Barbara wrote:
somewhere in the sticky's of groundwork there is talked about this. I exercise this with Beau too, but only standing still. Now I was riding today and when trotting he gets a bit tight, I tried to let him lower his head but he does not react to it. What should I do? practice it in walk and trot on the ground and don't trot on his back until he knows this? Or ask Adriaan to use the tiger calmly in front of him to make him lower his neck and make him feel what its like? Or teach him a cue for lowering his neck with my voice that I can then teach while he is tigering and later use it when riding?
Or any other ideas???
Linda Parelli gives quite a demonstration of riding with both hands on the point just in front of the whithers and leaning fairly hard on it to calm the horse.
I've not tried it, as I learned long ago to gently vibrate the reins from side to side (NO pulling) and get the same effect. It works at any gait for me once the horse understands the cue.
To get it the first time I simply lower my hands to about half way between my hip and knee over my thigh, and vibrate the reins on a green horse and release at the first sign of even the tiniest drop of the head and neck. Later I don't have to lower my hands much at all.
Of course I don't need to explain how to continue reinforcing this as the horse understands finally what you want and gives it.
It's a very gentle process and I don't have to change my balance, as pressing on the neck does. I don't much care for leaning way far forward on an excited horse with high head.
I'm not criticizing Linda's demonstration or claims for it. I think she's correct.
And I've only seen her do it on DVD for the purpose of slowing, though I think calming was mentioned as part of the intent.
And I think leaning forward is a bit hard to do at a dead run.
While I, in fact, can and have vibrated the reins at any speed and had it work nicely for head lowering with calming. And remain upright out of range of the head tossing horse.
Donald Redux