Improving Your Horses Responsiveness
Well here we are, day 29 of our being a better rider challenge. Today we are going to work on improving your horses responsiveness. But first, how are things going for you so far? Do you notice an improvement in your riding? In your relationship with your horse? If you have been participating in this challenge for the last 29 days, I am sure you have noticed an improvement, I know I see a difference in both of my horses.
Each day we have been working on an exercise to help us move our riding forward. And today our focus is solely on forward thinking and moving. But if your horse is ‘lazy’ getting him to move forward can be a huge obstacle.
The Lazy Horse
If your your horse is lazy, meaning he is unresponsive to your aids, riding can be more of a chore than fun. Take Frisby for example. This horse is the epitome of lazy. Well, at least when I get on him he is extremely lazy. And I know this is my fault. I have trained him to be lazy. He ignores my legs, and just ambles around our arena because I have allowed it to happen time and time again.
I get so happy and excited to just be out there riding him that I lose my focus, and let him do what he wants. This is not the right way to get him to move forward. But I have learned ways to get around his laziness, and that is what I am going to share with you today.
Lunging For Respect
Way back on day 18 we discussed creating a warm up for your horse. And we have talked about ground work a lot. IN order to get your horse to move forward under saddle, it works best to get him really moving from the ground first. Have a plan for your warm up to get your horse going forward. For this exercise I use a lunge line instead of my 14 foot lead rope. It is more difficult for your horse to canter in a small space, so the lunge line will allow you to get your horse moving. You will also need a stick and string or a lunge whip. You want to be able to get after your horse with the lash of the whip or stick and string if he is disrespectful and doesn’t want to canter.
Working on the lunge line you are going to ask your horse for the canter. First you ask then you tell. This means first you raise your hand in the direction you want your horse to go, ask him to canter and if he doesn’t, you cluck or kiss to him to get him moving. If this doesn’t work, then you tell him with the whip. Always remember to ask first, and then tell.
It is a respect thing. If your horse doesn’t respect you, he isn’t going to move forward.
Work on canter both directions of the ring. First ask him to canter, and if he ignores you, then tell him to canter. You want to have a lot of changes of direction. This will keep your horse wondering when are you going to ask him to change direction, and he will pay attention to you, and not everything else going on in the world. Once he is doing this with a “Yes Mam” attitude, then it is time to get in the saddle.
Repeat The Process In The Saddle
Now that your horse is warmed up and sensitive to moving forward, it is time to transfer that motivation from his back. You may need to use a crop to reinforce your legs, or if you have the mecate reins on your bridle, you have a built in whip. Once you are on your horse, ask him to move forward with you voice. Give the command “walk”. If he ignores your voice, use your legs and give a squeeze. If he just stands there, you don’t need to nag him to death with your legs. A horse can feel a fly land on his back. I promise you, he can feel the pressure of your legs squeezing him. If he doesn’t respond to your legs, give him a whack with the whip, or your reins (only if you are using the mecate rein.) You want to place the whip or reins on his side, just behind your leg. The whip is an extension of your leg, and is used to reinforce your leg. A quick tap with the whip should motivate your horse to move forward. This even works for Frisby, so I am sure it will work for your horse. Remember, Frisby is the epitome of lazy, so I get it.
Once he moves forward even 2 or 3 steps remove all pressure. By removing the aids, you are rewarding your horse. Pressure, and release. Pressure and release. You don’t need to continually nag your horse to go forward. Once he moves forward he needs to have the release to recognize the pattern. He will begin to correlate this, and he will respond.
Work On All Gaits
You want to do this at all gaits, walk, trot, and canter. Always use your voice, (walk, trot,canter) then squeeze with your legs, then give a cluck, and if he still hasn’t done what you have asked, reinforce it with the whip or reins. And once you horse has done what you have asked, give the release and stop with the aids. If you continually squeeze your legs and don’t get a “Yes mam” response you are merely nagging him and eventually he will ignore all of your aids all together. You need to mean what you are asking him to do.
With Frisby, when he sees the whip, he knows I mean business. So every time I ride him, I have to be sure to have the whip. I rarely have to use it. Just holding it while I am riding is motivation enough for him to move forward usually with just my voice.
A Big Day
Today was a huge day. There was probably a lot of work involved in getting your horse to move forward. A day like this is something I usually have to revisit with Frisby at least once a week. And when I back off of his riding, I have to start over with this exercise in order to get him to go. Keep that in mind with your own riding. If you ride infrequently, you will have to start over every time you ride. This is why it is good to stay consistent with your riding, and your training if you want to have success.
After you have gotten your riding done for the day, be sure to do your plank exercise and then cross of day 29! Your calendar should be full of red “x’s” and if it isn’t, that’s ok, this will give you a goal for the next 30 days. Just remember to keep moving, and keep working. And one day soon, you will be a better and more confident rider!
