15 Minutes Crucial to Riding Students

Each week, before climbing in the saddle for her riding lesson, nine-year old Audrey spends several minutes working with her horse on the ground. Ask her why and she'll tell you, "To make sure he's calm and paying attention to me." If you think the time she spends doing this isn't crucial, think again. 

In those moments on the ground, Audrey is getting a feel for her horse's mood that day. If he seems distracted, she is learning how to help him focus. If he seems sluggish, she is learning how to rev up his energy. If her horse seems anxious, she is learning how to calm him down. She is developing good leadership skills, while building a trusting bond with the horse. Most importantly, Audrey is practicing making good decisions for her both her own safety and her horse's. 

Recently Audrey was riding in a semi-private lesson when her horse alerted to a commotion outside the arena and came to a sudden halt. She attempted to press him forward but the horse starting getting nervous. Beginning to feel a bit nervous herself, Audrey hopped down and took the horse through several exercises to calm and refocus the both of them. When she climbed back in the saddle, she was able to ride safely past the commotion which was still underway.

In comparison, it wasn't that long ago that I witnessed a seventeen year-old prepare for a riding lesson by walking her horse into the arena and climbing immediately into the saddle. Within seconds her horse took off, bolting full-speed for several harrowing laps around the arena before she managed to get him to stop. When the instructor arrived moments later and asked the shaken teenager what happened, she replied, "I don't know. He just took off. I could tell he was a little nervous when I was getting on, but I didn't expect that."

She probably would have seen it coming a mile away had she received the leadership education Audrey's been receiving. It's no fluke that one horse bolted and the other one didn't. Leadership education is the difference between a rider who is prepared to prevent a horse from panicking and one who isn't. It's the difference between a rider who solves behavior issues and a rider who has no idea she is causing them.

Ask Audrey what's her most important job as an equestrian and she'll tell you, "To keep myself and my horse safe." She knows the fun she has riding depends on it. I'm not sure what the seventeen year-old's answer would be, but I do know this: the longer she remains in riding lessons without developing some decent leadership skills, the greater her chances of getting injured.

It doesn't have to take more than 15 minutes per lesson to help students develop good leadership skills. But, for leadership education to become normal in lesson programs, it most certainly takes riding instructors, students (of all ages) and parents understanding how crucial those 15 minutes are. 

Please join the challenge to create a safer riding lesson industry.

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PREVENT DRIFTING OUT ON CIRCLES WITH COUNTER-FLEXION

A wise old woman once told me, “Where a horse’s head goes his body is sure to follow.” Hmm. Ever find yourself trying to circle to the right, but the harder you turn your horse’s head that direction the more his body drifts off to the left? Yeah... that woman was wise about a lot of stuff, but not so much horses’ heads.

If your horse is drifting out on circles, it is not his head you need to worry about, but rather his outside shoulder…the part of his body that is doing the drifting. Counter-flexion, or bending your horse opposite the direction of travel, will help you gain control of that outside shoulder. As with everything else, schooling counter-flexion in hand first makes it much easier to achieve in the saddle.

GET STARTED IN HAND:  As Madison demonstrates, begin by walking your horse toward a corner of the arena. Along the way, establish outside bend by turning your horse's head slightly toward you and placing your other hand in the girth area behind his shoulder… where your leg would lay if you were in the saddle. As you travel through the corner, encourage your horse to keep that bend to the outside.

On the first few attempts your horse will most likely try to take away the bend (as pictured below on the left), so be prepared to keep a firm hold on the lead rope/reins, and to apply as much pressure as needed at the girth. You’ll know you are getting somewhere when your horse begins stepping through the corner crossing the foreleg nearest you in front of the opposite one (as pictured on the right.)

As he begins making those crossing steps, your horse might feel tempted to stop or back up. Just give a little tap with a whip or lead rope to remind him to continue moving forward.

Practice until you can maintain counter-flexion through the corner with very little pressure.

Once you have mastered that, see if you can maintain it while turning your horse off the rail for four or five steps coming out of the corner. Then try turning your horse off the rail in counter-flexion well before reaching the corner.

When you get comfortable in one direction, switch to your horse's other side and school counter-flexion in the opposite direction.

As you proceed, keep in mind that your goal is to get your horse sensitive to your hand at his girth, and yielding through his shoulders when you apply light pressure. To master it, pick an object in the arena and practice maintaining counter-flexion as you circle around it.

TRANSITION TO THE SADDLE: Once you are in the saddle, your leg provides the necessary pressure at the girth rather than your hand. Take your horse through these same exercises at the walk, then pick up trot and begin asking for counter-flexion through the corners of the arena.

When you get it you will feel your horse's outside shoulder lift, providing a comfortable little space behind it for your thigh to lay. Its important you be aware of this because your thigh must remain in that comfortable spot for you to have effective use of your outside leg. 

