Narrator

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As horse owners and trainers we have a responsibility to understand and acknowledge their natural behaviour. It is also important for our safety and theirs to understand their fundamental, physical and behavioural characteristics, this allows us to adopt methods of training and husbandry that does not cause undue stress to them. It is very easy for humans to assume that animals are just like people and that their needs are the same as ours.

Anthropomorphism can lead to welfare issues as providing horses with what we think they need, we ignore what they actually need. When training horses it should be remembered that the horse has evolved physically and behaviourally to meet its primary instinct. Some herbivores have evolved to defend themselves and their young through fighting. However, the horse has evolved to run first and defend only if they cannot run either away or fast enough. Training horses involves to a large extent educating a horse to not react instinctively and run away. One of the abiding obstacles to effective training is poor understanding of learning theory by trainers. The series of videos which have been formulated focus on basic parameters of horse training including: routine, habit and consistency.

The training methods which are covered can be applied to any discipline, breed or horse rider level. Teaching a horse to lunge is one of the first steps in the education of any horse. Lunging plays an essential part in gaining respect from the horse, developing its muscles and coordination, removing excess energy as well as providing an opportunity to assess the soundness and mood of the horse while encouraging it to focus on the training for the day.

Steven Hart

Okay, this here is just demonstrating the stick position as we’re trying to implement why we’re doing the exercises through the list which is the stick to take the front end away is just in behind the ear, get the horse going forward at a trot is down just straight in behind, between the butt of the tail, the butt of the tail and the hock. If you want the horse to go quicker you move the stick in closer. If you want the horse to slow down, you take the stick away, the closer it is, you squash the bubble, squash the air out the back there, the horse goes quicker, you take it away, they slow down, somewhere in between is the required speed that you need, just know where the sweet spot is for that stick and hold it there.

We’ve also got, so that’s go forward and this is stop, go forward, stop, go forward, stop. This engages the hind end and back up. Go forward, stop, disengage the hind end and back up. Go forward and instead of taking the stick to the front put your stick on the sweet spot to side pass here, in around the girth area and we side pass out, to take that horse out away from us and then ask the horse to go forward again. A hand also goes up in behind that horse’s ear just to help it side pass out, go forward again, forward, stop, forward, stop, disengage the hind end back up, forward, side pass, side pass out, side pass out, stop.

Okay, this exercise here is the first exercise of the groundwork or lunging that we do is forward and around, stop, take a breath, change direction, forward and round, stop, change direction. When we go to do this, if I’m going to the right I like to step to the right and also place my stick in behind the ear to ask the front end to move out onto the circle and then we drop the stick back once we can see the butt of the horse’s tail to follow the front end around. So, take the front end away, drop the stick back when we see the butt of the tail and we’ve got this in a trot position, as we’ve got the horse going around we maintain that position with that stick in the drop position, this hand, the pinkie finger pointing out so giving the horse the direction to go and be smooth with our hands and smooth with our feet.

We should be standing in behind the girth area or behind the crucifix so the horse maintains the forward momentum. When we want to stop the horse, we drop the stick and stop moving. Take a breath. We want to change direction, I’m going off to the left I’ll give direction with my lead rope hand first, get the head and neck and find the sweet spot, take the front end away, drop the stick back in behind the butt of the tail in the trot position, stay in behind the girth area and get the horse to follow, get the horse to go forward and around us, forward and around and stop.

Change direction, take the front end away, drop the stick back in behind the butt of the tail, maintaining our hand the height, where the horse’s poll is, is where our hand goes. Stop, that’s forward and around, stop, change direction.

Okay, this exercise is forward and around, change direction without stopping. First and foremost we find the sweet spot with our hand, head, neck, take that front end away, drop that stick back in a trot position. As we’re bringing the horse around here instead of stopping like we did in the first exercise, we’re now going to bring that stick into our hand here so it maintains that horse going around, a hand comes in over the top, takes that nose, stick changes, takes the front end away, drops back into the trot position. Stick comes into our other hand underneath the rope, there like that, leads it in the trot position there, our hand comes over the top, takes the head and neck, stick comes in behind that second eye, takes that front end away and brings it back in. When I bring the front end that stick will come in behind the ear and then drop back down between if we were trotting between the butt of the horse’s tail and the hock. Change direction, take the front end away, make sure you’re in behind that girth area or behind the crucifix. Change. As we’re doing this we try to maintain a symmetrical circle without allowing the horse to fall in or fall out and stop.

