The Rider
Execution of timing and the ability to feel the horse’s subtle responses are keys to achieving successful communication. What and how you ask your horse to do will affect the outcome. Whether under the guidance of an instructor or not, the horse will only go as well as they are being ridden.
Your body is a tool to communicate with the horse, and how you use it affects the response you receive. Since horses are non-verbal animals, we use some of our primary aids (voice, hands, legs and seat) to send our message out. Horses are extremely sensitive, and can feel a tiny fly on them, so imagine what they feel when you are riding them!
Here are some tips to improving your riding partnership with your horse:
· Visualize what you are asking. On the ground, picture the response in your mind and review how to get there before riding. Mentally prepare yourself for your ride before you begin.
· Set reasonable short and long term goals. A seasoned, well trained horse takes a lot of time and effort, regardless of what discipline. Adjust your expectations according to the individual horse and rider combination. Short term goals are meant to be accomplished over a fairly short time frame. They can occur during the first ride or may take up to a few weeks to accomplish. Long term goals are usually the culmination of several short term goals and tend to be accomplished over a longer duration of time, such as months, or even years. For example, a rider may have the short term goal of learning to post. Their long term goal could be to ride a pattern in a schooling show that involves posting with direction changes, so they have to build off of learning to post (initial short term goal), and advance to posting on the correct diagonal (another short term goal) while being evaluated.
· Think of your horse and yourself as a partnership. If there is an instructor involved, you are part of a team. By adding an instructor into the picture, there is one more person to communicate with. To avoid miscommunication, keep the dialogue open at all times and ensure there are clear, common goals that you all are working towards. Listen to what the instructor is telling you, be open-minded when receiving feedback, and if you need clarification, please ask. Make sure the instructor is the right match for you and your horse. You want to feel empowered, challenged and excited with your team, so seeking instruction from someone who provides this is most rewarding. It also may be helpful to take lessons from other instructors periodically so that you can see things presented in a different way, and the other instructor may have a different focus, which can be an opportunity for growth.
· Try to broaden your scope of many disciplines and breeds in order to improve your success on any horse. Riding different types of horses will make you a better rider, since you will be faced with different challenges on different mounts, and have to respond to each a little differently.
· Continue to work on correct equitation. A solid seat is essential for coordinating aids, and execution of timing. When you are in correct position, you are set up to cue the horse properly. It makes both the horse and rider much more comfortable, and in turn the horse will be more willing to work for you. Lessons with a qualified instructor can assist with this, since they will be able to offer immediate feedback that helps you to know when (timing) and how to apply an aid, and also help you understand what your horse is saying. When I teach equitation, I start with four basic points.
Ø Beginning at the top of the rider’s body, I like to say “where you look is where you go.” The horse obtains a clear sense of direction, because when the rider turns their head to look around and forward, their seat will shift ever so slightly, and the horse feels this, and will go where they are looking. The rider is also centered over the horse, which is beneficial for improving balance. A rider can sometimes prevent themselves from falling off a horse if they get ahead of the horse’s motion, simply by looking up. It shifts the rider’s weight back and can often right them back into the saddle.
Ø Next is hand position, and I like to teach a basic two hand position of hands below the belly button (for english riders), and hands in front of and below the saddle horn (for western riders). I ask them to keep their hands approximately hip width apart, and teach direct reining in a simple manner such as left rein to left hip to go left and vice versa for the right.
Ø Toes up, and heels down. When you are in a boat, placing the anchor over the side keeps you from drifting too far, and that is the same idea here. Keeping your heels down helps to keep your weight down, thereby acting like an anchor so you can keep your seat in the saddle more effectively.
Ø Ear, shoulder, hip and heel alignment. For very young riders, I like to have them tell me their favorite color, and have them visualize that there is a dot on their ear, shoulder, hip and heel in that color. Then I tell them that we are going to connect the dots in a straight line! Most riders really grasp this concept when taught this way, and it helps them visualize a straight vertical line from the side view.
