Imagine having a bit in your mouth and not knowing when the next tug is coming. Take hold of both reins, clamp your thumb down on top of the reins and let him know exactly where you are. Then he’ll be able to relax.

If your elbows are bent and next to your body there should be a straight line from your elbow through your arm, down your rein to the bit. If your reins are too long you’ll draw your hands back to get a contact. Your elbows have to go somewhere so they stick out to the side. Instantly the line is broken and the tension in your arms goes straight down the reins to the bit. Your horse will tighten his mouth round the bit to avoid the pressure. The next time he pulls think twice before you blame him.

Your thumb should point towards the bit. It will have a huge effect on your horse. Take a look at yours. There’s every chance it points upward towards his eye or his ear. If it does your rein will be supported by your third finger. There will be a ‘kink’ in your wrist that tips your hand up and back breaking the direct line to the bit.

The pressure from this ‘kink’ creates a backward pressure on the bit. Your horse will tighten his mouth against it and tighten his jaw and poll. Tip your thumb forward and down so it’s pointing towards the bit. Your wrist will straighten up and relax which removes any tension from your arm. Your horse’s reaction will be instant. He’ll relax.

Breaking any habit is hard work but this is one that will have a dramatic effect on your horse. It will take as much effort as jumping twenty fences or practising trot to halt transitions but it’s worth it. Put yourself on this simple exercise to try it.

Ride a 20m circle at E/B in any pace. (It’s well worth spending time in walk while you get a feel for it.) As your body turns onto the line of the circle your arms should move with it. Your hands should stay directly in front of your body. Push your thumb down onto the rein and tip it slightly forward so it’s pointing to the bit. Nag at yourself to keep at it. Your horse’s response should be encouragement enough.

Go large for half a circuit and return to the circle. It’s a simple thing but it’s enough to send you back to old habits. If your wrist is in line with the rein it stays relaxed and so does your horse. Tip your thumb towards the bit and keep it there.

This is such a small thing to change but it’s one that affects everything in such a positive way. You’ll find your horse is more willing to accept the contact in upward and downward transitions. Instead of pulling him back to a contact you’ll be pushing him forward to it.

In walk ride large round the school and get your leg on! If your wrist is in line with your elbow, rein and bit you’ll find your horse going into your hand – not coming back at you or jogging. Instead of pulling back when he nods his head you’ll start to feel as if you’re pushing him forward.

If you’re struggling to keep your horse in a steady outline, if he resists your hand the second you take up the reins or you think getting him on the bit is physically impossible try it. You’ve got very little to lose and everything to gain.

Good luck and enjoy your schooling. (And if you get a minute on or after the First of March come over to www.schoolyourhorse.com and say hi!)

Practice What You Preach

How many times have you halted and felt your horse’s quarters step to one side? Are you pleased with your canter to walk transition until you realise he’s swung his quarters in at the last minute? He must be tight in his back – right? Think again.

If your horse is tight in his back he can’t use his hocks correctly. He’ll tip forward onto his shoulders. Downward transitions will be rushed and unbalanced but not necessarily crooked. From the ground it will be obvious that he isn’t tracking up. (When moving forward correctly a horse’s hind feet step into or beyond the prints of its front feet)

If your horse is tight in his shoulders he doesn’t need to use his hocks correctly. It may look like he’s tracking up but this is because his front feet are taking such small steps. The paces look ‘pretty’ but lack real energy. Downward transitions are abrupt as the shoulders stop quicker than the quarters. To allow for this he has to swing his quarters to the side. Sound familiar?

The trouble with this tightness in the downward transitions is the rider’s reaction often makes matters worse! As the horse goes down to the next pace it feels as if it has stopped and then surged forward again. The rider will often take a pull to correct this surge. The trouble is the root of the problem is the rider’s hands.

Your hands affect everything in front of your saddle. Tension in your horse’s shoulders stems from tension in yours. This tension travels right down your arms to the bit. Imagine something restricting in your mouth. You’d shrink back away from it and your jaw, neck and shoulders would become rigid.

Your horse may feel light in your hand, as if he’s just behind the bit. But if he’s not in your hand how can they be the problem? It’s a defence mechanism. He’s learnt to carry himself in this way to avoid the tension from your hands.  

You may feel as if your horse isn’t giving you everything. You may kick on harder or even chase him with your whip. This won’t remove the cause. Still tight he’ll run quicker. Whilst the rhythm is regular its speed (the tempo) becomes hurried.

You can see your horse is tight in his shoulders by looking at his ‘bottom line’ – the underneath of his neck. This should be loose. When you’re on a circle his top and bottom line should follow the line of the curve. If he’s tight in his shoulders you’ll notice no matter where his top line is his bottom line will be solid and set straight.

So what can you do about it? Loosen up your shoulders. This will have more effect than anything else. Pull your shoulders up under your ears and tighten then for as long as you can. When you release them let the weight drop down through your elbow. You’ll find your shoulders are more relaxed and feel heavier than before.

Now tighten your arms in riding position. Make them both as rigid as you can. Hold that amount of tension for about a minute and then relax. Feel how soft your wrists and elbows are. This is what you’re aiming to achieve when you take up the reins.

