Olympic Equestrian Facilities Inspection - To Lunge or Not to Lunge - Why you don't let your horse tell you what his gate will be - Important Horse Manners - Starting and Ending Daily Training Sessions - Giving to the bit

 

Olympic Equestrian Facilities Inspection

President of the Equestrian Committee (Hong Kong) of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang and members of the committee toured the Hong Kong Olympic and Paralympic Village and core equestrian venue in Sha Tin on March 4. They inspected the progress of construction works in relation to the competition venue and supporting facilities for the equestrian events to be staged in Hong Kong.

The committee visited the Royal Park Hotel in Sha Tin, which will serve as the Olympic and Paralympic Village for athletes and officials of participating Games teams.

Members were briefed by representatives of the Equestrian Company on the services and facilities. These facilities include service centers, retail services and cafe lounges, customized cuisines to cater to the needs of different cultures, and specially designed rooms for wheelchair users.

Tang said, "We are pleased to see that the preparation work of the Olympic Village is well on schedule. We are impressed by the detailed planning on the accommodation, catering and security aspects, as well as the specially designed rooms for Paralympic equestrian athletes using wheelchairs."

Committee members then visited the Olympic and Paralympic core equestrian venue at the Hong Kong Sports Institute. They were briefed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Head of Racing Operations and Equestrian, John Ridley, on the latest progress of works.

Works are in full swing with the construction of the 18,000-seat spectator stands and increased stable capacity to handle up to 225 horses, to be completed in about three months.

Members were briefed on the cooling facilities in the stables, the veterinary service and the world's first-ever air-conditioned equestrian indoor training arena introduced by the Equestrian Company and the Hong Kong Jockey Club to help horses adapt to the hot and humid weather of August.

"With five months to go before the Olympic equestrian events, the Equestrian Committee will conduct regular inspections on different aspects of our preparatory work, such as transport, security, crowd control, quarantine and volunteer training to ensure that each and every aspect is geared up and ready for the Games," Tang said after the visit.

Tang said that representatives from a number of National Olympic Committees had come to Hong Kong to see for themselves the competition venues and related facilities. They were all very satisfied with Hong Kong's world-class facilities and supporting arrangements.

Around 160 representatives from 25 countries attended a workshop organized by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) last month in Lausanne, Switzerland. The FEI and experts from around the world had given a thumbs-up to the preparatory work done by Hong Kong and believed that the Olympic equestrian events to be held here would be outstanding.

"So far, quite a number of leading overseas teams have qualified for the three equestrian events. We are confident that the equestrian events to be held here will be of the highest standard," Tang said.

Equestrian Committee members joining the visit included the committee's vice-presidents, BOCOG's Executive Vice-President Yang Shuan, and Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club John Chan; and the committee's Executive Vice-President, Secretary for Home Affairs, Tsang Tak-sing.

 

To Lunge Or Not To Lunge

 

Lungeing.- It's valuable. Some trainers use it. Some don't.

I do.

Should you?

Depends.

On what?

How you view lungeing. I know trainers who see lungeing as a forced control. Those trainers want to control the

horse's obedience through "just" his brain and nothing else. Should you agree with that? Maybe...maybe not.

I see it this way. When I lunge a horse, I'm still getting earned obedience from him - it's still getting into his brain that I have control.

That's what I'm after anyway.

Lungeing can serve many purposes. One is this. When Danie and Doug Hewlett filmed for the "Reining" DVD, Danie started off by lungeing the horse. Why? Because she's using lungeing as a toolto check her horse.

Just like a scientist would use a microscope for his tool of the trade...Danie and Doug use lungeing as "their" microscope.

Your horse will reveal many things to you if you lunge him.

For instance, Danie says she wants her horse to walk quietly around her when she first starts. Why?

First, a quiet horse is a calm horse. A calm horse learns better, is more cooperative, and therefore trains better. (and is also safer) But if he's walking around, swishing his tail, shaking his head up and down, his ears are pinning,...then you need to figure out what's going on.

If he's walking around you quietly, then that's a good sign he's okay with you, he's likely not in pain, and so on.

Next, while Danie lunges the horse she will ask him to walk, canter and lope.