· Use your aids consistently and in a coordinated manner so they are effective. Try not to clash aids, since this sends a mixed message to the horse and can lead to frustration on both the horse and rider’s behalf. Use the least amount of pressure required to get the job done, which will lead to much quieter, softer riding. However, timing of correction is paramount and the boundaries need to be very clear to your horse. Horses need definitive guidelines as to what is right or wrong. That is how they learn.
· Listen to what your horse is telling you. Horses will give you insight into what they are thinking and how they are feeling. An instructor can also help you out, by explaining why a horse is responding the way they are. For example, a horse who constantly pulls their head down, may be seeking relief from a rider whose hands are very rough and severe. The instructor could offer a simple correction of hand position and a reminder about empathy for the horse, which may solve the problem.
Consider some of the following points when riding:
- First, it is very important that you are being reasonable in what you are asking the horse to do physically and mentally. Horses have a fairly short attention span, which is also correlated to their age and training level. If used correctly, the ask, tell, command sequence can help the rider to improve timing and feel, and offers the horse consistent reminders to improve their responsiveness. The horse also learns that they can not get away with not listening to the rider. Sometimes very solid, broke horses become extremely ring smart and will “try” the rider by not listening very well, or try to take advantage of the situation when they sense the rider’s timing and feel may be “off”. Be firm and consistent with expectations for the horse as to what they can or cannot do. An instructor’s involvement may also help here, since they can help with timing and ensuring that the lesson ends on a positive note where the horse has not “won”.
- Horses learn and are comforted by repetition and consistency. Riding lessons are terrific for providing a structured, sequential progression for this, since one lesson builds off of the next and there is a lot of repetition involved. The more you practice something the better you will become.
- How you ride the horse will affect how the horse moves.
Ø If you are worried about something, this fear will translate to the horse – remember how sensitive and in tune they are to you, and they will feel that there is something to be worried about as well. If I am riding a horse who shies away from something in a certain corner all the time, first I decide how the horse would benefit most. I can allow them time to stop and look at the object, or choose to ride by like there is nothing to worry about. Some horses will want to stop and look or even sniff the object up close, where others will prefer to just have their mind focused on moving forward. For those horses, I take a “no big deal there” attitude, and keep going by the obstacle. Eventually they will just go by, like I wanted them to in the first place. Sometimes we can “fan” the worry into a bigger one by making a big deal out of it. Use common sense and good judgment as to whether or not the fear is warranted, or the horse just needs a little bit of desensitizing to a new situation or environment.
Ø The faster you move your body, the faster the horse will go. For example, if your horse is trotting very quickly and you are going with him (very quickly), try to slow the rhythm of your posting down. The horse should respond by slowing down his pace. Practicing controlled breathing also helps (in through the nose, out through the mouth) to calm and sooth the rider and help to relax and slow them down. If you are quick and jerky in your cues, the horse will respond likewise. Give your horse time to set up for the action, and prepare your horse for the next maneuver. This will improve smoothness, and finesse of the response of your horse.
Ø Tension from the rider’s body will be translated through the horse. For example, a stiff and bracing lower back during the trot will lead to bouncing of the rider and a stiffer gaited, possibly sore-backed horse. Learning how to relax and feel the movement of the horse (so you can better move with the horse) will help improve this. Performing stretching exercises on horseback is a great way to gain some comfort on the horse.
· Be kind and empathetic to your horse. Sometimes progress may be slower than you wish, but be patient and if you diligently work through rough spots, eventually it will get better. Always finish your session on a positive note, even if it feels like only one small tiny improvement. Those tiny improvements add up to big improvements over time.
When communication is open and effective, goals can be attained with greater ease, and results can be very rewarding. By striving for effective communication and being aware of the process, potential success will be maximized! This can aid in eliminating communication “blocks” and can strengthen relationships between the horse, instructor and rider. Imagine yourself as the rider described at the beginning of the article – the almost effortless feeling of sending and receiving information in sync with each other so that you begin to think as one… part of a successful, unified team! Implement effective communication, and people will be asking what your secret is!
Pic by Lisa Sapp of Grafton, WV
Horses will usually avoid eating poisonous plants ( they don't taste very good ) as long as there is an abundant supply of good quality of hay or pasture available to them. But, faced wity nothing to eat, a horse may decide to sample one of the poisonous weeds still left in the field.
