Clever Riding Video of the Day: Another brief video of Summer. This video shows her emotional reaction as I do a little bodywork on the muscles along her spine earlier today. Whaddya think... would you like to be able to help your horse relax, feel great and release tension as she is here? Imagine what this could do for your partnership and your horses performance! When I met Summer in June... the very first thing I noticed about her was how taut and wrinkled her lips and muzzle were - she literally looked like she was smelling sour milk the whole time I interacted with her . She was highly reactive under saddle, would bolt sideways as you tried to mount up to go for a ride, and her Tennessee Walker gaits were totally scrambled. She is quite honestly a different horse than she was a few months ago... training-wise and health-wise. These changes have enabled her personality to also shift entirely. I would now describe her as bold, mentally flexible, affectionate, curious, trusting and relaxed (still with the odd on the spot spook - she is still advancing). As many of you already know, The Clever Riding Approach integrates 4 major elements, or what I call the Four Pillars of Clever Riding. I assess each horse individually... determine what Pillars need to be implemented in order for EACH SPECIFIC HORSE to improve based on their unique needs. Here is an explanation of how each Pillar is being used in Summers rehabilitation: Pillar 1: Pressure and Release training - not a huge area of need for Summer. She WAS oversensitive to pressure, however I felt this oversensitivity was caused by physical pain/restriction, fear, and poor emotional control. So... this has been the least focused on CR Pillar in her recovery/development. Pillar 2: Positive Reinforcement training - HUGE part of my approach with Summer. She needed confidence, reasoning abilities, reassurance, and the ABSENCE of pressure so she could think properly. Remember, if her body was in pain, the more I used PRESSURE, the more it would likely have agitated her and workes against my training - as she would already have been feeling irritable/sore. Poke a sick person in the ribs and, chances are, you will find that person to have less tolerance than they would if they were well. Horses are NO different! If I am working with a horse with physical issues, I will often choose to use positive reinforcement in the early stages of training. That way, I am not further irritating any sore areas. ALSO... since her MIND chooses to be with me, her body moves in relaxation... and therefore carries less resistance. The chewing motion is great to help her continue to release as I click and reward from the saddle. This helps release tense muscles as I work with her and allows her to start building muscle as she walks in a relaxed manner (check out the recent trail video I posted). Pillar 3: Equine Bodywork/Massage - another HUGE component of Summers program. Her body was FULL of tension, restriction and soreness when I met her. I do a topline greeting absolutely every day with her to gauge how she is feeling. Then, I use various techniques to help resolve any issues i find. I have done all of Summers bodywork myself and it has done AMAZING things as far as helping her getting over her resistances and fears. Furthermore, since all the bodywork I do is based upon reading physical cues from the horse, our emotional and mental connection has become quite amazing. I will post more videos on that soon so you can see what I mean. Pillar 4: Equine Strength Training (Classical Foundation Training) - Summer is now more able to stretch so I am beginning to ask her to do things to start building more muscle along her topline. Other than teaching a horse the concept of a long and reaching stretch, a rider really cant get much done as far as strengthening their horses body until it is loose first! As Summers body becomes looser and healthier, I will begin to do more strength training with her. So... here is THEEEEE big question: How do all of the above relate to collection? GIVEAWAY HINT: think relaxation, emotional/mental softness, communication... there is no right answer... just interested in hearing your thoughts! Remember... 1 free coaching session is given away each week to a reader who is supporting me by commenting on and sharing my posts! Leah Taylor cleverriding
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 09:08:42 +0000
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