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Re: mental conditioning



At 10:43 AM 11/12/98 -0800, you wrote:
>> ...We leapfrog down the trail...Green horses hate this!  
>> hey neither want to leave their buddy behind, nor (emphatically!) 
>> do they want to be left!  But if you persevere and make them 
>> accept it, they will (eventually!) learn the most valuable
>> lesson of all--that the world won't end if they are separated 
>> from another horse by more than six feet; that they WILL catch up, 
>> that life will go on!
>
>This is perfect Terre! One of the best posts I've seen on 
>training greenies. I've got one up and coming and we will
>be out there as soon as I get a saddle to ride in - and
>you can bet that I'm going to practise this whole set of
>exercises (except maybe the bit about cantering from tree
>to tree - at least to begin with <g>)
>
Lucy

	Sorry to be so long in following this up--Dubai, y'know!
	Another technique--if you don't have a trail to mark but do have a riding
partner--is what you might call "counterpoint" fartleks:
	You begin by trotting down the trail together at a real easy pace.  Then,
when both ready, one rider holds that pace while the other speeds
up--hopefully a collected extended trot.  The 'faster rider' proceeds a set
distance, long enough for the 'slower rider' to make it perfectly clear to
their horse that he/she is not allowed to just follow.  When the first
rider has gone this distance, they quietly bring their horse down to the
slowest pace they can manage (this horse will want to slow,probably, so it
is a good time to work on half-halts, etc).  By now the second horse has
been put into an extended trot.  The second horse cruises right by the
first horse at this pace with the first horse being firmly held to the
slower pace.  All clear?  You do this three or four times each.
	Since both riders can anticipate how their horses will react, it is
(reasonably!) easy to deal with under these circumstances.  Once they learn
the game it should get easier.  The trick is to keep rhythm and contact and
ride it thru--Wendy can probably explain better.
	The rider 'overtaking' should always call "trail", or "passing on the
left" or whatever--don't know if it means anything to the horse, but it's
good practice for the riders!  This is also perhaps the best way to deal
with the kicking problem mentioned by Julie a few days ago (as someone else
suggested).  The overtaking horse should pass as wide as possible, while
the rider on the horse being passed keeps a close eye on the horse--any
ear-pinning or tail-swishing can be quietly but firmly dealt with now, in
relatively controlled conditions where both riders are in communication.
Much better than trying to deal with it at a logjam on the trail in a ride!
 In a frightened horse it may take reassurance; in an "attitudinal" horse
it might take reprimand--this gives the rider a chance to try various
options in controlled conditions.
	This technique works best on a relatively flat, open trail (like a logging
road) so it is often good in the winter, when many of us are restricted to
safer areas anyway.  It is fairly hard work (physically) for the horse, so
should not be overdone if you aren't going to have time to cool out--maybe
just 2 repeats.  When we finally stop the series and return to riding
together, once the horses have been properly brought together (as opposed
to just letting them "gang up") I like to give them their heads, try for
some long-and-low, allow them to sniff or socialize a little, both because
they need to cool down, and as a reward/reinforcement.
	It's a "game" to play in the winter, anyway!  Have fun, and avoid the
lions!  

Terre (Who can talk a better technique than she can ride, usually!)  



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