We have looked at safety issues in float-loading, saddling and mounting; preparing our horses for as many situations as possible via simulations and desensitisation and the importance of understanding the motivations of a horse, i.e. why they do the things they do plus how to overcome some of our own instincts to become less predatory and more horse-like.
Some of you may be finding that you have solved a lot of the issues that you used to have with your horse. For others of you, you may see a light at the end of the tunnel but still have a way to go. Yet others will feel like they have just scratched the tip of the iceberg. All of this is perfectly natural and will vary from person to person, horse to horse and situation to situation.
Now, in Level 2, we uncover a whole new world of building respect from greater distances through longer lead ropes; have your horse respond to you with no halter or lead rope attached as you begin playing at liberty; discover true impulsion and confidence for both of you at all gaits; learn about footfalls, diagonals and positive patterns for calm, confident jumping, galloping and lead changes.
There are five lessons in all in this section of the programme, with many topics covered to date and much more to come. Lets take a look at what sort of things we can expect to be working on over these five lessons.
Lesson Five
In Lesson Five we move from a 12’ lead rope to a 22’ rope to advance our skills and respect levels. We will have our horses float-loading, jumping, changing gait and direction confidently on this longer line. We will take our first steps in the round-yard and begin playing at liberty; being able to ask our horses to do all of our Level 1 Ground-skills now without a halter or lead rope. Plus, we will begin to truly develop our independent seat and confident riding skills through bareback riding.
Lesson Six
In this lesson, we will build onto the 22’ rope tasks that we began in Lesson 5 and go looking for the truth by taking our first steps without a halter and lead rope to rely on at Liberty. This is a very exciting time when we put all that we have learnt about focus, feel, timing, body language, trust, respect and rapport into practise and begin communicating with our horses on an level playing field, one-to-one, just us and them – no strings attached.
The bond that you will create as your communication becomes more fluent through playing at liberty, will be stronger than any round-yard or lead rope could or should be. You will be creating a very special form of interspecies connection, where success depends on both parties being willing participants. Learning how to relate to your horse in such a way that he understands and appreciates, where just the right cue asked politely will get the result you are after and just an ounce too much ‘make’ will have him gone with the wind! There is nothing quite like having your horse choose to be with you because it is what he wants.
In this lesson we will also make great inroads into gaining and maintaining an independent seat, by beginning bareback riding. The best riding teacher in the world is the horse and nothing will teach you more about balance, timing, moving with your horse, feeling the feet, how to stay out of your horses way and how to ride like the wind, than bareback riding.
As we approach the impulsion section of Level 2, which we will discuss at great length in upcoming articles, it is becoming more and more important that we humans - as the new leaders of our horse’s herd - are beginning to develop and build our own emotional fitness. In the coming lessons, our horses are going to need us to be mentally and emotionally prepared, so that we can help them to overcome their instincts and also become calmer, smarter and more brave.
Some of you will be champing at the bit and just waiting to get to stuck into the ridden sections of Level 2, while some of you will be feeling a little daunted by the prospect of riding bareback.We want you to have some fun with this Level and be well and truly prepared for the exciting lessons to follow. We urge you to be sure you have done ALL of you *Level 1 ridden programmes; all of the passenger lesson sessions, the follow the rail, direction change and go and whoa programmes. If you have, you’ll be all set to move on and have a lot of fun with Level 2 riding. If you haven’t, we strongly recommend that you take some time to go back and get them done. Both you and your horse will be glad of it in time to come.
All of your Level 1 skills will now combine and play an important role in developing the next stages of your relationship with your horse. New horizons are about to open up for you, as you discover the freedoms of liberty and bareback riding. The possibilities that can be achieved for you and your horse through a closer, more confident relationship are limitless. Explore, expand, enjoy.
Lesson Seven
While many of us dream of creating a new and special relationship with our horses, few people actually follow through and make that dream a reality. If truth be told, the main cause for this is fear. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of taking a risk, fear of looking silly, fear of having to try and work through the hard bits, fear of getting hurt or just fear of stepping outside of our comfort zone.
Generally, most people will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals; as long as they can do it within their comfort zone. How many people do you know, go out of their way to do something new or different and are prepared to risk feeling silly or inadequate for a while as they learn new skills? Fear is the greatest paralyzer, one that stops many, many people from experiencing the so many wonderful and varied opportunities and experiences in life. It’s easy to tell when fear steps in and takes a hold, as this is when the excuses all start come out!
In Lesson Seven we look primarily at impulsion. Impulsion is, in a nutshell, emotional fitness for your horse. That is, teaching him to overcome his instincts and learn to run calmly left-brain at any speed. While this is an important ingredient in achieving success with horses, it is very little use to us if we are emotionally unfit! Have you ever experienced two different people ride the same horse with two totally different outcomes?
