Going tomorrow to Alum Creek to see if it is really as bad as everyone says.
A wonderful family came to meet Mary Jane today and they fell in love with her, so hopefully she will be going to her new home in Toledo, Ohio in the next week or so. Yay for Mary Jane!
Spyder is back on track thanks to Dr. Johnson and the vets at Woodland Run. We have had several successful rides this week, so hopefully it will continue.
Question for everybody. Do you practice backing with your horse, either on the ground or under saddle? If so, how did you teach your horse to back. I have been using Bob's method for teaching backing under saddle. He walks the horse into a corner and then sits back and sets his hands so there is light contact on the reins. With his leg significantly in front of the girth, he kisses until the horse moves back one step, and then releases all pressure. Eventually, he asks for two steps and then three and so on and then moves to the center of the arena and teaches the same lesson without the corner blocking the horse's forward movement. It works like magic! Many trainers say that a good back-up is necessary to achieve a good halt, and I tend to agree. Opinions?
What a gorgeous day to be riding!
2 comments:
Yea, Cursive STILL doesnt back. Ive given up. I figure we have bigger fish to fry.
With Rocky I do a back up on the ground with simply a rope halter and lead using steady backward pressure on the lead (releasing as soon as he steps back). When I mount I use exactly the same technique, whether I'm riding with a halter or bridle I still use the one rein technique. I also position my legs significantly in front of the girth and bump if necessary until he moves back. I think the key is to get it good on the ground first then move to his back.
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