To all
those who wrote me asking for a copy of Ed's one rein stops instructions here
it is. I emailed him for specific permission to post it on Ride Camp and
he was happy to make it available to any who were
interested.
Betty
-----Original Message----- From: Ed Kilpatrick
[mailto:whytrotfarms@xxxxxxxxx]
hi betty, thats it basically, but some foundation work in
this is best. i recommend more repititions than that in the
beginning, but after your horse gets good at it, just a few might be ok.
start with this and let me know how it goes.
teaching your horse the one rein stop, also called lateral
flexion excercise will enable you to teach your horse to relax, rely on you
for cues and make your horse softer, more supple and easier to
control. it is great for horses that need to learn speed
control, problem horses that rear, buck, refuse to cross water, barn sour,
buddy sour, spook at objects, and just about any bad behavior you can
think of.
start with just a halter and leadline on your horse. the basis
for the one rein stop is a lateral flexion excercise. here is what you
are trying to accomplish, you want your horse to stand still,flex his
neck around calmly, relax by tipping his nose toward his ribcage, then be
rewarded by having you release the pressure and let him return his head
to the normal resting position. stand on your horse's left
side, near the hip, facing across his back. grasp the leadline about a
foot to foot and a half from the halter with your left hand, keep the rest
of the leadline in your right hand resting on the horse's rump. gently
pull the horse's head around with your left hand until you can grasp the
horse's withers. you do this because it helps keep your hand
steady. you might have to adjust the distance on the rope with your
left hand, depending on the length of your horse's neck. you dont want
his head pulled so far around that it is jammed against his side, but to
where he has some room to move it toward his ribcage. if you have never done
lateral flexion work with your horse, he will probably be somewhat
resistant, and will more than likely circle away from you. if he does
this, just move with him. this is why you position yourself near the
hip, so that you can move with the horse and not get stepped on by the front
feet. it might take a little while, but he will stop moving and
begin to relax. at this point, watch his head closely. you want
him to tip his nose toward his ribcage and relax his neck. this
is the "give". as soon as he does this, release with the left hand and
let him return his head to the normal resting position. this is the
"release". repeat this excercise about 8 - 10 times on the left side, making
sure that your horse stands still, doesnt move his feet, and relaxes before
you release the pressure. then switch to the right side,
(reverse your hand position) and do the same excercise with him on that
side. with some horses, it will be just like starting over when
you switch sides, so be patient with him. again, repeat 8 - 10 times
on the right side. take a couple of minutes rest, then go back
to the left side and repeat another 8 -10 times, then to the right
side for another 8 - 10 times. by now your horse probably has it
down pretty good, but this is one simple little excercise that you cannot
overdo! you want him as soft, flexible and responsive as
possible. i have some horses that i might do a total of 50 -75
repititions in a single training session.
once your horse is doing this excercise very
well, you can now do the same thing from the saddle. it is best to use
some type of snaffle bit, dee ring snaffle or full cheek snaffles work
equally well. these bits are designed to be pulled in one
direction. just make sure you have a curb strap on your bit to prevent
it from sliding in the horse's mouth, which of course is usually not a
problem with a full cheek snaffle.
now the great thing about doing this
lateral flexion excercise from the saddle is, you can alternate sides
easily. do the left one time, then the right one time, then repeat a
dozen times on each side. in order to gauge where to hold the
rein, keep in mind that it is best to grip the rein at a point that
allows you to pull your hand to your hipbone, and properly position the
horse's head for the "give" and "release". again, pay
close attention to the horse's head. it is very important to
"release" as soon as he "gives".
make sure the "give" is a good honest one, though. you want him
standing still, not moving his feet at all, giving and relaxing. if he
just tips his nose in quickly, then pulls his head away, or seems
distracted, tosses his head around, nibbles on your foot or anything like
that, just hold the pressure until he relaxes, tips his nose toward his
ribs, keeps it there, and waits on you to release him. repeat this
excercise for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how well he does. do it
longer if you think he needs it. again, you cant overdo it!
