Manuel Trigo clinic report

[christuris]

H Everyone!  I thought I would report on my first work with Manuel in over a year and a half, having taken Comet, my Saddlebred, to a Lightness clinic over the weekend.  I had been working this last year with a new trainer, a lady who trained with a Cadre Noir instructor, and while it was good for Xino (my Lusitano), I didn't really get a lot of personal instruction as Xino was getting all the schooling.  She had them both in a single jointed snaffle, which I abhor, but like a good student I went along, and then I decided, after not being able to work with her since before Christmas, that I needed to put them both back in the pelham and start working a little differently, so Comet and I have been doing a lot of collected work, at slow paces -- counted walk to collected trot, etc.  I had read JP Giacomini's post on "le petit trot" and realized that we needed to do more of that as it's very beneficial for him with his weird conformation.  He's looking a whole lot better these days, and he actually did very well in a lot of the exercises at this clinic, in spite of the maddening spooking at the loudspeakers, etc. in the indoor arena, where I couldn't get a thing done.  It all seemed like such a waste of time and money, that I almost gave up on the second day.  Luckily, one of the participants gave him a "cookie" which is a natural calmative filled with all kinds of good things, and he did managed to concentrate for the first half of the session, and then decided to spook at the speakers again, but luckily we went around the pillars after that, so he wasn't faced with the monsters!

So anyway, here's my report that I posted on Manuel's forum.


I can't tell you what a great clinic this was!  Thanks to Michel, Al and Manuel for putting together such a well organized and helpful clinic.  If we'd had this kind of a clinic when Manuel first arrived, I'm sure my horses and I would be way ahead of where we are now.  It's an absolute must.

That being said, I was ready to throw in the towel on the second day as Comet was so upset on both days by everything in the arena -- the loudspeakers, the clock, other horses coming up behind him -- that I just couldn't get anything constructive done with him a lot of the time.  He wouldn't stay straight, kept on scooting off to the side, stopping, backing up, you name it (no, he didn't rear or buck!)  The second morning, I couldn't even get him to canter!  It made me wonder what on earth we were even doing there.  Just go back to trail riding...

But the final session was much better.  Maybe he finally "got the plot" and stopped worrying quite so much. Plus we put him in a Spanish bit which may have helped.  We did manage to end on a very good note!

The exercises were extremely helpful, and will be easy to implement on my trail rides.  We started the first day educating the rider using the two sets of reins a la Francaise, which is also how Philippe Karl rides.  Ginny and I were joking about bringing electrical tape for the reins so that we'd have less of a problem with reins slipping and all that, but I discovered that a really good oiling of the reins really helps!  We practiced raising the withers, first at a halt, then at a walk.  We worked on bending to the inside, both at a slight angle and a 90 degree angle if we could get it.  Great emphasis was placed on separation of the aids, like bringing your energy up for a collected trot from a halt, instead of using the legs, or maintaining the counted walk.  For the canter, we had to position our body first and then try to get it without using our legs!

We did counted walk, using the principle of separation of the aids, using our hands to control the walk, but without the horse stopping, and without using any leg or seat (or voice) at all!  VERY difficult!  Then we'd go into a collected trot by just lifting our energy, and controlling with our hands that energy generated.  We did lots of exercises from both viewpoints -- hand without legs, legs without hand (although we did mostly use two hands rather than the higher level one-hand riding).  All this was to get us used to not confusing the horse with "go/don't go" aids.  It was either one or the other.

We also did an infuriating exercise trying to get the horse to turn left while using ONLY the right rein!  Doing slight turns was sort of okay, but trying to complete a whole circle proved impossible, for me anyway!  I managed 180 degrees a few times, but most of the time I ended up with the nose tipped the wrong way.  Manuel finally took mercy on us and allowed us to use both reins, gradually loosening the inside rein so that the horse was operating mostly off the outside rein.

