HORSE CURRICULUM
Learn The A, B, C’s
- Develop a clear language with your horse. What do your seat, legs and reins control?
- What are the effects of different actions of seat, legs and reins?
- Putting the letters of the alphabet together to form words (such as canter depart, leg yield, counter canter)
- The importance of “giving”
- The timing of the aids
Whoa and Go
- Teach your horse to be responsive to light aids to stop and go
- The goal is to “whisper” with your aids and have your horse “shout” his response
Reward and Correction
- The absence of reward is punishment
- The absence of punishment is not reward
- Repetition is the mildest form of correction
How To Use the Training Scale as a Practical Guide for Training and Problem Solving
- Explore exactly what the six ingredients in the training scale mean so they’re not just “words”
- Rhythm-Understanding rhythm and tempo
- Suppleness-Lateral suppleness, longitudinal suppleness, adjustability, suppling exercises for different body parts
- Contact-Develop the qualities that make up an inviting, sympathetic contact
- Connection-Put your horse on the bit, helping the horse that goes behind the bit, Giving two sets of aids at once, Tests of connection
- Impulsion-“More”
- Straightness-Body alignment, First position
- Collection-How to create and recognize collection, The half halt demystified
The Movements
- Why do movements like school figures, transitions, and lateral work? Learn why the movements are not an end in themselves. They are a means to an end such as the development of the gaits as well as specific qualities like suppleness, flexibility, and collection
- Breakdown of the aids for every movement and exercise
- Understand the big picture-The work at basic levels is the foundation for more advanced work. For example, doing a correct 20-meter circle is the start of advanced lateral exercises. Counter canter, collected canter and simple changes of lead lay the foundation for flying changes
- What are the working gaits?
- Focus on the “connective tissue” between movements
Problem Solving
- Dealing with resistance
- Dealing with evasions
- Dealing with anticipation
- Improving the movements
- Fill your toolbox with multiple training solutions
- Use “benign antagonism” to help the horse become a problem solver
- Identify and treat the cause of problems not just the symptoms
