The Art of Natural Dressage

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 2:37 am 
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Joined: Sun Feb 17, 2008 8:05 pm
Posts: 2888
Location: Natal, South Africa
Quote:
Square circles rather than round ones


They're called squircles where I came from ... :lol:

Quote:
And we circle our horses into squares.


This is perfectly reasonable: its "migration mentality" - we had our ox-wagons and you had your gold-rushes and "Go West, young man" and it became a genetic memory ...

Quote:
And we can't seem to land on one language to discuss Dressage. Not even horses in general, or riding them.


I still think a Saddle-seat animated walk is a trot ...

I recently saw a list about why horses outperform husbands which included:
You don't have to nag them to mow the lawn.
They eat what you serve them - quietly.
You control them with your knees.
You can dictate what they will do with that paunch.
They don't bring drinking buddies home at 2am.
They don't care who controls the TV remote.
They change their shoes when you say they need to.
They like eating vegetables.
They smell good all the time.

And - you know you're horse-mad when you cluck to your car on the uphills!

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Glen Grobler

Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 6:13 am 
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Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2008 12:03 am
Posts: 1351
Location: Washington, Maine USA
Quote:
I do sometime, quite deliberately do Volte work, for a particular purpose. Dakota was, for instance, very left sided. Stiff but strong on the left, loose and flabby and weak on the right side.

He looked like he had been hit in the ribs by a truck.

So I did quite a bit of work on the right hand, that is stretching the left side and encouraging the right side to tighten up.


Yes! Good point! Lucy was one-sided too and with the 'lunging', playing with barrels, and teaching her to 'spin', she's much better...now if I can teach her to spin at the canter, that would really help! Maybe I can with the Tiger game????

Brenda


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Sat Mar 01, 2008 7:02 am 
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Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 4:10 am
Posts: 3688
Location: Pacific Northwest U.S.
Brenda wrote:
Quote:
I do sometime, quite deliberately do Volte work, for a particular purpose. Dakota was, for instance, very left sided. Stiff but strong on the left, loose and flabby and weak on the right side.

He looked like he had been hit in the ribs by a truck.

So I did quite a bit of work on the right hand, that is stretching the left side and encouraging the right side to tighten up.


Yes! Good point! Lucy was one-sided too and with the 'lunging', playing with barrels, and teaching her to 'spin', she's much better...now if I can teach her to spin at the canter, that would really help! Maybe I can with the Tiger game????

Brenda


Oooo, loved the book. When will it come out in video, please?

:lol:

