The Art of Natural Dressage

Well time has passed and after a little bit of lunging Evita refuses this now.. she is not leaving my side I indeed also tried the circling in he past but that won't work either anymore. Luckily Evita has lost a lot of weight and is very anxcious to train... but I have to be by her side.... so I will be in better shape than ever in a while... all the running around..

_________________

Blacky and Sjors had that problem too, and it has cured itself when we started walking circles while stepping under with the inner hindleg and changing that into a shoulder-in. I still walk a smaller circle along on the inside, but Blacky and SJors can now enlarge their track through shoulder in on a visual cue of me to a bigger volte around me. And more important for me, while maintaining the correct bend in their body, because most methods of sending a horse out make him turn the head out in the wrong bend too, and that's a bit counter-productive.

I havent't done this is some time because I left Parelli behind me. But when I do start again (when my horse shows he wants to do it), I'll do it not more than 3 circles. It does sound reasonable . Before, I would do alot more but try to make it interesting. I guess after awhile, even for us humans, it does get kinda boring. So, from now on, not more than 3 circles.
Thanks
Jocelyne

I had the same problem with Owen. After a year of only a bit of lame walk, his whole body, lungs and mind was shut.

(this might sound idiotic but hey, it works for us)

I then put him in the outside arena, take a piece of rope and ask him to walk around me.
I do all sorts of energetic stupid things and make noises, to make him 'laugh' and feel funny and playful.

When he starts to trot, I am so happy and so proud I need to call the newspaper!!!
And then when he starts to canter... drop all, people of the world!!! Let CNN come over now!
The most wonderful thing is happening!

Yes, he is overstressing himself at some point, but, one has to, to build stamina.
When his eyes are starting to pop a bit, I ask him to stop... after all, how much of a wonder can one person handle a day? My dear heart...

Then I go on to Ralph in Owen's presense about an hour to express the miracle, the beauty, the machoness, the mystique... of Owen's canter and trot.
And Ralph looks at him in awe... wow, I can not do that you know!

Owen feels like a King... and every King canters a lot...

He again enjoys his canter a lot and it gets very easy now. You see his belly muscles lift, his back lift and his hind quarters grow muscle.
He can rear again!

For Evita's problem... you need canter for sure.

_________________
www.equusuniversalis.com