“The more these horses get so they feel of you, why the security they need comes from you, and that gives you more control.”
There’s an easy exercise to do with your horses in True Horsemanship Through Feel, adjusting headset from the ground. You have one hand on the rope below the halter knot and the other on his neck behind the poll and you ask with the halter to drop the head. If they try to look elsewhere, you go with them, then ask again. Do it from both sides.
The point of it is to use a gentle feel to get your horse with you and relaxed.
It’s also a precursor to asking for vertical flexion in saddle.
I have done a little of this already during my lessons with Regina, but I thought it would be fun to do with more distractions at home.
Sure enough, Epona gave us a big one when she went ripping around the turnout, mad at being separated from her boy
Tweed looks over and wonders what the ruckus is all about.
Oh, maybe there’s something over there to be interested in.
What’s Epona doing?
But everyday is different, and he may be more concerned about something on another day.
I want to have an arsenal of these simple exercises to do throughout winter, especially when there are days we can’t ride, but want to continue strengthening feel and connection.
I’m heading out this morning to work with him on bareback. It’s a beautiful day, his shoes are off, and I expect it to go great. And, I will have my tripod set up to get video this time.
I’m going to share as much as I can from this book because it’s really not available for purchase anymore. What a shame. Used copies are going for exorbitant prices. I can’t believe they haven’t reprinted it. The introduction alone is worth having to read, and read over and over.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing; I have the True Unity book but not this one. By the way, Tweed looks great!
ReplyDeleteI have the True Unity book, too, and it’s wonderful. Here’s my favorite quote from it, and one that sums up what I came to feel this year on the trails.
Delete“Some people will ride a horse as long as the horse lives and they will never get what I try to get just as early as I can, for a foundation. I don’t mean that I’m trying to get everything completed, but to get enough there to where if the horse gets troubled he will come to me; or where I can get him to come to me for security and cover. Without that foundation, I feel very insecure with a horse.”
Great work & photo series. Brad and I keep talking about pulling our old horsemanship books out of storage and re-reading them. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI would love it if you do, and share your own insights. I feel that certain passages stand out to me, but someone else might be inspired by other bits of wisdom for different reasons. This particular book is hard to come by. I remember that being the case when I read it as I brought Leah up, and Gray Horse Matters sent me her copy out of the blue. Someday, I’ll pass it on like she did, but it is too valuable to me right now as a resource.
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