I was watching someone work with a frightened young pony today. The pony had never been handled before and was terrified. The person was using a clicker and treats to help him get over his fear, and was teaching him how to think before he reacted out of his natural fight or flight instincts. The scared little pony learned fast and made a great deal of progress in just one day! The trainer was training the pony how to learn and helped build his desire to be with people.
Jane’s friend, Shawna Karrasch, teaches how to do this with her clicker training programs (www.On-Target-Training.com). She learned this method at Sea World in San Diego while training seals and killer whales (also known as Orcas). When Shawna got into horses, people told her clicker training wouldn’t work with her equine friends because we’re not “food oriented.” Shawna not only proved them wrong, she created a whole industry around horse clicker training! She found that we horses are actually much easier to clicker train than the wild sea creatures she was used to. Her work has made a huge difference for many people, dogs, and horses. It’s a good thing she didn’t listen to the neigh-sayers (lol), or Jane might never have learned this terrific way to communicate with her four-legged friends!
Many riders are confused about how to tell if their horses are honestly on the bit. Below is a description of what it looks and feels like when your horse is honestly connected.
What Does It Look Like?
Hindquarters: You want to see active hindquarters and your horse stepping well under himself.
Back: Just behind the saddle, the back should look round, not dipped and hollow.
Neck: If you’re sitting on your horse and looking at his neck, it should be widest at the base, just in front of the withers, and get progressively narrower toward his ears. If you’re looking at your horse’s neck from the side and you see a dip 4 or 5 inches in front of the withers (or a narrow area when viewed from above), that’s a visual signal that he is not really ‘through’ and connected. If the neck is widest in middle, or widest up by the ears, then your horse is being pulled into a frame instead of being correctly connected from back to front. He should get ‘pumped up’ or ‘bloom’ at the base of the neck, meaning it’s the widest point.
Poll: Ideally, the poll is the highest point.
Nose: The nose should be 5 degrees in front of the vertical.
“You are really smart. You are very talented. You are a good rider.”
All those things make you feel good right? I used to think so. I used to compliment all the other horses in the barn, thinking I would be helping their self-esteem by reminding them how great they are. But, new studies indicate that this may not be the case.
An article by Po Bronson, posted in New York Magazine, states that certain types of praise can have a negative effect on the behavior of people. (For the entire article, go here: http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/.)
A study was done that indicated that if a child is constantly told they are “smart” or “talented” or “the best,” it can create a situation in their minds that makes them “risk adversant.” They become so sensitive to any task that isn’t immediately easy, that they stop trying. They won’t take risks that might prove to their parent(s) or teacher(s) that they don’t have the natural talent or brains with which they’ve been labeled. In equestrian terms, it takes away their “try.”
Alison Finger and Tuvalu schooling. Photo by Carrie Wirth
Wellington, FL – February 3, 2012 – Talented amateur rider Alison Finger became a client of Olympic Silver Medalist, Peter Leone, and the Lionshare Farm team in 1994. They met in Dublin where Finger was horse shopping and Leone was competing at the Dublin Horse Show. A busy senior strategy professional at Bristol Myers, Finger carefully balances family, riding, showing and business.
“Peter’s coaching style is, in a word, insightful. He has such great expertise in how to develop a horse and develop a rider, but then brings so much insight into the partnership and how they need to work together. Each horse that I’ve had with Peter I know is developed to his or her full potential. Additionally, Peter is fantastic at working with the limitations I bring into the mix – when my work schedule doesn’t allow me time to ride, etc. He always makes any time I do have productive and fun. I’ve ridden with him for quite a while now, and each year I learn more and more,” shared Finger.
A friend of mine in Australia wrote to me this week, expressing her excitement about learning dressage after a career on the race track. She had been a bit discouraged at her progress because she was used to being successful on the track mostly by her strong will and a strong hand. Neither is very conducive to an artful picture of riding. Once she realized that she could break dressage down into small, understandable pieces that fit together like an elegant puzzle, her sense of self-worth soared. She didn’t have to force her way into success… she could gently finesse her way to success!
The level of worthiness we feel makes a huge difference in how we live our lives. It’s true that we can never rise above nor outperform our own self-image. So if you want to improve your life, the first order of business is to improve your view of yourself.
The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the dates and locations of two Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Training Sessions for 2012. The open training sessions will be a unique opportunity for up and coming talent to have one-on-one sessions with USEF Young Horse Coach, Scott Hassler. The two-day event will include a 45-minute lesson each day with Scott Hassler as well as an evening lecture and discussion for the riders led by Scott. He explains, “I’m really excited about the decision to schedule the open Young Horse Training sessions. They will provide an opportunity for people to better understand the Markel/USEF Young Horse program as well as the correct development required for young horses to advance in the training scale towards the FEI levels.”
