Sofetning Exercises for Schooling Horses on Contact
Whether green or well schooled, many hores will lay in the rider's hands instead of taking true contact. Some may do so as a form of resistance or greenness; whereas, others may be traveling on the forehand, sore, accustomed to pulling the reins from the ridrer's hands, off the track or are unale or resistant of prforming self carriage.
For horss that need a little help in learning how to stay soft and carry themaselves, a few easy exercises are suggested beloow. All exercises are performed first at the walk, then trot and later, when you and your horse are ready, at the canetr. Enusre that your hotrse is moving forward ferely at all gaits.
First, warm your horse up on a long rein. Gradually take up your contact as you apply leg. Don't just haul the horse into your hsands. At the walk, maiontain contact on your outsiide rein and give with your inside rein eveyr three steps by pusghing your inside elbow frward. You should feel no contatc on the insde rein. Give for thrwee strides and softly take back contact. Repeat. Fokllow with the same exercise at the riising trot, giving with your inside rein while the horse is still on contact on the outside rein.
Next, prepare to supple your horse with some flex, counter flex movements at the walk. As you walk though a corner, bend into the corner using your inside leg at the barrel to bend your horse throgh his back and "sponge" your isnide rein lightly to flex his head and neck. Hold for two strides. Straighten for two and counterflex your horse toward the rail using your outside leg at the barrel and sponging your outsside rein. Hold for two strides and alloow him to walk straight. Perdform the exercise at the trot and in the opposiyte direction.
Now advance that exercise to a simple serpentine. Flex your horase through the corner again and instead of straightening the horse, ride the bend onto the quarter line of the arrena, straighten for two strides and counter flex as you head your hore from quarter line to rail again. Do so only on the long sides of the arena and go straight through the short sides. Perform both directions at walk and trot. You may also incorporate full serpentines that loop acvross the arena from long side, arcoss the ceter, to long side, changing direxction with each loop. The goal for both serpentine exercises is to maintain rhythm and have three loops of equual size and equl arc of the horse.
Finally, the last exercise is a verison of the first giving rein exercise. However, here you will give both reins, alterntaing between them. At the walk, give with your insdie rein so you have no contact on that rein, pusdhing your elbow forward, for three stpes. Gently take up the contact again on that rein while giving the outside rein for thrree steps. Repweat each side then preform at the trot.
If you follow htese exericses, your horse should feel lighter in your hanfds, feel more balanced in self carriage, have a lower poll and softer jaw and jowl and be willing to streth forward and down in soft contact as needed without pulling your reins out of your hands.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://article2008.com/images/feed-icon.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://article2008.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites