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re: Race Brain Training - bending cue or bending to yeild



>The steps are very consistently and deliberately given as separate aids,
>are strung together just like words in a sentence - enunciate clearly!!
>To get a right turn circle or bend are, on a loose rein:

>  - take the loose rein in the left hand
>  - run the right hand slowly and decisively down the 
>    right rein (only) until the hand is 16~20 inches 
>    from the nose
>  - grasp the rein in a fist
>  - take the fist/rein to the right to approx. a 45-80 
>    degree angle from the horses neck
>  - turn fist so the bottom rotates towards your knee
>  - bring fist towards the knee to bend the horse around
>  - circle as needed (1 or 2 times)

>To "double" the horse - force them to stop - bring the bottom of the
>fist to your waist at the side, below your arm. They are in a tight
>enough circle (if your rein is short enough!!) that they stop.

I would caution those who consider themselves inexperienced, new comers,
not too confindent or whatever.

If done incorrectly, this procedure could cause a lot of problems.
A horse can run, get off balance and fall with his head at your knee.

It was briefly mentioned that there are body positions and leg cues to
go
along with the above.  These are, in my opinion, much more important
than
where your hands and reins are.

First, sit upright.  If you lean to the inside of the circle, you are
certain
to push to the horse way off balance.  

I'm going to repeat a few basics here (so you guys who know it already
can
skip this part:-).

A horse moves in the direction of his shoulders, not his head.  You've
all
seen this with a big spook.  The horse turns his head to the spook, and
pushes
his shoulders away from the spook, and jumps away from the spook - in
the direction
of his shoulders. When some one tells you, turn the horses head away
from the
spook so he can't see it (no one ever told them a horse can see behind
himself),
what the application is, turn the body so that the shoulders are
pointing to
the spook and the horse will have a harder time jumping away from the
spook.

You have several aides to tell the horse how to position his body.
Your reins, your legs, your weight, and if you carry one, your whip.

Let's look at a right turn (clockwise for the analog crowd.)

If you take the right rein, hold your right hand away from your body,
you can turn the horse's head to the right.
If you take the left rein, apply pressure to left rein, and take right 
rein and pull outward a bit, you'll bend the horse to the right.
The reins in this case "set" the shoulder.

But, I just said that the horse moves in the direction of the shoulder,
and we've just placed the horse's shoulder to the left.  Here's where
your
legs come in.  Think of a green stick.  You can bend it fairly easily,
but you can't bend it with just one finger.  That spins it.  If you put
pressure on the "head" of the stick, the stick spins.  If you put
pressure
on the head and opposite side middle, you'll still spin it.  If you put
pressure on the head -> and middle <- and tail -> you'll bend it.
This is where your legs come in.

So, with the reins, we've put pressure on the front of the horse.
Our inside leg (the right one in this case) is at the girth and will
push the barrel of the horse to the outside of the circle.
Our outside leg (the left one in this case) is behind the girth
(and remember to use the side of your leg, not your heal) and presses
the rear of the horse to the inside.  Or if you prefer to think about it
a little different, your outside leg blocks the horse from moving his
rear to the outside of the circle.

Just how much pressure is needed will depend on your horse.  One of
those
beautifully trained dressage horses needs about an ounce of pressure or
less
on each aide.  But to start with, you might need a lot.

You need to place your weight directly above the horse.  This keeps the
horse
upright and bending.  If you lean to the inside or the outside, the
horse will
either lean with you, or move out of the circle, or both.

End of the basics of a circle.

To the list above (and copied below), let's add the other aides.

>  - take the loose rein in the left hand
You should have contact with the left rein (you should be able to feel
the horse's mouth, but not interfer.

At the same time, make sure that you can feel both sides of the horse.
Just light enough to feel him breath.  Both legs are at the girth at
this point.

>  - run the right hand slowly and decisively down the 
>    right rein (only) until the hand is 16~20 inches 
>    from the nose

Do not lean forward to do this.  If you lean forward, you have cued the
horse to move out faster.  
Do not lean to the right to do this.  If you lean to the right, your
horse
will be off balance, and you've probably pushed him outside the circle
with
your legs.
  
>  - grasp the rein in a fist
>  - take the fist/rein to the right to approx. a 45-80 
>    degree angle from the horses neck

At this point, the pressure on the reins is equal.  So are your leg
aides.
You do not want to be pulling the reins here.

>  - turn fist so the bottom rotates towards your knee

Now we've come to the legs.  You are cueing the horse with the reins.
This action will turn his head to the right.  The left rein is held
so that the shoulders don't slide outside the circle.  This is not a
tight rein, just a firm one.

Your right leg needs to come on the horse at the girth.  This helps to
bend
the horse's barrel.

Your left leg needs to come on the horse behind the girth.  This keeps
the horse's rear from sliding outside the circle.

All of this will keep the horse in balance and upright.

>  - bring fist towards the knee to bend the horse around
>  - circle as needed (1 or 2 times)

All of these cues and aides will get the horse to circle in a balance
manner.

I haven't tried circling on a training ride, because my trails tend to
be
very narrow with a deep drop off on one side.  I have tried the one rein
stop,
which works as well, and which I'll describe in my next post.

Wendy



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