An Amazing Lesson

[hinny_heart]

http://www.lulu.com/about/whatislulu.php

How to explain?

It's like a self-publisher's bookshop ...

You can buy things, and you can also publish things if you want to. You can even publish things and have them free for people to download if you want.  

It's not vanity press - no actual charges to "do" it, but naturally if you or anyone wants to "buy" anything, then there is a payment of which both author and publisher get a share.

They do print-on-demand and also downloadable stuff, too. I've got a few downloadable things from them - literally spent about $10 in total ! - and paid by paypal, which is handy.

There are all sorts of odd and unusual and interesting and weird and wonderful things on it; special interest stuff; autobiographies; church guidebooks; recipe books, memoirs, poetry - go and have a look and a browse.

I keep meaning to put something on there ... I will do one day when I get the time!

[franklin]

This strengthing of relationship with your horse is all very well, but Sam now  goes into a super strop if I should dare in from of him fuss or pett another horse. If I dare not to spend enough time with him he think he deserves, or due to pressure of work some times he has to go away to stay with a friend THAT is when he becomes REALLY stroppy and gives me a hard time for at least a week!. I know if I am in his good books, he talks to me first thing in the morning, if I get silence from him I  have to work him and praise him for some very minor movement and he is all over me like a rash!. John my husband says Sam is having a prima dona moment!.
I change my coat after I have been teaching otherwise I get sniffed at. Horses who'd have them, drive you crazy one minute and make you shout for joy the next. Jenny

[Emma]

I have to say - Ella was absolutely fuming with me yesterday.   Chiropractor came (I have text her to ask her permission to write about the treatment on here &, if she agrees, will post my next installment shortly!!) yesterday, initially just for Ella but 3 others joined in along the way, but no owners were there, just little ol' me.  Firstly I brought all the others in first as there may have been 'catching' issues with them!  So we were in a really bad mood just coming in.  But a little baucher with lots of fuss, praise and attention soon sorted that out.

We were quite good during our treatment especially if we were allowed to crane our head round and watch what was going on & have the odd little tickle during.

But oh boy!  How dare I then go and spend hours holding all these other horses and being nice to them.    We were having total tantrums, chucking hay out, ears were back as far as they could go and if looks could kill I'd be 10 feet under! :ouch:

It took lots of cuddles and a special tea (well one extra apple cos we're a fatty!) to get a grudging "OK, I'll be your mate again!"  Problem was that cos of the treatment you can't do anything with them - no brushing, baucher etc.  

God I love her though!   And at least she doesn't do what she did when I first got her as a youngster & stand on her back legs when I go near another horse (although I have a feeling yesterday that this was purely due to the constraints of the stable!)    

[Emma]

An update before my next lesson:

Following on from our chiro treatment, we now have our new programme of ‘musts’ as I am calling them :

Baucher – 20 mins a day
Leg stretches – back and forward both hind and front.
Figures of 8 - hind legs only
Strapping – hind end prioritised ( due to the tying up problems we have had in the past)

Seeing as this took me an hour and half to complete the first day, I’m not actually sure where I’m going to fit any lunging and riding in. especially without severely testing OH’s patience!   :blink:  :lol:

I have to say that the wisping was funny as I was experimenting how hard Ella would tolerate.  I have to say she was extremely good, even if a little “Oh my lord, what on earth are you doing to me now!”    We ended up were I could have probably saved my arms a little as I just had to lift the wisp and her muscles twitched nicely!!!!  Poor girl.  Actually, I think once we got into it she really enjoyed it.  My arms are sore this morning, but hey ‘watch these biceps’  B)

27th March 2006 – A great weekend despite the weather!

Having now got into my new routine of Baucher, stretching, strapping we actually got to have a go at lunging.  

Friday night we were a bit stiff but once we were warmed up went very nicely.  Just did 10 minutes of walk.

What I have noticed since the chiro came – when we are doing the Baucher, she is actually taking contact with the supporting outside rein much better & seems to be stretching into the contact in a more consistent manner.

Saturday – absolutely fab Baucher session today.  We got perfect turn on the forehand with very deliberate single steps, nice relaxed jaw etc.  Also decided I had time to lunge again (OH is being a little star at the moment and doing all the ‘other’ jobs!)    Thought we’d try some trot and see whether this had improved.

