|
The weather was cloudy and with some thunderstorms. There was a full house of riders and horses. Auditors came from up to six hours away. Clinic hours were 9:00 a.m. to approximately 4:30 or 5:00 p.m.
In addition to Lee, Mark and their boys, Ellie Stine-Masek (Natural Dressage), and Roy Cooper (Roping and Cow-working) were also in attendance. They are the other members of Extraordinary Horsemen. Lee's horses, Alibi and Bubba, were also working at this clinic.
The following are excerpts from the BackGround Information Sheet for EH:
>>>EH is a new collective of gifted horse people (Lee Smith, Ellie
Stine-Masek, Roy Cooper, and Mark Smith) who have joined together to offer
private instruction and clinics to prepare you and your horse for
performance with a natural horseman emphasis.
Rather than waiting years before taking your horse to a show, rodeo, or
endurance ride, EH can offer you the insight, skills, and instruction to
begin enjoying the events you like now while developing your horse and
horsemanship in the process.<<<
>>>...(EH) emphasizes communication with your horse without force or fear, to establish a willing partnership rather than resistance. The goal is a horse that is soft, gentle, and responsive and moves smoothly and relaxed in every situation.<<<
"Place your heart in your hand and offer it to your horse."
On Saturday morning, the horses and owners were in the arena with halters and lead ropes with some owners also carrying lariats. Here are some of the riders that I remember: Beth with a lactating Morgan mare whose hormones were running wild since her baby was away from her; Cordy with Skipper who is a 15 yo QH who has had a hard life and is quite shut down to human interaction; Dianne with the Paint Western Pleasure mare who has some bucking problems; Henrietta with a sorrel gelding who decided to lay down in the middle of everything; Krissi with Jack the FoxTrotter, Liz with a big grade horse whose tongue had been cut; Lucy with a forward-going QH; Nancy with another forward horse; Terry with a colorful Appy; Travis with his Appendix who was at the clinic as a last-ditch effort; Rick, a newer rider with Quimby who looks like a good-ole-boy; George, a more experienced rider with Lady, a reservation QH mare.
Lee started the clinic by showing everyone how to coil a lariat. (You have to twist the line with your fingers as you coil it up, and to retrieve it by moving the hand holding the coils so you maintain a soft feel with the hand coiling the rope.) Lee planned to teach the following at the clinic:
~How to be more observant of your horse
~How to offer your horse what he needs
~How to allow him to drift
~How to use approach and retreat (which horses themselves use)
~How to offer your horse to be as comfortable as possible
~How to follow a feel--the horse's power is in his hindquarters therefore you need to be able to get him to yield his hindquarters to you--in addition to yielding, you want him to do it softly.
~Horses learn thru confidence, acceptance, understanding, and results.
To get started, the lariats were put on under the horse's halter. Take the loop end and maneuver it under the halter, so that it's actually around the horse's neck at the poll. The rope will act as an extension of the rider/owner/trainer. Be sure your horse is accepting of the coils. Rub him with them, tap them on him.
"Inspire your horse to want to dance with you."
The first task is to ask your horse to bend laterally and disengage the hindquarters softly. The request should not weigh anything. Just set it up and wait. The horse may drift, back up, or look in other ways for the answer, just stay with it until the hind leg crosses under. Also, do not release if there is still brace in the neck. You don't have to get firmer, just fix it up and wait.
If the horse is bracey at the neck, he is leaning on himself and causes himself discomfort by not responding. Don't tap the coils on the horse to ask the hind to move over--the coils (sound) will cause him to stiffen his neck. If the horse is backing up, he hasn't turned loose yet. The horse may yield his neck, but the answer is not in his neck, it's in the hind. The good thing about the lariat is that if you put too much pressure on the rope, the rope will hurt you. Note: asking for the bend only will have your request at the side of the horse's neck. The request for the disengagement is more up to the withers and into the horse.
"As long as your horse is doing what you want, he will be comfortable."