When she says "walk"...he walks.

When she says "canter"...he canters.

And so on.

So guess what? If he doesn't walk, canter, or lope when you ask him to...then you need to fix that. Why?

Because he won't know it when you're in the saddle. You want to teach it from the ground first.

Get all the confusing stuff out of  the way and get him knowing it before you get on. That's just one of the valuable things about lungeing. There's more that Danie reveals about lungeing.

If you want to read about it, click the following:

http://www.SuperStarsOfHorseTraining.com/Hewletts

Here's another reason to lunge.

When you lunge, you teach your horse to control his gait. You never...repeat...NEVER want him telling you what speed he's gonna go. Why?

Do you wanna be in the saddle with him telling you what he's gonna do? Uh-uh! Especially if you're kinda new to this horse thing.

You dang well better have him asking you how fast you wanna go - not the other way around. When you push the gas pedal...he moves.

When you hit the brakes...he slows down or stops. And that, my friend, is a small sample of why lungeing is so valuable.

 

Why You Don't Let Your Horse Tell You What His Gait Will Be

Have you ever had trouble while riding your horse and he speeds up without checking with you first?

That's no bueno.

I definitely do NOT want my horse telling me what gait he's going to move his feet in.

Why?

Because if he's the one telling me what he's gonna do, he'll be in control.

And when my horse is in control of the training issues, that's a recipe for disaster.

If you're going down a hill and your horse wants to rush and you can't control his speed, you could get hurt. And I'm not for getting  hurt. So when I ask my horse to pick up speed, I want him to know he can...but...in a relaxed manner.

I want him to know there's no need to get excited. But that's thing about horses. There's a natural tendency for them to get excited. The more their bodies are in motion, the more tendency there is for them to get excited.

So, it's our job to show them that everything's cool. They're not gonna get hurt, and so on.

So how do we teach this?

I like to start from the ground. Much of what you show a horse transfers from the ground to the saddle. So I find that a good place to start.

So when in the round pen I'll teach them the various gaits to go to. If they go too fast, I'll slow them down.

How do you slow them down?

Say you're in the round pen and you ask for them to walk and they take off into a trot.

Obviously, that's not what you wanted. And if you accepted their trot after you asked for a walk, they'll think trot when you ask for the walk. So you gotta be clear about it.

Thus, if they're in a trot when I wanted a walk then I'll edge my way in front of them. Sort of cutting them off.

When I see him slowing down because I'm working my way in front of him then I'll retreat the pressure to make it clear what I want.

Although this is the basic process, it's a bit hard to describe in words.

If you can see it done, it makes more sense and is easier to understand.

Diana Quintana, one of our featured trainers from SuperStars of Horse Training, goes over this in pretty good detail.

She of course reveals much more than just changing gaits, but this piece of the puzzle is definitely worth knowing how to do - and doing it well.

Just remember. Get your horse checking with you if he's going to change gaits - not the other way around.

It's urgent for your safety that he checks with you. Be sure to teach that to him.


 Important Horse Manners

Horses, like dogs and kids, must have good manners.

Just because they're a horse doesn't mean they shouldn't have good manners. On the contrary, because they're so strong, big, muscular, and lightning fast, good manners is important.

Manners mean different things to different people.

And what I mean by manners is they aren't allowed to come into my space. In fact, I rarely invite a horse to my space - and if I do, I'm picky about how close they can get.

Another manners thing is turning their butt to me.

Never, ever allow that.

And one of my favorite things to do with a horse is teaching them to move their butt away and to face me after going through a gate.

I never want their hind end facing me because I have this urge to keep my head from getting kicked in.

You can teach this to a horse and have them doing it as automatically and teaching a child to say please and thank you when proper.

Another manners thing is not letting them push on you.

I consider that rude.

If I'm working from the ground and the horse pushes on me, then I'm going to let him know he's not allowed to do that.

What do I do?

Make them move.  Get them to move their feet.

And never make his consequence outweigh the crime.

Use what the horses use in the herd and only do what is necessary to get the response you want.

I know some people will ask, "What is good manners vs. what isn't?"

The answer is there are a lot of things you do not accept. I just now listed a few.

