Training Technique Videos 1,2, and 3

Training Techniques 1




Training Techniques 2



Training Techniques 3






Prerequisites:


1. A mature horse that is broke and willing is required. A green colt will not work for the class. The student must have complete control over the horse, leasing a horse will not work for the class. You must be the only one riding the horse and you must be able to use our methods of training on the horse. If you lease a horse most people will not let you do any training on the horse and this is a training class not just a riding class.

2. The student must be able to ride a horse at a walk, trot and lope with a secure seat. If you cannot lope a circle without holding on, and feel in control of the horse this is not a class for you. This is a training class not just a class where you pleasure ride a horse.

3. The horse must be able to walk, trot and lope. A horse that will not walk, trot or lope cannot be used in the class.

4.The horse must be conditioned and physically in good shape. You cannot take a horse that has not been ridden, and is on a full feed of hay with a big hay belly and ask it to do the exercises. You must ride the horse ahead of time and have him in an athletic condition.

5. The rider must be in good physical and mental condition with no upcoming medical surgeries or problems that will keep them from riding. Your schedule must be arranged so you can ride at least 5 days a week. If you have something that is going to keep you from being able to ride on a regular basis you need to put off taking the class until you have the time.

6. For the Techniques of Training 2,3 and 4 you must use the same horse you used in the previous class. If a situation arises where you have to change horses the new horse must be at the same level of training as the original horse and you must have the approval of the instructors to change horses. This may sound strict, but we have found out that when most people change horses the new horse is so far behind in the exercises that the student is not able to pass the class.

7. The student cannot use a riding instructor to help train the horse, the student must do all of the training on their own.

Checklist for techniques 1:


Conduct Soundness exam
Saddle horse on a loose lead rope
Back the horse from the ground
Get the horse to move the hip around (practice with bridle instead of lead rope- bend the head a bit to get them to plant the front leg. Start with 1 step, work on it all week until you get 1 full circle)
Move the horses shoulder around (start with 1 step, work on it all week until you get 1 full circle)
Ask the horse to drop his head
Lunge the horse on a lead rope both ways
Bend the head around to each side (make a supple horse)
The the horses head around to its side with a bungee so they get used to pressure release
Put the bridle on the horse and attach bungees to D-rings, so the horse learns how to break at the poll (technically the 3rd vertebrae)
Mount the horse and ask them to bend head around (lateral flexion) while keeping the poll flexed at 180 degrees (vertical flexion/perpendicular to the ground)
Walk and trot small circles keeping the horse flexed laterally and vertically
- Keep your body (hips and shoulders turned in
- lift inside hand up towards saddle horn to get them to bend the rib,
- Use inside leg to push the rib to the outside,
- step to the outside, but don't lean,
- keep elbows bent and thumbs up.
- Bend the elbow and lift the hand up - this will open the horses shoulder. Don't drop your inside hand- instead.
Collect the horse:
Sit the trot, don't post. You need to use your legs and seat
Actively ride with hands, legs and seat
Push the horse into the bit with your seat and legs, this is not just about pulling their head back to you.
Ensure the horse is flexing at the poll - if the horse isn't responding, try a jr. Cowhorse bit.
Work on collection and keeping the horse in frame at the same time

Checklist for Techniques 2:

1. Bit-up the horse (use reins through the D-ring on the saddle) or some type of elastic reins
2. Leave the horse bitted-up and make him walk, trot and lope around the pen,
3. Get him to go around the pen by putting life in your body and then to stop by taking the life out of your body.
4. Get on and trot him around a round pen or small pen (IT MUST BE A SMALL PEN). Put life in your body to make him go and then take the life out of your body and sit down to stop him. If done correctly, with enough patience, he will stop on his own with no hands. You may have to trot him around until he gets tired and is looking for a place to stop.
5. Put draw reins on and get on and walk and trot him around in several small circles with him collected and broken at the poll (be sure and ask slowly at first and give and take). If he does not seem to want to give to the draw reins you can do like I said in the riding assignment, you can just walk along side of the horse and ask him to tuck his nose from the ground.
6. Put a set of rings or martingale on and walk and trot some circles, collected and broken at the poll.
7. Walk and trot several circles and stop several times using the 1-2-3 method.
8. Fence him straight across the pen and stop at the fence several times at a walk and a trot.
9. Stop and back up several times. Keep your hands low. Use a corner, if you need to.

Checklist for Techniques 3

1. Start off with the 5 ground exercises to get your horses mind. (do them with the bridle on)

a. move the hip- at least 2 full circles each way
b. move the shoulder- at least 2 full circles each way
c. back- at least 20 feet
d. put the head down
e. lunge on the end of the rein, both ways

2. Walk and trot several medium circles in frame and collected. Be sure your horse is collected and in-frame.

3. Do a forward lateral flexion around the round pen or just a small pen. Keep the body going straight and bend the head neck only. Go each way several times.

4. Walk and trot several large circles in a forward lateral extension and decrease the size of the circle until it is about 6 or 7 feet in diameter. The outside front leg should be crossing over in front of the inside front leg.

5. Walk a forward lateral extension around a barrel, 3 or 4 times each direction.

6. Fence your horse at a trot, stop him at least three times each way. When you stop, back up and pivot and then go to the next fence. Be sure and use the 1-2-3 method of stopping each time.

7. Trot several round circles each way. Be sure the horse flows around the circles.

No comments:

Post a Comment