Next task was to Yield Hind and Push Front Thru. This is a bit difficult to describe in writing--one of those "you had to see it for yourself". As the horse responds to the request for disengagement of the hindquarters, lead his front thru so that one front leg crosses over the other. A tap of the coils on your hip or by the side of his eye will help him shift his weight and to "push" him over. When I tried this at home, it took me a little while to figure out where I was supposed to be standing in relation to the horse, which hand should hold the coils, and which hand should hold the rope to request the disengagement.
"We're teaching the horse to turn loose of negative attitudes."
The next exercise was in preparation for the circle--moving the front end with the lariat rope near the horse's nose. Put a coil or twist in the lariat close to the horse. Move the twist towards the horse and slap the coils--this will be telling the horse to move away. Comfort comes from moving his feet. You can also use another method if the horse is standing away from the direction you want him to go--and that is hooking the lariat over his nose and directing him. Use rhythm--this does not include hitting--it will only be "aggrevating" to him. Stop aggrevating when the horse moves his front end thru. Send him out on the circle by tapping your coils--if he doesn't go, throw the coils out. Don't keep tapping, it has to mean something. Reel the horse in off the feel of the line. Disengagement will automatically occur. To slow the horse, shorten the line.
"I'll be darned, I didn't know the comfort was there. I didn't know it was up to me." says the horse who is understanding.
There is a purpose for circling. It helps you to control the horse, to send him into a trailer or thru a gate.
"Get these simple things good."
There are long horses (TB's and Arabs) and there are short horses (ones that don't want to go anywhere). Long horses are better on a short line and short horses are better on a longer line.
"When a horse looks for comfort, he is in the 'learning' frame of mind."
Next task: Ask your horse to go sideways down the rail. Throw the middle of the rope into a long twist. This twist can be directed at the hind end to get it moving. Ask the horse to go "somewhere", but be sure you are allowing him to do that with enough rope. Learn how to "push" your rope and how to "spin" it. Don't use the coils to push the hind. Don't continue asking--offer him to go, then wait. Allow the horse to make a mistake then correct. The long line gives the horse room to move.
"Offer the best deal first."
Next task: Sit on the rail and swing rope over horse's head. Start with a little rope, then get progressively longer.
"Approach and Retreat"--a non-abrasive way to teach.
Special Thoughts:
~Show your horse that your idea is good--that it equals comfort. His idea may not be so good because he has to work.
~Try to convey to your horse that what you are doing is in his best interest.
~Communication for control is developed with a softness. When a horse looks for comfort, he is in the learning frame of mind.
~For a herd-bound horse: irritate him when he's with his buddy; leave him along when they're apart.
~Groundwork helps a horse learn to operate in our world.
~The coils don't mean anything unless they're attached to a human's attitude.
~Learn to watch your horse's every muscle--jaws, mouth, eyes, neck--see if the head is tipped away. Look for braciness.
End of Part 1 (Saturday morning)
Lee started the afternoon by working with a horse (Nancy's, I believe) while she was on Alibi. The mare that was being worked had a very negative attitude. Lee worked her by asking her to yield her hindquarters and move her front end--respectfully. There was a little "horse" communication going on between Alibi and the other mare so Lee stopped for a minute and let everyone watch the conversation. The other mare would sneak a peek at Lee's horse, and Alibi would pin her ears, snake her neck, and say: "Don't look at me!" The other mare would quickly look away.
Lee additionally worked this horse from the ground with the lariat under her halter since the mare still had a problem being respectful. This groundwork session was to work on the horse's attitude. While she worked some circles, Lee talked again about reeling the horse in from the feel of the line and that disengagement automatically happens. Some of the conversation between Lee and the mare went like this:
Lee asks politely: Go somewhere.
Lee slows the mare down by slowly reeling in some of the lariat. Another message that came out of this session is that if you step back when a horse crowds you, the horse will be saying: Aw Right! I'm still in charge!