But if you want to know what else there is, here are two things to think about.

First, if you wouldn't let your child get away with it, don't let your horse get away with it either.

The only thing is, none of us have the same notions about what parenting is. Some people allow things where others wouldn't dream of it.

So, the next thing to think about is your safety. If you let your horse get away with something, will it violate your safety? Will it violate your ability to successfully train him?

If so...don't allow it.

 

Starting and Ending Daily Training Sessions

As you likely know, horses have a fantastic memory. And like all things in life, there's a tradeoff with having a good memory.  If you work with the horse and he's happy and you want him to learn certain things, his memory is such that he'll remember what you've taught him.

The tradeoff is, he'll remember what you taught him. Huh?

What I mean is this.

Whatever the horse learns is what he will remember. What he remembers best is what he did for you to leave him alone or get rewarded.

Thus, if you go to catch your horse and he runs from you...a lot...and you finally catch him and once you do you pet him...he'll think,

"I get it. I run from him for 30 minutes, I let him catch me, and then I get petted - so I'll keep running from him every time I see him."

Don't want the horse thinking that!

Anyway, because of how the horse learns and how powerful his memory is, we want to start off and end each lesson in a good way.

I like to start off my horses with lovin' on them a bit. I brush them, talk to them, etc. Why?

Because I want them looking forward to being with me.

If they don't want to be with me, then I don't fell like I get the cooperation I want.

Now I know other trainers who don't take this approach - and that's fine.

We all have our own way.

I just kind of like the Abraham Lincoln philosophy where Lincoln said: To persuade a man to your way of thinking, you must first convince him you are his friend.

Frankly, horse training is a lot like that.

Paul Esh, a featured trainer of our SuperStars of Horse Training, does this very thing too.

He understands the power of having the horse want to be with you.

Likewise, you want to end the session with the horse where he's not mad but rather in a good state of mind.

Put him away when he's mad or fearful, then that's what you're gonna have when you work with him the next day.

So that's what I do when working with a horse in daily sessions. Start out friendly and end friendly.

 

Give To The Bit

Preparation for Give to the Bit

Lyons says that understanding the giving concept and your responsibility in it will revolutionize your horse's training.
Preparation for give to the bit starts with rider concentration. The rider's concentration on the task helps build consistency, first with the rider then with the horse and his performance.
When a horse gives to the bit, he is saying that he recognizes a request made thru the reins and is responding by turning control over part of his body to the rider. Responsibility of give to the bit is shared between horse and rider.
The right answer cue to give to the bit will be the rider's quick release of the rein. Lyons recommends lots of practice on give to the bit so the horse has a chance to isolate the exact behavior that is being rewarded. For example, the horse may flick his tail or shift his weight at the same time he gives. Thru many repetitions, he will come to realize the exact and correct response without including unwanted behaviors.
It is the rider's responsibility to consistently give the correct cue and reward the tries. Give to the bit is a specific exercise looking for a specific answer, rather than a general exercise with a wider range of acceptable answers. This leads us back to rider concentration and the rider needing to know exactly how to make the request and how to quickly reward a correct response.
It may be advantageous to bring the bridle into the house one night along with a package of M & M's, grab a willing kid or SO, and practice the give to the bit before trying it on your horse. This may help to improve your understanding of the exercise along with your timing of release for correct response.

Preparation for Give to the Bit, Part 2

We will be communicating with the horse thru the rein. Look at it as tho it were a telephone call to the horse--we would like him to recognize our call, and see it as important and worth answering.
When communicating thru the rein, we would like the horse to respond to the request. Picking up on the rein will be telling the horse that we would like a change. If he gives the change we want, he receives a release. Consistency in rewarding the correct change builds the foundation for our "deal" with the horse--request, response, release.
Lyons encourages working on the give to the bit several thousand times, starting with requesting and accepting tiny gives. The more times that you do it, the less decision-making takes place--it becomes more automatic, and the easier it is for the horse.
It is not a matter of physical strength when working with a horse; it's a matter of control. We get control of the whole horse by getting control of one little piece at a time.
One of the results of the exercise will be lightness. When we start the exercise, the slower the hands, the lighter the horse will become. The horse will come to give to the bit before the finish of the request so that he receives the quick release before he feels tension. It's a partnership--a dance. The rider will concentrate on the task in order to give the quick release thereby maintaining the "deal" and improving learning.
Lyons feels that a "hard-mouthed" horse is one that has not been given a release therefore sees no benefit in answering a request. If a horse does not respond to a request thru the rein, he may not know the answer, or has not been released for the correct answer in the past.
With consistency, when we pick up the rein to ask the horse for a change, the horse will know that he has a friend at the other end.