[Not sure whether I noted this earlier but had had vet out a couple of times as we we’ve not comfortable on left rein & have been ‘cycling’ in the trot rather than coming through.  Vet could find nothing obviously wrong and blood tests ruled out any myopathy which at least was good.  Showed slight stiffness on left leg after flexion testing but not enough to do nerve blocking.  We were going to go on Bute for a month & see if there was any difference afterwards – i.e. could she work through it or would it make the matter worse.  Decided instead to try Baucher & consequently a little chiro!]

After we’d warmed up in walk for 5 mins on each rein, I asked for a quarter circle of trot.  First ask we looked like a giraffe but I also felt I didn’t get my timing right.  Let her walk for another circle and made sure that she was really in balance & relaxing the jaw, then asked again.  This time we suddenly found we could move again.  She was so chuffed that she chucked her head in the air, true arab style & floated around for a bit – totally not ideal, but at least she was tracking up which she’s not done for a while.  So as not to strain her too much I took her straight up the long side of the manege.  This did not quite result as expected as she got a bit ahead of me and decided at the top to do a quick pirouette & canter back the way she’d come!  But what a steady nice canter it was which was quite a pleasing surprise.  We won’t be doing any more of that just yet though (well if I have my way!)    – but it was good to see her looking so happy in herself – I think she just wanted to see if everything was working normally again!!  

Best bit of the day though, was that we got several strides with an overtrack of 2 hoof prints (we’d only done an overtrack of one in the past).  It’s so funny though, because I’m dishing out all this praise when she gives me something good and afterwards people are saying to me “well she obviously gave you what you wanted”  but you can see they haven’t a clue what that was!!  When they ask I tell them, but otherwise I just smile and say “yeah!”.  :P

She’s really beginning to enjoy her ‘stretches’ as well and there already seems a difference.  Have to be careful I don’t get too carried away with the whisping although shes’ beginning to allow a little more pressure which is good!  Every one wants to know why I'm beating up my horse though !!  :lol:  :lol:

Sunday – Baucher was not as good today.  Yard was very busy & we were being distracted and a bit stubborn, but hey, not every day can be perfect, can it?!  

Decided we would try lunging with side reins on today.  Have not been doing this because Ella has had a tendency to back off the bit but with her finding the outside rein in the Baucher better, I thought that maybe we would benefit from having some side reins & I just wanted to see what would happen.

Warmed up quite nicely in walk (5 mins each side) & then I put the side reins on.  I also decided at the last minute to put 3 trotting poles out, just to do twice on each rein if she looked up to it.  Side reins were pretty loose as my main aim was for her to stretch into them.  Also didn’t want her feeling that she could back off from them.  Tried just attaching the outside rein to start with but this just made her flex her head outward, so then attached the inside rein as well and she seemed a lot happier.

Well the trot wasn’t perfect by any stretch, BUT we were tracking up most of the time and we were really trying to stretch into those side reins with a relaxed jaw.  The trot was nice and steady & fairly rhythmic.  I did try slowing her down a bit but she could only do this for a couple of strides before loosing the tracking up, but hey I was pretty happy & so was she.  At one point we had our nose only a few inches from the floor which was great.

So thought we’d try the trotting poles before working down.  And I had a flash of my old Ella with really high steps and good suspension.  Let’s hope we keep going in this direction.  

Of particular note is how much freer her shoulder looks, mainly from the Baucher I think.  She has always had a tendency to be tight through the shoulder and choppy in front, but this is definitely and significantly improving methinks.

Ah well.  Another lesson with Jenny tomorrow – more brain ache on the elusive path to enlightenment !  I can’t wait!
 

[Emma]

28th March 2006 – Our Third Lesson

This started off wonderfully when I brought the horses in to find 2 men grinding the concrete base on the yard in order to install new drains.  The noise was horrific and one has to say not overly conducive to a nice calm learning session.   :unsure: Ella’s stable was right next to where they were drilling & poor love just could not cope with the noise in her ears, so I tied her up at the other end of the yard & left OH looking after her whilst I got in the other one in.