A great exercise he had us working on was one straight out of Racinet's book (I forget which one) but which teaches us not to pull at the same time as asking them to go forward.  You drop the reins totally, ask your horse to walk on, and only when he has started walking may you take the reins.  Same thing in trot.  SAME THING IN CANTER!!!  Racinet's comment on this latter one is "if you have the guts"!!!  But I think everyone was able to do this one.  The only problem for us was that Comet would veer off in motorbike fashion to get back to the other horses.  No way would he stay straight down the wall (especially since the loudspeaker was looming up ahead!!!)

The second day we worked on the horse -- jaw flexions from the ground first, then under saddle.  We had to be very careful not to pull, and he tested each of us by holding on to the reins and suddenly letting go -- most of us fell backwards because we were pulling.  We worked on it at a halt, then at a walk, and then at a trot, and if we felt resistance at any stage, halt and do a jaw flexion again.  We worked on the snaffle rein only, but the object is to be able to do it on the curb rein once the horse is educated.

We did a lot of transitions, all using separation of the aids, and also using a whip to prevent us from banging away with our legs if we didn't get what we wanted right away.  Counted walk to extended walk.  Halt to canter, and back again to walk, and all the other variations.

The other thing he had us do was release of the aids.  We were either nagging with the legs or holding on with the reins.  We had to feel when we got what we wanted, and release until we felt a new resistance, and then ask again. 

The final exercise was a "dance" around the pillars in shoulder-in and haunches-in.  I'm afraid I had to badger Manuel as to exactly how to do both these movements, as I've always been so useless at S-I and hadn't done a haunches-in before, at least not successfully (I gave up!), and I was amazed at how well Comet slipped from one exercise to the other.  He finally settled down and got to work, and all I had to worry about was me!

I think this is a clinic that probably needs to be offered more often -- it's a great introduction to riding the French way, the correct way, in my view, and everything was explained so well and I think it should be prerequisite before moving on to any other clinic!!!

Christina
Indian Hills, Colorado
www.AlphabetRanch.com

[Mandeigh]

Thanks for that...most imteresting..but...where are the pictures? 

[christuris]

Yes, one can't forget the photos!  They should be up on the photographer's site in a day or two, and I'll post the link when I get it.  Hopefully she won't have taken all the photos of us in our "bad" moments!!!  He can look so elegant sometimes, and then he can look like a total upside down turd!

Christina
Indian Hills, Colorado
www.AlphabetRanch.com

[nona]

Great report and much to think about.  Thanks

Looking forward to the pretty pictures.

Nona

[Cobstar]

Thank you for the report.

[Appy2quarter]

Thanks for the report - really interesting.  Oh to have access to such teaching near me......

[renta]

Thank you for sharing your interesting report. I know collection lifts energy in the horse-- but how did you actually lift energylevel in the clinic Waiting for pictures, too
renta

[Heather]

Thanks for this Christina- it would be great to have some pics, and better still video!

[christuris]

I'm still waiting for news of the photos.  Hopefully not too much longer!  Manuel does not allow video at his clinics, or even private lessons, I believe, so I'm afraid I don't have any available.

Renta, Manuel has been teaching us to first position our body for the movement we are about to do, especially canter.  I guess actually making it happen is a combination of physically positioning your body and then imagining yourself cantering while engaging the core, and lifting yourself up.  He used to make us canter on the ground ourselves, starting with a little hop off the back leg.  (I was amazed to see how many people couldn't do this!!!  It was like rubbing your stomach and patting yourself on the head at the same time -- some people just can't.)  So you use your mind to visualize yourself doing this when riding, and then, engaging your core, you can get the horse to canter right from a halt, without using the legs!

When I tried it with Comet at a trot, I was so surprised at his reaction.  He seemed a little taken aback by it, but he really bounced right into a trot, albeit with a bit of an attitude!  I never thought in a million years that it would work!  Not to mention the canter!!!

What was fun, was later on while we were doing other exercises, incorporating this way of asking for a transition, so hopefully it will eventually become a habit.

I hope that answers the question...

Christina
Indian Hills, Colorado
www.Alphabet Ranch.com

[renta]

Yes it does. Thanks. It´s hard work to do canter hops ourselves - but somewhat easier when going down a little bit before each hop

[christuris]

Yes it does. Thanks. It´s hard work to do canter hops ourselves - but somewhat easier when going down a little bit before each hop

I think that initial hop helps prevent us from going on our forehand....!

