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!)

A Bit of Lateral Thinking

(You may also find it useful to read – Keep in Touch, There’s More to Legs than Kicking, More Power Less Speed, It’s in Your hands, Get Straight to the Point)

Most riders have been tanked off with at some time or another. It doesn’t mean your horse has bolted or taken off. It simply means he’s doing what you asked him to do but at his own pace.

You know the type of thing. You go from canter to trot and your horse unceremoniously sets his neck and tanks to one end of the arena before your caller has had a chance to suggest that you “Circle at E, 20 metres.” Or you turn for a fence and he sticks his head down ploughing towards the jump at a speed worthy of a rocket. Ok, he jumps it but, really, wouldn’t it have looked so much better if you weren’t leaning back pulling his teeth out all the way in?

There will have been times like those that you’ve laughed about, others may have put the wind up you or frustrated you but there’s one type of tanking that you might not even have noticed. The lateral tank.

A lateral tank happens with horses of all levels. Similar to any other tank the horse is asked to do a movement, ignores any attempt to control him, and hurries through it because he thinks he knows best. It’s easy to be ‘grateful’ and sit it out until you get to the end of the movement but it won’t be correct. Does this ring a bell with you? Perhaps you didn’t know you were doing it. Now you do try asking for one step at a time.

The ability to stop a lateral movement half way through is something every rider should be able to do. Think of lateral work as a pace not a movement. If you were trotting round the school and your horse got strong you’d do something about it, right? Be brave enough to do the same in leg yield or shoulder in.

Too many riders rush round a corner and throw their horse straight into a lateral movement. Slow down! Give yourself and your horse time to think. Get straight before you even think of going sideways. Take half a long side if you have to. If you’re not straight before you ask how can you know if he’s moving correctly?

Hands cause the majority of faults in lateral work. Kept together and level they’ll have little effect but drop one, tighten up or pull back and your horse is guaranteed to resist. Resistance creates tension. If your horse is tense there’s no way he can step forwards correctly let alone sideways.

Whatever your movement – even a turn on the forehand – start off with just one step and ride out of it. Don’t be in a rush to do a whole long side of shoulder in, a 180’ pirouette or turn on the forehand. One step done correctly is a far greater achievement and it will create a solid foundation for your future lateral work.

You’ll need to be strong with your outside leg to stop your horse setting his shoulder and rushing away from your inside leg. If he ignores it carry your whip in your outside hand and don’t be afraid to use it. Older well schooled horses can think they know best and plough on regardless. A sharp nudge with your outside heel and a tap with the whip should be enough to get their attention back on you.

Never worry about spoiling a movement because you have to correct something. You’ll ruin that movement but the next one will be better. That’s why you school your horse. Making a correction midway is far more beneficial than sitting it out and trying again next time. If you don’t correct how can your horse understand what you want? If he was cantering on the wrong lead would you complete the circle or ask him to trot and start again? Lateral work is no different.

When you start out on to the lateral path it’s an exciting time. Be proud of yourself for reaching that level but don’t be in awe of it. Remember the days when you were first taught to canter? You were probably nervous but you got through it. You weren’t told to canter three circuits of the school when you first learnt either! You took one step at a time. Do that laterally and you’ll never look back.

Good luck and enjoy your schooling.

On the Bit ... or Off it?

There can’t be a rider out there who hasn’t 'screwed' their horse’s head down at some stage. The problem with this ‘method’, other than the fact it’s unnecessary, is that it really doesn’t work. Ok, it makes your horse tuck his nose in but the second you try to swap your whip over, shorten your reins or even scratch your nose his head will, quite rightly, pop straight back up again.

On the bit should be self explanatory. It means what it says. Your horse should settle (not lean or hang) ON the bit. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? So why do so many riders spend most of their time trying desperately to get their horse OFF it? Snatching, pulling or swinging the bit from side to side is hardly relaxing for your horse. For him to settle on the bit you have to keep your hands still.

In the last few posts you’ll have read that your hands control everything in front of the saddle. Your legs control everything behind it. Riding from leg into hand creates and then contains energy. Do it right and you can’t fail to put your horse on the bit.

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Contained energy has to go somewhere. Compare your horse to a coke bottle. Shake it with the lid on and the coke fizzes. If the lid is tight the bottle expands to allow for the extra fizz. Push your horse from behind into a steady contact and you’ll create the same effect. The energy bottles up between his hindquarters and his mouth. If your contact is consistent there’s nowhere for this energy to go. His barrel, like the bottle,  will expand to allow for it.

If he’s comfortable in his mouth your horse will round his spine. His back will come up under the saddle and his head will go down onto the bit.  If he’s uncomfortable he’ll tighten his back. Now he can’t round his back so he’ll hollow it. His back will drop from under the saddle and his head will come up.

It’s your job to ensure your horse is comfortable in his mouth. Moving your hand or your whole arm puts all your weight behind each movement. Move your fingers, as if you are squeezing water from a sponge, and you create a softer feeling which he can relax onto. This movement of your fingers keeps you in contact with his mouth but prevents you both from fixing on each other.

Of course, some horses are easier than others but stay calm and consistent and you’ll get there in the end. The next time you take a pull or try to ‘get your horse’s head in’ think twice. Do you want him on the bit or off it?

Keep in Touch

Many riders think they need to keep off the brake if they want their horse to go forward. The opposite is true. To create impulsion you have to contain the energy you create from your legs. You need a rein contact.

Shake a bottle of coke with the lid on and everyone knows the result. It expands so much that when you open it the drink bursts out. Without the lid there’s nothing to contain that fizz.

Riding your horse without a rein contact has the same effect.

The lid on the bottle is static. It doesn’t pull or push, it restrains. Remember this when you take up your contact. If your hand remains constant (like the bottle lid) you’ll contain your horse’s energy without needing to pull or tug.

Long reins are a common fault. You may think you are being kind but imagine having a bit in your mouth with no idea when the next pull is coming. It’s enough to make you tense, isn’t it? A consistent contact helps your horse relax. He knows where you are. When you need to turn or take a check the pressure increases but it doesn’t come as a surprise.

Make it a goal this week to ride with a consistent contact all the time. Focus on the weight you have on each rein. It should be the same in each hand whatever you are doing. ‘Light in the hand’ is often misunderstood. It really means your horse is quick to respond not that there’s nothing on the end of the reins.

Put two mugs of water in front of you. Pick them up with your hands in riding position and elbows bent. This gives you an idea of the weight you should feel on your reins. It’s probably more than you thought. Keep hold of these mugs and stick your elbows out, drop your hand or round your wrists. The water spills out. This represents the energy you had in your hand. A straight line from your elbow through the rein to your horse’s mouth allows you to contain the energy you’ve worked so hard to create.

Create a soft rein contact by keeping your arm and fingers relaxed. You can’t lean on anything that isn’t solid. Nor can your horse. Move your fingers. Squeeze the reins as if you were squeezing water from a sponge which will stop your arms and shoulders becoming tense and rigid. That’s enough to stop him leaning. Dropping the rein and taking it back again has little effect. He’ll be right there waiting for you when you take your rein back up!

Bear this in mind the next time you ride your horse. Do your best to make his life as comfortable as possible and he won’t fail to do the same for you.