Connecting with your horse during these strange times.
Well, its been a strange start to 2020 to say the least. I’d like to begin by saying my heart goes out to anyone effected by Covid 19. It’s been a very difficult time for so many people.
From a horsey point of view some may have found themselves not seeing their horses at all. Some maybe seeing their horses on limited time slots every day, and some maybe lucky enough to be at home with them. Whichever category you fit in, I feel there’s an opportunity to really take this time to return to the foundations of having a horse.
I think, it’s a time to really think about the reasons why we have these lovely animals. Normally in day to day life you may find that you’re rushing to get the horses done before work or, if you work with horses you’re planning their exercise regime to strictly tie in with their very busy competition season, or, you may even find you don’t have enough time to even see your horse each day when work is busy.
Well lets take a moment to just breathe… And have a little think. What is it about them that we love so much?
Is it being around them?
Is it doing all the yard stuff?
Is it competing?
Is it hacking?
Is it having a good relationship with them?
Is it time out in the countryside?
Whatever it is, and it maybe all of the above, how can we make that time as pleasurable as possible?
Its been my passion over many years working with these incredible creatures to enjoy them as much as I can. Ive often found myself rushing around yards, having a quick hack to get back and ride the next. But I think, whatever level you are and whatever you enjoy doing with your horse sometimes it can be really good to just take a PAUSE and wonder whether you’re really getting the most out of your horse?
Often an enforced rest or holiday is a great thing for both horse and rider. It gives us a chance to rest both our body and mind and absorb information effectively. You can then return to the foundations with your horse and your riding also.
Connection.
Get to know your horse inside out. Spend time, if possible, just being with your horse, enjoying them. Allow your horse to get to know you. There’s no point trying to perfect a move when neither of you are on the same page or understanding each other.
All horses are different and they all need to be treated individually. With their feed, fitness, regime and training. They’re all different. You can have a yard of 10 horses all competing at the same level but to gain the most out of them they all may need different routines. Some like going out more, some are prone to being porky! Some need to jump regularly, some perform better when they don’t jump regularly, some are good with little holidays, some switch off if they have little holidays etc.
So, my point is. Strengthen the connection. The stronger your emotional connection is with them the easier you’ll understand them in their training. This also applies if you just hack. If you know them well and are well bonded with them you’ll maybe understand how to get them past that scary leaf on the floor!
Horses are such sensitive animals so stroke, be patient, be kind, be gentle, talk and listen to them and they’ll repay you.
Another way you can improve relationship between horse and rider is ground work. Just simple things such as leading your horse in the school. Making sure you’re safe, gloves a definite ( I learned that over the years!) and also a hat. A bridle or head collar depending on your horse. Practice your voice commands. Making sure your commands are relaxing and the same for each movement. Like ‘walk on’ ‘whoah’. Horses react better to upward transitions being a higher pitch and downward transitions being lower pitch. But most importantly be consistent. Be aware of your body position too stand up tall and make sure you’re walking with confidence. Maybe even lead form the other side so that horse and rider stay symmetrical.
Commands you could practice could be :
Walk on
Halt
Rein back
See how good you can get your horse off your body language and voice. Are they listening?
Position.
Is my position allowing my horse to move correctly?
Its a really great time to be thinking about your body, your fitness and if your position is as good as it can be. So, lets bring it back to basics.
What are we aiming to achieve with our position? Well, the more correct our position is the more likely our horse will be able to :
Balance
Move correctly
Move comfortably
Be straight
Load weight evenly throughout joints
The more correct our position is the more likely we will be able to :
Be more comfortable in our bodies
Be more balanced
Be more confident
Have more stability in the saddle
Be more effective with our aids
In order to achieve a good position your pelvis needs to be in neutral. Its the optimum position for your spine to absorb movement and being riders that’s your main objective.
Think of your pelvis as a bowl of water. The water needs to be level. I discuss this a lot in my Pilates classes as without neutral spine you cannot gain effective or correct position.
So, you’ve got your neutral spine what’s next?
So, if you’re in the school or hacking concentrate on your position in walk. Imagine a point in your hip. Think of a straight line of energy going down to your heel. Then imagine a straight line of energy going up to your head. Or you can think of yourself like a tree. The roots are your seat and legs and the top of the tree is your upper body. This will help lengthen your spine and deepen your seat. You want to think of it as, if your horse was taken away would you still be standing. Look at any picture of Charlotte Dujardin, take her horse away she’d always be standing. But remember to stay relaxed.
Maintaining your position.
So its pretty easy to get into the correct position on your horse if you’ve got the correct guidance right? But how do we maintain it?
Working on your own fitness, mobility and posture is so important to maintaining that all important position. By targeting the correct muscles ( the deep muscles ) as well as strengthening the superficial muscles you will be able to move correctly with your horse. It doesn’t have to be hard either!
Just a few simple corrections will make a massive difference. In my classes we focus on improving the core muscles specifically with simple cues and exercises. There will be more tips and exercises in my next blog or check out the classes on my website.
Getting and staying relaxed.
Use walk exercises to really establish your position. Everything is easier for horse and rider in walk. It gives you more time to think. There is plenty you can work on in your walk and I don’t think riders use it enough. Many top riders I know use it as an integral part of their training.
And remember, with any of the work you do with them. If its really not working there’s always another day. So, although these are very challenging times for many lets take some time to really absorb the nice things.