Donald

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Love is Trust, trust is All
~~~~~~~~~
So say Don, Altea, and Bonnie the Wonder Filly.


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 Post subject: Re: 3: Lunging
PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 11:09 am 

Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2009 10:39 pm
Posts: 15
Ted had just learnt free lunging with the clicker- I thought I'd try it as when I lunge with a lunge line he will constantly pull at it and then runs off with it. I dont lunge very often anyway, but when I do from now on, Ill be doing it like this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6_i8ZOQCAw

This was our 3rd attempt in 3 days and he seems to enjoy it. It was a bit muddy so he was slipping a little. I was really impressed with him, all I was expecting was maybe one or two circles in walk.


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 Post subject: Re: 3: Lunging
PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 1:26 pm 

Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:58 pm
Posts: 1622
Location: Western Cape, South Africa
I just love this thread and forum and ALL the people here!!! :D
This is exactly where I am presently and would you just know, here comes the topic...... :funny:

Does anyone want to give their advice on a halt when circling. I am not talking about disengaging the hind end and the horse coming in or standing facing you, I am looking for a nice relaxed halt staying on the circle.

Would love to know what you do and how/why?

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Annette O'Sullivan

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. - John Lennon


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 Post subject: Re: 3: Lunging
PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 1:42 pm 

Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:50 am
Posts: 321
Hi Annette, I haven't yet tried it with Honey on a circle/lunge however, I have been playing in the field with him trotting and have begun to use the cue that KFH explains where you take the last step before stopping and put more energy into it. For me, this results in a definitive 'stomp' when I stop, and Honey immediately stops as well. As long as I stand still, he stands still.

KFH states that the benefits of stopping like this are that the horse brings his hind legs under him to stop, and you are much more likely to get a square stop. So far with us, this has proven to be true.

Hope this helps! And let me know if you try it and how it goes.

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The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. - Khalil Gibran


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 Post subject: Re: 3: Lunging
PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 1:47 pm 
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Location: Quebec, Canada
Wow Mightyboosh, I love your video (and the music ;) even though it's abit rock'n'roll for me). It goes well with this video.
You're right, why use a lunge line when you don't have to.
I may be wrong (I am not a pro at all but people have already told me this about Corado). Shouldn't his head be pointing in the circle? If not (Corado's case), he had some kind of tension in the neck which required some massage and alot of free movement (like you're doing).
Great video, lots of fun to watch.
Jocelyne

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Jocelyne
[Hug your animals everyday. You never know!


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 Post subject: Re: 3: Lunging
PostPosted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 7:34 pm 
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Location: Dresden, Germany
horsefever wrote:
Shouldn't his head be pointing in the circle? If not (Corado's case), he had some kind of tension in the neck which required some massage and alot of free movement (like you're doing).


...or stepping under on the circle - a description can be found here. :smile:

I usually combine this with learning that a touch at the girth area (with the fingertips of my outside (horse-side) hand means that the horse should turn his nose to the inside. Works quite well. I have a tiny little bit of this in a video of Summy in the snow (1:05-1:35).


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 Post subject: Re: 3: Lunging
PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 9:44 am 

Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2009 10:39 pm
Posts: 15
horsefever wrote:
Wow Mightyboosh, I love your video (and the music ;) even though it's abit rock'n'roll for me). It goes well with this video.
You're right, why use a lunge line when you don't have to.
I may be wrong (I am not a pro at all but people have already told me this about Corado). Shouldn't his head be pointing in the circle? If not (Corado's case), he had some kind of tension in the neck which required some massage and alot of free movement (like you're doing).
Great video, lots of fun to watch.
Jocelyne


I'll read up on this, I know with a lunge line he pulls on it constantly then runs off with it :ieks: I havent actually studied how he was moving from that video as it was a bit slippery we were on a hill and I'm just chuffed he was doing it! But I will try and video him on a flatter drier place (if it ever dries up!) and see how he's going. :thumleft:


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 Post subject: Re: 3: Lunging
PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 12:05 pm 

Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:58 pm
Posts: 1622
Location: Western Cape, South Africa
Thank you Shannon. I will play with that. If I stop while walking at liberty or a lead line, he stops immediately but on a circle I have not found a good stopping cue. It might be just that he is further away from me as he does like being right next to me. Perhaps I can exaggerate that last step a little more. Will let you know. I have taken today and tomorrow off from horses, I needed a break!

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Annette O'Sullivan

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. - John Lennon


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 Post subject: Re: 3: Lunging
PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 5:38 pm 
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Joined: Fri Sep 21, 2007 4:10 am
Posts: 3688
Location: Pacific Northwest U.S.
Morgan wrote:
Thank you Shannon. I will play with that. If I stop while walking at liberty or a lead line, he stops immediately but on a circle I have not found a good stopping cue. It might be just that he is further away from me as he does like being right next to me. Perhaps I can exaggerate that last step a little more. Will let you know. I have taken today and tomorrow off from horses, I needed a break!


Often the horse has given us clues (as Josepha has said so often, listen to the horse) about a behavior we'd like to get from them.

Two years ago I started working a very flighty Morgan gelding and since I had no enclosure worked on a lunge line. One of the things I wanted from him was an instant stop "when things go wrong," as with him had so often happened, throwing riders pretty badly, or bolting and running.

During the first part of his training when I was charging the clicker it was quite obvious he got it and would stop whatever he was doing, including even trotting away from me, if he heard the sound of the clicker.

Since I did not want this energetic (but good humored boy) to start mugging or charging for treats I went immediately to him when I clicked. He got to stand still for his treat. Worked fine.

You probably can figure out where this is going.

Soon he was playing "statue," with me. I cued by throwing the lead line down, or even the stick and line, or a piece of rope I might be carrying, anything. Anything hitting the ground meant to stop and wait for his treat.

Paid off big time when the old saddle I was using for training blew out the offside cinch billet and it peeled off over his rump. He literally slide to a stop, and stood facing foward on the circle expectantly waiting (even though he was a bit excited) for his treat.

The ideal is to remove the click eventually and have the cue itself be the bridging signal. If I say whoa, I say whoa slow. People that watch me can't figure out how a rider or handler saying whoa slow gets sliding stops from a horse, but that's the way it works.

If the horse is turning toward you for his treat when he halts on the circle, go too him immediately so he gets the idea that he doesn't have to move his feet at all. Just stand and wait. It's a good habit to give treats, at first, immediately for this very reason. Later you can begin, especially when treating a well established behavior, to stretch the time out, and should.

You can also reposition him on the circle just before actually giving him the treat reward. Whatever that might be. Praise, food, or scritches.

Donald

_________________
Love is Trust, trust is All
~~~~~~~~~
So say Don, Altea, and Bonnie the Wonder Filly.


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 Post subject: Re: 3: Lunging
PostPosted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 10:12 pm 

Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 9:58 pm
Posts: 1622
Location: Western Cape, South Africa
Donald that was more or less what I was doing but I didn't continue with it. I thought about what I would do with my dog......it's a little similar!!!! :funny:
It is very clear the way you have written it. Thank you :f:
I guess the answer is to teach the cue while using the clicker and getting to him super quick with the treat?
Brilliant....... :D

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Annette O'Sullivan

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. - John Lennon


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 Post subject: Re: 3: Lunging
PostPosted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 7:41 pm 

Joined: Sun Jul 12, 2009 10:39 pm
Posts: 15
Mightyboosh wrote:
horsefever wrote:
Wow Mightyboosh, I love your video (and the music ;) even though it's abit rock'n'roll for me). It goes well with this video.
You're right, why use a lunge line when you don't have to.
I may be wrong (I am not a pro at all but people have already told me this about Corado). Shouldn't his head be pointing in the circle? If not (Corado's case), he had some kind of tension in the neck which required some massage and alot of free movement (like you're doing).
Great video, lots of fun to watch.
Jocelyne


Thanks everyone i read the "stepping under on a circle" post and it makes sense, so I gave it a go with Ted today, got him doing in nicely in walk on a (very small) circle at liberty, but we seem to lose it on a bigger circle. Once he was stepping under with his inside hind leg, his head went in the right direction -pointing in the circle. I'll be working on this to get a bigger circle and will do another video to compare and see if we're doing it right!


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