Leading up to the annual Arena Challenge I put on every year, I do several horsemanship clinics for each group of competitors. My intent here is to give them things to work on so when they show up and ride in the Challenge they can perform better. If they perform better maybe they'll reach for more.
The last two clinics were for the Stockhorse Division and the Novice class. I try to make it challenging for the stockhorse competitors having them throw loops from odd angles on the roping dummies and at greater distances than the team ropers are used to. Maybe the hardest throw was throwing a loop to the off side then as you pull your slack, raising it above the horse's head as you move your horse's front end to face up on the dummy. This can't be performed very effectively unless you can move your horse's front end independently of the back end. Pictured below is a rider preparing to make the off side throw.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for the stockhorse competitors and their horses was tracking the Pro Cutter flag. As they move one direction and stop the flag, or stop as the flag stops, then position up for a turn in the opposite direction and track the flag the other direction. Again the ability to bring the front end over setting up for a departure and a trot or canter departure is what is going to allow the horse and rider to stay up with the flag. I'll run the Pro Cutter all the way in one direction then immediately return the other direction requiring the horse and rider to double - an 180 degree turn with forward momentum. Ever see a Gypsy Vanner work and double on a flag? If you haven't heard of Gypsy Vanner horses, look them up on Google. I think they were bred to pull carts for leprechauns or something like that. The picture below is a Gypsy Vanner just beginning to double on the flag.
The last clinic was for Novice Division riders. I had six some to the clinic and while we didn't get to some of the things I wanted to expose them to, we did some make some progress. All but one rider rode with a mechanical hackamore and couple of the rider had less slack than others in their curb chains. This made it that much harder to get softness out of their horses. I think many riders don't know just how sensitive the horse's jawline is, so when the mechanical hackamore is tightened just a little by pulling on the reins, the nose band and the curb chain become a nut cracker on the horse's nose and jaw. Doing a smooth transition from the walk to trot or trot to canter when the mechanical hackamore is putting pressure on the horse is challenging.
Walk to a Trot transition. We worked on a subtle transition, riding on loose rein and getting your horse soft. I spent a lot of time correcting hand position on the reins and what a slack rein feels like. Sometimes the riders would put just a little more pressure on the reins which causes the horse to loose momentum - they just get confused with the lack of a clear signal. Some of this is the rider's preparing for the horse to go faster than than they want. If I'm only working with one rider, sometimes I'll take them to the round pen where a horse going fast is more easily managed.
We worked on the stop. Because too many of the horses move with an elevated head position the stops were not precise and heavy on the front end. An elevated head is aggravated when the rider is puling on their head or mouth. So we spent some time accentuating sitting deep in the seat of the saddle and exaggerating the feet forward and heels down, before ever picking up the reins.
The backup was next. We worked on using the reins as a secondary backup cue. When I could get the riders to stop pulling on their horse's head, the horses were more comfortable and the riders could get a change from their horse stepping with the back end as opposed to pushing with their front end. A couple of riders progressed very well and got their horses to back up with very little rein, instead using their feet to create momentum. The look on the rider's faces when they saw an understanding in their horse is priceless.
Then we worked on turn arounds. Because most of the riders were riding in contact they had the habit of a taunt outside rein on a turnaround with is confusing to the horse and ends up slowing momentum. The Arena Challenge will an 8' turnaround box as well as a task requiring switchback turns around vertical poles, and in order to do those obstacles the riders are going to have to get their horses giving to horizontal flexion and soft in the barrel to get the bend and maintain forward momentum. The Arena Challenge is just over a month away, so we'll see just how progress between now and then everyone makes.