The first Young Horse Training Session will be held February 18-19 at Shannondale Farm in Milton, Georgia. Applications for this training session are due January 31st. Another Training Session will be held April 14-15 at Twinwood Equestrian Center in Simontown, Texas. Applications for this training session are due March 30th.
Dust settled as the leather fringe of well-worn chaps flung in the wind and the young cowboy pulled his horse to a quick stop. Then, clutching his reins in frustration, he looked up at the sky and shook his head. His horse had taken the wrong lead… again. (The horse’s lead describes the leg he leads off of when cantering. For example to canter to the right, the horse must be on the right lead, and the left lead to go left. When on the incorrect lead, the horse has trouble cantering in a balanced way.) “Well hold up just a second,” a steady voice broke the silence, and the young cowboy turned toward a lean man resting easily on his horse, who stood resting a hind leg and dozing off. “Do you know how to prepare him to take the right lead?”
The younger rider shook his head, and looked quizzically at the older horseman. “No.”
“See the preparation is the most important part,” the older cowboy’s soft blue eyes looked intently at the young man, who had turned his horse to face him.
Peter Leone and Select winning the $100,000 Grand Prix of Devon. Photo by Charles Fox
Wellington, FL – January 13, 2012 – Olympic Silver Medalist Peter Leone will join Kimberly S. Jaussi, Ph.D., at a workshop, “Leadership, Vision and the Equestrian Athlete”, to share his experiences, answer questions and offer advice. The workshop will be held during the College Preparatory Invitational (CPI) in the Special Events Pavilion at the Palm Beach Equestrian Center at 11:00 am on Saturday, January 14, 2012.
After the workshop Leone will autograph his DVD, Ride the Body: Select Insights of Peter Leone, that he produced along with Jaussi. The informative and practical DVD will be awarded to all the first place winners at the CPI. A drawing will be held during the workshop for additional DVD prizes.
Leone and Jaussi also co-authored the upcoming book, Peter Leone’s Show Jumping Clinic: Success Strategies for Equestrian Athletes (Storey Publishing), which will hit the shelves in spring of 2012.
Jacob Pope jumps Anthony D'Ambriosio's course. Photo from Amy Serridge/USEF Archive
Wellington, FL – The sixth annual George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session presented by the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) and Adequan concluded Saturday at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. Held January 3-7, participants honed their riding skills and learned valuable lessons in overall horsemanship.
Due to a severe cold, Morris, the legendary horseman and U.S. Show Jumping Chef d’Equipe, was unable to teach the training session sponsored by The Dutta Corporation, Farnam, Practical Horseman, and Equestrian Sport Productions. However, Morris’ protégés Anne Kursinski, Kent Farrington, McLain Ward and Beezie Madden stepped in to conduct the morning mounted sessions.
The young dressage riders who took part in Robert Dover’s Horsemastership Clinic show off their beautiful new halters donated by Windsor Equestrian. (Photo courtesy of Windsor Equestrian)
Wellington, FL (January 9, 2012) – A group of young up-and-coming dressage riders were all smiles during Robert Dover’s Horsemastership Clinic in Wellington when they not only spent a week riding under the best of the best in the dressage world but also rode away with beautiful new halters from Windsor Equestrian. As a sponsor of Dover’s clinic, part of the Emerging Dressage Athlete Program, Windsor Equestrian was pleased to present each participant with a Windsor Pro Comfort Halter.
Windsor Equestrian, a supplier of high quality dressage tack and equipment, is a strong supporter of the equestrian community and also donated a horse, along with Willow Tree Farm, to the clinic. “These young dressage riders are the future of dressage in America and we were thrilled to sponsor them,” said Mette Larsen, President of Windsor Equestrian. “In addition to presenting each of the 10 riders with halters, we loaned a horse, United We Stand, to the clinic. It felt great to be part of a program developed by Robert Dover, Lendon Gray, and Courtney King-Dye with the generous support of other great equestrians like Anne Gribbons, Kathy Connelly, Katherine Bateson Chandler, Gary Rockwell, Arlene White, Allison Brunelli, Palm Beach Equine, Mary Beth Gordon, sports psychologist Dr. Jenny Susser, personal trainer Bob Gutowitz, and Dr. Rick Mitchell.”
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The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the dates and locations of two Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Training Sessions for 2012. The open training sessions will be a unique opportunity for up and coming talent to have one-on-one sessions with USEF Young Horse Coach, Scott Hassler. The two-day event will include a 45-minute lesson each day with Scott Hassler as well as an evening lecture and discussion for the riders led by Scott. He explains, “I’m really excited about the decision to schedule the open Young Horse Training sessions. They will provide an opportunity for people to better understand the Markel/USEF Young Horse program as well as the correct development required for young horses to advance in the training scale towards the FEI levels.”
