having a hard time putting it all together to hold his hindquarters fairly still while taking his front feet quickly around. He was just getting tangled up, and lacked the balance and coordination to do the spins well. I remember taking many breaks with him during our sessions, leaning down, giving him a rub and saying, “I can relate, buddy! Let’s take a rest and a fresh start.”
In this article, I will give you some footwork exercises you can do with your horse, which I took from my lessons as a student in the boxing gym. In terms of your horse, remember what it takes to be a student when you teach these exercises. All maneuvers require our horses to become more coordinated with their footwork, especially the front feet, which helps free up the shoulders for all the things we’ll ask of them when we advance their training. Supple shoulders allow us to access the horse’s hindquarters so we can set lead departures, balance, and do flying lead changes. Helping our horses develop better coordination with their front feet is important because there is naturally more weight on the front feet as the head and neck are leveraged over them. It is imperative that riders in all disciplines spend time to develop free-moving forequarters. I want to share with you a freeing-the-shoulder exercise I use with all my horses. Begin by teaching your horse from the ground to move his shoulders over and cross his front legs easily and willingly. Your goal is to adjust the balance of your horse so he steps the hoof closest to you over the front of the other. The key is to remain aware that the hindquarters stay fairly still. In the early stages, don’t worry about a hind foot pivoting, but rather that the both hind feet stay inside an area the size of a hula-hoop. With one hand on his cheek and one on his shoulder or where the front cinch would go, use a steady pressure to teach him to move away. Increase the pressure if he resists and release as soon as he steps over. At first a step or two is just fine, then work your way up to a few full revolutions. The hard part is to maintain a dual focus – the front feet must step one over the other correctly while the hindquarters don’t pop out of the hula-hoop. By beginning on the ground, your horse can learn this without dealing with the issues of a rider.
PHOTO: ANGIE FIELD
PHOTO: ANGIE FIELD
The speed bag is all about focus, rhythm, and timing. Many frustrating times with the speed bag gave me a lot of empathy for how my horses and students feel when they are being challenged by a new learning curve. Becoming mentally quiet, patient, and focused is the key to success in many endeavours.
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www.HORSEJournals.com • July 2015