Why Horses Become Resistant To The Rider’s Leg Aids And How To Rebuild A ‘Joyful Forward'
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ส.ค. 2023
- In this video, Spidey and I will demonstrate how you can start to overcome the common issue of a horse’s resistance to the rider’s leg aids.
Ideally, the rider uses her/his legs to extend a friendly invitation to the horse to go forward joyfully, with rhythm and relaxation, and in time with an increasing sense of lightness to the aids. However, many riders apply their leg aids with more force than feel, an incorrect leg position and/or pulled-up heels which will cause the horse to push back into the pressure. The horse’s resistant behavior and stagnant movement may cause the rider to become ‘louder’ or too persistent (nagging) with their legs, possibly adding spurs and whip as negative reinforcements (rather than as guiding tools), which in turn will teach the horse to become more defensive, dull, desensitized or actively oppositional, none of which will make for a joyful experience. In this video, I will show you what to watch for, what not to do and how to break the cycle of miscommunication between riders and their seemingly ‘not-so-forward’ horses.
You will find answers to the following questions:
1. What causes a horse to push back into the pressure of the rider’s leg aids?
2. How can I start reconditioning the horse’s expectation that going forward will be hard and unpleasant?
3. What patterns can I use to invite my horse to feel encouraged to move forward more joyfully again?
You may also enjoy watching these videos:
The Rider’s Leg Positions: How To Use Your Legs To Communicate Kindly And Effectively With Your Horse - • The Rider’s Leg Positi...
The Rider’s Weight Aids: How To Use Your Weight To Communicate Kindly And Effectively With Your Horse - • The Rider’s Weight Aid...
Plus, get your FREE ARENA PATTERN GUIDE (PDF) here: www.gentlesolutionsdressage.com.
Happy riding! :)
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Note: Viewers should consult a professional before adopting any of the training techniques shown in this video. Any activity you do with your horse is at your own risk and may produce varied results.
Horse: Spidey (Asgard’s Impact), 6 year-old gelding, Westphalian; Background: Imported from Germany, inconsistent training due to health issues. Current training: Dressage and ground work; Temperament (0 being extremely calm/laid-back, 10 being highly excitable/hot): 6. Personality: Kind, sensitive, dominant, intelligent, good-natured.
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California-based Dressage trainer, instructor, clinician and life coach, Katja Elk, provides gentle training solutions for riders and horses of all backgrounds.
“Being a kind rider and trainer, to me, means learning how to ride with reasonable expectations according to where we find ourselves and our horses on our developmental journey. It also means that we need to continue to refine our technical riding skills so we can support our horses with more finely tuned aids as we are moving more joyfully and more in sync with one another.”
“Over the course of my life, I have been fortunate enough to learn from many amazing human and equine teachers. In my videos, I share tips and pointers with people interested in expanding their knowledge about foundational Dressage and different types of groundwork. You will see me work with my clients’ horses of various breeds, levels and backgrounds, highlighting parts of the journey we call work-in-progress with our equine partners. None of the shown clips are flawless. In fact, they all show the many imperfections an aging rider (me) faces who entered the professional field as an instructor/trainer later in life and who keeps on striving to show that Dressage can be an activity we all can enjoy with our horses at most stages of our lives and at varying levels of expertise. The videos are honest, heartfelt attempts to show you ways to nurture a kind, joyful and productive relationship with your horses as you are exploring and expanding on the many facets of Dressage and groundwork.”
Katja applies the concept of a friendly, trust-based, two-way communication system to riding Dressage, work-in-hand as well as groundwork such as halter-work, longeing/lungeing and longlining.
Additionally, Katja, a Martha Beck certified master life coach, works with people who are looking for relief from anxiety, depression and/or other challenges in their lives.
www.gentlesolutionsdressage.com
www.windhorsecoaching.com
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Music by lemonmusicstudio from Pixabay
This is so helpful and at last I have some better direction on working with my mare.
I’m so glad! Thank you for your kind words and for letting me know that this is helpful for you and your mare. There will be more videos about this subject matter in the next few weeks as I’ll be posting exercises for ‘hot, run-away’ and ‘not-so-forward’ horses. Stay tuned! 😊
I am subscribed! I have had my 14 yr old mare for three years, working with a great teacher. In year two and three, she has taken to resisting, kicking out, putting head down and stopping. Checked for ulcers and ovary function, all is well. The stopping is very donkey like! I have not been able to pick up a canter in the arena since I got her, only on trail. ((My teacher has done so.) Now she has refused to pick up a trot on our arena unless pressed. So I have gone to a reset mode, quiet legs, walking only, no whip in hand. Just kindly forward. I blame myself for unknowingly pressuring her. She had been so willing. I am tempering my agenda now and giving us time to find the inner relaxation. I so appreciate that you are exploring this topic. Thank you!
@@julieinak I'm so happy to hear about your and your mare's journey and how you are taking it slow with her. I believe that our horses tell us everything they can to make us understand when something doesn't feel right. I just had another aha-moment today when a new client/owner of a 'not-so-forward' mare told me that her horse had been ridden by the previous trainer while she had severe eczema around her saddle girth area. Although the area is healed now, the pain this poor mare had to experience for a prolonged period of time must have caused her to associate riding with a great deal of discomfort which she showed us in no uncertain terms. Just like you did with your mare, we had her checked for ulcers and ovarian cysts (nothing), so I've started over with her on the ground with no tack, then light lunging, and today with a sheepskin girth cover over the surcingle which made a hugely positive difference. We could literally see in her face and body how relieved she was when she was moving without pain/discomfort with the surcingle. I'll do the same when I start riding her again, and perhaps this might be something that could help your mare as well? There are so many nerve endings in that area, and maybe she is more comfortable with some extra cushioning as well. :)
Inspiring. I’m in the exact same boat with my mare. Thank you.
Love it!
Thank you so much! 😊🐴✨
❤🐴