In this lesson, we will look at positive patterns and programmes to help your horse have impulsion. This is the lesson where we really start to get our teeth into riding, so having our emotions under control will really help and all those passenger lessons you did in Level 1 will start to pay off with the benefits to your confidence and independent seat.
We understand the emotional stretches that some of you face, which is why the programme has been designed the way that it has. If you have done the preparation, you will be ready for this next lesson. We want you to have fun with your horsemanship; achieve your goals and experience that wonderful sense of accomplishment that comes with taking a chance, stretching to new horizons, reaching new outcomes and triumphing over adversity. If you haven’t yet done the preparation, or have but feel that you could do with spending a bit more time on a couple of things, we encourage you to take the time now, to go back and get it done and build your confidence. Prepare your self to become the kind of horseman you deserve to be.
Lesson Eight
In this Lesson we build onto the impulsion programmes that we covered in Lesson Seven; expand on the positive patterns we began way back in Lesson Five and increase emotional fitness for both our horses and us by raising the bar and picking up the pace. It’s time to put our impulsion to the test and stretch our comfort zones by beginning positive patterns for confident galloping, jumping and easy simple and flying lead changes.
We will also take a close look at the fascinating subjects of footfalls, weight shifts and distribution at all gaits, diagonals and feel ... which all are fundamental necessities in the pursuit of true horsemanship.
Horses love to run but the truth of it is, not many of us, when we first begin this journey, are emotionally fit enough to allow our horses to run and express themselves. So many times, problems with horses arise from the human’s desire to control and contain them. Just as much as we enjoy their freedom and sense of exuberance in the paddock, we tend to want to control and confine them when we ride.
Now, at this point in the Quantum Savvy programme, not only will your horses be allowed to run, you will be asking them to! Can you imagine how it will feel to ride your horse confidently, at any gait, on a loose rein and know that he is left-brained, confident, sure footed and is enjoying it too! What will his perception of you be now do you think?
For the hoons of you out there, this lesson will be a lot of fun and give you the chance to really ride. For those of you who have had some concerns with riding at speed, jumping or being confident in open spaces, this lesson will give you some very powerful and positive patterns and strategies to help you tackle these areas with confidence. At Quantum Savvy we do not believe in the sink or swim method. We know, as you do to, that confidence for horse and rider is paramount to success.
In Lesson Eight, we also demystify footfalls, diagonals and lead changes by observing how a horse moves and where his weight is at each gait. By learning the natural dynamics and way in which a horse moves, you will be able to learn to stay in time with his motion, begin the first steps toward achieving feel and be able to influence your horse’s movements with even lighter phases.
Lesson Nine
With this lesson have reached the point in the programme where we will take all that we have done to date and begin to refine it; to lessen our cues and phases, offer and receive more lightness and subtleness and to have a closer and more accurate interaction between our horse and us.
As we discussed in Level 1, contact riding is about shortening up our reins and having a more direct and close contact between the two of us. In Level 1 we did this when riding backwards in the re-bounds and in riding sideways. Now in Level 2 we will take this one step further and begin to add in soft feel. We will discuss Soft Feel at length in coming articles; for now understand that basically it is a soft, light communication between horse and human via the human's seat, through his arms to his hands, down the reins and to the horse’s mouth via the bit. It is your horse wanting and willingly listening for and taking your requests lightly.
Being in such close contact with very short reins, is obviously a claustrophobic position for your horse to be in, in fact it is a form of flight test. Many horses, if not properly prepared, will have a great deal of trouble with this kind of confinement and become extremely stressed. By asking for this type of confined position, we are asking our horse to become short from nose to tail, engaging his whole body. In effect this empowers him as it engages his hindquarter. This is the point at which time we must be sure our horse is prepared mentally, emotionally and physically in order to engage in a positive manner. If not, we are simply empowering a scared, confused prey animal that is stronger, faster, quicker and more keyed in for survival than we are.
To date we have spent much time and effort in teaching our horses to yield from pressure and this, in part, is why at this level we will do very little forward movement with soft feel. Horses will more naturally put themselves into soft feel when going backwards and sideways, as it is easier for them to move in these directions when using their hindquarters. Your horse will naturally be more willing and feel less troubled with this new challenge when going in these directions than when going forward. So, we will leave forward with soft feel for Level 3, when our horse better understands the yield and is more confident offering it to us.
So, be sure you help your horse out with this new area of study, by working on your independent seat and emotional fitness and look forward to an even closer relationship with your horse.
Prepare yourself for a whole new relationship as you take your partnership to the next level of success with horses.
*see Quantum Savvy Lesson Packs for more information.
Read More Road To Horsemanship articles.
- By Meredith Ransley, Quantum Savvy.