This week in lessons

This week in lessons we are going to be working on being a little quicker to get things done, so that means transitions in rapid succession like we have done in the past (transitions at each letter), but we are also going to throw in lateral work, turns and other exercises to get you guys really riding and keeping the horses focused as they once again are dealing with icy and muddy paddocks.

The jump course we do this week is also going to involve transitions and quick thinking.

To help you be able to ride your horse more effectively so it doesn't take so long to reorganize and get the horse's attention, we are going to be working on maintaining a more consistent contact with the horse. This means shorter reins, and more effective and active legs.

It is important to remember that effective can mean different things on different horses. For a horse that likes to tune out its rider and get rushy you may have to be more active, whereas on a sensitive horse, it is more effective to be passive.

Passive doesn't mean zero contact though, passive means being in neutral. So not a loose rein, but rather a rein/arm/hand that follows. For leg, it means a leg that lies softly on the horse's sides.

Having light/passive contact is comforting for the horse, kind of like resting your hand on someone's leg if they are nervous (someone you know...resting your hand on a complete stranger's leg is likely to make them MORE nervous). For the horse it helps because they know where your legs and hands are, and aren't worrying about getting jabbed or yanked. Think about it, if your rest your hand on your thigh and maintain that connection, you can increase or decrease the pressure, but you can't really do anything abrupt or harsh. In order to do anything harsh like slap yourself, you have to take your hand/contact OFF. This is the same with riding; being able to follow the horse with your hands and maintaining a pleasant connection is softer than the loose rein and occasional jab, same with leg.

Karen