There are many exercises to help loosen shoulders. Demi-pirouettes, shoulder-in or even pole work. Anything which makes your horse stretch his shoulders will help.

Try this -

A great exercise is yielding on a circle. It’s not technically leg yield because of the curve but the theory is the same. You’re asking your horse to step sideways away from your inside leg. The idea is he steps across with his front and hind feet. It’s this stepping and stretching across that loosens the muscles.

Ride a 10m circle in walk around X. It’s important NOT to over bend your horse to the inside. This exercise will only loosen up his shoulders if you keep them together.

Ride with your arms as soft as possible and your hands together and level. Keep an even weight in both reins. This is the most important part of the whole exercise. If you lose your horse’s shoulders he won’t stretch he’ll fall out.

Ask your horse to take one step to the outside using your inside leg by the girth and catch (stop) him with your outside leg. Stay on the new size circle for a few strides and then ask him to step over again.

Your aim is to take him one step at a time out onto a 20m circle. There is no benefit in doing it quickly. His strides will be short and hurried. You want him to take the biggest steps across that he can. He can only do this if you keep control of his shoulders and take your time.

Initially your horse’s steps will be small. Don’t worry. Focus on keeping your hands together and your arms relaxed. This is more important than his steps. As he understands the exercise and you grow in confidence you can push harder with your inside leg to encourage him to stretch further across.

If you’re wondering why you don’t just leg yield on the straight it’s because it restricts the time you have to ask your horse to step over. After one or two steps you reach the end of the school and your horse’s concentration is broken. Riding ever increasing circles gives you time to think.

Tension in backs and shoulders is only caused by one thing. You! Whatever you choose to do make sure you stay as soft and relaxed as possible. That’s what you’re asking him to do after all.

Good luck and enjoy your schooling.

Size Matters - 1/2 10m circles explained

A ½ 10m circle from E to X and X to B crops up in many dressage tests. It’s a great way for a judge to see if a horse is staying soft in his back. Softness comes from relaxation. That’s something your horse can do if he’s sure where he’s going. He can only do that if you’re sure where you want to go.

You may think of two ½ circles joined in the middle as a ½ figure of eight, but don’t. A test will ask for each circle separately. That’s the way you should think about them. It will keep things simple and help you to avoid these common mistakes -

1.      Over riding the first half circle simply because you think a ½ 10m circle is tight. You’ll ask your horse for too much bend, be too strong with your legs, ride a ½ 8m circle and find you fall short of the centre line.

Avoid this by turning your head and looking at A (from the right rein) before you reach E. This helps you to plan your line. Once you’ve turned your head use your upper body to turn your horse onto the correct curve of the circle.

2.      When you reach the centre line you spend too long on it. The half circles should end and start at X. You don’t need to ride two or three strides on the centre line before you start the second ½ circle. Ride to X and get off it!

3.      Because of the last problem the last ½ circle is often flat. Having spent too long on the centre line you then panic when you realise you’re miles away from B. You turn across the school with a half-hearted bend as opposed to riding out and round as you should on a circle. Get the first ½ circle right and this problem disappears.

4.      You lift your inside hand because you want to stop your horse falling in. Don’t do it! Your hands affect his shoulders. If your inside hand is higher than the outside his shoulders will do the same. His weight will tip to the outside shoulder and he’ll fall out.

The best thing you can do is keep your hands level and the contact even to keep your horse’s shoulders level. Use your inside leg to push his body out and round the circle.

5.      Instead of turning your body in the direction you’re going you collapse to the inside. Whatever you do with your body your horse will do with his.

Check the gap between your last rib and the top of your hip. It should stay the same on both sides. Turn your hips and body in line with the curve of the circle and your weight will stay even in the saddle. Your horse will feel this and stay balanced.

So those are the problems but what’s the solution? Try this -

Try riding 10m circles from E and B without changing the rein through X. Notice how much wider your complete circles are. Your furthest point is X. You’ll barely touch the centre line as you pass it. You don’t ride straight up the centre line for two strides!

With the feel of the full circle in your head ride one and a half 10m circles at E. Ride straight up the centre line when you reach X for the second time. By looking straight to A or C you’ll be able to judge your turn exactly.

Introduce the change of rein at X. It can be helpful to count the beats of your trot whilst you do this. With one word per step it should sound something like Right Rein Right Rein Through X Left Rein. It’s hard to react as quickly as that but it makes a big difference to the appearance of the movement. And it’s correct.

As you change bend turn your head and upper body to the new rein. Keep your elbows against your sides and take your hands round together. Keep hold of your reins! As your horse bends to the new rein you may let the outside rein slip longer instead of following him round. This makes the pressure in his mouth uneven. He’ll tip his nose to the inside. Sound familiar?

Finally ride the full movement. Remember your key points – the size of the first ½ circle and the speed of your change through X. You’ll find you have two clear ½ 10m circles not a flat, uneven ½ figure of eight. Your horse will be relaxed because he knows exactly where you want him to go and next time you’re out the judge will get the softness she’s looking for.

Good luck and enjoy your schooling.