After a little faffing about with where we were going to do things due to the noise and intermittment rain (& of course a nice cup of tea!), Jenny taught me a little more on the Baucher and explained how we would then translate this into riding and long reining by bringing the side to side flexions down & out a little more.  Jenny showed me how this stretched the horse over the withers and released the neck from the shoulder even more.  The ultimate goal in this exercise is to encourage the horse to then stretch right down so that it walks with its nose on the floor.  Given that this has always been a huge struggle for Ella since I’ve had her, I thought this was going to be interesting.  Although I have been encouraged when we have been out hacking, she still really struggles in the school.

I think Jenny was intending to do a little lunging before riding but I got confused and got on board and it was only at 4 o’clock this morning that I woke up and though “she asked me to put the roller over the saddle – I wasn’t meant to get on board straight away!” .  Dosey mare that I am (have to say the clocks changing have really thrown me this year – I feel completely out of kilter at the moment.)  :blush:

Anyway, it was lovely to have a ride despite the fact that I feel like a sack of spuds at the moment.  Haven’t really ridden for a couple of weeks as I’ve been so busy doing all my other ‘musts’.  Going to write out a programme now though so that I try and fit in a bit of schooling, hacking and lunging each week on top of everything else!  Am also going to make myself a magnetic rug which will hopefully cut down a bit of time on the strapping.  Not that I want to take short cuts, but I have to be realistic & there are only so many hours in the day & I have a sweetie of a 6 year old daughter who deserves some undivided attention too!!  

Anyway, diversion over & back to the lesson:

To start with when I was asking for the side to side flexions (note: these are quite miniscule, just so that you can see the eye and you do them on a longish rein without pulling backwards, more of a vibration with the reins held out and forwards) we were really struggling especially to the left.  

But suddenly it started to come.  I suppose it was about rhythm and the way to ask and when.  Ella still fought taking the contact down.  Not in a bad way, just in a ‘ this is really difficult, I’m not sure I can do it”  vein.  Every so often we would get a single stride that was correct – fab.  After all, this is where we started on the lunge and now she stays in balance 95% of the time.  She’s still walking quite slowly, but we are going faster than we were at first so things at least are progressing at a steady and consistent pace.

The hardest thing is probably the patience and the repetition but I actually do enjoy having a very structured progressive approach to schooling.  The joy comes out of the little things, like my horse can now bend her neck 125 whereas when we started she could only do 35 at a push.  Jenny also showed me how to do this Baucher move on board & interestingly, again, she could only do about 25 and stay in balance – just shows the effect that a rider on board has to the horses balance!

Towards the end of the session, Ella gave a few lovely downward stretches with good overtrack so I was made up & I have a load more stuff to practice.

My highlight of the lesson had to be the turn on the forehand though.  Again, Jenny showed me how you translate the Baucher exercise into the ridden.  We only did a couple of these and then walked on, but at the end of the lesson she suggested we had one more go.  And Ella just did it – I did absolutely nothing & she just started turning very deliberately -  I just couldn’t help laughing.  I didn’t do anything – but Jenny said I did – I thought it !  How fab was that!  

Jenny then went on to explain the importance of the turn on the forehand in long reining so that eventually you could walk in a straight line whilst the horse moved from side to side going up the manege.

She also commented from my previous post that I shouldn't worry about Ella turning slightly out because of the side reins on the lunge as this will help lift her off the forehand and eventually come round and down.

Jenny spent a long time explaining stuff and making sure I understood the progression and relevance of each little step in the development of the next.  It’s funny though cos Jenny thought I wouldn’t have so much to write about this time – but looks like she’s still managed to fill my head chock-a-block!  

I also got to stand with Jenny whilst she lunged my friend’s horse (friend was unable to be there, so I agreed to sort her out).  This is so worth while to listen to an expert’s comments, what they are looking for, how they influence the horses way of going to achieve what it is they want.  Also being able to watch  & concentrate on all the muscles working and how they are working when the horse is in balance and when they are out of balance is invaluable.  Finally think my ‘eye’ is getting a little better.  

My thought for the day:

This truly is proving to be a fascinating journey.  It just saddens me that there are not more trainers like Heather and Jennifer around and that it has taken me so long to find them in amongst the thousands of 'trainers' out there.  Thank God for forums like this that are allowing people like me such a better journey of discovery & introductions to some amazingly committed horse people.  I wonder what on earth I did before I found this site!