Okay, this exercise here is disengaging of the hind end while we’re going forward and around in a circle. There’s two parts to this, the first part of the exercise is to disengage that hind end to get it like a one range stop and it also helps to transfer the weight from the horse’s front end down the back and eventually, hopefully that horse there will balance right throughout that body. Then we’ll move onto actually disengaging the hind end and keeping the front end going around on the circle. First we take the front end away, drop that stick back in between the butt of the tail and the hock, we roll that horse around in the circle here. As we’re doing that I want to stop this horse, right rein, right leg at the butt of the tail and drop the stick so you’re not telling the horse to carry on.

We can either carry on in the same direction or change direction. We’ll change direction here, take the front end away and bring the back end. As we’re coming around here I’m disengaging the hind end, left hand, left leg, pull that nose at the butt of the tail and disengage that hind end and stop. Change direction. Left hand, left leg, go on the same way. And to get that horse to start continuing on we can leave the stick up there by just disengaging the hind end and leave the stick there, disengage the hind end and come in with the stick a little closer, we just let it drift away from the horse’s butt a little and bring it back in. Disengage the hind end and stop.

The second part of this exercise is forward and around and disengaging the hind end while the front end still travels around on the inside circle here while that back end is on the outside of that circle. Taking the front end away, bring the back end as we come around this right hand and the stick will go at the butt of the tail to disengage that hind end and continue the front end travelling around. Right hand at the butt of the tail so we’ve got the front end travelling around and the back end spreading and hopefully that horse will right roll around there in a shape. When we go to ask that horse to stop, right rein, right leg and get that stop. Change direction and come the other way. When we come the other way here it’s just the opposite to what we did, it’s just left hand, left leg, at the butt of the tail and stick over the butt of the tail, get that back end to really spread out we can just use the stick a little to help her out there. Spread that back end and stop.

We can finish off on that note by stopping that horse there with our left hand and left leg with two stops but it’s going to be left hand, left leg, one, two to get her to stop. Take that front end away and this is just asking a little bit more respect, one, two.

Okay, this exercise here is called the reverse spread. The reverse spread is a really good exercise to get control of the horse’s head, neck, their rib cage and then while we’re doing that we can then control independently the front end or the back end. The main thing we’re trying to achieve is to get that horse balanced right from the nose to the tail. Take the front end away as in previous clips, bring the back end. And as we do this we put the stick into our other hand here like this and take our hand over there but we don’t change direction, we just get that horse to follow and around. We can just tip that pinkie finger towards the butt of the tail and the stick towards the tail and get them to two-tracking a little around here, control of the head and neck and the rib cage and then it also makes it easier to change direction. When we change direction we look to try and put that stick in behind the second eye, the first eye being the one looking at me, the second eye being the one on the outside of the circle. Reverse spread to have that horse two-tracking around there. As we come through I want to pick up that second eye, take that nose and off we come again

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Narrator

Flexion of the head and neck is an important educational tool in training a horse. A horse that has been educated to use proper flexion will be softer and more responsive to ride. The horse will be able to carry its own weight plus the rider more effectively without straining joints, muscles and ligaments. It also allows the horse to transfer its weight from the front end to the hind end more efficiently. Lowering of the head and neck results in several biomechanical changes to the forehand. Overloading the forehand increases the workload of the thoracic muscles and therefore develops the pectoral and serratus muscles. This development improves support and lightening of the forehand when the head and neck are back in a neutral position.

Steven Hart

This exercise here is flexion behind the saddle. This exercise helps us gain control of the horse’s head, neck, rib cage, transfer the weight from the front end down the back and once they’ve done that put a platform there and be able to walk their front end, be able to get that horse balanced right through. It also gives the horse the confidence to be able to follow its nose when we’re actually riding the horse. The exercise, we take the lead rope over the horse’s head like that holding it underneath the chin here, take it around behind the saddle there and then we ask the horse to flex around there and be able to stand there quite calmly and flex. Don’t take that horse’s nose back past the point of the shoulder here, just so otherwise it’s going to have to move so we just get that horse and be quite comfortable to be able to flex there. When you first start this exercise don’t overdo the exercise in the fact that you try to under rotate the circle. So, we go towards the tail and just ask that horse to come around nice and calmly until the front end walks through there. That’s just to help the horse out understand the exercise first and foremost. Once they are following their head and neck we can then ask that horse to come around in a full 360 and step out towards us and really step that front end through. If we’ve got that achieved then we can go into the education part of the horse and really get them to over rotate the 360, get that softness first there so they’re nice and soft on that lead rope, cluck and ask them to come around and just over rotate that circle so they step right out of it. And finally we can get that horse to lunge out of the flexion. Round behind the saddle holding it underneath the chin there just in case the horse wants to anticipate the turn and go a little early. Once that horse there is soft on this lead rope here and flexed and comfortable with the flexion, I ask that horse to come through here pulling on this lead rope and stepping back and clucking or kissing, draw this rein up and lunge out off it.