Next Lee worked with Lacey, the bucking paint mare owned by Dianna. Lee put Lacey through some transitions on-line looking for where the problem might be. Lacey was resistance to even going at the walk, but showed her stuff on the transition from trot to canter. Lee was trying to find out if her problems were emotional or physical. It looked like the problem might be the saddle and/or the back cinch. Lacey also leaned on the halter which indicated it would be "not likely" to be able to get her head up before she bucks. Her tight jaw and lips softened after working with Lee for a short time.
The first task was asking the horse to bend at the walk--looking for the horse to stop and put slack in the line. Ask for the bend as slowly as you can. This is the emergency control rein. Be sure you only activate one rein and that you are not pulling on the other.
Next task, walking a circle with a direct rein (straight arm), slowly close your fingers on the rein to slow down and stop the front end at the same time asking the horse to move his hindquarters to the outside of the circle. Use only as much rein as you need to stop the front end. The object of this exercise will be to ask for disengagement without using the reins (something that is necessary for flying lead changes). Drop the rein as soon as the front stops and the hind moves. This exercise leads to the next:
Practice was done on moving the hindquarters without bending the neck. Use a concentrated rein, tip one rein minimally and push the hindquarters. See how little rein you can use.
The rein responsibilities are: right rein--right front and left rear; left rein--left front and right rear. Additionally, direct rein takes care of front end, indirect takes care of hind end.
If your horse drifts to the side while doing the above exercise, stop the drift of the front end by slightly lifting the rein on the side to which the horse is drifting. Lifting one rein stops that foot/shoulder from forward motion.
These exercises transition to the next one: Walking along on a casual rein, switch to concentrated rein, looking for vertical softness (when the face is vertical the back lifts) and ask for the back-up. Try picking up your reins intending to back with a soft feel, close your fingers. Put a small feel on the reins--just enough to make the horse want to move away from the pressure, then release before the move.
The next exercise again adds to the previous ones--this time walking along, set up for a slight back-up, plant the rear end, slightly tip the head so that you can just see the eye, then using both reins, straight arms, PUSH the front end around. Hands should be at same height, and same weight exerted on each rein. Reins should be short. Use one leg to push, and take other leg off.
Try this exercise by first backing up and then sweeping the front end over. Don't backup and turn loose of reins. It needs to be a continuous flow of reins from the back up to the sweep.
Some exercises to practice: Pick up a soft feel at the walk, count 3 steps and stop. Again, pick up a soft feel at a standstill, walk forward 3 steps and stop. Pick up a soft feel, and try backing up 3 steps. Ask for a yield of the hindquarters without moving your head. Notes: Your request should not weigh anything. Keep your hands on the "table" in front of you. Do less with the reins.
Counting Cadence: Practice noticing which foot your horse is about to lift. It is easier to count laterals from the rear instead of diagonals from the front. Feel for the feet. A trick to help you is to watch the swing of the rib cage to the furthest point out--that is when the back foot on that side is ready to leave the ground.
Practice varying the speed of the walk. Bring your life up to walk faster--swing with the horse's ribcage. Ask for a slow walk by dropping your life.
Interesting note: If you want your horse to look to the right, point your right foot first (or your finger) then apply the opposite leg.
Ride an "S" trail. Practice riding an "S" trail either in the arena, or on the trail. Basically, this means ride forward, at some point move your horse's hindquarters either right or left. Move forward from this point, then move your horse's forehand either right or left. Continue on, alternating right or left, fore or hind.
Notes: A couple of things that Lee talked about were: The importance of being able to control the hindquarters. As Lee has done, it is invaluable to learn from many different horsemen--one might say something a little differently but you may be able to understand it better. Sometimes a rider actually is in the horse's way. Softness is necessary to be able to melt into your horse and act as one (example: don't brace your legs when asking for a back-up). We never want our horse to say, "HEEEYYY, that doesn't feel good. HEEEYYY, that's bothering me." Don't jerk on your horse--you may have to have a tight contact, but if you pick it up softly, he knows its coming; it's not a surprise, and he doesn't say "AYYIII, what was that." Use the release to motivate.
