Forward Thinking

A lot of things go into making a good jump, but impulsion is one of the most basic building blocks a horse must have to complete the equation. A weak jump usually stems from a weak canter; if it lacks impulsion, everything suffers, especially when you begin to introduce spooky elements such as a liverpool into your training.

Horses that are blessed with a natural, independent motor and balance are always going to be better horses and give you a great advantage in the ring, in my opinion. Horses that require a lot of work to create impulsion are always going to be a lot of work. I like to use the terminology that a lazy horse is ‘cold’ and a ‘hot’ horse has blood, or its own engine.

I like to work horses on the lunge line. If you’re good at lungeing – which means that you can properly observe and evaluate your horse with a critical eye – you do it to work them and not just to make them quiet. You can help their independent canter, help their balance, and help teach your horse to canter better on its own on the lunge line. Lungeing is a responsibly and you need to train yourself in terms of what to look for, what you want to accomplish, and what to use for equipment.

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Introducing a spooky element such a liverpool on the lunge line is a good way to build the horse’s confidence in their problem-solving abilities, and also test their ability to maintain their impulsion independently. If the horse won’t jump on its own in its own free space and impulsion, it’s not going to carry you under saddle. If you can train it on the lunge to look at the liverpool, but then find a way to the other side, chances are that the confidence it gains on the lunge line will get it to the other side with you on its back as well. I like to teach the horse to look at the jump and say, ‘my job is to get to the other side, good or bad distance.’ Then the horse regulates impulsion to get the job done and we create horses that are thinkers.

LUNGEING EQUIPMENT

My horses lunge in bell boots, front boots or polos, and back boots. I use a Walsh surcingle because I find that they fit the best, and my favourite lungeing rig is the de Gogue; I don’t think it restricts them and they can work correctly with self-carriage and connection through their back. You don’t want them to be ‘held’ where they can’t find their own balance or have a chance to use their own motor. I believe that the purpose of the lunge line is to allow the horse to find their own gait without the rider legging, spurring, holding, or whatever else the rider can do in a million ways that interferes with the horse’s natural way of going.

Because the de Gogue goes between their legs, I won’t put them over anything more than a pole on the ground or a cavaletti while wearing it. With anything larger I’ll modify my equipment and use a standing martingale so the horse is less likely to put legs through the equipment. Patience always; don’t rush, and don’t let emotion into the ring.

CONFIDENCE BUILDING

Lungeing is educational. I’m able to encourage a better canter by setting them up with the proper equipment so that they use themselves properly and learn to carry themselves. I’m always watching: do they canter better to the left or right? Do they have a hard time holding a certain lead? Are the transitions clean from the trot to the canter? Do they fall off the lead from the canter to the trot? Are they tight through their back or shoulders? I watch the horse to understand their individual balance and how they move. I don’t spend that much time at canter. If I lunge for 45 minutes, 15 minutes will be trot, 15 minutes will be walk, and then 15 minutes will be canter intervals. I want to promote a better canter, not exhaust them.

One of my favourite ways to promote a better canter and encourage natural impulsion is to incorporate a rail or cavaletti at the canter on the lunge line. You want to give them the opportunity to learn the mentality that it should never be the rider ‘forcing’ a horse over jump. The horse should look at a jump and get to other side, whether it’s a good or bad distance. When you incorporate cavaletti, the horse has to measure distance on its own. If the horse is cold and behind your leg he’s not going to independently take the long distance – he will chip or split-leg. If you can encourage the horse to have a better canter, it will take a better step over the pole or cavalletti. With repetition (and the reward being the better distance as a result of the better canter), you are improving the impulsion and the horse’s mentality.

If you have a horse that gets too fast and charges and chips, or always takes a long spot because it is picking up speed, incorporating a pole or cavalletti becomes a sort of lesson in self-preservation, because the horse has to create its own space and manage its own step. The horse will learn, because without the rider they will recognize (hopefully) that they did it to themselves.

Lungeing over cavaletti helps create independent horses with independent impulsion by doing little else than allowing them to learn from their own mistakes. I see huge improvements when you teach confidence by letting them manage their own canter with repetitive work over a cavaletti or a pole on the lunge line. The goal here is to give the horse the confidence to carry itself forward and then use that confidence over the spookier obstacles.

INTRODUCING NEW ELEMENTS

To introduce the element in a way that doesn’t intimidate the horse, I let the horse have a good, long look in-hand, using my voice and pets or a treat as a reward [see also “Nurturing Courage” page 70]. Then I lunge behind the element, then beside, then over. You give the horse a chance to develop its own level of acceptance at its own pace when independently working around a spooky element on the lunge. If all is well they should always jump, but those first few steps of a patient introduction are the most important. Take your time until you feel you have given them confidence and are setting them up so they will jump the first time. I always carry the lunge whip, but I only use it as a follow, never as a whip. I want them to accept and jump it the way you want them to jump under saddle. Again, the goal is to reward and build their independent motor.