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Narrator

Similar to any athletic discipline, the relative ease of an accomplished skill must be maintained through a continued level of effort. Horses do not naturally possess the strength, straightness and suppleness to be able to travel in consistent engagement, therefore, the rider must train their body to be able to educate the energies of an unbalanced horse, training the body to become a more athletic rider is an important welfare consideration for the rider as improved athletic ability will allow for more effective and compassionate training of the horse.

Steven Hart

Body in the centre of the crucifix or the centre of the horse, heel in line with your hip or just in front of the hip. Your body position through your waist: pockets, neutral position, forward. Your hand position is an athletic position that we’re going to talk about, depends on the individual horse in this area through here.

One rein flexion, here my right hand slides down the rein until I get the tip of the nose, then it comes out and around and half way between my knee and my hip. My left hand pushing forward so I’m not touching the outside at all. When I’ve done this I don’t want the horse’s nose to come back past the point of the shoulder. On the left side it’s the opposite, direction rein goes straight down and once I’ve got the tip of the nose, push the right hand forward, nose comes around half way between my knee and my hip.

Points 1 to 5, what we’re trying to achieve here is lateral and vertical flexion. First and foremost we go back to the 1 rein flexion we slide our hand down the right rein until we get to the nose, out and around until we come around to that point of the shoulder which is the 1 position, drop that brake rein underneath the neck muscle, pick up on that and there’s our vertical. That’s the 1 position. If we’re going to the right, we bring the horse’s nose back, that’s a 2 position. If we come back straight, that’s 3, we come back around to the outside which is 4 and 5. That’s 1 to 5 going to your right. If we’re going to our left we do the same thing. Direction rein down, out and around, brake rein in underneath that neck muscle and we get that horse to flex vertical through the brake rein, that’s 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. So, if we’re going to the flexion to the left, that starts at 1, if we’re flexing to the right and we want to go to the right, that’s 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

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Steven Hart

Forward and around. First and foremost I’m going to pop my horse into the sweet spot by using the 1 to 5 to find where that sweet spot is. Once I’ve got that sweet spot I’ve got my horse in a shape I will then apply my inside leg to help soften that horse and once that horse softens then put my outside leg onto go forward hence we roll that horse around in a shape and I’ve got my inside leg around, outside leg pushing the horse forward.

As we walk forward and around in that circle to change direction I will stop in a shape and hold that shape, maintaining my leg pressure to hold the horse from falling in or falling out, I will then change direction.

Direction rein straight out from the crucifix, brake rein at my left hip and bring that front end all the way through by pushing with my left leg at the girth. I then will shape, soften with my inside leg and push with my outside leg then get that horse to walk forward and around in that circle. Inside leg to round, outside leg to keep that horse going forward, maintaining that shape.

We’ll do this over and over again to help with my hands and my feet, stop, change direction, pass the front of the cone, shape, soften inside leg, outside leg to walk forward. Try to maintain a symmetrical circle around your marker.

This exercise here is a large circle with intermittent small circles within it. The aim of this exercise is for us to go around the individual markers within the large circle going halfway between the marker you’re going in and the next one making sure that you maintain your horse in a shape. So, first and foremost I’ll put my horse into a sweet spot which is on this little one about two and a half position, inside leg around, outside leg to push forward and just squeeze a little harder with the outside leg to ask for that trot, maintaining your shape, halfway between the markers, open your brake rein out and apply a little more inside leg which is the right leg off around to the next cone.

Open the brake rein out which is my left hand and apply a little bit more right leg, so on and so forth until we get that horse to go, flow nice and smoothly between the cones doing nice smooth, even circles around each cone. We’ll continue on around to the next one.

