Steve Halfpenny in Sussex August 2009

[Elaine]

Three of us headed over to watch so we're just back. A short report and a few pics going up tomorrow

[Elaine]

We saw days 2 and 3 of a four day clinic. Here are some of the gymnastics exercises they were doing whcih were very nice

SATURDAY MORNING Zorro (black cob), Lottie (black mare), and Camilla's big bay.

Exercise 1 - indirect & direct rein

• Sit on your horse.
  
• Bring your right hand up to your left shoulder, to ask horse for an indirect rein and to move his near hind out to the side one step.
  
• Then bring your right hand to the side (direct rein) to ask your horses off fore to step out to the side.
  

Exercise 2a - Backup in circle & FQ yield

• Sit on horse.
  
• Tip head slightly to the outside.
  
• Backup in a circle, with horses head still tipped to the outside.
  
• When all going softly, hold your outside rein out to the side, to ask for horse to move his front legs in the direct his head was turned in.
  
• Walk off again
  
• This gets the horse light on the forehand and working from behind.
  
• Also gets them ready for slides stops and rollbacks.
  

Exercise 2b - Walk, backup in circle & FQ yield

• Sit on horse.
  
• Walk somewhere
  
• Stop
  
• Tip head slightly to the outside.
  
• Backup in a circle, with horses head still tipped to the outside.
  
• When all going softly, hold your outside rein out to the side, to ask for horse to move his front legs in the direct his head was turned in.
  
• Walk/trot/canter off again
  

Exercise 3 - Improve the brakes If you have a brakes issue, you actually have a backup / reverse problem.

• Walk, stop, backup
  
• Walk, stop, backup
  
• Walk, stop, backup
  
• Walk, stop, backup
  
• Walk, stop, backup
  
• Walk, stop, backup
  
• Walk, stop, backup
  

Exercise 4 - Forwards & backwards

• Walk 10 steps
  
• Backup 10 steps
  
• Walk 9 steps
  
• Backup 9 steps
  
• Walk 8 steps
  
• Backup 8 steps
  
• Walk 7 steps
  
• Backup 7 steps
  
• Walk 6 steps
  
• Backup 6 steps
  
• Walk 5 steps
  
• Backup 5 steps
  
• Walk 4 steps
  
• Backup 4 steps
  
• Walk 3 steps
  
• Backup 3 steps
  
• Walk 2 steps
  
• Backup 2 steps
  
• Walk 1 step
  
• Backup 1 step
  

Always prepare for a stop for a step or two. Don't prepare 1/2 mile away for a stop, and don't just ask them to stop with no warning. Horses don't get bothered if there are a set of rules which don't change.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Grey Connie
Big coloured horse
Small bay
Nice chestnut

Exercise 5 - Indirect & direct with Connie

• Walk
  
• HQ yield (indirect rein) for 1/4 turn
  
• Halt for a moment
  
• FQ yield direct rein)
  
• You don't usually put a halt in the middle of this exercise, but Steve did with this horse cos he was doing it all as a HQ yield.
  

Then did exercise 2a with Connie (backup circle then direct rein and walk away) NICE! Remember to tip head to the outside.

BE ACCURATE.

Coloured horse (pog):

• Walk along a fence, with a bit of space between you & the fence.
  
• Do 180 degrees indirect rein / HQ yield / move hindquarters towards the fence so until you are now facing the way you came.
  
• Now continue the other 180 degrees part of the circle, by doing a direct rein (moving front end of the horse only) towards the fence 180 degrees until you are facing the way you started.
  
• Walk away.
  

Nice work with Pog!!

Get EFFECTIVE. OBSERVE, REMEMBER COMPARE,.

[Elaine]

SUNDAY MORNING

Connie
Coloured horse
Small bay
Chestnut

Exercise 6 - leading from far back

• Have a 12ft rope & halter on your horse, and a training stick to help you out.
  
• Stand near horses HQ on one side of the horse.
  
• When you are leading you want to have your horses mind with you.
  
• If horse rushes, HQ yield and change the direction.
  