PS A little amusing story.  ‘Cowboy Pete', as he’s known round our way, was also the builder doing the drains.  He actually came up to us during the lesson and showed me how to better tie my western girth so it was secure, bless him. (I only ride in a western because I ain’t got nothing else at present although it’s great for hacking & for sitting 6 year old on!)

Anyway, after the lesson he came up to me and said “ Was she some sort of specialist western parelli trainer or something – that looked very interesting?”  I explained that jenny’s a classical dressage trainer.  He looked at me as if I was completely mad.  You could see he thought this because the horse had been stretching it’s neck out & not in some forced fancy outline that most people associate with dressage.  When I explained a bit more he was quite fascinated and nodded his head in fascinated approval !!
 

[shoveltrash]

that sounds wonderful Emma....
once again, i am so so envious.

any chance of shipping Jenny over transatlantic? :lol:  

[Emma]

Oh Trish - just wish we could clone trainers like Jenny and Heather so they could be sent to all 4 corners of the earth.  :lol:

I do feel so lucky to have found Jenny and that she is prepared to travel to see me.  And give me so much support in between lessons as well.  

I have to say that Ella really enjoyed her lesson as well - I think it is all beginning to click for her as well!

Another little update:

Had a fabulous session last night.  Did the Baucher exercises outside the stable and she was absolutely good as gold and probably did her best turn on the forehands yet.  It's got to the point though where she's reading your body language as to what to do next which is probably not ideal in someways so I'm having to very specifically ask her to wait in between the movements.  But she's so willing which is great.

I had planned to lunge her but another mare had been in all day cos of the vet coming so I had turned her out in the manege & didn't feel it fair to bring her in. So decided instead to try doing some of the Baucher in walk around the yard.  Anyone watching would have probably thought that I'd gone completely potty, maybe I had  :lol: but I figured that as she is going to learn to do this on the long reins and under saddle then why not in-hand.  And she tried her little heart out bless her - the only difficulty is trying to watch what's going on behind you!!  But we went up and down the yard doing the 'down' exercise, the gentle side to side flexions and single step turn on the forehands when we wanted to turn round.  She was a little star!  Towards the end she nearly had her nose on the floor and was overtracking nicely for about 6 strides.  Oooo she was so proud of herself!

Afterwards I left her free on the yard but she chose to stay with us (and the builers who were there again) having a sniff and a cuddle, she was so relaxed.  And then suddenly out of nowhere she started doing her Baucher exercises all on her own!  'Down', flex right, down, flex left, down, one forehand turn to the right, down and then a big cheesy grin and a slurp of my tea!!!!  :lol:  :lol:  Don't you so wonder what goes through their brains at times?!

After that I turned her out in the manege with the other little mare for some company.  She said a quick hello to the other mare and then started walking round the outside of the manege with nose on the floor.  She did this for a few strides and then lifted her head, then did it for a few more strides and lifted her head.  She then started trotting with her nose on the floor.  She couldn't hold it for long but carried this on for about 10 minutes before going and having a meandour.  I am convinced she was practising what to do because she was tracking up & the other mare wasn't driving her or threatening her - it was just fascinating!

Ah well, enough of my ramblings, better do some work! x

[Emma]

Another little update plus a few notes I made for myself on lunging.

This weekend, Ella has taken to looking a bit like an arab again!  Head in the air “Look at me aren’t I Iovely!”     and we seem to have a bit of desire to break into canter.  The wind and rain have definitely not helped to provide conducive and constructive schooling.  :(   (But I have to say, even though I don’t really want the canter, I am rather chuffed with the length of stride she is producing – so not all bad!)

A little aside:  What is good is that she will now do the Baucher in the stable, quite relaxed.  Best option seems to be to vary this as much as possible – keeps her brain in gear!  She can now nearly turn her head right back on itself and keep in balance which is amazing considering how she was a couple of months ago.  

This week decided to go back to walking for a bit and get her relaxing through the jaw again – get it ingrained in her brain before doing any more trot work.  

Yesterday, did a good 15 minutes Baucher prior to lunging and we really worked well in a nice relaxed outline with slight overtrack – not as good as she has shown, but not bad either.  At one point she broke into a little trot, so I let her do a few strides and then asked her back down – and wow, we got a really good overtrack of around 5 inches plus good relaxation of the jaw stretching into the outside rein.  She maintained this for just under a circle and then went back to only a slight overtrack.  After another circle I thought I’d ask for a few strides of trot again to see if the same would happen & it did !  I have to say that the trot was pathetic but here’s the question: does that matter?  If a few strides of pathetic trot improve the walk is that a good thing – I would think so, but I look forward to Jenny’s take on this at my next lesson.  

