In Level 1 we tackled many of the problems and issues that prevent people being safe and enjoying their horsemanship. In Level 2 we built confidence in ourselves and our horses through impulsion; we played on longer lines, began liberty, picked up the pace with galloping, jumping and flying lead changes and took our first steps toward collection by introducing contact riding and soft feel. Impulsion issues were dealt with and by now they are becoming a thing of the past. We discovered footfalls, weight changes and learnt more about ourselves and our horses in creating a successful partnership.
All of this we now have under our belts; imagine where Level 3 will take us! In this next part of the programme we go back to groundwork, the place where leadership and respect are earned and preserved. For this lesson we will progress to a 50’ Ranch rope to go far beyond respect, to truly test our offer and our understanding of rewarding the slightest try and the principle of teaching our horses to seek comfort.
At 50’, it is virtually impossible to make your horse do something. If you are trail-walking and present a jump to him, how many opportunities does he have to do other than you wish? Individually we will look at float-loading, jumping, gait and direction changes, building lateral movement, uneven ground and more challenging flight-tests. Our task then will be to have them all flow together, fluently and succinctly, which will inevitably improve our leadership skills, our communication and our overall bond with our horse.
If you have faithfully been rewarding the try and asking your horse to go toward comfort rather than away from discomfort, you and your horse will have a lot of fun with the 50’ rope. If not, here is your chance to learn just that. Remember, subsequent to safety, comfort is the horse’s next major motivation. For example, if you ask your horse to back out to the end of the 50’ rope and he knows there he will find comfort, how much effort will he put into getting there? How light will your phases become?
In the homework cards for this part of the programme, you will find tasks that involve improving your rope skills without your horse. Getting familiar with your 50’ rope - a valuable tool - is a skill unto itself. These ropes are thinner than those used in Level 1 and 2, stiffer and are pre-coiled so that you don’t end up with 50’ of spaghetti!
Your 50’ rope is your own personal tool and should be treated with respect. We will use it on many occasions in the coming lessons, in Levels 3 and 4. As 50’ ropes are pre-coiled, rolling them quickly with either hand is quite a skill. Coiling them correctly will give you a nice flat coil; incorrectly will give you permanent kinks in your rope. Lending them to someone else who lacks a bit of rope savvy can be fatal … to the rope! Make it a part of your homework to be able to throw it out in a nice straight line and then coil it back up quickly and smoothly with either hand. This will make working with it with a horse on the other end, a lot easier.
So buckle up, find yourself a nice big open space to play in, preferably one with some hills, dips, creeks, maybe a dam and a few jumps and take your on-line to new dimensions. Have fun!
Read More Road To Horsemanship articles.
- By Meredith Ransley, Quantum Savvy.