Having some riders block over here... What to try when you're stagnating
Getting dizzy…
There are some pretty funny memes out there on the internet about horses getting bored with how many circles they’re doing. One that stands out to me is a caricature of a horse talking to a therapist saying something like, “Circles, circles, and more circles. Big circles, small circles, they’re never round enough…” I applaud the horse for seeking help, and he does bring up a good point... Who knows, maybe his rider is feeling the same way about it. The next few articles for The Horseman’s University will be things to try if you feel like you’re stagnating. They can help develop better communication, bring out holes in training to work on, and break the monotony of the merry-go-round.
Impulsion: I’m not talking about the candy isle
The Horseman’s University Video library is going through a little bit of a facelift. In reviewing the mass of footage that’s in there, I rewatched a series from Tik Maynard on many different ways to use cavaletti in training. Really, it’s not just for people in eventing or english sports. Cavaletti exercises are a great tool for many things as highlighted in the series.
One such exercise is setting two cavaletti sixty feet apart in a straight line. You can then use this fixed distance to measure how well you can rate your speed between the two. Work on doing five strides between the two, then six strides or even seven strides. You can then make some combinations, go once over at five, then again at seven then again at six. If you have enough space you could even set out a third cavaletti and do your combinations with all three cavaletti. Being able to rate speed and know how many strides to a point is really critical in jumping, but beyond helping with that the exercise helps develop communication about speed and intention with your horse.
add a little variation
For a little twist on this exercise you can set the cavaletti on a slight bending line to eachother. This allows you to both 1. work on your stride length and rating speed, but also 2. start adding in some steering work by choosing where on that bending line you want your horse to be. You can pick the inside, outside, center of the cavaletti or a combination of the two. If you don’t have cavaletti at your disposal you could use ground poles, set up several cones in a line, or use anything really to break the stride and mark the distance.
Recap
Place two cavaletti/poles sixty feet apart (roughly twenty human paces)
Ride at a canter with five strides in between cavaletti/poles
Try to ride consistently at another stride length (6 strides or 7 strides etc.)
Set cavaletti/poles on a bending line
Alter stride length on a bending line
Try altering your track using the left, center, right sections of the cavaletti/poles
Give these a try, have some fun with it and look out for the next issue in the series!
Until next time-