First you need to do some serious ring work.
I would start by putting a light (fat, mild) snaffle bit on the horse
for better contact.
You can also carry a dressage length whip to reinforce your leg aids.
1. Walk a straight line down the middle of the ring. Can you do it?
Most horses rely on the wall or rail to tell them what a straight line
is. It can be difficult to get a straight line without help.
2. Once you can do a straight line, can you get the horse to line up
straight, but move at an angle (i.e. leg yield). This is where the
snaffle bit will come into play. You'll need to push with your
outside leg (right leg to get the horse to move to the left), and
with your hands and inside leg tell the horse to not go faster and
not turn in the direction he is moving.
From a watcher's perspective, they should see the legs of the horse
cross with each step.
3. Do spirals. Walk in a circle. Slowly decrease the diameter of
the circle. When you go from a 20 meter circle to a 10 meter circle,
slowly spiral outwards again.
4. Do the same things at the trot. It may take months before you are
ready to move up to the trot.
5. When on the trail, pick a wide spot and leg yield from side to side
on the trail. You should be able to do this the width of a road
for example.
6. When riding, feel the sides of the horse. If the side starts to
bulge into your leg, give a bit of leg yielding to tell the horse
no. So, spooky rock on the left side. Horse looks left. Horse's
right side leans into your right leg. You apply right leg and make
the horse look ahead. This will straighten the horse. A straight
horse cannot jump sidewise.
By the way. I've been working on this for several years with Drake.
It takes time. He'll still spook, but it is much more manageable.
Little side steps that you can sit, rather than that big teleport
half way across the country.
If you haven't done this type of work before, I'd suggest that you find
a dressage instructor that understands trail riding. These people
are real gems, find one and nuture them.
-- Wendy\|/ /\ -O- /**\ /|\ /****\ /\ / \ /**\ Here there be dragons / /\ / \ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\/\/\ /\ / / \ / \ / \/\/ \/ \ /\/ \/\ /\ /\/ / / \/ \ / / \/ /\ \ / \ \ / \/ / / \/ \/ \ / \ \ / / \/ \/\ \ / \ / / \ __/__/_______/___/__\___\__________________________________________________
Wendy Milner HPDesk: wendy_milner@hp4000 Hewlett-Packard Company e-mail: wendy@fc.hp.com Mail Stop A2 Telnet: 229-2182 3404 E. Harmony Rd. AT&T: (970) 229-2182 Fort Collins, CO, 80525 FAX: (970) 229-2038