Re: Training ride today

[Sue Brown <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

>Just a comment, Abby
>Sheila Varian rides all her horses with a running martingale during
>training and many times afterwards. I would hardly call her a gimmick
>user-- she is an incredible horsewoman who has proved herself time and
>time again in the performance ring. Could there perhaps be room in this
>business for different training methods?
>Bette who feels it is too early in the morning for flaming <BG>
>

Doesn't she make her living training horses where it's essential,
especially when you're a big name, to turn out "trained" horses in short
order?  I've seen top level dressage trainers using draw reins, tight side
reins, and short running martingales to get the "frame" as quickly as
possible.  If they take too long to train the horse or to turn out a rider
on a well trained horse, their business clients go elsewhere.  The
classical trainers aren't as popular or in as high a demand because they
"take too long" to train the horses.  Just because a big name trainer uses
something, it does not, then, automatically fall out of the gimmick
category.  The "tune-up" method I have seen used is to put the "tool" on
the horse right before a competition and then quickly go into the show
before the message wears off.  I've seen a lot of this...hung around shows
as a critical non-competitor for many years trying to learn what was being
done right or wrong!  

My question is:  WHY is she using them?  To keep their head down...keep
them from rearing...change the action of the snaffle?  I don't know.  I'm
seriously curious.  

I actually do own some (since I can never throw anything away ;-))...bought
them several years ago when a well known western trainer in our area told
me that they were the greatest thing for getting control.  Only used them a
couple of times because they seemed to upset the horse more than they
helped.  I didn't know much about horse training then and believed what
people had told me...but I didn't like what they did.  I can see a
situation where, if they were adjust to be so long as to not have any
action except under extreme circumstances, they could be of some use...but
not as a regular training tool.

I wasn't even tempted to bring them out when I started training Blaze.  He
was the most upside-down, head-in-the-sky, out of touch horse I had taken
on to train...and I was totally convinced that I would never get his head
down.  It's almost 3 years later and his head is down when he
travels...he's calm (except at the start of a ride and even then he's not
too bad and he can be a real pistol), has his head in a good position
(except when he spooks or sees the photographer <g>), uses his haunches
well, is very cooperative, and very, very light on his cues.  A wiggle of
the little finger or a slight increase in pressure on his side get a
definite, immediate, willing, and correct response (well...most of the
time.  He's still a horse! ;-))  He's doing great...but it took a long
time!  This amount of time is *not* something that most professional
trainers have...at least if they want to make enough money to call it a
living.

Sue

sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.
ARICP Certified Riding Instructor
Recreational Riding II, Dressage I