• Then start again.
  
• Horse should always look where he is going during this exercise.
  
• To turn him away from you, use your stick to tip his nose to the far side then his feet will follow.
  
• Should be able to gradually build up this exercises till you can do it 20 or 30 feet behind your horse using one line.
  
• With you on one side of horse, ask him to walk both to the right and left.
  
• Rub horses HQ to ask him to stop & relax.
  

Exercise 7 - Circle without shoulder falling in

• Ride small circles in walk with flexion to inside
  
• Use your indirect rein to move HQs out
  
• Horses shoulders not to fall in.
  
• You can use coiled rope or something in your inside hand to tap inside shoulder of horse when he looks like he'd going to do a motorbike style corner.
  
• Remember, to turn your horse, nose first then shoulders. Not shoulders first.
  
• You don't want the shoulder going 1st and falling in.
  
• You can also encourage shoulder to not fall in by putting on little pressure with your inside leg just a fraction before horse is about to lift his inside fore off the ground. Also use inside rein for a little bend of head to the inside.
  

Exercise 8 - Walk along fence, move HQ in, but keep horses shoulders at the fence

• At the beginning of this exercise, you can use your outside rein to keep horses outside shoulder along (parallel to) the fence. When you get better at this, you can use neck rein using your inside rein touching the inside side of your horses neck to encourage him to put his shoulders back over along the fence.
  
• To do a HQ in, you want the HQs to be engaged, so to cue this you will use your leg, not your hand / rein)
  
• Do a circle in walk near a fence
  
• As you approach the fence, keep the circle shape and walk along the fence for a step or two (so your horses shoulder will be touching fence, but his HQs will still be out a little in the arena)
  
• Then walk on again in your normal circle.
  
• (This is a bit complicated!) But the riders & horses did really well
  
• You don't need to have your inside leg on (Connie)
  
• Nice release after mvt when horse was soft with Connie
  
• 3 tracks is what you are looking for.
  

Your legs are for energy, power & direction. Your hands are for everything else.

Exercise 9 - Small circle to bigger circle

• Walk a small circle.
  
• Use your outside rein in time just a fraction before your horses outside fore is about to leave the ground to ask him to step out a little.
  
• Repeat and the circle will become bigger.
  
• Everything is in the release.
  

Exercise 10 - Figuring out the feet

• Look up
  
• Feel for when horses fore feet are moving
  
• Feel for when horses hind feet are moving
  

[Elaine]

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Big bay
Zorro black cob
Lottie black mare

Walk, trot and canter circle.

Exercise 11 - HQ in (again)

• Have saddle, halter & rope on horse.
  
• Stand on horses (Zorro's) off side.
  
• Have rope going from you, over saddle to the near side, to the halter attachment.
  
• Tip horses head towards the near side (you are still standing on horses off side)
  
• Push horses HQ 1 step over to the near aside as well.
  
• Quite tricky, but very well done!
  
• After this you can work on pirourettes!
  

Exercise 12 - Do a circle and move HQ out onto a bigger circle of their own

• Walk on circle.
  
• Use inside leg to ask HQ to move out onto a larger circle than what the forelegs are doing.
  
• Don't let inside shoulder drop in.
  

Exercise 13 - HQ dance (out & in)

• Halt horse.
  
• Keep front legs still.
  
• Move near hind out one step.
  
• Move near hind back one step.
  
• Move off hind out one step.
  
• Move off hind back one step.
  

Great work by all!!

Use lots of releases and rewards moments for the horse.

Be accurate. Don't let your horse walk through pressure.

Get more effective if you need to.

[Elaine]

Photos!!

[amanda1066]

What a fantastic report Elaine! Concise and easy to follow instructions of things to try.Mmm that's if I ever manage to get on any of mine in the near future! lol

[Elaine]

Ben's report (with pics) of the same clinic

glenatron.livejournal.com/192023.html

[mariab]

Thats not Sussex looks like Spain

[Elaine]

The weather was nice alright

[intouch]

Between the two of you - there's a lot of learning there!!