RE: High headed? "Collection" at "extension"???

[Sue Brown <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

<< I'd love to hear how you guys are working on teaching the horse to use
his rear. >> 

Hills are a good workout but you should be encouraging him to use his rear
very regularly every time you ride -- good leg work and body position,
heels down and relaxed, and a firm calf on his sides when asking for more
action from the rear.  You need to have your heels down in order to make
your calf firm...a mushy calf doesn't elicit a very good response.  

You also need to make sure he responds promptly to your leg when you ask
him for more forward energy -- this is where the dressage whip comes in.
Ask once quietly...if you have no response, ask again quietly and follow it
immediately with a good sound smack by your leg with the whip.  He'll
probably go forward very quickly at this time...don't snatch him in the
mouth in response!  As soon as you can, go back to where you started and
ask quietly again.  If you don't get an immediate, energetic response,
repeat the above procedure...and make sure your whip smack is not a little
tap.  What you end up teaching the horse then is that the cue for "go
forward with more energy" is: leg, pause, leg, tap.  The smack should be
hard enough to not be pleasant...enough so that he responds *very* quickly
the next time you ask. 

Do lots and lots of good transitions.  The key here is "good" transitions.
And try to make "every" transition you do a good one.  It's not that
Practice Makes Perfect...it's that PERFECT Practice Makes Perfect. ;-)
Pretty soon you're doing the transitions well because that's how your body
knows how to do them...and likewise with the horse. ;-)

Sue

sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.


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