End of Part 2 (Saturday afternoon)
The morning started with all the riders/horses in the arena with their regular riding tack. They warmed up and practiced some of their new "stuff".
Lee and her horse (Bubba was working this morning) started by working Cordy's horse, Skipper. Skipper is a 15 year old QH who has had a tough life and is unmotivated by the soft feel. He just shuts down and says, "Go ahead, I've had worse than this." For Skipper and other horses like him who lean on pressure, use rhythmic bumps. Decide how little it takes to get the job done. If you have to be firmer, it's o.k.; just drop back down to how little it takes. Lee worked with bending Skipper's neck, disengaging the hindquarters, and then pushing the front thru. After about 5 requests, Skipper was softening and bending his neck. After another several requests, he was disengaging. Another few and he was moving his feet fluidly. It only took a relatively short time for Skipper to start a-lickin' and a-chewin'.
Some "think" time for the horse is recommended after a task has been accomplished. If you move on too quickly the horse may not realize he got the right answer. Get used to checking your horse's face--you will get to the point where you will be able to read him, to know when he's thinking, when he's digesting, and when he's done and ready to go on.
The riders did a short period of groundwork: bending the neck, disengaging, and pushing the front thru, and some sideways.
Lee worked Terry's Appy from Bubba since the Appy tended to go forward on the sideways. We got to see this horse at the "teeter" point. When Lee first asked the horse to move away, you could see the horse's head slightly tip away while his eye looked around in that direction. One more firm request and the horse was ready to move. Lee let him know the rules: Don't go forward, but go away from me. One little "Don't go backwards" and the Appy was moving sideways nicely.
The riders did a little rope swinging practice before mounting since their next exercise was to swing the ropes over and around their horses, particularly around their legs/feet. There was a Follow the Leader game while riders threw the tail end of their ropes at their neighbor's horse's feet. All the horses were pretty well desensitized to the whole thing within a few minutes.
WORKING WITH THE FAST HORSES: About half of the group had "fast" horses. Therefore this exercise was very beneficial for them. Lee's preface: If you ask your horse for a certain gait, be sure that he has comfort at that gait by using the casual rein. Make this promise to your horse: I promise if you maintain this gait, that I will give you comfort by riding on a casual rein, but if you go faster, I will impede your speed with "this" rein. "This" being the rein that will be controlled by a bent elbow which transcends gait--it puts a breaking action in the speed. Be sure that you ride the speed YOU want; if your horse doesn't listen, use the reins. Offer your horse to come back down. Give the horse a chance to follow the life in your body.
The fast horses were directed to trot on the rail. Travis' horse started to canter at the excitement. He was directed to circle the horse (the smaller the circle, the harder it will be for the horse to canter) and RELAX. As soon as he relaxed the horse picked up the smooth trot again. In general, it looked like the riders tightened up when their horses went faster which meant to the horse "OK, go". When they relaxed, it was better. Lucy got some help from Ellie who pointed out that she was riding more in the jockey position which encouraged her horse to move out. Once she settled back, the horse was more under control. Towards the end of the exercise, Dianna got a beautiful transition to canter with no bucking.
WORKING WITH THE SLOW HORSES: The slower horses were motivated by pairing them up with a faster horse to encourage the canter. A romel was also used if necessary. If there's any resistance after asking for the canter--don't ask--fix it up--trot fast until the horse choses to break into the canter.
Picking up a Soft Feel for the Stop: Riders walked the rail on a casual rein, picked up the trot, then were instructed to pick up a soft feel on a concentrated rein, drop the life, and drift to a stop. If you can feel your horse's chin come in and down before the stop, you're doing a good job. Release when the horse lets go. Be sure your reins are short enough to be effective. Riders transitioned into asking for the stop and backing up 3-4 steps. At this point, Liz (who had the horse with the cut tongue and was riding in a rope halter) was not getting the response others were. Lee offered to put her in a bosal for more refinement and she did much better in the afternoon session.
End of Part 3
|