If your horse feels out of shape or out of balance at all, you can just stay on that same cone for a little while until that horse balances up or you organise your hands and feet correctly. We go off to the next cone, around through here through the centre.

When we feel our horse has softened down and working nicely there we stop in a shape, relax that horse, give it a moment to dwell on what just happened there. Pop the horse in a three and a half position which is to the outside.

I will apply a little bit more pressure with my left leg and back that horse just to take the weight off the front end, do a 180 all the way back through to the outside, I will then shape my horse, soften it with the inside leg and ask with a little more pressure to the outside leg to ask my horse to trot off. And it’s the same in reverse, out and around to the next cone, maintaining my shape. The horse shaped into a sweet spot, she’s a little bit stiffer on this side so I’m going to take her nose around into a 2 position and maintain 15 per cent pressure on the inside leg and probably tend to the outside because she wants to fall in a little, just vary those leg pressures as we go, forward and around, open the brake rein out, inside leg to go out and around to the next cone.

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Steven Hart

Okay, this is a 50 cent piece exercise, it’s a canter exercise. First and foremost what we’re going to ask our horse to do is: shape, soften, take the front end away, then cluck up for a canter, moving the outside leg back a little or we can just push it straight against the girth. As we go to canter off, depends on the level of your horse’s education whether we’re going to do a 2, a horse’s position and a 2 or a 3 at every cone or every second cone or one cone around the 50 cent piece as we’re going. We’re then going to stop, let the horse relax, back the horse over its tracks, bring the front end back through, shape, soften and then canter off again. So, here I’m going to shape, I’m going to soften with my inside leg and put my outside leg back a little and cluck up and canter off. To get our horse going along nice and evenly first before we start asking them as I go along around the cone it’s 2, 3 to straight, 2, 3 to straight.

Stop, get them to relax, back through that turn with a three and a half position, horse’s head to the outside, bring that front end all the way through. Shape until they soften on you and apply that outside leg and canter off. After we’ve done the 50 cent piece, we can then start doing the ‘D’, 2, 3, straight through the centre, 2, 3.

Two, 3, 2, 3 and that’s a ‘D’. We can try the triangle. Just 2, 3, 2, 3.

And stop, release the pressure when they’ve softened back on you and let them settle.

One eighty. Right hand comes straight out off the crucifix, left hand comes back at my hip, relax my right leg, put my left leg on at the girth and bring the front end all the way through both feet come on and ride forward off out of that. Coming back to the left, direction rein straight out off the crucifix, brake rein on back at your right hip, right leg at the girth and bring the front end all the way through, both feet come on and walk off out of it.

Three sixty, pop your horse into a two and a half position, direction rein, brake rein, direction rein tells the front end to go, brake rein holds the back end in the ground and I bring my left leg on and bring that horse’s front end all the way around. We’ll do two of these, XXXXXXXXXX maintain our hands in that position. If we want to speed it up we just put a little bit more leg pressure on. To go to the left is exactly the opposite, direction rein tells the front end to go, brake rein, we put the horse’s head in a two and a half position, bring the right leg on at the girth and bring the horse’s front end all the way around keeping our left hand in front of the crucifix.

With the back up first and foremost I get my horse to soften in a 3 position, sit back on my pockets, ask with my hands and then lift with my feet and that allows the horse to lift its front feet up, it rounds the neck and it rounds through the back and the rump. Okay, we’ve got a reverse arc here. We pop our horse into a three and a half position. This position I find it easiest to hold our horse in there, no more, no less, just for the simple fact it’s easier for the horse to do. I shape the horse in that three and a half position, I use my right leg to soften, then my inside leg to come forward, the opposite to when we’re walking forward and around in a circle with a no shape in. As I walk forward and around here, I’ve got the outside leg around, the inside leg to push forward. I hold my brake rein out to help direct that a little and I just keep shaping with the direction rein to the outside. This is to help with freeing up the front end and evening up the head, the neck, the rib cage, front end and the back end. When I get to here I stop, let that horse soften in a shape. If I need to draw back to put a little weight on the back end I’ll draw back a little, bring that horse all the way back through, shape to the outside, soften with my left leg and put my right leg onto go forward. And repeat this over again 3 times in a row and this becomes habit forming. As I’m side passing here my right hand needs to be over my boot, my left hand needs to be out here in an athletic position and my right leg needs to be on the girth.

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