Baby Gives, Part 3

In the first two sections, we have determined that (1) we need the rider's concentration; and (2) the rider's consistency.
These two things will lead to the horse's performance (response).
The "baby give" is asking one specific spot on the horse's jaw to move in the direction requested. The "ask" does not include: pull, bump, jerk, yank, drag, or force.
I start this exercise from the ground, but it can be started from the saddle.
Lyons recommends a full-cheek snaffle with one continuous rein from one side of the bit to the other.
Working from the left side first: Pick up the buckle with your right hand and reach down the left rein with your left hand bringing it back to brace against the swell of the saddle. You may have to experiment a time or two to get the right amount of contact on the rein WITHOUT moving the horse's head at all. The right hand will serve to pull any excess slack out of the rein if necessary.
Wait, wait, wait for the horse to give his jaw to the left and immediately drop the reins. Begin again, same side.
It will take several times to get the mechanics in place; and many more times to get the feel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trouble shooting: Horses will experiment looking for the right answer.
Some horses may pull against the rein which is normal--maintain consistent contact while he continues searching for the correct answer. We would like to have NO pull from the horse--watch for and do not reward for less pull; the reward comes for the give.
Some horses may just go off to "la la" land and set back accepting the pressure with no response.
The horse may try moving, possibly in circles or backing up. Be prepared to wait it out and go with it.
The head may jerk the rein, pull forward, up, down, or in the opposite direction. The rider's concentration and consistency will come into play here, along with previous practice on the willing child or SO. Have your human practice partner do several of the wrong answers such as no response, pulling down, etc. so that you get the feel of the differences.
Again, no pulling on the horse. That will only set you up to pull against his whole body and he is much stronger!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

We will be looking for the give which should be recognizable by it's substance and positiveness; it's aliveness; it's feel! Don't mistake this for something big and obvious--it's subtle, but there. The jaw does not have to move more than a half inch, but it has to have life.
Ultimately, when the horse gives just a little of his jaw, we have effectively disengaged some use of his neck and back that he might use against the rein.
Remember that when you start the exercise, the horse has no idea what you want and will need time to look for the right answer.

Gaining Control With the Baby Gives, Part 4

Here is a repeat from Part 3:
>>Lyons recommends a full-cheek snaffle with one continuous rein from one side of the bit to the other.
Working from the left side first: Pick up the buckle with your right hand and reach down the left rein with your left hand bringing it back to brace against the swell of the saddle. You may have to experiment a time or two to get the right amount of contact on the rein WITHOUT moving the horse's head at all. The right hand will serve to pull any excess slack out of the rein if necessary.
Wait, wait, wait for the horse to give his jaw to the left and immediately drop the reins. Begin again, same side.
It will take several times to get the mechanics in place; and many more times to get the feel.<<
Lyons divides the horse's body into nine separate sections between the jawbone and the withers and says that you can gain control of the horse's body one part at a time, thru working with the baby gives.
With the cooperation of all nine of the sections, you should get lighter responses, better diagonal movement, better stops, turns, lead changes, wither elevation, and collection.
If a horse locks up a section that muscle group stiffens and in effect the horse is saying that you cannot have control of that part.... and also nothing further back than that part.
After practicing baby gives by working on Spot #1 (the jawbone) for several hundred times, that spot will remain slightly off center rather than the horse taking it back to the front. This is the time you will progress to working on Spot #2 which is just behind the ears.
The same process of asking for the baby gives as described above will be used to practice with Spot #2.
Lyons relates the request for the baby give as the rider saying "please", the horse answering with a "yes", and the release from the rein as a "thank you".

...for more horse training articles go to horse-guide.com!

 
 
   
 

 

 

 

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