The other interesting thing is that when I did her leg stretches afterwards her hind legs stretched much further forward than before and she really ‘let go’ so one must be helping the other!

I also think that I should do a little bit of the Baucher half way through lunging to help that stretch through her top line!

A few notes for myself  on Jenny’s / Sylvia Stanier’s lunging technique

I have to say, I don’t think I am that great at this yet; but I am working on it!  Part of the problem is that last year Ella and I were almost taught the reverse of this.  We were taught that if we stepped in it meant move on and a slight step back with a dropped shoulder meant slow down.  I have to say that this actually did work very well for half halting the horse & getting attention & was very akin to the sort of ‘natural horsemanship methods’.  However, if the horse had ‘one on it’ it wasn’t so great.  I also felt I was missing something.  Don't know what....... :unsure:

I was taught by someone else that if the horse doesn’t listen that you move them on and always tell them what they are doing if they are not totally listening (she always said:  show me a person who continually shouts at their horse to stand and I’ll show you a horse that doesn’t stand still!).  She always lunged through the bit and used to train the horses to go from a flick backwards and forwards for the transitions.  I have to say though that she mainly dealt with horses with huge behavioural problems who had lost trust in humans and who tended to be very highly strung and nervous.  She advocated that the horse always moved round you and that you stand on one spot whilst lunging.  Also, she always brought the horse into her at the end of the lunge session as the reward.  

Another trainer taught me to always move round with the horse and not stand still.

Lunging is like riding I suppose, there are loads of different thoughts and view points & you may keep all sorts of bits 'in your toolbox'.  

I really like Jenny’s method though of stepping in to slow and stepping back to move on, preceded by a slight vibration on the line.  To start with Ella and I really struggled with this because we were ‘turning things on their head’ so to speak, but it really seems to help her stay relaxed and focused.  We have a long way to go because of the change in style but I feel a lot more confident in what I’m doing.

At present I sometimes have to move round with Ella to 'drive' her a little to work from behind but Jenny says that eventually you should stand still and the horse move round you.  This is coming more and more with Ella as her balance improves.

One massive benefit, I think I may have mentioned previously, is that if she gets giddy when handling her, I just slide my hand up the lead rope and step into her and she stops.

Also, if she gets giddy on the lunge, I walk into her to bring her down so I know she is not going to be damaged.  I see so many people bringing their horses into themselves when they are careering round so that they end up cantering on a 4 foot circle and I just think ‘oooh those poor joints, oooh that poor back’   .  Also it is amazing how quickly they latch onto this 'quietening' by you stepping into them.  Ella is so much more relaxed.

We still struggle with the standing still 5 metres away from Mummy, so I need to find time to perfect this a bit.  But this is cos she thinks stopping work means cuddles from Mum!    Transition wise though it works fabulously and sometimes I don’t have to say a thing, just step forwards or backwards to get the transition.

I really really want to perfect my technique with this but feel I’ve got a million miles to go yet – maybe I need to ‘borrow’ a few more horses to practise on!!  :lol:

 
 

[Emma]

Lesson 4– starting on the long reins!!

10th April 2006 – 2 months since we started our new programme!

Reflections:  Ella looks like a different horse!  She’s finally getting a lovely rounded bum and muscling up nicely.  She is stretching far more readily, is much more relaxed and supple all over and the walk is greatly improved.  

A total aside:  I am also giving myself a big pat on the back as I have finally GIVEN UP SMOKING AFTER 20 ODD YEARS!!!  My brain is complete mush at present but let’s hope that gets better!!!  But more money for lessons and hopefully the realisation of a dream to get my own land for my Ella!  Plus I hope it will help to make me fitter & to ride her better!

The lesson

This lesson was my introduction to the long-reins.  I have long reined in the past, but English style, where the long reins run through the stirrups and the outside rein runs round the back of the hock.  The emphasis on contact was with the inside rein with the outside rein resting on the hocks to ’massage’ the bit and thus relax the jaw.

