Ha! Got him worked out now. The pattern is pretty straightforward. He throws a tantrum when he is first asked to get his back engaged and work, and I ride forwards through it. If we are anywhere near the barrels or turning to head towards them, he fixes on them as an excuse, but it's the work, not the barrels. I had to pick up the draw reins briefly to stop him going too wild, but he knows them now and gave in immediately. I was quickly able to loosen them right off again so that they were not in use.
Then I did trot shoulder in, preparatory to beginning to teach him travers so that we could progress to half pass. The shoulder in was fine. The travers he found a bit of a challenge. And the moment he was focussed on trying to evade the travers, which he knew I was going to ask for on the next side, he completely forgot to spook at the blue barrels as he went past. Owzat! I knew it was nothing to do with the barrels, just the work, the little scoundrel !!
I managed to get him to understand travers in trot on the right rein fairly quickly, but he was finding the left much more difficult. I got it by circling ten metres and then holding the bend as we came back to the track. He evaded it twice, but on the third circle he understood and I got some good steps. We turned a corner and got some more without circling first, and then the same again. I stopped then, it was very good progress for a first attempt at travers. I think he will have cracked it in another couple of weeks, and that half pass will follow quite easily.
Radar made it clear he was going to be completely overexcited today so I stuck the draw reins on him too because I needed him to get some decent fittening work in and we would have taken half an hour or more just to get a calm walk in that mood. It worked fine, and we did a lot of trot and canter work in a slow rythmn, which will increase his strength and stamina.
Opening meet less than 6 days now :-)
C.
"Scoundrel" suits Ace just fine.
ReplyDeleteJust a thought...for a horse with a short back, the lateral work is just a bit more difficult. Some extra suppling and small circles where you ask him to bend around your leg with some frequent transitions right to left may help a little. Be a little extra patient as he learns to develop the lateral flexibility.
Toby is a cinch for the half pass, Tucker struggles a little more. He can do it, it's just not as easy for him. (Of course he could use to lose a few pounds so he could bend around his belly more easily....*G*)
Glad the draw reins are helping both Boys get through their "issues" more quickly. The more often you get to a good place early on in a ride the better.
Looking forward to hearing if Radar's training carries over into the field. That will be an exciting development for sure.
Jean I am struggling to find a weakness in Ace right now. He is learning lateral work as easily as any other horse I have ever taught it to, may even the easiest yet. This is why I am so excited about him right now; he lengthens, he collects, he goes forwards straight and sideways easily. The submission is the only issue, which itself is only a matter of physical strength and mental time. At the moment it feels like the sky is the limit for him, training wise.
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I could also add - he sits, he bends, he's light in the mouth but on the contact, he's sharp off the leg and rseponsive in down transitions.... I'm just a wee bit stunned about how this has all come together at home in 12 weeks. Now we need to try and get it in public.
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Out of interest is there a reason that you are not asking for his initial lateral work in walk? I have always found that asking for any new movement is best started in walk as they have the time to figure out what to do with their bodies and legs! Then when the positioning of both the rider and the horse is easy you just add the forwardness. Just my experience, but may be worth playing with to increase his confidence in the aids and positioning.
ReplyDeleteI did, Kate. He got shoulder in in walk last year very easily, which is probably before you started to read this. I forgot completely to post that I did travers in walk as well, but he got it so easily that I went to trot in the same session. I completely agree with you about the vaue of walk work.
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Sorry, well that's all v promising that he got it so quickly in walk! Onwards and upwards!
ReplyDeleteNo need to say sorry Kate, I'm always happy to be challenged in as nice a way as you do it. It completely slipped my mind that I had started him in travers walk.
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