Novice

For The Love of My Horse

Developing and training your horse according to the eight systems of the training scale

  1. BASIC NEEDS: Meeting your horse’s basic needs.                                             

     
Horses need at least one to two years to adjust to their new environment.  Because of this, it is of very important that one always take their time in the training of their horse.  This gradual approach will help nourish the physical and mental development of the horse.  To grow and advance with your horse, one should make sure that he/she meets the horse’s basic needs first.  This includes their safety, shelter, water, vaccination, hoof care, leading, trailoring, brushing, and bridling.  One must establish trust in the horse before one can think of advancement in the training scale.  If you have not chosen your horse yet, consider this to be one of the most important decisions you will ever make.  Most beginners imagine that their ideal horse is a young, high spirited stallion or filly.  Often, people realize that they cannot manage or ride this type of horse safely.  This experience can teach one that it may have been far better to buy an older gelding or mare that has no bad habits and is willing to cooperate in a gentle manner. 

Horses can live up to thirty or more years.  You should first identify why you want to buy a horse.  Do you want your horse to be a dressage star, a trail horse, a family horse, a show horse or a kid pony?  After you have determined the reason, you should take the time to evaluate the type of horse you wish to purchase.  You will want a horse with good confirmation, good character, and most importantly one that has a very good disposition and willingness to work with you.  This way, you and your horse can advance and grow together in whatever endeavor you choose.  It is very advisable to have a veterinarian examine your future horse to assure that he/she is in good health.  A horse is a tremendous responsibility and keeping one can be quite an expensive.  Before making the decision to purchase a horse, you should educate yourself about the responsibilities of owning one.  A great way to accomplish this is by taking a few horse care programs, reading a lot of horse care books and talking to many horse owners.  The horse is a living creature and one must plan what to do if ever faced with the decision that they can no longer care for their horse.   

 

  1. GROUND WORK:  Laying the foundation for future training success,,              

After you have accomplished all the steps in the first training scale, you are ready to move on to the second step of the training scale. 

 

  1. RYTHEM: It is of very importance to develop the proper rhythm in each of your horse’s gate. 
  1. SUPPLENESS & LOOSENESS: There is no joy or advancement in a horse that is not supple and relaxed in their training. 

 

  1. CONTACT: A horse will only come on the bit if the rider’s hands are inviting for the horse to do so.
  1. IMPLUSION:  Impulsion can only be developed after the first three systems of the training scale are met.

 

  1. STRAIGHTNESS:  The skilled rider will always strive to produce a horse that is straight while moving forward and bent when working on a circle.
  1. COLLECTION:

 

A skilled rider knows that it can take between nine and twelve years to become proficient in the art of classical horsemanship.  I have outlined the training scale so a beginner rider and horseman will have a road map to help guide them and their horse in the right training direction.  The training scale has been in existence for many centuries, yet I took the liberty to add two additional points to the existing system.  I feel this system is a wonderful guide for the advancement of horse and rider. If any problems arise in your training, one can use the training scale as a reference to help locate and correct any issue.  The advanced rider always returns to the basics when problems occur. 

Axes straightness, and flexion in the pole.

Is your horse straight and bend on curves. Are we making our horses crooked? What does one mean by straightness when a horse travels on a straight line his hind leg follow right into the front hove print?

Axes straightness

When the horse is Axes straight, the horses shoulders are directly in front of my hips.

Horses are more flexible in the neck then in the rest of the body.

Flexion begins in the pole. When you positioning your horses neck to the left he is what we call in a left position, when you position you horses neck to the right he is in a right position and when you position your horses neck to the center, he is in what we call a neutral position. To flex and bend the horse in the pole we must begin be turning the key meaning turning our hands from the highest point to turning your fingers upward and back. Bringing your fingers us close to the withers without ever crossing over. Quickly turn your hand three times it is important to support the function with the outside rein so you're inside rain does not become loopy. A loopy rain feels to your horse, as if he would get punched in the teeth all the time. It is best to start the flexion on a twenty meter circle. When you horse travels forward along a twenty meter circle and you feel his shoulders are bopping out to the right you can use your rain of opposition also known as the outside rain of opposite and rebalance your horse so he continues to travel forward in a left flexion. To become an expert, you must learn to feel your way to better handle your reins. It is an art to find the marriage between the reins. Don't get disappointed if it will take you a little while to get good at finding the balance and merit of the rein. Your hands always have to feel inviting to your horses mouth in order to continue to advance. As you practices this exercise for a while and your horses neck feels like 20 pounds in your hands keep working in time you will notice that the horse's neck becomes more flexible and might go from the feeling of twenty pounds to the feeling of one or less pounds.