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leg aid

Accuracy of the track and suppleness of the horse – Step 2

Droits d'accès: 
Abonné
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This second part of the exercise is to be done at a canter with a horse well-schooled and responding perfectly to the leg and hand aids. The rider will have to be demanding to be in a perfect control of the 4 feet of the horse.

Niveau de difficulté: 
Intermédiaire
Goal: 

his second part of the exercise is quite difficult and can be achieved only if both the rider and horse master it at the walk and the trot. This is the reason why the rider has to take his time to practise the exercise and can practise it over several sessions. To be successful practising the exercise at a canter, the horse needs to be available and the rider needs to anticipate and plan ahead correctly.  The goal is to keep some light and discreet aids. Therefore if the rider has to flail, twist himself, pull or push, or even if he needs to use strength, there is no point in practising this exercise yet. So it is necessary to achieve one step at a time at the lower gaits before trying it at the canter.

This exercise is linked to the sheet A7 of the Training Program 1

Progress: 

Michel recommends to start with the most comfortable side for the horse.  As seen in the first part of the exercise at a walk and trot, the rider has to be active on the right and then his left side staying centred and symmetrical in his position.

Michel offers some modifications of the set-up to make the first few practices easier and to gather some positive results before increasing the level of difficulty.

Michel gives us also an insight on the mind set we are looking for in the horse and the rider to reach the maximum relaxation while keeping the canter rhythm steady.

At the end, you will notice how comprehensive this exercise is. It will take you a certain time to get it, but you will definitively notice the progress you and your horse will make. Practise well!

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Accuracy of the track and suppleness of the horse - Step 1

Droits d'accès: 
Abonné
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An excellent exercise to test the precision and lightness of the rider’s aids while working on the submission and the suppleness of the horse.

Niveau de difficulté: 
Intermédiaire
Goal: 

We know that horses and riders are all, more or less, asymmetrical: more supple to the right, stiffer to the left for example. It is important to be aware of it as it can affect the correct execution of a movement such as the accuracy of the track. The rider has to aim for a symmetric position and some symmetric aids to avoid confusing and misusing the horse. This is what Michel’s new exercise is intended for. The set-up is extremely easy but it proves to be very effective to challenge the rider’s ability to keep his horse on a precise track. The goal is to direct the horse with almost no hand aid, but simply with the position and a few discrete leg influence. To successfully execute this exercise, the rider has to be able to plan ahead each phase of this exercise.

This exercise is linked to the sheet A7 of the Training Program 1

Progress: 

In this first part of the exercise, Michel starts at a walk and a trot. The canter work will be in a follow-up video. This same work at a canter requires the horse and rider to master perfectly the exercise at the lower gaits.

Michel emphasizes on the requirement necessary for the rider to stay present mentally and physically at all times. He explains how the rider should use his leg aid to obtain the best result with a minimum of influence on the horse.

The rider will be able to put the advice into action in any situation and it will allow him to direct his horse with lightness.
 
This exercise is also a good suppleness exercise for the horse who will have to work his left side as much as his right side to stay on the track chosen by the rider.
 

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How to deal with a horse not responding to the leg aid

Droits d'accès: 
Abonné
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Whatever the sensitivity of a horse, his response to the rider’s aids is primarily linked to his training as well as his understanding of the request. Michel gives us a smooth technic to obtain a horse responsive to the leg aid no matter the horse.

Niveau de difficulté: 
Débutant
Goal: 

Whatever the sensitivity of a horse, his response to the rider’s aids is primarily linked to his training and how well he understands the request. Setting good codes of communication with a horse, requires, first of all that the rider be in a good physical condition to use his body properly. When the rider is able to position himself correctly and is apt for the work demand, then he needs to be tactful enough to act at the correct time and at the correct level of intensity depending on his horse.

Horse’s temperament and rider’s behaviour

It is obvious that some horses are more sensitive and hot than others. However, it should not prevent the rider from making sure that his horse understands the request correctly. Quite often, some riders would say: “My horse is not responsive … He’s sluggish…He’s too cold…”.  It is indeed frequent to find some horses who have become completely cold to the leg aid because the request from the rider is not clear enough.

In this type of situation, the riders’ response is always the same. We take a stick, some stronger spurs….According to Michel that escalation will not bring any good if not to have a horse that will give up.
On top of it, if the rider starts influencing his horse in a strong way; the stronger he gets, the worse his position will be. It will disturb his actions with some stiffness and unwanted movements and the horse will be more and more confused in his mind.

A solution the soft way

An easy solution exists. It will palliate quickly to the problem of a horse that does not respond to the leg aid. Michel’s training method is based on the correct physical and mental influence from the rider, the correct level of influence and the good understanding of the horse. This video gives you the perfect insight into it. Lucile and Baladine demonstrate the exercise. To start with, the mare is cold to the leg and the rider tries to carry her mare all the time hoping to reach and stay at the correct speed.

At the end of the lesson, Lucile is impressed by the responsiveness of her mare.

This session is linked to the sheet A2 of the Training program 1 

 

  

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