Jenny turned my brain on its head in this lesson !  Jenny taught me (well tried to !) to long rein on the circle with the outside rein through the turret on the roller and the inside rein directly to the bit.  

This is what I think I learned!

The outside rein maintains a light contact to try and get the horse to seek/accept the outside rein and take it forward as well as to squeeze when the outer fore leg is rising so as to release the neck from the shoulder.

The inside rein is vibrated to relax the jaw and to half halt & rebalance (as on the lunge).

Mentally this all made perfect sense as it follows on from the Baucher and my previous lessons.  BUT my body just wouldn’t follow suit!!  Jenny probably didn’t know whether to laugh or cry (although we did do quite a bit of the former!) as I struggled to maintain the outside rein, whip wobbling all over the place & horse just thinking ‘good god, what’s she doing now?’  whilst I’m trying to release the shoulder, half halt, not step in …..!  I did at least manage to get the halt correct by getting her to ‘bounce’ into the reins but …..

Problem is, Jenny makes it look so easy.  She assures me I will get it with practice but I have grave doubts – this is harder (in fact much harder!) than learning to ride in the first place!!!  :blink:  My homework is to practice on the left rein and lunge on the right rein until I get it right.  This could take all year!  

The day after!

What an unholy disaster!   :(  I started off with good intentions, really thought about what I was going to do ….. but I was pants!   :blush:  My hands kept cramping, whip kept dropping, horse not tracking up, horse not stopping……went back to lunging to do some decent work!

12/4 – 20/4

Decided to get myself some ‘thin’ lunge lines as was really struggling to hold the thick ones in my little hands as well as the whip, plus I was struggling to feel the mouth properly.  Jenny said it was better to have the thicker ones to start with as the weight helped them take the contact forward, but I decided whilst I am learning I would try the thinner ones and then go back to the thicker ones once I was a bit better at it all!

Had a much better session with the ‘thin’ lines.  I think it made my hands feel lighter so I was able to be a bit more senisitive.  Still struggle with the weight of the whip ( maybe I should get a lighter one of them as well!) but I actually had Ella stretching down into the reins and transitioning quite nicely.  Our stop is getting better all the time.  I’ve found that if I draw myself up as if I was asking for a stop when riding that she stops much better and on a lighter contact.  I have also been doing the Baucher exercises at the halt on the long reins so that she associates it all as part and parcel of the same thing.

Another interesting thing was that I forgot my bridle one day so I did the Baucher exercises off the head collar.  I was quite astounded at how well this went – in fact I would almost say she did them better in the head collar than in the bridle which I thought would be difficult as there is no outside ‘stopping’ rein or bit vibration to relax the jaw.  Does this demonstrate that it is the poll vibration & consequent relaxation that in turn relaxes the jaw?  She also mouthed very softly despite no bit.  Fascinating!




 

[Appy2quarter]

Thanks for this thread - firstly because its so interesting reading about how you are improving and your impression of the exercises.  Secondly.....I also have started having lessons with Jenny!!

I was so impressed with this thread in that it really seemed to make sense and resonate with other teachings that I got in contact with her and had my first lesson a month ago.  It was fascinating!

Your comment about longlining in the headcollar doesn't surprise me since I had my ridden/ground session with my mare in her bosal since I don't ride her in a bit at present.  She took the outside rein for the first time ever, and the walk improved so immensely with the vibration and the 'feel' with each step.  Of course its not the same as with a bit, but it certainly works without one.

Interestingly my gelding is more fixed than my mare despite the fact he appears to be soft in his mouth.  He has trouble flexing side to side but is getting softer all the time and is starting to work nicely on the weight of the reins (I use rope reins which I really like and Jenny approved of - the last instructor I had lessons with said they were very strange).

I'm really looking forward to my next lesson  

So, thanks Emma!!!

[shoveltrash]

as i've said before, i'm very envious of you guys.....having access to Jenny!
great job Emma, documenting all of this progress!!!
got any piccies to share???

like you, i struggled long-lining with heavier type lines - i had to go with lighter ones.  my arms just couldn't handle the combined weight of whip/heavy lines :blink:  

[Emma]

Appy2Quarter - I heard about your lesson in the bosal which sounded fascinating which probably lead to me trying the Baucher in the headcollar.  Have to say I've not actually tried long reining in it yet, but I may give it a go out of interest!  I know my original classical trainer from many years ago had been taught by a woman who used to rehab stallions by riding them in a headcollar before re-introducing the bit.

