Last week I didn't get to ride as much as I wanted. I had scheduling conflicts and was trying to get ready to be gone for 3 days. I did get to hop on Andy Thursday evening though. Since I didn't have a ton of time and still needed to pack I brushed him, threw on his bridle and jumped on bareback. I haven't ridden him bareback yet and it was different...
I decided to start out our ride by taking a stroll around the property. When I left the cutting last Saturday Jim and I were talking and reflecting about our rides. I told him that I thought I needed to get Andy forward. That when he got upset he would get stuck(not know which way to go or be able to move freely) and that if I could get him out of that I think we would have a much better handle on the cow. He said I have it backwards. That I need to get him on his back end more and get him stopping harder, turning over his hocks, and really jamming down in order to get a better handle on my cow. I didn't respond because he has been doing it longer and I'm always ready to learn.
I was thinking about this as I was walking Andy. I think we are both right. Andy is like no horse I have ever ridden. I can hop on Apple or almost any other horse and feel completely at home bareback....Andy doesn't feel right. He is jittery with his muscles and OVER reactive to cues. I had him side passing and spinning with squeezing my butt muscles.... I thought it was cool until he got nervous about something and my squeeze to get him to step up got him moving but he was wiggly. I clenched to hold him where I wanted him and that made it worse. He uses his back like no other horse I have ever ridden. He didn't do anything bad but was lacking confidence and FORWARD.
We headed to the arena to work on it some more. I got him into a jog and could feel the subtle crookedness in him. He was forward but forward to the side a little...kind of like when your car needs an alignment. He was much better tracking left but tracking right he was almost completely counter bent. While it was much easier to fix bareback I wonder if it was a reaction to how I was sitting or if I am missing it THAT much when we ride with a saddle.
I was thinking about the conversation Jim and I had while fixing my crooked horse... When I said forward I think Jim heard go....To me they are different things. Forward is go with purpose and push and go is just that...go. A lot of horses go but aren't actually forward. In order to get him over his hocks and stopping and turning the way he should he has to be FORWARD. He has to step forward into his turns, he has to push off those feet, and he has to trust his rider.
I think Andy and Jim have given me a lot to think about. I already know where some of our mistakes are and where to start fixing them. I think MOST of the time Andy is really forward and with me but we need to transfer that over to when he gets upset.
Of course then I go off on...well how can I get him upset without taking him to Jim's and embarrassing myself?? I need to figure out if what I am working on is working or how to tweak it without an audience. I wish you could RENT a cow! LOL
What do you think forward is? Can you tell when your horse is going vs. being forward?
Hopefully I will have pictures for you tomorrow!
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6 comments:
Interesting question!! Hmm. In my mind, forward is a combination of two things...
(1) Motion/thrust being generated from the hindquarters. The horse has to feel light on the forehand, and I need to be able to keep him "between the aids" in a sustainable way
(2) No resistance to suppleness
If I don't have those two things happening, I feel like the horse is "going" off-balance rather than moving "forward" correctly. That's just my take, but I am fascinated to read everyone else's ideas and learn some new things.
Sounds like you got some good insights about Andy. I feel your pain with the over-reactive horse issue. Can't wait to see those pictures!
I agree w/ Libby's idea of forward - it has to be a straight, balanced forward or the horse feels like he's just NQR. Forward on the forehand feels crappy, although that's what I get 90% of the time.
There's a book out called "Straightening the Crooked Horse" that is a great read. My instructor let me borrow her copy recently and the exercises in it really helped Skate's way of going. All horses are crooked, we have to show them how to move straight. It can clear up all sorts of issues including lameness, resistance, etc.
I think you all are right about forward. It has to be movement with purpose from the hindquarters, with the horse in front of the leg and not resistant to the aids. Alex, before I even got halfway done with your post, just after you had written about what Jim had said, I was thinking that you have to get forward first before you can get Andy really stopping and using his back end correctly! I agree that you are both right, but forward has to come first. Andy sounds like a really neat horse.
Is there anywhere else you can get access to cows with more privacy? My cousin in GA is big time into cutting, and I have always thought that THAT is a way to make an expensive "hobby" even more expensive, since she has to maintain her horses AND cows!
Ahhh, I was thinking your forward = go myself until I got to the end of the post. Then I realized what you're calling forward I would typically call impulsion.
Do other situations make him nervous/excitable? Does he get tense when cutting a kid? Does he care about noises, flapping, etc? You could get people to flap tarps/etc and use that to both get him listening to you and desensitize him to random crap. Also, can you cut goats? A goat is probably a lot easier to find/keep up than a cow.
Good news, I found someone that might let me in his cow pasture. Not to chase them but to be in the same area as them and move them around some. I think that will be a good start!
Andrea, I can't get him THAT excited about anything. He will occasionally flinch at things that are a new but he never moves his feet off track or gets worked up. He is calm and quiet cutting kids. Hmmm Goats! Thats a good idea. Now I just have to find someone with goats that will let me chase them! LOL
Haha. You could always buy a couple to use as weed eaters for the summer? I'm not especially fond of them as animals, but they sure are useful for eating stuff.
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