When you begin schooling circles, anytime you sense your horse's shoulder moving your thigh out of position, apply counter-flexion and stronger outside leg. This will remind your horse to keep his outside shoulder in front of your leg... traveling on the arc of the circle rather than drifting out of it. Once you've regained control of that shoulder, work slowly toward establishing inside bend. 

Practice counter-flexion to prevent drifting and you will soon find that where a horse’s shoulders go his body is sure to follow. 

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ZEN YOUR WAY TO CALM RIDING: Five Tips for Overcoming the Jitters

Today I talked to a woman who was perfectly comfortable on her horse until it was time to canter.  Just thinking about it made her fear rise and her muscles tighten.  Letting your nerves get the best of you around horses, especially while riding, is never a good thing. Part of a rider’s job is learning to remain calm no matter what. The following techniques work wonders in helping you reach that goal.

Tell a success story.  Thoughts and words are energy, so use yours to send yourself in the direction you want to go. “I’m afraid to canter,” leaves you stuck in the here and now, focusing on the negative.   “I’m in training for the canter. Like all great riders, I’m learning to remain calm and focused at all times.”  Both statements are true, but try saying them out loud and see which one makes you feel as if you are already in a better situation.  Which one sparks some excitement and gets you looking forward to the journey ahead?

Learn to breathe from your belly. Deep belly breathing oxygenates the muscles, clears the mind to help you focus, and is one of the easiest ways to relax anytime. To learn how to do it, lie on the floor and put a book on your stomach.  As you breathe in, try to make the book rise. If your chest rises instead of the book, you are not breathing deeply enough. Once you get it down, make it a habit in the saddle. Check frequently to make sure you are deep belly breathing by placing your hand on your stomach. 

Develop better body awareness. To stay calm, you must train yourself out of unconsciously tightening your muscles. Develop better body awareness by consciously tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups.  Hold the tension as tight as possible for five seconds. Be aware of your breathing as you do this. You will notice that the tighter you tense your muscles, the shallower your breathing becomes.  As you release the tension, use your deep belly breathing to allow for total relaxation.

Visualize the new you.  Visualization is priceless because your subconscious retains memories of events whether you imagine them or if they happen in real life.  If cantering is your challenge, visualize yourself making canter transitions remaining perfectly calm and everything going right.  Think about how you will ask for the canter. Are you in two-point or sitting position? Are you asking for a clear balanced transition, or allowing your horse to dribble into the canter?  Try to feel yourself riding ten or twelve strides, then easing back into trot. Cantering for longer periods, speeding up, slowing down...a marching band popping up out of nowhere, and although you wonder what the heck, you remain calm and focused...breathing deeply from your belly...feeling the pure joy of following your horse’s movement in perfect harmony. Do you see yourself smiling?

Practice, practice, practice.  Remaining calm and focused is a learned behavior so plan to practice. Each day before entering the barn, take a moment to remind yourself that you are in training to become a bastion of serenity. Do some deep belly breathing until you actually feel yourself relax...then go greet your horse. 

Challenging yourself to step outside your comfort zone allows you to reach greater levels of calm confidence. Let yourself have fun and enjoy the process by taking one small step at a time.   

PARENTS OF RIDING STUDENTS: Read This Message for Your Child's Safety!

       

Just recently one of my riding instructor friends had planned a day where students wouldn't be riding, but rather staying on the ground to learn a little something about leadership.  Upon hearing this, one parent got very upset and said, "I can't see paying good money if my daughter is not going to get on a horse."  And then she pulled her daughter out of what happens to be a very good lesson program.

Parents, I can't stress how important it is that your child NOT spend every lesson riding a horse! Students who only ride never learn to become good leaders to horses. Leadership skills are built on the ground and then carried into the saddle - not the other way around. When your child learns to ride a bike, she has no need to develop leadership skills. It's different when your child is learning to ride a 1200 pound animal that cannot behave calmly unless it feels safe... and the only way to make a horse feel safe is by providing it good leadership.

      
Before any rider climbs into the saddle, a horse will present all kinds of subtle challenges to determine whether or not that rider knows anything about being a leader. If your child has no idea how to correctly respond to those challenges, the horse will have to assume the leadership position. This is OK to start because school horses are comfortable being in the lead in many situations.  

     
However, the better rider your child becomes, the more she will ask of horses.  Inevitably there will come a day when she will ride into a situation where the horse is not comfortable being the leader.  If your child has not learned how to provide good leadership by then, she's going to find herself in huge trouble! This is exactly how riders, even really good ones, get injured on well-trained horses every day.  So when a riding instructor suggests you pay for some 'non-riding' lessons, do it and consider it money well spent!  You are lucky to have an instructor who knows it is important that your child learn to protect herself and the horse.

     

Some of us in the horse industry are working to make leadership education become a normal part of every riding lesson program, but we have yet to reach the majority of instructors. If you suspect you child may be missing out, step in for safety's sake. Buy a copy of The ALPHA Equestrian Challenge today!  It is designed for students to read and work through, under their instructors' guidance, to develop good leadership skills. 

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