DE-SPOOKING UNDER SADDLE

Even when you have introduced spooky elements on the lunge line with success in keeping the horse’s impulsion and willingness to get to the other side on their own, there is still a possibility that they will be a bit spooky when the element is introduced under saddle. This is when you trust that your work on the flat with reaction to ‘forward’ and the confidence the horse gains in its problem-solving on the lunge will come into play. I believe if a horse accepts something by standing quietly in front of it or touching the spooky jump with their nose they will jump it. I like to stand in front until the horse remains still and relaxed, and then I always reward with my voice, a pet and/or a treat.

PROPER USE OF THE STICK

My least favourite horse is a cold horse. If the horse doesn’t carry a natural impulsion in its canter on its own, it becomes very hard to train and the reward is very small.

I think of a cold horse as a bit of a cheater – more often than not it’s going to add a stride or chip one in instead of putting in the effort. To encourage a horse that is naturally cold is a process of reminders in reactive training. Carry a stick and spurs in your everyday flatwork. With a ‘cluck’ and a slight touch with the stick behind the leg when you ask the horse to go forward, you hope to get the reaction you want in the end with only a cluck. For the most part, horses are all very trainable. If every time you cluck you touch them with the stick you are training them that cluck = forward.

On a hot horse, if you cluck and use the stick you run the risk of having a runaway on your hands, but with a cold horse you have to be more repetitive to make sure the horse becomes reactive. You have to expect the results 100% of the time, because to cluck with no reaction is counter-training. You have to be dedicated.

A little dressage whip works well on the flat, and we have to keep in mind that the use of equipment such as a dressage whip or jumping bat is not inhumane or cruel when used properly. You want to just touch them behind the leg with the whip when you are asking for ‘forward’ in combination with the leg and cluck. It is important to stay in proper balance, and keep your leg, seat, and hands soft. The intention is to let them feel the stick, not to whip them. If you are using a jumping bat, you should never raise the whip; instead, just drop that hand behind your leg. All of these pieces of equipment have a purpose: horses are big animals that weigh considerably more than we do, and I believe that a reasonable amount of discipline is totally fair and acceptable when used by an educated rider with empathy towards the horse.

I wanted to use the stick off the ground in this instance to reinforce that the horse stay in front of my leg when it was ‘sticking’ at a spooky element. It’s a sophisticated move, because you have to have good timing. I just touched his side – not even as hard as you would kill a fly, more just a little reminder that the horse needs to stay forward. The goal with the timing is to catch them just off the ground, so that you eliminate any hesitation as the horse leaves the ground.

Your Energy: Get the Best out of Your Team

by April Clay, Registered Psychologist

In any sport, it is crucial to know what amount of energy or intensity is optimal to your performance. But don’t forget you’re part of a team, and that the other team member has their own preferences when it comes to energy.

What is intensity?
Intensity is the kind of energy you carry in your body. High intensity is marked by an explosive sensation of power. Physically it means increased respiration, heart rate, and muscle tension. It’s part of what helps a power lifter heave that barbell. On the opposite end of the scale, low intensity feels more relaxed and is associated with less muscle tension and a lower heart rate. A target shooter requires this in order to succeed.

In horse sport, the same general rules apply. The more power necessary (jumpers, barrel racers) the more energy you need. The more technical (dressage, hunters) the less you need. As many dressage riders have undoubtedly experienced, too much tension/energy in the latter category leads to a loss of focus and an unrefined performance.

Know your number
Every rider has a preferred ‘energy style.’ Are you normally a highly-strung person or do you slowly chug along? If you’re not sure, ask your trainer or stablemates for feedback!

Think of intensity as a ten-point scale, with ten the highest and one the lowest. Your ‘natural’ number may or may not represent the energy level at which you perform your best. It may be you’re an eight most of the time, but your sport requires more of a four. To determine what your optimal number looks like, think about the times when you competed at your best. What can you recall about how you felt?

Learn to regulate
Developing a series of ‘calming statements’ is one way to bring yourself down a few notches. Search for words or phrases that have emotional impact. Something as simple as “remember your training, you’ve done it all before” can be extremely powerful. To determine your calming phrases or language, make an extensive list by letting yourself brainstorm. Then read your list to yourself while being aware of how these statements make you feel. Do they evoke comfort and reassurance? Choose only those that illicit a strong response. If your body responds, you know you’re on the right track.

If what you need to do is increase your intensity, the process is the same. Through trial and error, you need to develop a ‘tool box of energy revs’ to effectively influence the energy in your body in the ‘up’ direction.

Practice effecting this change with different strategies until you have confidence in regulating your physiology. Think of it like switching your own gears as if you were a car. Remember that you cannot control your performance until you can control yourself.