Shoveltrash - once I have my laptop back I will try and get some piccies done and posted.  Wish I'd kept a better picture diary though as the differences are astonishing!

Am just in the process of writing up my next lesson and I'm going to Jenny's this weekend to watch her working her Sam which I can't wait for!  Will ask Jenny if maybe I can take some pictures to post of that as well.

   

[Emma]

Lesson 5 – The snake!

21st April 2006

The lesson started with me demonstrating how I was getting on with my long reining!  (Or not as the case may be!)  Actually considering how poor I was a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t do tooooo badly (well not until you watch Jenny and marvel at her expertise!)

Up until now I had been watching for & trying to influence the overtrack on the outside hind and the relaxation on the jaw, but now we started to look at the retraction of the inside hind.  Although it was a glorious day, we had had a lot of rainfall the night before and the manege was really boggy which did not help our way of going at all so Jenny was teaching me how to be very precise with body language and lifting the whip to drive the movement.  I also had been crossing my legs over the wrong way which cannot have been helping us at all !!!!  (Just goes to show, I should have asked the question when it didn’t make sense and I wouldn’t have tied myself up in quite so many knots!!) Ella cottoned on to this very quickly, but I found I really had to rebalance and then drive her in certain place to keep the balance.

Once Ella was warmed up, Jenny put both reins through the turrets, rather than just the outside rein, which, she expressed the importance of always starting like this (i.e. outside rein through turret, inside rein direct to bit) so that the horse can stretch and warm up properly.

Jenny then started demonstrating the Baucher side to side flexions using the long reins, gently opening up the hand from one side to the other to generate the side to side flexions whilst maintaining the balance in the walk and the trot.  This really helped Ella to reach into the outside rein and then with the vibrations on the inside rein to relax the jaw she went quite nicely – although we were fighting with that boggy sand somewhat.  It really demonstrated though how the Baucher supplings progress into the schooling work.

Next we got to do the ‘snake’.  Jenny had already explained to me previously about how this utilised the single step turn on the forehand from the supplings exercises.  Jenny taught Ella first, showing how to give with the outside rein, flex with the inside rein and then flick the whip over the top to block the movement!  It looked so easy !!!????  She walked down the centre of the manege whilst Ella looped backwards and forwards in front of her.

I then got to have a go.  I walked Ella round the outside of the manege and then when I got to A I just had to look down the centre line and start walking.  I did nothing apart from this, but it was amazing how Ella immediately turned too.  Problem was, that I was so amazed that I forgot what I was supposed to be doing and she just did a big circle round me!  She then got a bit cocky cos she knew I’d done it wrong, so Jenny took the reins, got her going right & I had another go.

This time we turned together as before, but I was ready!  And we got this lovely rhythm back and too.  I then turned at the other end and tried to come back but we completely lost it!  But hey, Rome wasn’t built in day!

So we went back round the manege and had another go from A.  Jenny explained how to keep the loops relatively soft at present as the reason I had gone wrong before was that I had asked too much of her.  Jenny’s Sam can apparently do about 18 loops in a small manege, using the turn on the forehand cross from the Baucher to turn.  We are at about 6 gentle loops at present but as we gradually build up we should start getting that cross more and more.  My homework is to practice these interspersed with serpentines.

We have already had 2 goes at this since our lesson and she is going beautifully and we actually do not need the whip to ‘block’ the loops now.  Ella is loving all this extra work – its keeping her brain occupied, but I still think the Baucher supplings are her favourite; she’s become such a show off with these especially if she knows someone’s watching!  

Am really looking forward to Saturday and watching Jenny’s Sam being worked – hopefully it will give me something to aspire to even if it takes me a lifetime !
 

[Appy2quarter]

Wow Emma, sounds like you are doing so well with Ella - I am hugely impressed.  I think you have a point about the mental side of the work for the horse - it seems to produce a totally different quality to it.

I haven't been able to do much with my mare as she's been rather stiff (hock spavins) but the change already to her walk is incredible.  I am getting some better softness from my gelding but I think I need Jenny's touch to help with my flexions in hand as he certainly doesn't find them so easy.
Appy