Christina
Indian Hills, Colorado
www.AlphabetRanch.com

[christuris]

Well, no photos yet, and I'm going to Wyoming tomorrow for a few days, so I won't be back until Wednesday evening.  It's probably going to snow on the way up there, and probably at the ranch as well.  I climb over one large pass and one smaller one, and it's usually snowing there at this time of year if it's raining here.  It was 38 degrees this morning here, so it could have actually snowed here!!!  I was all wrapped up in winter clothes, and then the power went out so I couldn't turn on the heat!!!  Gotta love Colorado...

Oh, by the way, my new Vogue is on its way and will arrive the day I return.  Then the Iberica should be here a week later, with luck!

Christina
Indian Hills, Colorado
www.AlphabetRanch.com

[Heather]

I do all the movements on the ground with students, Christina,  as it is so good to establish it in the mind before having to do it on a horse. But I also teach walk trot and canter, too. Canter is the equivalent movement that the pelvis makes when skipping on foot. I get the students skipping round the indoor school with hand on hip bone, so that they can feel the backwards circle made by the hip.

In walk and trot, I explain how the walk is the same movement that the rider's pelvis makes when on a horse, and likewise the trot is the same movement in two time, as in running. We do this at my dismounted workshops too. I can even teach the trot diagonals on the ground, so that the rider can recognise them without looking down, when on a horse!

Naturally too, the simulators come next when I am at home, but at a clinic I have no simulators and so the work on foot really helps hugely.

Have you checked out the simulator clips on youtube as it describes  lightening of the seat in the canter- the machine won't go if you push down against it!

[shoveltrash]

only just seen this Christina (sorry!).......

I was ready to throw in the towel on the second day as Comet was so upset on both days by everything in the arena -- the loudspeakers, the clock, other horses coming up behind him -- that I just couldn't get anything constructive done with him a lot of the time.  He wouldn't stay straight, kept on scooting off to the side, stopping, backing up, you name it (no, he didn't rear or buck!)  The second morning, I couldn't even get him to canter!  It made me wonder what on earth we were even doing there.

so, do you think that the exercises he had you doing with Comet helped him settle mentally?  because my first thought would be that a horse with such tension (mentally/physically) would need very very basic work to relax......
really great that you ended on a good note though . 
interesting write up!  thanks

[christuris]

so, do you think that the exercises he had you doing with Comet helped him settle mentally?  because my first thought would be that a horse with such tension (mentally/physically) would need very very basic work to relax......

Hi Trish, the problem was that we were groups of four, and Manuel was going through the exercises and I didn't want to be "left behind," so to speak, as he was having us change the exercises quite frequently, so I wasn't really able to concentrate on the relaxation per se -- I was too busy trying to stay out of people's way!  But yes, I've noticed that doing lots of jaw flexions on the back roads up here seems to help a lot.  I guess the situation was just too much for him down there to be effective.  I think that there is a whole huge trust issue that I need to address, and I probably need to go down there and work through the situation on my own time.

And Heather, absolutely -- these are great exercises to do on the ground to give the student the feel of the movements before getting on.  Luckily, cantering on the ground isn't a problem for me, and I can get that initial hop quite easily, but a lot of people I see start it on a forwards/down movement which immediately puts one on the forehand.  However, I shall have to practice alternating between shoulder-in and a circle to see what the difference is in my body -- I know there are different ways to do this, PK saying to sit in the direction of travel, and Manuel saying to sit on the inside, plus this stuff about putting one's body parallel to the horse's hips and shoulders.  I agree with you about advancing the inside shoulder slightly on a circle, but are the hips supposed to be doing the same thing?  The way he had us doing S-I was to advance the outside shoulder, and have the hips facing outside so there was a twist in the body, and weight on the inside.  Same for the haunches in, except that the weight would be on the outside.  I'm still flummoxed about the way the horse's shoulders are positioned in any given movement.  I'm told that the outside leg has to reach more forward on the circle, therefore the horse's shoulders are actually facing inward.  Too confusing!

Christina
Indian Hills, Colorado
www.AlphabetRanch.com